Small Business Expo 2009 - May 19, 2009
Where can you get a free massage, sample petit fours, win tickets to a Nascar race, expand your education, and meet new friends all at the same time? Nearly 200 visitors and vendors answered that question on Tuesday night, May 19, at the first Catawba-area’s first Small Business Expo held at the Baxter Hood Center.
Seventy vendor tables lined the Dalton Ballroom as consumers from the three-county area came to sample wares, meet business owners, and discover more about the small business community. Visitors to the event were invited to evaluate vendors based on marketing appeal, customer service and other attributes, providing valuable feedback to the business owners and the opportunity for evaluators to win door prizes valued at up to $250 each.
Participants were also invited to take advantage of educational seminars planned throughout the evening. The diversity of presentations provided something for everyone, with topics ranging from estate planning to Facebook 101.
| Seminar Title | Presenter |
|---|---|
| Honing Your Networking Skills (business-related) | Patsy Wingate |
| Facebook 101 | Presented by Christopher Gainey and Tony Parrish |
| Interviewing Skills (for applicants) | Carol Taggart, Elite Resources |
| 123’s of Starting a Business | Larry Stevens, Small Business Development Center - Winthrop University, and Jim Bullock, Catawba Regional Council of Governments |
| Etiquette (General) | Linda Driggers Williams, Do's and Don'ts Etiquette |
| Young Entrepreneur Contest | |
| Keep Your Resume Out of the Wastebasket | Reid Baker, Catawba Regional Council of Governments and Phyllis Fauntleroy, City of Rock Hill |
| Estate Planning | Staci Thornsbury, York Technical College |
| At Risk Mortgages - Tips for Saving Your Home | Rocky Miller, Founders Federal Credit Union |
| Network Security | Kimberly Oxendine, CISSP, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Inc. |
| Honing Your Networking Skills (business-related) | Jayne Williams, Myndworks |
One not-to-be-missed event: the Young Entrepreneur Contest. Students as young as sixth-grade confidently walked to the podium in the Barnes Auditorium and shared their business plans with an audience of expectant parents, nervous contestants, and encouraging supporters. First place ($500) was awarded to young entrepreneur, Anastassia Masters, for her pet tooth-cleaning business, Doggie Whites. Second place ($250) was earned by Trevor Hammond for Trevor’s Chicken Farm, an egg and poultry-producing business, and Decked Out Jewelry gained third place ($100) for Mary Culp and Abbey-Grace Reynolds. The Young Entrepreneur cash awards were generously donated by local businesses. Charles Parker owner, Storett of Tega Cay donated first prize; Dave Oxendine of Red-Line Chemicals donated second prize in honor of Mr. Jim Oxendine who was founder of Red-Line Chemicals, and James White, owner of Universal Karate Studios, White Martial Arts in Lancaster donated third prize. Judging was based on a three-page essay submitted by the students. Judges based the decision on the uniqueness of the business, having the target market defined, and the overall composition of the essay.
The high school category of the Young Entrepreneur Contest has been postposed until Fall 2009.
Sponsors of the Small Business Expo included York Technical College’s Entrepreneur Network, York County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council, and Citi Foundation. Western Associates’ Neat-Stuff-U and Founder’s Federal Credit Union donated customized bags for attendees.
Participating Vendors included:
A New Beginning Mobile Haircare
Accounting Solutions
Advanced Chiropractic Wellness Ctr
Advantage 1 Web Services Inc.
All About Ink Advertising Specialist
American Air Heating & Cooling Inc
Andrews Insurance Agency
A-Team Tutoring
Bayada Nurses
Belle Vive Spa & Wellness Center
Bouley Printing Co, Inc.
Bridge Financial Partners
Bright Star Healthcare
Carolina Crown
Carolina Sweet Designs, LLC
Charlotte Knights
Coffee News
Core Business Services, LLC
Covert Investigations
Cybertary
Daphne Carter & Nina Feemster
Doggone Walkin
Dr. Myron Brown, Chiropractor
East Coast Mortgage Lending
Edward Jones Investments
Friends in Business Rock Hill
FSI Office
Go Small Biz
Golv Enterprises
Halford
Hicklin & Associates LLC
Hinkley Holistic Health
J-Hawk Construction LLC
Johnny Gates, Inc.
Kanawa Insurance Company
Kelly E. Wascher, CPA
Khaled Law Firm, PC
KLR Custom Homes
Lantern of Love Wedding Chapel
Magnolia Inn Bed & Breakfast
Majestic Tours, Inc
Mary Kay
Omni Health & Fitness
Party Checklist
Prime Pay
Prosoftware Solutions, LLC
Pure Water Carolinas
Quality Cleaning Janitor Service
Renew your Therapeutic Massage
Right Arm Music Group
Sandy Johnson Team
SC Line-X
Send Out Cards
Senior Helpers
Unveiling Beautiful Weddings
Spectrum Services
Spectrum Window Graphics
Standard Mech. Heating & Cooling
Steele Creek Printing & Design
Temporary Housing Unlimited, Inc.
The Bullocks Caterers
The Cookie Café
Tupperware DIQ
United Way of York County, SC
Warner, Payne & Black, LLP
Western & Southern Financial Grp.
Western Associates Inc.
White Office Furniture
Winters Law Firm
Your Optimized Office LLC
Prosperity Resources, LLC