After a two-year hiatus, the Business Expo, one of the highest-profile productions put on by the Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce, is back and things get rolling at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
“We are so excited about this year’s event,” said Jennifer Kline, chamber director and event organizer. “We are expecting a big turnout. The annual dinner in March was sold out, and people are just ready to get out.” The annual — well, annual before covid struck — hasn’t happened since 2019. It was canceled in 2020. And a year later, the event came within days of being held, but the delta variant of covid kept getting worse, and after much hand-wringing, officials pulled the plug on that one, too.
Now, a year later, covid is still hanging around, but it’s not nearly the monster that it was, so 2022 looks like a go.
Kline said more than 400 tickets have been sold for the Small Business breakfast, where the guest speaker will be Chris Robinson, athletic director for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. And some 1,200 are expected to come through the arena to visit with some 90 vendors who make up the Expo.
“This is a day when we celebrate our members and award our businesses for jobs well done,” she said. “This is a way to honor all of the chamber members for making the chamber what it is.” The event is decidedly a chamber function, but everyone is invited to attend the Expo, where the cost of admission is $5. Kline said the Expo is key to what the day is all about.
“Now that we can have the event, people will be able to mingle and network,” she said. “That’s one of the biggest benefits to the event. As vendors visit, so many times, one will discover what another business offers and how that service can help their own business. It’s why we do this.” There will not be any covid protocols in place at the event, although there will be masks and hand-sanitizers available. Kline suggested attendees follow their own safety protocols based on their own vaccination status and health situation.
Business Expo 2022 schedule
Thursday, May 5, Pine Bluff
Convention Center
Small Business Breakfast
Food served: 7:30 a.m.
Breakfast program: 8 – 9 a.m.
Speaker: Chris Robinson,
UAPB Athletic Director
Expo
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. VIP Hour
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Open to the
General Public
$5 Admission for Expo
Business Expo 2022
List of businesses and other entities with booths at the Expo.
Access - Project SEARCH
Anna Grace Beauty
ARESC - Hippy
Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield
Arkansas Department of Corrections
Arkansas Hospice
Arkansas Insurance Division - AR SHIIP
Arkansas Printing Company
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston
Beyond Clean Janitorial
Brumett Agency, Inc.
CARTI Cancer Center
Central Moloney
Child Care Aware of West Central AR
Committee to Elect Sandra Young Harris
Cross Hope Treatment Centers
DeltaPlex
Direct Auto
Discount Auto Glass
Doctor's Orders Pharmacy
East Harding Construction
Edward Jones Investments
Emergency Ambulance Services, Inc.
Entergy Arkansas
Evergreen Packaging
FBT Bank & Mortgage
Food Smart
Grace Community Church of the Nazarene
Hampton Inn & Suites by HILTON Hotels
Hearing Life
Highland Pellets
Jackie Harris for Circuit Judge
Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc
Jefferson County Assessor
Jefferson County Clerks Office
Jefferson County Judge's Office
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Jefferson County Recycling
Jefferson County Tax Collector
Jenkins Memorial Center & Industries, Inc.
Keathley Patterson
Lakeside United Methodist Church
LeafFilter Gutter Protection
LEAPS Initiatives, Ephesus Christian Bookstore
Liberty Utilities
McFarland Eye
Milner Insurance
MK Distributors, Inc.
Pain Treatment Centers of America
Pine Bluff Arsenal
Pine Bluff Aviation Commission
Pine Bluff Commercial
Pine Bluff Jefferson County Public Library
Pine Bluff Police Department
Pine Bluff Truck and Trailer Inc.
Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility
QualChoice Health Insurance
Razor Shred
Refined Body + Wellness Oasis
Relyance Bank
Ritter Communications
Seal Smart, LLC
Simmons Bank
South Arkansas Business Solutions
Southeast Arkansas College
Southwest Employee Assistance Programs, Inc.
State Farm Insurance - Aaron Loetscher
Tara Promotional Products
TPC (The Payroll Company)
Trinity Village, Inc.
Trio Program Delta EOC
Trotter Toyota
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
UAMS South Central Center on Aging
Watson Chapel School District
SOURCE: Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce Arkansas Democrat-Gazette