Supporting locally owned businesses over national chain stores makes good economic sense on many levels. Long after a purchase, money spent at a Charlottesville based store continues to give value to the buyer. Local business owners have a strong history of investing money from your patronage back into your community, even though they often aren't recognized for their efforts. While national chain stores have the clout to advertise everything they do, even their charity work, you'd be surprised at how much gets done

in our community because local business owners give of their time and resources. TradeLocal has spotlighted notable examples in this column before, most recently the owners of Blue Wheel Bicycle. Care for another? Look no further than local businessman William Lewis.

Mr. Lewis has served on several Boards of Directors for regional economic groups and even brought his mentoring ideas to African-American students at local middle schools. However, he is finally getting some recognition for his efforts to help local minority business ventures. Most recently, he won the

1999 Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce's Small BusinessPerson of the Year award.

Mr. Lewis has put his hard-won knowledge of small enterprise management into the hands of neighbors trying to launch their own careers. He was a cosponsor of last summer's minority "Entrepreneur's Conference" held at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). The conference gathered over 50 minority entrepreneurs with several local experts who shared their expertise on hiring, marketing, and financing. PVCC is also the forum for Mr. Lewis' mentoring program, which matches fledgling businesses with established community firms. These training opportunities were not around when Mr. Lewis started his own high-speed reprographics business, Duplex, years ago. He learned how to survive and thrive in a business sector that has plenty of national competitors. While most copy shops cater to quantity economics, Duplex targets a specific high quality niche. He is not afraid to turn down jobs that aren't suited for his expertise and says finding a niche in which to compete is key to small business success. But the biggest problems a small business will face are capital investment and surviving the first few years. Mr. Lewis envisions a group that puts minority startups in touch with local experts who are willing to give professional help at a reduced rate. While the idea is still forming, it's likely to be yet another example of neighbors helping neighbors. And all of this, because you chose to run those copies at a local business. Local money goes a long way.