IF YOU GOWhat: The annual Catoosa Expo allows business owners the chance to network and showcase their offerings to other businesses and to the general public.Where: The Colonnade at the Benton Place Campus.When: Friday, May 20, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.Cost: Free.Exhibitors: This year’s exhibitors include: Chattanooga Times Free Press, Sunny 92.3 FM, Xerox, Brent Pennington DMD, The Georgia Winery, Flegal Insurance, Battlefield Imaging, Catoosa Life Magazine, Catoosa Chamber of Commerce, Cawood Landscapes, Ace Hardware, AFLAC – Sharron Mitchell, East Ridge Retirement Center, Gateway Bank, Reese Enterprises, Catoosa County Government, Jason Webb, D.D.S, University of Georgia Small Business Development, REMAX Real Estate Center, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, Gutter Guardian, Bryan College Aspire Program, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Rosewood Assisted Living, Angel Emergency, Northwest Georgia Bank, Waste Services, Ringgold Telephone, Chattanooga Allergy Clinic, Coffee News, First Tennessee Bank, WDEF Channel 12, Unkitings, ResCare HomeCare, 4AllThingsWeb.com, Blood Assurance, Erlanger Hospital, Parkridge East, North Georgia EMC, Capital Bank, J&J Trophies and Signs, City of Fort Oglethorpe, Catoosa County News, Weeks and Peters, Hutcheson Medical Center, Heritage Health Care, The Print Shop, Community National Bank, Hospice of Chattanooga, Purchasing Alliance Solutions Inc. and The Colonnade.
The annual Catoosa Business Expo, being held Friday at The Colonnade, is where small businesses and interested individuals can become acquainted with each other and what Catoosa County has to offer.
“The whole community should come,” said Martha Eaker, president and CEO of the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce. “Businesses to discover what services can be found locally; individuals to see what retail and personal services are available in the local community.
“The University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center will have staff on hand to offer assistance to anyone considering opening, or who has recently opened, their own business.”
Admission to the Expo, which runs from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., is free and vendors will be giving away door prizes throughout the event, Eaker said. The only charge is for lunch that is being catered by Grillin Thyme.
Eaker said a business after-hours event for Chamber members is being hosted from 5-6 p.m. by Georgia Power.
“This year’s theme is The Upturn,” she said. “We think – certainly hope – that the economic downturn is coming to a close and we are looking forward to the upturn. We are inviting people to just come, walk through and enjoy themselves.