I’ve been a proud San Diegan since 1984 and I am never moving… I love it here!
I grew up in a very tiny town of 800 in Colorado, and I love the small-town feel of our neighborhoods throughout the San Diego area.
As Founder of the nonprofit Choose Local First Foundation, I am a staunch advocate and supporter of locally owned independent businesses, which are the lifeblood of our communities. Independently owned businesses are challenged continuously by huge corporations which have money, resources, and expertise to advertise and market themselves to consumers. IT’s very challenging to open and operate a business in California, and the competition from National franchise operations which use this powerful marketing combination to compete with out friends and neighbors who operate a local business; so much so that it often ends up driving our local businesses to close.
Choose Local First Foundation’s focus is on helping our local businesses compete with these huge companies by offering effective promotion and marketing assistance, including discount programs to allow them to obtain marketing for a fraction of the investment through our “co-op” program which which raise funds and use those to assist our local owners to compete with the “big guys”.
As the San Diego County representative for AMIBA (American Independent Business Alliance), our Choose Local First initiative reminds consumers of the importance of choosing our wonderful local independent businesses when making buying decisions.
Choose Local First suggests strongly that we seek out a LOCAL BUSINESS FIRST and to simply give them a chance, BEFORE going to a franchise, big box store, or online retailer like Amazon.
Studies show that money spent at local businesses stimulates the local economy, and this money is recirculated in our community – which helps make our neighborhoods more vibrant, unique, interesting, diverse, and safe.
In addition, our local business owners are often our friends, neighbors, or maybe even the parents of our children’s schoolmates.
Our nonprofit Foundation raises money, and and promotes awareness about our local businesses, nonprofits, causes, and events to celebrate , encourage, and assist our local independent businesses so that they thrive and remain an essential part of neighborhood’s character and sustainability.
About Brad Weber
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I’m married to my wife of 31 years, Francine – a Registered Nurse. We have a rescue dog named Pierrot, and a horse named Quinn.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I’ve had a wonderful career in magazine publishing and printing since 1984 – 41 years this year!
As CEO/Group Publisher of Inspired Media & Local Umbrella Media. we help to promote local businesses with uniquely effective and surprisingly inexpensive opportunities to reach their highest value consumers – right in their neighborhood, throughout San Diego County, and Nationally through our network of publications outside our area.
What I love most is helping local businesses create effective marketing programs to fit their needs by sharing their unique stories with their best prospects – who are often consumers who live and work in the neighborhoods these businesses serve.
Our combination of neighborhood specific community magazines, direct mail distribution so one copy is delivered to each home in their market, content that the neighborhood residents love to read, and our very robust complimentary social media; email distribution; local “Street Team” who can present their products and services for them at local community and business networking events, and most importantly – expertise from 41 years of operating several local businesses myself, and working with thousands of other local independent businesses throughout the nation to craft ideas and promotions that actually work!
I know from experience how easy it can be to spend hard earned money and resources on marketing programs that the slickest salespeople who present options for marketing (both in-person and online through email, social media, and other methods).
More often than not, these options are expensive and disturbingly ineffective.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Greet each day with love in your heart!
Be kind, look people in the eye – and smile when you meet them!
If you want to be interesting – be interested!
People don’t care what you know, until they know how much you care about them!
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Semi-retired but NOT disconnected from the community. I LOVE what I do each day! S
I still learn something new each day, and I love helping others.
That will never stop – even while I enjoy the next phase of life with my family when the time is right to slow down.
Brad Weber & Our Community
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Supporting our Choose Local First! mentality, I love to try and local restaurant that is independently owned.
I want to support and experience something new and unique!
I love to meet adn chat with local owners to see who they are, what led them to start a restaurant, tell me about the nighborhood they serve, adn learn about their family when appropriate.
Same goes for the staff – all these people our our neighbors dn they deserve my support.
If the experience isn’t good, I’ll move on to try another local establishment – Choose LOCAL First!
Coffee? I honestly avoid Franchise operations like Starbucks, as there are SO many wonderful local coffee shops in our neighborhoods who are frankly much better than Starbucks, etc. – and they are owned by our friends and neighbors instead of a huge corporation which takes the money from profits right out of our neighborhoods instead of spending it at at other local establishments reinvesting these profits locally.
The economic benefit of this local reinvestment is astounding as compared to big corporations sucking the money and lifeblood out of our communities!
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
40 years.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Oh my so many! Bill Walton; Jerry Coleman; Summer Stephan, Simona at OASIS, Jeff Wohler of Harobor Police Foundation,, Dr. Kevin Murphy – I know I’m leaving SO MANY out.
I find almost everyone I meet interesting in some way if I look deep enough, so I meet new interesting people every day.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
So many – here are a few: Filippi’s Italian; Lafayette Hotel, Horton Grand Hotel; US Grant Hotel; La Paloma Theatre; Chicken Pie Shop; Café La Maze: Clayton’s Coffee Shop: Hob Nob Hill; – it goes on and on!.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
The weather of course as I’m a lover of nature!
Our unique local neighborhoods and the businesses and people in them – they are like small towns in a big city!
Q: If you could choose anyone alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
A picnic at the beach in Del Mar catered by the French Gourmet would be fabulous.
Including those not alive – it has to be a group meal! Mother Teresa, Confucius; Ben Franklin, Jesus, Rumi, Epictetus, Teddy Roosevelt, MLK, Gandhi, Joseph Campbell, and my Mom and Dad so they could share it with me.
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
Fargo, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Breaking Bad, All in the Family – any Ken Burns documentary.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I was the Colorado State Triple Jump Champion in high school – and still hold the school record 47 years later.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Sunrises and Sunsets, my wife’s smile, the sounds of nature, a child’s laughter, well-behaved children and pets, and roasted/salted pumpkin seeds – I’m slightly addicted.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My wife, my customers, entrepreneurs, Veterans of War, the great sages, and philosophers.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Comfort, Love, Security – “A man travels the world over in search of what he wants, and returns home to find it”.
