Chambers of commerce teaming up for business expo
Proving there’s strength in numbers, the La Cañada Flintridge, Crescenta Valley and Montrose-Verdugo City chambers of commerce are teaming up to present their annual Foothills Community Business Expo on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 14, at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.
The 16th free public expo takes place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and features a free parking lot document-shredding event for participants with up to 10 boxes. Indoors, business owners and representatives will display and highlight their offerings, while at least nine area restaurants and stores will offer free tastings. Musical entertainment and raffle prize drawings will also be provided.
Organizers, who regularly host individual chamber mixers and networking events for member businesses throughout the year, say the annual expo is a great way for business owners and members of the public to expand their knowledge and reach into a wider community.
“Our goal is to get our businesses together and get them networking with one another,” said Lisa Dupuy, executive director of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Dupuy said participants will be given “passports” to stamp each time they visit a booth, which can later be turned in for raffle tickets.
The three chambers together serve more than 1,200 members, according to figures provided by each group. Melinda Clarke, executive director of the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, said while the main impetus for the event is to promote local member businesses, the annual expo does much more.
“It’s really bringing the three chambers together so we can cross-pollinate some of these businesses who come to the expo with customers in other areas they may not have hit,” Clarke said.
The increased exposure to potential clients and customers in neighboring communities is particularly helpful to new businesses trying to get their name out there, said Pat Anderson, president and chief executive of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber.
“This is a great way for any business, especially new businesses, to be exposed to a large number of people in a single setting,” Anderson said.
Unlike regular chamber mixers, which exist primarily to provide valuable networking opportunities to businesses within the member network, the annual tri-chamber expo is an effort to make residents aware of what’s being offered throughout neighboring foothills communities, Anderson said.
“The business expo is a good opportunity for you to go shopping,” she added. “You have all of these local businesses right there in the same place.”
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The Foothills Community Business Expo takes place Wednesday, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, 1812 Verdugo Blvd., in Glendale. The event is free and open to the public. Free document shredding will be offered in the parking lot beginning at 5 p.m. For more information, visit crescentavalleychamber.org/expo or call (818) 248-4957.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
