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The City Wire, April 30, 2014 Partnering for a greener world was the theme of Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Expo event held Tuesday (April 29) in Rogers. The retail giant assembled a cast of global suppliers, environmental advocates, supply chain experts, farmers and ranchers for the three-day event. Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation and administrator over … Read More
Walmart already controls more than 25 percent of the U.S. grocery market. With its latest organic scheme, it’s aiming to control even more.… Read More
U.S. News and World Report, April 18, 2014 In my column last week, I wrote of Wal-Mart and Target’s launch of organic foods and sustainable household products. This drew a mixed response from readers. For example, Stacy Mitchell of the highly-regarded Institute for Local Self Reliance, tweeted to challenge Wal-Mart’s organics program, saying any company that … Read More
Even as their big competitors are awash in capital, many locally owned businesses are struggling to secure the financing they need to grow. This analysis finds that, since 2000, bank lending to large businesses is up 36 percent, while small business loan volume has fallen 14 percent and “micro” business loans — those under $100,000 — have plummeted 33 percent.… Read More
Since 2000, the overall volume of business lending per capita at banks has grown by 26 percent, but this expansion has entirely benefited large businesses. Small business loan volume at banks is down 14 percent and micro business loan volume is down 33 percent. … Read More
Although few cities take full advantage of them, planning and zoning powers are among the most potent tools communities have for shaping their economies. Two recent decisions, in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, underscore why land use planning matters and how smart policies can strengthen the local economy and protect good jobs.… Read More
The scale of Walmart’s renewable energy efforts are no where near the scale of the company’s operations. … Read More
Last month, San Francisco’s Office of Economic Analysis issued a new study concluding that the city’s policy restricting the spread of chain stores is harming the local economy. But the OEA’s sweeping conclusion rests on bad data and a deeply flawed analysis that misses many of the benefits of independent business. In this article for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, we detail exactly how the study gets it wrong.… Read More
International Business Times, February 26, 2014 Boehner hasn’t threatened suicide lately, but he stands against raising the minimum wage. Doing so, he says, is bad for small business. Indeed, said Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, at a Washington meeting of the National Governors Association, over the weekend: “I’m not for increasing the minimum wage because I’m … Read More
