Taking Care of Business
By Andie Gibson

                  The third annual Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo is slated to take place this year on Friday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Westlake Village Business Park behind CVS Pharmacy on Route 122.
                The public is invited to attend and become acquainted with businesses serving the Smith Mountain Lake area that have opened over the past year as well as get reacquainted with established businesses that may have expanded product lines and/or services.
                Last year’s event drew a record crowd of approximately 2,800 residents and business people and even more are expected this year, according to Carol Guy, Public Relations Committee Chair for this year’s Expo and Marketing Consultant for Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group at Smith Mountain Lake.
                “The Business Expo brings us all together with a winning mix of business and pleasure,” Carol said. “We gave away over $11,000 in prizes last year and it has become a highly anticipated event due to the variety of entertainment, demonstrations, exhibitors, food and networking opportunities.”
                “The response has become so great we have moved to a larger location,” she added. “This change enabled us to expand the number of exhibitors [to nearly 100], provide better site access and increase parking availability. A shuttle service will be provided to transport attendees from the Kroger parking lot to the event.”
                Support for the Business Expo comes this year from the following sponsors/donors: Platinum: Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group. Gold: Bank of America, Franklin Community Bank. Silver: Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, Appalachian Power; Prudential Waterfront Properties, Salem Financial, American Home Mortgage. Bronze: BB&T, Leisure Publishing, Farm Credit & Country Mortgages, Pratt Photography & Digital Services, Lake Team Realty, Franklin County Respiratory Rentals, Vogel & Cromwell, LLC, Alan Mullins Complete Automotive, Wisler Plumbing, and Weichert, Realtors Bridges & Co. Donors: The Furniture Gallery at SML and American Recreational Tram Systems.
               
For information on participating in the SML Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, call the Chamber office at 540.721.1203 or 800-676-8203 or visit the Chamber’s website at: www.visitsmithmountainlake.com.