The SIBA Mission

The Summit Independent Business Alliance (SIBA) strives to support and sustain quality of life within Summit County, Colorado. We do this by helping to prevent the displacement of locally owned, independent businesses, ensuring ongoing opportunities for entrepreneurs, and advancing citizen engagement in directing the development of their mountain community.

Our unique, non-profit organization is based on a proven business model, and consists of both citizen members and local, indie-biz owners. A Summit County, Colorado-based non-profit, SIBA is an organization of independent business owners and citizens who believe it's vital to keep "indie biz" alive and thriving in Summit County.

SIBA is based on a nationally proven Independent Business Alliance(sm) model that enriches and empowers locally owned independent businesses, their employees and owners through three core tenants:

  1. EDUCATION. SIBA informs citizens of the value provided by community-based businesses and their importance to the local economy, culture and the social fabric of our unique mountain community.
  2. GROUP IDENTITY. We do promotion, advertising and marketing to elevate the collective profile of our community-based businesses, which helps level the playing field and brings them some of the market advantages that corporate chains and non-community-based businesses enjoy.
  3. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. SIBA creates strong relationships with local governments and the media to influence local policy and decision-making by giving a voice to the locally owned independent business community.

SIBA seeks to improve the long-term sustainability of the local, independent economy by promoting the region's attractiveness as a culturally diverse, recreationally unique mountain community. It does this by communicating the great importance of supporting locally owned, independent businesses to both residents and visitors. It also encourages earth-friendly business practices. SIBA achieves these goals by developing and/or suggesting viable solutions, which strengthen the functionality and spirit of indie biz throughout Summit County. Learn more about our specific goals and strategies by viewing our regularly updated "Business Plan Mindmap." (Click on the + signs to see the specifics.)