South Ogden Business Alliance (SOBA)

Three years ago we had a planning session with the mayor and city council. One of the ideas that came from that session was to create a way to establish a dialogue between South Ogden City government and the South Ogden business community.

The idea to create the South Ogden Business Alliance was born. The purpose of the business alliance was to not only create a dialogue, but partner with our local businesses to help make them successful in our city. We have some pretty big businesses in our city, but the bread and butter of our community is the small businesses or home occupation businesses. SOBA has been a resource for any businesses that wants to take the time to participate.

When we originally started we had a pretty sparse attendance. Over time we have gained more and more support and participation. Our monthly meeting now consists of about 30 members with probably over 100 businesses that have joined us at least once over the last three years.

SOBA meets the first Wednesday of every month. Most meetings are held at the South Ogden City Hall in the Community Room at 12:00 p.m. Lunch is always served and it is free of charge. There is also NO cost to join SOBA. It has been a goal that we want people to come and participate without having to worry about ponying up any cash.

One of the things that has been very successful with SOBA is the networking between businesses. Most businesses have generated a client or two (or more) from their relationship with other businesses that attend the meetings. Each meeting has about 10 minutes set aside to network with others. We also have a table that allows you to bring promotional materials about your business to share with others.

Each meeting also consists of a business spotlight (10 minutes) and a guest speaker (20 minutes). We try to bring in guest speakers each month that help broaden your ability to do business. We also try to keep the meeting at one hour to allow people to get back to work.

We would invite all business owners in South Ogden to come and join us. Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 6th at 12:00 p.m. at the South Ogden City Hall (3950 Adams Avenue). Even if you are not a business owner you are welcome to come and see what we do. If you mention this blog we'll even give you a free piece of pizza. ;-)