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Businesses showcase their products at event
BOARDMAN
A steady crowd came through to test the wares of businesses from throughout the Mahoning Valley on Thursday.
There was not a lull during the entire afternoon, said Bergen Giordani, director of special events for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. The chamber hosted the Business Showcase at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman.
The event this year focused on technology designed to help businesses and their owners.
The showcase is a chance to show off a company’s goods, said Syl Frazzani, vice president and general manager for copier seller American Business Center Inc., which sponsors the after-hours mixer.
“It’s important for us to support the business community, even our competitors, in both actions and with our dollars,” he said. “We’ve supported the showcase for the last 16 years, and since 2007 we’ve sponsored the after-hours mixer.”
There are a lot of companies that are members of the chamber but do not take advantages of the services provided as members, Frazzani said. This is one of the opportunities presented by the chamber to network and present products.
The event is a good chance to check out all the new businesses in the Valley, said Katie Burkey, owner of Molly Maid.
“It’s also an opportunity to look at new goods and services that I might be able to use at my business,” she said.
Gary Mariano, sales manager for Valley Office Solutions, which sells hardware and software to businesses, said that though his company attends the business showcase every year, it doesn’t try to make sales.
“We take pictures of everyone and give them a copy,” he said. “It’s just a way to get our product into their hands.”
The goal of the event is to meet and speak with people, Mariano said.
“If there’s someone who is interested in the business, we exchange cards, and we’ll follow up with them next week,” he said.
There were nearly 350 chamber members who registered to attend the after-hours mixer, Giordani said.
“This has become one of our most popular mixers,” she said.