Thriving communities are good for everyone. With this in mind, Groupon is committed to promoting initiatives that help foster economic development and growth of small businesses.
By Craig Rowley, Chief Marketing Officer, Groupon - October 11, 2019
On the surface, an 85-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to shaping a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous greater Chicago region and a 10-year-old Chicago-based company striving to be the daily habit in local commerce might not appear to be natural partners. However, when you delve into the ‘why’ of both Metropolitan Planning Council and Groupon, you begin to understand the reasoning behind the company’s investment into MPC’s strategic initiatives.
Thriving communities are good for everyone. Quality schools, better jobs, safe and inclusive neighborhoods, and access to public transit - these are just a few things that make a community a desirable place to live, work, and play. Groupon and MPC also believe that successful local businesses are the backbone of thriving communities. And it’s those businesses, the retailers on blocks in every neighborhood, that lend a distinct personality and economic viability to the communities around them.
With this in mind, Groupon is committed to promoting initiatives that help foster economic development and growth of small businesses. After all, Community is one of our company’s core values. However, we also understand that a more holistic approach is needed to build great neighborhoods - one that involves and considers a multitude of stakeholders, touch points and tactics.
High on that list of stakeholders are trusted partners that know the landscape and have experience delivering solutions in a variety of communities. This is where MPC comes in.
The core of the Groupon-MPC partnership centers on sponsorship of the Corridor Development Initiative at the Red Line 95th Street corridor and piloting the Preserving Affordability Together tool in the Garfield Park neighborhood. Both programs highlight MPC’s modern-day approach to equitable and quality community development that develops and promotes solutions for sound regional growth.
The CDI program is designed to engage communities in proactively planning for real-world development scenarios. Fresh off MPC’s successful 2018 CDI of Woodlawn, Groupon is proud to help bring this program to the 95th Street Corridor on Chicago’s South Side. In addition to sponsorship dollars, Groupon volunteers will also participate in three community planning meetings that are a crucial part of this process.
Groupon and MPC will also be introducing the Preserving Affordability Together tool to the West Side’s Garfield Park neighborhood. The idea behind this tool, which was born out of MPC’s Our Equitable Future report, is to give community stakeholders a resource to better understand the potential implications of new development or investment related to key areas of community concern such as housing affordability and small business resiliency. Having already partnered with The Hatchery, Garfield Park’s new 67,000 square foot food and beverage incubator, Groupon is excited to provide the residents of Garfield Park with an additional tool to maximize their economic potential amidst the influx of development dollars.
We look forward to collaborating with MPC on these initiatives in the coming year with the hope that these efforts will help establish and support amazing communities in the Chicago region for generations to come.
For more information about other ways Groupon is making an impact in the community, check out Groupon’s Community site, including our Social Responsibility 2018 year at a glance blogpost.