Business Expo said highly anticipated
The Business Expo is Thursday and the Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce is wild about it.
Jennifer Kline, chamber director, said the expo committee wanted to lean into the natural attributes of the area when it settled on this year’s theme: “Wild About Pine Bluff.”
“Pine Bluff is known for its hunting and fishing, its forests, bayous and trails – overall just an outdoorsy spirit,” Kline said. “We wanted to celebrate that and the entire outdoor culture of the state.”
Not surprisingly, the keynote speaker at the expo breakfast is Chris Racey, who has worked for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission since 2005 and has served as the agency’s chief of staff since November 2021.
Racey is a fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, a current member of the state Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, and a former board member of the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resources Association. He has a bachelor’s degree from Grove City College in Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in aquaculture/fisheries from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
“We are excited to have Chris speak to us,” Kline said. “The Pine Bluff Nature Center is also one of our exhibitors and the Game and Fish Commission will have its ever-popular mobile aquarium in the arena.”
The annual expo looks to be a crowded affair. There are 30 table sponsors and close to 450 tickets have been sold for the breakfast, which runs from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
“We are very happy with what we’re seeing so far,” Kline said. “The community really supports the chamber each year for this event.”
During the breakfast, a number of community
awards are handed out.
Those nominated for Business Person of the Year are: Josh Bishop, Emergency Ambulance Services, Inc.; Kevin Bonnette, State Farm Insurance; Tish Bullard, Pine Bluff Country Club; Barbara Dunn, Southeast Arkansas College; and Dr. Tochi Amagwula Keeton, Healthwise Wellness.
Those agencies nominated for Non-Profit Organization of the Year are: Healthwise Wellness; Neighbor to Neighbor and Trinity Village Retirement Community.
Nominated for Young Professional of the Year is Laquita Rucker, Pactiv Evergreen.
The chamber’s Redcoat of the Year award will also be given to a top volunteer.
After breakfast, the activity moves to the Pine Bluff Convention Center arena where close to 100 exhibitors will be set up to meet and greet from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend — tickets are $5 at the door — and are assured of picking up food and merchandise from many of the booths, as well as being able to enter for many drawings held throughout the day.
And while the public interaction is important for chamber members, Kline said it’s actually the business-to-business interaction that is key.
“The biggest value to being in the chamber member is the networking,” she said. “By having the expo, we’re bringing together a large community of businesses. We have exhibitors from out of state and out of the area as well as many from Pine Bluff. That is invaluable exposure from one business to another.”
Kline said the event is also a good opportunity for everyone to check their vital health numbers. As in the past, Jefferson Regional will be holding a health fair at its booth in the arena, allowing visitors to have their blood pressure and other important data checked.
“We encourage everyone to take advantage of the health screenings,” Kline said. “This alone is a good reason to attend the expo.”