The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce (GABCC) is holding a resource fair for small businesses on Sat., April 20, starting at 11:00 a.m.
Ronic West, President of GABCC, told ABD a similar event, held last fall, was so well-received that they decided to do it again.
“Everybody was like, ‘Oh my God, I hate I missed it.’ We heard that feedback,” she said. “We decided to do it again in the spring. We’ll make sure everybody’s aware of it early on.”
She said it will be held at Bec Plex in North Augusta, which is one of the largest Black-owned businesses in the area. That means, there is no limit to the number of attendees they can welcome.
“We’re hoping to see hundreds of people come out. We chose them for a reason. We have about 25 to 30 vendors that signed up for this event. So, we really want to make sure business owners are able to come,” she explained.
Vendors run the gamut of banking and financial services to education to government agencies.
“We’ll have the United States Trademark Office coming too, and we’ll have Small Business Administration coming. We’ll have lawyers, we’ll have CPAs in the building and as well as marketers,” West detailed. “So, everything that a business owner needs will happen in that one facility. We also will have panels throughout the day so the business owners can hear from the specialists.”
SRP, Bank of America, and Truist Banks will be on hand, along with Lamar Advertising. Additional government agencies will include the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the City of Augusta’s Planning and Development Department.
Attendees can also learn about the GABCC’s “Step Up” program. It is a 12-month, hybrid program to give prospective and current business owners the tools and knowledge to succeed. Some sessions will be in-person while some are virtual. Augusta Technical College will be one of the main locations for the classroom training.
West said the event gives small business owners the chance to network with local businesses in a casual environment.
“And you’ll get some door prizes and some other goodies,” she said. “So, it’s going to be a fun time, and you’re going to get a lot of information.”
The resource fair will run until 2:00 p.m. Bec Plex is at 5955 Jefferson Davis Highway in North Augusta. Food trucks will be on hand to provide refreshments.
Those interested in attending are urged to pre-register at:
https://mygabc.org/gabcc-events/#!event/2024/4/20/spring-resource-fair
