Be Local is excited to have launched the Community Ambassador Program – a new way for us to connect with community leaders in Calgary and strengthen the voice for all community-focused businesses in the city. We were thrilled to introduce Neil Zeller as our first Community Ambassador. We caught up with him to see how things were going.

When Neil Zeller, renowned local photographer, and the creator of the Porchraits series, was approached about becoming a Community Ambassador for Be Local, it felt like a perfect fit. “There is incredible alignment between the values and goals of Be Local and of my own business” he says. “For me, community has always been key.”

Now, two weeks into his engagement, Neil has had the opportunity to connect with many of the businesses in the network – not only through their products but also through the entrepreneurs themselves. “Being a Community Ambassador is not only about sharing the awesome things that the businesses in the network are doing, but also about building relationships and connecting with local entrepreneurs looking to do good.” Neil says.

When we asked Neil what was next for him, he shared his plans to continue to engage with the Be Local network and work collaboratively with other businesses in Calgary. “The future is still very uncertain for many businesses, and the finish line is always just over the horizon” he says. “It’s important for us to recognize that as a business community we need to share and support each other.”

Neil has demonstrated just that. As he moves away from a full line-up of Porchtraits, Neil has passed his knowledge forward to Claudia T Photography, who has already begun offering business Porchtraits to the Be Local network.

Thanks Neil for being a great champion of all the awesome Be Local businesses. We’re excited to see where the Community Ambassador program goes next as we welcome Breanne Sich, VP of Marketing for Mealshare, to join us!