Haskins Ramos Jr. and his wife Ivy, pose with Chesapeake Bank's own Stacey Akers. Ramos' company, Haskins Bayside Service Center, is a part the Buck Stays Here website and program.
Community banks are only as strong as the communities that we serve. We understand that whether you’re a business owner, employee, board member, volunteer, friend or patron, it takes each of us working together to develop the communities that we’re in.
Each small business and non-profit is vital to the economy of each market. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for every $100 you spend in your community $68 of those dollars stay where they are spent. Whereas, only $48 remain in the same town when you spend at big box stores or chains. These funds impact the community by providing jobs, generating revenue from taxes, and “local business” usually impacts more than one local supplier or merchant — since many services go hand-in-hand.
As your community bank, we want to keep this message alive and support our neighboring businesses and non-profits every way that we can. The Buck Stays Here campaign is just one way that we get to do this!
We first launched this campaign in 2013 to support this effort. It started with ‘Third Thursday's’ and special ‘Shop Local’ events which have caught on and evolved. Continuing to get requests from local merchants and staff on ways that we could improve the program, we revamped it in 2019. The new initiative launched a first ever "Find the Duck and Win some Bucks" campaign. The directory was also upgraded to a full-blown website.
We found that some small businesses, especially in our more rural regions, do not have a website or social media presence. We’re in a position to help merchants with this service by providing an online profile with SEO, special keywords, contact and business information, and photos — offering an extended reach to potential business. The plan is to increase traffic and interest to these businesses in an ever-increasing digital world.
We also have plans for this site to feature stories from business owners that highlight meaningful experiences in the community, overcoming challenges, and sharing advice. Potentially, making it a showcase of successes and community.
There are other exciting benefits of being a member of this directory, especially if you’re our customer. And even more ideas are in the chute.
BENEFITS |
LOCAL BUSINESS PARTICIPANT |
LOCAL BUSINESS AND
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| Business listing in online directory | ||
| Shout-out on social media for joining the BSH community | ||
| Paid advertising campaign pointing consumers to the directory and your business listing | ||
| Materials to display at your business showing BSH participation | ||
| The Buck Stays Here monthly newsletter with business advice and other helpful tips | ||
| The Buck Stays Here t-shirt upon request | ||
| Free business financial check-up | ||
| Annual in-branch promotional business display (and have staff wear your t-shirts) to advertise your business to our customers at your request | ||
| Annual featured blog post (at your request) | ||
| Quarterly social media shout-outs about your business or promotion (at your request) |
If you would like to know more, please contact our Business Development Team by calling 877-695-8239 or completing the form below. Thank you. If you have suggestions for the program, please email banklocal@chesbank.com