Resource rangers: City of Englewood shares how they used the shop local program to create big impact with limited resources

Economic development teams are often small, under-resourced, and yet they’re expected to:

• Track business relationships

• Run BR&E programs

• Support workforce initiatives

• Launch shop local campaigns

• Prove ROI to elected officials

Four Colorado communities—Frederick, Arvada, Larimer County, and Englewood—joined us on stage at the annual EDCC conference to share how the right econ dev tools and habits can turn “we’re stretched thin” into measurable impact.

Shop local, quantified: Englewood’s rewards program

City of Englewood Economic Development Manager, Will Slate, oversees a lean team—with an overall economic development budget of around $145,000. To support local businesses and create a visible win, they launched a cashback-style rewards program using Open Rewards.

How it works for residents:

• Residents shop at eligible local businesses (restaurants, retailers, etc.).

• They either:

  • Upload a receipt, or

  • Link their card in the app

• They earn points (cashback) they can redeem at other participating businesses in the city.

How it works for businesses:

• Eligible businesses are automatically added once they register for a business license.

• They don’t handle point redemptions, discounts, or reimbursements directly.

• The city funds the rewards, so there’s no hit to margins.

• Businesses that actively market the program (table tents, social posts, etc.) see even more benefit.

The ROI case

Using the Open Rewards dashboard and ROI calculations, Englewood can show:

• Initial city investment: $20,000

• Tracked economic impact: about $360,000 in local spending over less than a year

That’s roughly 17–20x return on the incentives the city funded.

Because the ROI is so visible and easy to explain, city council now funds the program as an add-on, rather than having it come out of Will’s small base budget.

Construction-impact support

During a major infrastructure project that disrupted a key corridor:

• The city increased rewards from 5% to 15% for affected businesses.

• They included service-based businesses (e.g., personal services) in the promotion, even though they typically don’t generate retail sales tax.

That move wasn’t just about sales tax; it was about goodwill and survival during a long, messy construction period.

Key outcome: Englewood turned a typical “shop local” PR effort into an ROI-backed, council-supported line item—and used it strategically to support businesses during disruptions.

Want to see how Bludot can do the same for your community? Schedule some time now.