Nick Bello Email & Phone Number

The Shop Local Network was founded in 2014 by life-long LaPorte resident Nick Bello. Nick was frustrated to see many of the locally owned and operated businesses in his home town struggling because of lack of support by the community. It was at that time that he decided to put his 20 years of marketing experience to work in LaPorte. The goal was simple. He wanted to raise awareness of locally owned and operated businesses in LaPorte in an effort to not see any additional businesses close. It was then that he realized that the problem was much more in depth. Nick found that awareness of the businesses was a major issue. People did not know which businesses were locally owned, what the businesses had to offer, how long they had been there or where they were located. People had stopped thinking about trying to shop local first. It was apparent at that point, that the first goal was to bring awareness to the community about the locally owned businesses, and then help increase the business for these local shops. It was then that he realized the power of the $20 shift and our community making a pledge to make this shift.If everyone in the community of LaPorte (over the age of 18) were to shift just $20 of their existing monthly spending to independent, locally owned businesses, it would generate at least: $3,015,936.00 back into the local LaPorte economy. That’s huge! That’s making a difference!The Shop Local Network is now one of the largest marketing agencies in the Chicagoland area serving over 130 clients on a yearly basis.

Listed skills include Advertising, Event Planning, Social Media, Sales Management, and 16 others.