Latino Business Expo Set For Jonesboro
by September 9, 2015 3:51 pm 213 views
An event next month will showcase Latino businesses in Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas, as well as support businesses that promote Latino culture, an organizer of a business expo said Wednesday.
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce Latino Business Committee met Wednesday to wrap up the finishing touches on the Latino Business Expo.
The Oct. 15 event from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the chamber office on Nettleton Avenue is expected to have at least 200 people to attend with as many as 35 booths, committee chairman Alex Lorenzana said.
The event is in its first year and Lorenzana said the goal is to have at least 20 booths for people to visit. The committee has been active in the year or so to support Latino businesses in Jonesboro. Lorenzana said there are at least 80 Latino businesses in the Jonesboro area, ranging from businesses owned by Latinos to businesses that cater to Latinos.
Add to it that recent numbers showed at least 20,000 Latinos live in Northeast Arkansas, creating a strong market to build upon, Lorenzana said.
There has been an increase in recent years in the number of new businesses owned by Latinos, Lorenzana said, noting nearly a dozen businesses are established each year. The increases have been in both the construction and remodeling markets, as well as restaurants and bakeries.
New construction as well as building permits have both gone up in the past year or so, with as many as $15 million in permits requested on a monthly basis, city officials have said.
Lorenzana said the new construction in Northeast Jonesboro has helped construction companies.
“With NEA Baptist and the Greensborough Project, it will increase the amount of labor needed to attract business,” he said.
BUSINESS EXPO DETAILS
Lorenzana said preparation for the expo has gone well in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, at least 15 businesses had signed up to participate in the event. In order to participate, a company with at least 10 employees can pay $25 to rent a booth while companies with more than 10 can pay $50.
The event will be open to both chamber members, businesses that are not part of the chamber and the general public. Lorenzana said the committee has been working to contact businesses in the area that may be willing to participate.
An added way to build interest in the event has been the group’s Facebook page. People interested in participating can visit the Facebook page or by calling the chamber at 870-932-6691.