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LION stands for Local Investing Opportunities Network.  LION creates opportunities for local businesses, nonprofits, and citizens to network.

Our mission is to build prosperous local businesses, keep investing money in our community, and help build a more resilient and sustainable economy in East Jefferson County.

LION is not a loan or investment fund, and it does not make collective investment decisions. Our membership consists of local citizens who support local businesses and invest their money locally, putting their investing money to work within our community. Keeping funds local facilitates greater economic self-sufficiency, job growth, economic development, and a dollar-multiplier effect whereby a dollar kept within the community can be spent many times over for a far greater benefit than a dollar invested away from our community.

Data

Quantitative Profiles of Local Investing in East Jefferson County, WA

Data in the profiles is based on voluntary surveys conducted of LION members. As not all LION members responded to the surveys, the data shown represent “at least” amounts of LION member investments. They contains data in aggregate (no specific business, member, or otherwise confidential information is included), and describe the magnitude, scope, and characteristics of local investing by LION members.

Quantitative Profile of Local Investing, 2008-2020 (PDF). Publication date, March 2021.
Data is based on responses from 44 LION members to voluntary surveys conducted in 2012, 2017, 2020 and 2021.  The latest survey, conducted in February 2021, also attempts to measure the loan relief that LION members provided in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quantitative Profile of Local Investing, 2006-2019 (PDF). Publication date, January 2021.
Data is based on responses of 36 LION members to voluntary surveys conducted in 2012, 2017 and 2020. . Since the survey data covers the period ending December 2019, this summary does not include impacts of the pandemic. These impacts will be captured in a subsequent survey.

Join us

If you are an interested local investor, we invite you to consider membership in LION. We have a simple application process that begins with a New Member Application form*.  All LION members sign our Membership Agreement that details matters of procedure, confidentiality, and dispute resolution. If you have any questions, please e-mail our New Member Contact Person.

Submit a local business opportunity

If you are a local (East Jefferson County, WA) entrepreneur, either for-profit or nonprofit, then LION members may be interested in learning more about you, your business, and any business opportunities you currently have. Interested members may reach out to you to get to know you and learn more about how they can support your efforts. If enough members are interested, and you are open to doing so, you may be invited to present at a LION members meeting.

If you are interested in learning more about submitting a local (East Jefferson County, WA) business opportunity for consideration, read the preamble on our Business Opportunity Submission form*.  If you have any questions, please e-mail our Business Opportunities Contact Person.

Resources

Local Investment Resource Center

With a mission to “expand investment into local small businesses and nonprofits nationwide”, the Local Investing Resource Center has specific sections for Local Investors, Community Builders and Investment Advisors. Lots of information for beginners and experienced alike. https://localinvesting.org/

September 26, 2020 Press Release

The Community Impact of LION

The Local Investing Opportunities Network (LION) is a network of local citizens whose mission is to build a prosperous and resilient community by investing their money locally in East Jefferson County.  Founded in 2006, LION now has 68 members.  Local businesses and non-profit organizations submit Business Opportunity applications through EDC…

Read More

Contact Us

For inquiries of a general nature, please email LION.

*Forms are Adobe PDF format and can be filled electronically.  Depending on your browser, you may need to save the form on your computer prior to editing.