Making a pitch
for business

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The Village of Cottage Green may have been the friendliest place in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, May 9.
Meeting new people was certainly not a problem as the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business Expo. The four-hour gathering included representatives from some 75 local companies and organizations, all with essentially the same thing in mind:
A lot of smiling, plenty of handshaking and business card exchanging, a bit of backslapping and, ultimately, sales-lead generating.
According to Al Taubenberger, longtime president of the 85-year-old chamber, the expo has been held every year — sometimes twice a year — for decades and is his organization’s premier event.
"It’s really (held) to create greater awareness of some of the wonderful products and services that the chamber membership provides," said Taubenberger, the Republican candidate for mayor in the November election. "It’s open to the public and all of the business people in the Philadelphia region are welcome."
Northeast Times sales representative Lou Feinberg chaired the chamber’s expo committee for the fourth consecutive year. According to Feinberg, the event takes a full year to plan.
"I start planning (for next year) the day after the event," he said. "We have a committee and start by sending out fliers and notices and e-mails. Then we start making phone calls and finding sponsors."
This year, several corporations with strong local ties stepped up as lead sponsors, including Community College of Philadelphia, Crown Holdings, Chapman Ford, Wawa, Comcast, the Mayor’s Business Action Team, Clear Channel Outdoor, WFIL-WZZD and the host banquet venue.
The strength of the event, organizers say, is its ability to draw large national and international companies like Crown and Comcast as well as small local businesses. The participation reflects a similar diversity in the chamber’s membership, which includes about 1,000 businesses and organizations.
"It’s from small mom-and-pop restaurants to large banks and chain companies," Feinberg said. "It’s all varieties."
Participants took full advantage of the diversity.
"It’s a good opportunity to get your name out there and to do business exchange," said Roxanne Melfe, a branch manager for PBB bank.
PBB is a very small bank with four total branches — two in Philadelphia and two in New Jersey. One branch is at Grant and Bustleton avenues.
Though small, the bank has a lot to offer.
"We have competitive rates and great personal service because we’re so local," Melfe said.
Her mission was to get that message out to other local businesses in attendance.
"We met a graphics company and a guy from Mortgage Network Solutions," Melfe said. "And we met the newspaper."
PBB was a first-time participant in the expo but has taken part in a similar event in Cherry Hill.
"This is more localized, which I like," Melfe said. "Here, you know you’re going to get (to meet) everybody who walks through the door."
Business-to-business networking is crucial to Linda Hettrick, sales and marketing representative for WorkHealth, Frankford Hospitals’ 20-year-old occupational health program.
"It’s very important because we provide services for many of the companies in the Northeast and all over Philadelphia," Hettrick said.
Dr. Stan Feldman of A1 Family Dental, in the Smylie-Times Building at Rhawn Street and Roosevelt Boulevard, was also looking to boost his profile among businesses and consumers.
"We’re meeting new people, business people," he said. "Not only do I want them to be my patients, I want their employees to be my patients."
Feldman used one time-tested marketing technique to achieve his objective — the freebee. At the dentist’s booth, visitors were welcome to take a toothbrush and containers of mouthwash and toothpaste, all with Feldman’s name on them.
Third Federal Bank, meanwhile, pulled out all the stops, including giveaways, a roaming mascot named "3rd Fred" and a golf putting game, to create a buzz.
Rose McMenamin, business development officer for the bank and a former chamber board chair, explained that the expo is a big showcase event for Third Federal, which has 15 branches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The expo is also important for small businesses, "because it gets them in front of so many people in so short a time," McMenamin said.
Diana M. Harding, an independent associate and small business specialist for Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., hoped to piggyback on the expo.
"I’m here to get my name out and to invite people to a networking event that I’m having," said Harding, whose company provides legal services to companies and individuals who pay a monthly fee, rather than an hourly rate.
For the chamber itself, the expo raises funds to support its other programs and helps recruit new members into the fold.
"We probably recruit ten to fifteen new members (each year)," Feinberg said. "It varies. You never know." ••
Call 215-332-3400 or visit www.gnpcc.org for information about the chamber.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com