OXFORD — The Oxford Chamber of Commerce held a local business expo at Boulder Pointe Golf Club on Oct. 15, where over 40 local businesses and customer gathered to connect with customers and each other.
Aside from joining a local chamber of commerce, “Insurance Mom’ Melisa Counelis with Farm Bureau Insurance said the best thing a local business can do is be involved with their community.
Counelis called the expo an “excellent event” where she can build relationships with other business owners while engaging with the public.
“And it’s another time where people can run into me,” Counelis said. “They either run into me at the office or a business function, or I see them at the grocery store. So each time you see a person, the more they get to know you and find that there’s the entrustment in you.”
Mickey Ross, who co-owns Excel Cleaning Bros. with his brother Jared, said the expo gave him an opportunity to meet with customers face-to-face.
Other people may have seen the business’s trucks around town, but have never hired Excel’s services. Ross said the expo gives businesses an opportunity to interact with potential customers for the first time.
This reflects the reason the chamber’s executive director, Amy Desotell, said the expo is held, “because sometimes you may live in town, but you don’t know all the businesses.”
“This is a great way to come and visit businesses you may not even be aware of, and then you can talk to them one-on-one,” Desotell said.
Desotell also said bringing the businesses together for networking, potentially leading to collaborations and ideas each business may not have thought of otherwise.
“I think it’s really nice being able to network with the other local businesses,” Ross continued. “A lot of them we interact with at different times, but others you may not see as often, but we’re all here in the community … trying to serve the community.”
The Oxford Chamber of Commerce’s Classic Christmas Parade will be held Dec. 7, in downtown Oxford. Those interested in sponsoring the parade can call 248-628-0410, according to the chamber’s website.