Business Expo gives many chance to mingle, gain contacts

OGDEN -- One hundred businesses packed the Golden Spike Event Center on Wednesday, hoping to make contacts and mingle with fellow businesspeople.

The 2009 Top of Utah Business Expo brought together a variety of businesses, from furniture manufacturers to schools and nonprofits.

Getting to network with the public and each other is the biggest motivation to be a part of the business expo, said Dave Hardman, president and CEO of the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.

By mingling local businesses, Hardman said it facilitates new partnerships and creates strong local ties.

He said the chamber lowered the price of having a booth this year to help businesses that might be struggling with finances right now.

Enable Industries already partners with many of the businesspeople who attended, said Brian Day, assistant rehabilitation program coordinator.

"But it's worth spending the money to promote Enable Industries, because we help people with disabilities," Day said. "The more word we can spread, the better."

Being able to make connections or talk to potential clients is worth the effort and price, he said.

For the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College, the expo is less about individual student recruitment than making connections with businesses looking for employee training, said Karen Thurber, development director.

So many businesses are cutting back, Thurber said, but the tech college does custom training for businesses that is largely paid for through a federal grant and state money.

Making businesses aware of the programs available at the college is the main benefit, Thurber said. However, the booth does get several people who stop by as a business rep, but walk away saying their child or grandchild might be interested in the school.

For a business new to town, Chamber of Commerce connections make community connections easier, said Alan McKay, co-owner of Dick Jensen & Alan McKay Tours.

His company is coordinating the Chamber of Commerce trip this year, and he said that role has introduced him to more people than he would have met otherwise. Hardman said the members always give good feedback on the business expo.

With the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in the state, Hardman said new businesses are joining every month and the expo also allows newcomers to meet the more established groups.