Will Brisbane, Founder Support Dayton
Things changed for Oakwood resident Will Brisbane after the news came of the cancellation of NCAA First Four in Dayton. “While I understood the rationale, my first thoughts were that the locally owned businesses in the Greater Dayton area would suffer greatly from the lost revenue the tournament usually brings. As state mandated closures and restrictions started, I realized the danger to these businesses was rising.” He continued, “I love Dayton, it’s entrepreneurs, and the businesses they run. I wanted to create a means for people to provide support for locally owned and operated small businesses during this difficult time.”
So Brisbane, with some help from his friends, launched Support Dayton. Val Smith of Real Art designed the logo, Tom Whallen helped him file the necessary paperwork to form his non-profit. He’s enlisted more friends to help build the website, and spread the word.
This is a not-for-profit venture aimed at helping small businesses that are owned and operated in the Gem City to stay afloat during these times. The website describes the organizations purpose: “Our local business owners need us. Most have little to no revenue coming in and there’s no real end in sight. So what do we do? How can we ensure the Dayton institutions make it through this tough time? The short answer is they need our money and our support. According to Brisbane “for many this is just a listing of what services they still have available whether it be online ordering, According to Brisbane “for many this is just a listing of what services they still have available whether it be online ordering, limited contact carryout, etc. For others it means selling of gift cards and links to donate.”limited contact carryout, etc. For others it means selling of gift cards and links to donate.”
It costs businesses nothing to be listed. Brisbane’s “hope is that this site will help local businesses by promoting their services and providing patrons of these businesses a means to continue to support them.” Currently there are over 50 organizations listed on the website. Businesses qualify by being a Miami Valley owned and operated small business and can get listed by submitting a form at https://www.supportdayton.com/business-owners. All the information needed to get listed is there and, again, it costs nothing.
