Expo Entices Decision Makers

Attendance was down slightly, but the quality of visitors to the ninth annual Northwest Arkansas Business Expo on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 was up, said Gretchen Gwaltney, director of programs for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.

“There were a lot of decision makers there and people who were ready to buy, so our vendors were very happy with the attendees,” Gwaltney said.

About 4,000 people attended the event in 2003, Gwaltney said. She expects a resurgence in numbers for the 10th anniversary expo next Aug. 30-31.

Eric Hartwell, supervisor of customer service for Community Bankers Merchant Services Inc. in Springdale, was one of this year’s exhibitors. He said his company found the right kind of networking opportunities at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center.

“With all the banks opening in Northwest Arkansas,” Hartwell said, “there’s certainly a lot of opportunities for us, and we met quite a few people with a need for our products and services.”

CBMS provides merchant services to more than 2,800 business owners and banks nationwide, including more than 200 in the two-county area. The firm has seven local employees and its main product lines include debit and credit card processing systems.

CBMS, which also sells check imaging and electronic deposit equipment, works with transaction clearing house Retriever Payment Systems Inc. in Houston.

“When we contract with a bank, we assume all the risk for all their merchant customers who need processing services,” Hartwell said. “They get a share of the processing payments, and we install and operate the system.”