Every year during the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Business Alliance for a Local Living Economy (BALLE) would hold its annual conference.  Those conferences were a celebration of local economies and the small businesses that built those economies.  Judy Wicks, Michael Shuman, David Korten, Laury Hammel, Don Shaffer, Michelle Long, and Merrian Goggio Borgeson were among the regular masters of ceremonies. Part an articulation of a new economic vision, part story telling from the field, part a three day party -- the conferences inspired the growth of a movement.

Judy Wicks and Michael Shuman were part of the original group that founded BALLE.  They have continued to dedicate their energies to support just, diverse, and place-based economies.  Both are prolific writers and engaging speakers, as demonstrated by their E. F. Schumacher Lectures.