Business owners in Falcon now have two organizations supporting their goals, as they establish and grow their businesses. The Falcon Area Business Alliance was formed in June of this year to help small businesses in the area have a bigger voice in the community, said FABA member Brian Swanson.”We are a group formed by the business people of Falcon for the businesses and community of Falcon,” Swanson said. FABA is completely separate from the Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce. However, some FABA members are also current or former EPC members.FABA operates similar to the EPC. They hold meetings to address issues affecting businesses, but, instead of a board of directors, the organization is run by groups of people. “Everything has its checks and balances; everyone has a voice; and decisions are made as a group,” Swanson said. FABA is run by three specific groups: finance, leadership and mentoring. Each group has a chairperson, but everyone in the group is involved in the decision-making process. Every FABA member must be part of one of the groups.Biweekly meetings will take place until January 2011, while FABA continues to define and develop the organization, said member Domenic Zambrano, owner of The Original Basket Boutique in Falcon. Because it was designed to help smaller businesses during their startup period, FABA has attracted businesses like Zambrano’s, but every business is welcome, Swanson said.For more information,visit www.faba-online.org or call 719-749-1233.
