LAKE JAMES — The Angola Area Chamber of Commerce held its 2023 Annual Membership Meeting Luncheon and Expo Thursday at Potawatomi Inn and Conference Center provided an opportunity for local businesses and individuals to connect and grow.
The event was attended by hundreds of people.
Along with such local entities as The Community Humane Shelter of Steuben County, Bowen Center and local nursing homes, participants got a chance to become exposed to more services and industries expanding to the area.
The event was also attended by the local government representatives, including Angola Common Council members Dave Martin and Dave Olsen.
Leadership coach
George Rogers, leadership coach and owner at Culture of Good George Rogers, addressed the participants as a keynote speaker.
“I am here to speak to the beautiful people of Angola about championing your purpose, and what that means in organizations and in your community,” said Rogers.
He said leadership became his life passion because it changes lives giving people confidence and desire to champion their purpose and find their why.
What perhaps was not less helpful in finding out all the why’s and dotting all the I’s was the overwhelming presence of the new emerging or developing businesses in the area ready to provide even more services for Steuben County residents.
Angola Community Coordinator Mackenzie Bird, who represented Angola Main Street at the event, said they came to tell the community about the events they will have in the remainder of the year, and especially about October Fall Fest and downtown trick-or-treat.
Debra McKinney, controller at Washler Inc., said they came to the event to get to know more potential customers in the area.
“We love to be here now and meet and integrate with the people that are in the area,” McKinney said. “Some are customers already, and some are not.”
Making connections
Director of Environmental Education and Montessori Support at The Vine Early Learning Stephany Hancock said they came to the expo to connect to more people because despite them being in the area for the last few years, not many people knew of them.
“We are just getting our name out, and we are trying to grow,” Hancock said.
Pro Resources Staffing Services Regional Manager Heather Eash said they came to the expo because their company thought it would present a great opportunity to meet local manufacturers and connect them with the labor force, as well as to provide employment for the community.
Office added
Sprunger & Sprunger Attorneys at Law Managing Partner Cory Sprunger said they came to the event to be present in the community of their sixth office in addition to the previous locations at Bluffton, Auburn, Portland and others.
Sprunger said they provided consultations in such fields as family law, criminal law, family law, as well as Medicaid consultations for individuals getting ready or planning on the nursing homes to preserve their assets for other generations.
St. Martin’s Clinic Coordinator Destiney Douglas said their clinic came to the event because they wanted to let the community in Angola know that their free clinic from Garrett is planning on bringing their mobile units to Steuben County to help uninsured and underinsured population that meet St. Martin’s financial criteria.
Fort Financial Branch Manager Susie Ray said she came to the expo to let the community know that their financial services help businesses with finding most suitable for them financial solutions and returning their tax credits.
Glenn Krausser, from Southern Hospitality, said he was working with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on developing travel guides for all the hotels in the park system in the area. Krausser said he often visits the areas they include in their booklets himself to talk to the businesses that want to advertise.
“I visit some of the local merchants and offer them a chance to advertise,” said Krausser.
Director of Community Engagement at Freedom Academy Kristie Trick said she came to share the services they offer with the local community. The services at Freedom Academy include workforce training for adults in the fields of medicine and manufacturing, including robotics maintenance, welding, and machining.
“We offer that as a service for them so they can train their employees,” said Trick.
Sales and Financial Manager at Barton Lake RV John Swygart said he came to represent his company at the expo to network and let people know of their services, including providing RVs, campers, and travel trailers.
For more information on opportunities of doing business in Angola and Steuben County, please visit chamber’s website at angolachamber.org.
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