JoJo's House of Beauty - WKTV Journal

Bringing together and celebrating the good that locally-owned businesses have done for the Greater Grand Rapids has been an initiative that LocalFirst has been focused on in the past year.

Recently, the organization celebrated its Good for Grand Rapids campaign by announcing the eight top-scoring businesses that received Good for Grand Rapids Awards. Two of which were from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas: Lindo Mexico received a Good For Employees and Celebration! Cinema received a Good for Community.

LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stroub was on the WKTV Journal to talk about the impact of the awards with host Donna Kidner-Smith.

“It is to bring together and celebrate companies that are using businesses for good,” Stroub said about the Good for Grand Rapids. “And what that means is that they are being good to their employees; they are giving back to the community; they are creating high quality and more jobs for the people that live here.”

Businesses that participated took a quick impact assessment that is available on the LocalFirst website. Stroub said a business owner or someone very familiar with the business could do the assessment which would take anywhere from a half hour to an hour to complete.

“The assessment is industry specific,” Stroub said. “A restaurant is going to have different questions than a PR company. So the business owners who go in and take it only have questions relevant to them.”

More than 70 different business participated in the program. From the Wyoming and Kentwood areas that includes Daddy’s Dough and JoJo’s House of Beauty along with Lindo Mexico and Celebration! Cinema.

Participating in the program not only gives business insight into what they are doing well and what they need to improve upon, but another tool to attract high, quality talent to the West Michigan area, Stroub said.

LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stroub

“A common challenge across industries is talent or acquiring talent,” she said. “As we are noticing, the work force that is entering, they want to work for a company that they are proud of. They want to work for a company that pays attention to social issues, that gives back to its community. We are giving businesses the tools that they need to facilitate that.”

Along with the assessment, LocalFirst is also offering a series of workshops focused on helping business with their sustainability efforts. Information on the first three Good for Grand Rapids workshops are now available on the LocalFirst website along with other events such as mixers to get to know those who are in LocalFirst and have taken the Good for Grand Rapids assessment.

The Good for Grand Rapids assessment tool is also available on the website. Stroub said it is a free resource that a business owner can complete on his/her own time.

For more about LocalFirst, visit localfirst.org.

Josephine “JoJo” White at her salon JoJo’s House of Beauty. (Photo of Courtesy of Josephine “JoJo” White)

By Bre Wilson

news@wktv.org

Josephine “JoJo” White recognizes that when a person makes the decision to leave a destructive relationship, they only have a short time to pack up and the last thing they may consider to grab is personal items such as shampoo and conditioner.

Which is why the owner of JoJo’s House of Beauty, located at 1801 44^th St. SE, over the past several years has worked with the YWCA to make sure those items are available when people come to stay there.

“The YWCA has always been a great place to just give, they give so much to domestic violence and we wanted to just be a part of that,” White said. “We donate brushes and combs, hair care, whatever we have or whatever clients give to us.”

It is because of White’s dedication to building a better community that she was recently one of nine recipients of the LocalMotion Award presented by LocalFirst of West Michigan. Given out annual, the LocalMotion Awards are designed to recognize businesses, organizations and individuals leading the way in building vibrant, sustainable communities. Each nominee was asked to complete a Quick Impact Assessment, which quantifies their positive impact through business practices such as philanthropic efforts, employee satisfaction and responsible waste management. From there, the LocalMotion Award recipients are determined and were announced at a special event earlier this year.

“I was totally shocked,” White said of being a LocalMotion Award recipient. “There were over 60 people who were nominated, so just to be nominated was a good thing.

“It was amazing to be recognized.”

White open JoJo’s House of Beauty three years ago after taking over her current location. Her goal has been to offer a multi-cultural salon designed to serve both men and women of all hair types. “Opening a salon has been a dream of mine since the age of 16, so it’s just a blessing to see my dreams come true,” she said.

Even before achieving her dream, White was committed to giving back to the community. Through the years, she has been very involved in many organizations from giving scholarship money to Omega Si Phi Fraternity Incorporation and Alpha Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporation to volunteering with Beauty of Zion Fashion ArtPrize hair show. White said she enjoys creating a positive presence in her community.

“LocalFirst is proud of all the busiensses in West Michigan who are making a positive impact in our local community,” said LocalFirst President Elissa Hillary. “The businesses recognized at the LocalMotion Awards are excellent examples of what it means to use business as a force for good and we applaud them for their commitment to positive social and environmental change in Grand Rapids and beyond.”

The other LocalMotion Award recipients are, from Grand Rapids, ACTPhotoMedia, LINC UP, Management Business Solutions, Mindful Vinyasa School of Yoga, and Mixed Staffing and Recruiting; from Grand Haven, C2C Galleries; and from Holland, EcoBuns Baby+Co.