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January 25, 2010

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Mon Jan 25, 2010, 08:40 PM CST

By Emily Younker

eyounker@joplinglobe.com

Unable to display a real helicopter, Roy Harding worked Monday afternoon to promote his business, Helicopter Advantage, in other ways — mainly by hanging banners and securing stacks of magnets to distribute to potential clients.

“We know (our business) is unique,” he said. “It’s something different that we think people didn’t know was available.”

Harding was one of nearly 200 business representatives setting up booths Monday in anticipation of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, which begins today.

Kirstie Smith, chamber communications director, said the 19th annual event is “packed” with exhibitors who will showcase their products and services. About 5,000 people are expected to attend over the two-day span, Smith said.

The expo will be open for the business community from noon to 8 p.m. today at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 3615 S. Range Line Road.

Expo After Hours, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. today, will feature a silent auction. Money raised will go toward the chamber’s education programs, including Tomorrow’s Leaders Today and the Youth Outreach Workforce Partnership program.

Public session

The expo will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Admission will be $5; children younger than 3 will be admitted free of charge. All attendees may register to win a free vacation package.

Harding, whose business is based in Grove, Okla., said he hopes to build his customer base in Joplin through the expo. Participating in the expo is “not cheap,” he said, but it’s necessary to minimize effects of the economic recession.

“In these times, you can’t just lay dormant,” he said. “You’re definitely going to lose (business) if you do that.”

For that reason, he said, he expects a good turnout today and Wednesday on the part of both businesses and the public.

“People want to get out of the recession shell and rehatch their business,” he said. “(Participating in the expo) is a way of showing you’re still alive. If you’re out here, it shows you’re still a viable business.”

Josh Rinkenbaugh, marketing officer for Arvest Bank, said he primarily hopes the expo will allow him to promote the bank and its services to the community.

“We’re kind of here to sell our culture and our smiling associates,” he said. “We want people to know what they’ll get when they come to Arvest Bank.”

Rinkenbaugh said it’s particularly crucial for the bank to appear at the expo, given the recent meltdown of big banking institutions.

“With everything that’s gone on in the banking business, it’s important for us to show that we’re still open, offering loans, opening accounts,” he said.

Employees of Regional Hospice, which is participating in its first expo, also hope to acquaint the public with their services, said Hannah Frazier, marketing manager.

“Even with advertisements, people still don’t realize what’s out there,” she said. “If we can help just one person, that’s what a company or business is supposed to be about, not just making it for their own.”

Chaplain Mark Shaffer said he would like to get Regional Hospice some exposure and presence in Joplin.

“This gives us an opportunity to put our best foot forward, and show that we have love and compassion for the community,” he said.

Tom Spurgeon, marketing director for the Names and Numbers phone book, said he looks forward to publicizing the company’s services, which are now available in online and mobile formats, at the expo.

“Year after year, we are always here to answer questions people may have about Names and Numbers,” he said. “The expo is another opportunity to show the community that we’re part of the integral fabric of the community.”

Coming up

The Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce will stage its seventh annual Business Expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Family Life Center at the Church on the Loop, 822 W. Mount Vernon Blvd. Admission is free, and thousands of dollars in prizes will be given away.