ELKINS – The second Elkins Entrepreneurs Expo will be offered Wednesday at the Phil Gainer Community Center.
The Elkins-Randolph County Chamber has partnered with the Randolph County Development Authority and Elkins Main Street to sponsor the free event, which kicks off at 10 a.m. with a ‘Central Opportunity Tour’ -city” optional hosted by the West Virginia Hub Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRÉ) Downtown Appalachia.
“If people want to join us for the downtown tour, the RCDA is taking the initiative, with the help of HubCAP’s DARRE program,” said Lisa Wood, executive director of the county chamber. Elkins-Randolph, at The Inter-Mountain.
“The RCDA is setting up locations, starting with the Seneca Mall and then moving down Davis Street talking to select building owners who have space available for retail or business,” a- she declared. “They will end at the Riverview Apartments across the bridge on South Davis Avenue, where they have three retail spaces. During the tour, not only can you see the space, but you can also have conversations about what these spaces have the potential to become.
Expo doors at the Phil Gainer Center will open at 12:30 p.m. and workshops will begin at 1 p.m. In addition to live educational workshops, the event will feature informative panel discussions, educational booths, discussions, storyboards and valuable meet and greet interaction. .
“We’ve condensed the workshops and we have 16 that will take place over a four and a half hour period,” Wood said. “We are delighted with everything we have planned and the only big difference this year is that we have moved the workshops to afternoons. Those who come can attend one course, or they can attend up to four workshops s they wish.
Wood said that between workshops, a half hour will be built in during which attendees can visit tables that will provide the information they might need.
“They can walk around and have one-on-one conversations with a lot of different presenters who will be there,” Wood said. “We will have between 20 and 25 suppliers installed between the workshops.”
Several new business owners will be on hand to discuss what has worked and what hasn’t worked for them since opening their business.
“The new business owners will be there to answer any questions anyone may have,” Wood said. “New owners may want to know if it’s possible to have a full-time job while running a business. We will have people there who can talk to them about it. Some of our attendees at last year’s event who have since opened new businesses include Gingrollsandpancit, Southern Kitchen and the Mossey Merchant.
The evening will be crowned by a reception at 5:30 p.m. which is free and open to the public. The Business Education Series guest speaker will be Dr. Danny Twilley of Ascend West Virginia.
There is no charge to attend the exhibit and more information can be obtained by calling 304-636-2717 or visiting the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber website at www.erccc.com.
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