With a crowd of about 400, including visitors and exhibitors, the annual Tuscarawas Chamber Community Business Expo was deemed a success.

“It’s absolutely wonderful for the United Way to be able to come out to the Business Expo,” said Allison Kerns, United Way director. “We’re meeting a lot of our donors, and our partner agencies.”

“This is great,” agreed assistant director Fred Weingarth. “I’ve made contacts here, and next week I’ll follow up with them. Hopefully they will become United Way donors.”

Visitors to the August 24 event at the Kent State Tuscarawas Center for the Performing Arts had the opportunity to discover all types of local businesses providing such services as transportation, communications, technology, health care, marketing, construction, banking, and more. Along the way, they tasted delicious foods from local restaurants and enjoyed samples from area wineries. They also picked up plenty of business giveaways, from pens to tote bags and notebooks, and had the opportunity to win big ticket door prize items.

Maureen Grady was on hand with Community Hospice.

“We’re so excited to be here. We have a lot of things going on right now, especially with our upcoming Hospice House. We’re providing updates about our hard hat tours and open houses coming later down the road, when we are a little further along in renovations. We are letting the businesses here know that we are going on strong,” said Grady.

Scott Robinson, director of the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce, was pleased with the turnout.

“I came on board April 25, so this is the first time I’ve had the chance to participate in this type of event. I think the Expo has turned out to be terrific. We’ve had a lot of people come through here, more people than the last few years. We have about 75 exhibitors, and that makes a big difference. The change in location has been huge, to come here to the Performing Arts Center. I’m really grateful for the number of people who’ve come through our doors today to support our local businesses,” commented Robinson. “That’s been the real key, to make sure they got their money’s worth here today. They spent a lot of time, money, and effort to be here, and we want it to be worth their while. I think today many of the people here think it has been worth their while. That’s very gratifying to me, that through all of our marketing efforts, we have been able to draw a bigger crowd. That speaks very highly of this facility, of the people here in our community. It gives us an opportunity to be even bigger and better next year.

Starlight Enterprises, Inc. was on hand, represented by Cassie Elvin.

“At Starlight workshop, our main goal is to do work. We try to subcontract with area manufacturers and places of business to try and help them in their business needs. Their needs could be anything in packaging, assembling, collating, shrink wrapping, heat sealing, or engraving. We’ve made several contacts here today. It’s been a great Expo for us,” noted Elvin, a 30-year employee who obviously loves her work with Starlight.

“We couldn’t do this without the support of the businesses that have agreed to be exhibitors, and also our premier sponsors. There are costs associated with putting a project like this together. This makes it worth it – the people who turned out today, the exhibitors that are happy,” said Robinson. “It is exciting to see some of the things that are happening in our community with some of the businesses that visitors possibly have never seen before. It is opening a whole new world for them. There’s also a whole new world of customers for the exhibitors who are here. So I’m very excited to mesh those two together. I think it’s been a win-win for everybody.”