Jacklyn Callihan, left, college pathway adviser with Washington State Community College, talks with Tad Wilson, managing partner of North Bend Wealth Management, during the Belpre Business Expo Monday at Boxers Bed and Biscuits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

BELPRE — Monday’s Belpre Business Expo wasn’t just a chance for people in the community to learn about the services offered by area businesses and nonprofits.

It also gave businesses that work together, or may want to, an opportunity to interact, said Mike Williams, president of iTech Technology Solutions.

“At the end of the day, we all do business with each other,” he said, adding he’d like to see more events like the Expo offered.

More than 20 businesses and organizations set up at Boxers Bed and Biscuits on Washington Boulevard for the event, sponsored by the Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce and the Parkersburg News and Sentinel and Marietta Times. More than 130 people came through, picking up freebies and talking with the exhibitors about their products and services.

“We have some outstanding businesses in the Valley that I think are working hard to provide what people need to make living in this Valley more interesting, more attractive, so that they don’t feel like they have to leave,” said Karen Waller, executive director of the BACC.

From left, Janet Gilbert, with McCarthy Real Estate; Lloyd Crowell with Exit Riverbend Realty; and Dan Gearhart, who owns apartments and commercial buildings in Belpre, chat as Gearhart’s grandson, Ben Mellor, adds more swag to his tote bag during Monday’s Belpre Business Expo at Boxers Bed and Biscuits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

Waller said she was glad to see a variety of ages represented in the crowd, though she would have liked to see more young people taking advantage of the expo experience.

“There’s not only services; there are jobs,” she said, noting many of the exhibitors were looking to hire people willing to work hard and advance.

It was Washington State Community College’s first time participating in the expo, which was being held for the sixth year overall after taking two years off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a great opportunity for us to meet individuals in the community and other businesses too,” said Jacklyn Callihan, college pathway adviser for the school. “Our goal is to just let people know Washington State is available to them.”

Finance Office Manager Treasa Perkins and Program and Resources Development Manager Sandy Hintz were looking to inform people about the services offered by Consumer Credit Counseling Services of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

More than 20 exhibitors met with more than 130 people during the Belpre Business Expo Monday at Boxers Bed and Biscuits. The annual event was sponsored by the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Marietta Times and Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“We’ve been around for 52 years, and we hear every day, ‘I didn’t know you guys existed,’” Perkins said.

The nonprofit provides debt management; budget, housing and student loan counseling; credit counseling; and representative payee services in 12 counties in Ohio and 11 in West Virginia.

Tad Wilson, managing partner with North Bend Wealth Management in Vienna, didn’t set up a table at the expo but came to see what local people and businesses were doing.

“Any time they can get people out and about and seeing what products and services they offer, it’s good for the community and the vendors,” he said.

Lloyd Crowell, with Exit Riverbend Realty, said he saw many people he’d done business with over the years and also met new folks.

Janet Gilbert, right, with McCarthy Real Estate, talks with First Mutual Bank President/CEO Tammy Belcher, left, and Vice President Cathy Barker during the Belpre Business Expo Monday at Boxers Bed and Biscuits. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“Belpre’s a very interesting town,” said Crowell, who grew up in the city, worked in insurance and real estate there and now lives in the Veto area. “Some people might say we’re a suburb of Parkersburg, but that’s the wrong way. Parkersburg’s a suburb of us.”

Some people were there because of friends and family, like Belpre resident Penny O’Donnell, whose granddaughter works for Riverview Credit Union, one of the exhibitors.

“I came to support her and all the businesses here,” O’Donnell said.

News and Sentinel and Times Publisher Jim Spanner thanked those who helped make the expo a success.

“We’re proud to once again sponsor this business event with the Belpre Chamber,” he said.

More than 20 exhibitors met with more than 130 people during the Belpre Business Expo at Boxers Bed and Biscuits. The annual event was sponsored by the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Marietta Times and Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce. * Photo by Evan Bevins)

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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