(SAVANNAH, GA) Buy Local Savannah announces Madeleine DeLong as its new president.

(SAVANNAH, GA) Buy Local Savannah announces Madeleine DeLong as its new president.

Over the next two years, DeLong looks to continue the work of outgoing president Joe Ippolito to increase awareness of Buy Local and how it can help local businesses.

"[It] helps everybody in the community," says DeLong. "Buy Local helps to enable people to open and maintain businesses in Savannah because of the support system."

After 20 years in retail, DeLong decided to pursue her dream business of creating a custom gift giving business with exceptional customer service. Three years ago, her primary marketing strategy was to join local business networking organizations to facilitate business to business sales. DeLong joined Buy Local Savannah because she firmly believed in the mission of the organization to support local businesses.

DeLong is also a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah Tourism Leadership Council, the Small Business Chamber, an affiliate member of the Savannah Board of Realtors, and serves as a counselor for SCORE. Additionally, DeLong extends her support to local community organizations such as LibLines and Coastal Pet Rescue through monthly donations.

During her term, DeLong and the other board members Chanda Mashburn, Morgan Derst, Linda Foran, Joe Ippolito, Rick Monroe, Michael Plummer, John Powers, Jr., Ray Williams and Marjorie Young are looking to connect Buy Local with other local organizations to present co-op opportunities to Savannah's business leaders. The first co-op luncheon featuring a national speaker will be presented by the Savannah Tourism Leadership Council, Downtown Business Association, and Buy Local on January 18th at the Marriott Riverfront.

For more information on Buy Local Savannah, visit www.buylocalsavannah.com.