| 08 March 2010
Through a collaborative effort between the City of Akron and Summit County, the first annual Greater Summit Opportunity Expo was held on Thursday, February 25th at the St. Joseph’s Family Center in Akron, Ohio. With participation on behalf of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services as well as the Ohio Department of Development, this event provided a wealth of information for individuals interested in starting their own business.
Information regarding Home-Based Businesses benefitted Entrepreneurs and Opportunity Seekers alike, while representatives from Brown Mackie College were on hand to promote the wide-array of educational opportunities available to individuals looking to further their education.
Through the extensive efforts of FranchiseMart of Akron, several high profile Franchises from across the country were involved in the Greater Summit Opportunity Expo. This allowed many attendees to invest in an alternative direction to enact their own stimulus. In this manner, not only were people provide with the opportunity to procure a Franchise, but participants were given another means by which to enact their own stimulus.
Thanks to the participation of Fifth Third Bank and FirstMerit, attendees were also provided with several ways of gaining Access-to-Capital.
Firmly in touch with the needs of today’s ever-changing economy, Universal Nursing Services, and the US Census Bureau provided a number of job opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds. Positions ranged from Office Support to Environmental Services and even administrative positions as well. In addition, LifeSkills Centers provided a number of opportunities for qualified individuals as well.
Attendees also benefitted from information about FREE Healthcare Programs through Universal Nursing Services.
Matt Highnight of FranchiseMart was very pleased with the event. Stating, “Today’s event went extremely well for us. We met a lot of clients who were interested in starting their own business and we had a very good turn out.”
“I think this is an excellent event for the city of Akron and the community because there are a lot of individuals looking for information about starting their own business, and often times they are not sure where to go,” said Cheryl Smith of Collaboration Station. She went on to say that the expo provided individuals with opportunities that they may never have thought of.
Wilma Crumpton from Tax Centers of America came all the way from Arkansas to attend the event said, “I think this is fantastic!” When asked if she would attend another event, she said she absolutely would.
Charles E. Burkett, Jr., of CAAO stated, “I thought overall it was a great event and it went a long way in improving business in the State of Ohio.” He also commented on www.blackpagesohio.com stating, “I was very impressed with the website and the integration of social media. I encourage anyone who is interested in promoting their business to take advantage of Black Pages Ohio’s services."
Black Pages Ohio would like to extend a special thanks to the
St. Joseph Family Center for providing a wonderful venue to host this event. We would also like to thank The Reporter, Radio One, and WEWS News Channel 5 for their extensive marketing of this momentous event.
To all of our attendees and partners, we thank you! For more information about these and other events that Black Pages Ohio has on the horizon please visit www.blackpagesohio.com or call
1-800-900-7735.
