Growing Local Value How to Build Business Partnerships That Strengthen Your Community

Hanna Andersson founder Gun Denhart and successful entrepreneur Laury Hammel show how every aspect of a business (from product creation to employee recruitment to vendor selection) holds the dual promise of bigger profits and a stronger local community. With practical tools and real-life examples of the best practitioners and techniques of values-driven business, Growing Local Value provides a framework for the full spectrum of ways in which a business can contribute to its community - and the benefits a company receives when it does so.

In 1980 Laury Hammel founded The Longfellow Clubs, a group of health, tennis, and sports clubs located outside Boston and servicing over 10,000 members. The Longfellow Clubs has been a leader in the fitness and tennis industries and has won numerous awards. Laury has been inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame, and his emphasis on growing local value has led Club Business International magazine to call him the “conscience of the industry.” His family was named the National Tennis Family of the Year in 2000, and he is currently the number one tennis player in New England in his age group.
Gun Denhart cofounded the Hanna Andersson children’s clothing company in 1983. Through her leadership, the company has become known for its high-quality clothing made from soft cot- ton materials as well as community involvement and family- friendly work practices.