Business is Blooming
in Northeast Philadelphia

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

The hors d’oeuvres were little, but the turnout was big.
So big, in fact, that cars overflowed the spacious CORA Services parking lot and filed out onto Verree Road and neighboring side streets.
The date was April 17, and the event was the Business is Blooming Expo hosted by the Northeast Times and the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
The event offered various businesses and organizations in the area an opportunity to network with one another, meet new acquaintances, and, of course, chow down on tasty fare from area eateries and catering services.
Representatives from some 75 businesses were in attendance, although patrons far outnumbered the vendors, with attendance during the four-hour event numbering around 750, according to Louis Feinberg, the expo’s chairman.
This is the first year the expo has been held at CORA Services in Bustleton, and Kathy Spada, who works in administration at CORA, said she was pleased with, yet taken aback by, the turnout.
"We didn’t ever really know what to expect," Spada said.
At one table sat Robyn and Joe Rose, who were representing "Set the Pulse," a year-old mobile advertising business run by Robyn Rose and her son Jim, who was not in attendance.
"This is really, really, really nice," Robyn Rose said of the expo. "I’m impressed."
Robyn and Joe Rose were also representing Rose Auto Service, a business that has been a staple in the Northeast for three generations, having been started by Joe’s grandfather.
While the turnout was large, the venue itself was not incredibly spacious, but Robyn Rose said this worked to the expo’s advantage. Smaller spaces are better because vendors get to mingle with, and meet more people from, the community, she said.
Among those participating in the expo were financial institutions such as Beneficial Bank, American Heritage Federal Credit Union, Commerce Bank, Fox Chase Bank, Citibank and Freedom Credit Union; eateries, including Blue Ox Bistro, Longhorn Steakhouse, Moonstruck Restaurant, Village Restaurant and Catering, and Catering by Mario’s; local organizations like the Frankford Business and Professional Association, the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation, Northeast Philadelphia Victim, Catholic Health Services, Child Abuse Prevention Effort and CORA Services; and many more. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com