By: Sierra Hubbard, Staff Writer
The Kennesaw Business Association will host the ninth annual Business Expo at the KSU Center on Feb. 24 to showcase local businesses in the Cobb County area.
The event is free to the public to attend, and everyone in the Kennesaw area as well as the surrounding business community is welcome. Vendors will be available for questions about their wares and specialties, including LGE Community Credit Union, North Georgia Staffing, Northstar Payroll, and agents from State Farm Insurance and AFLAC, to name a few.
“[It’s] a free, fun event for the Kennesaw community to learn about local businesses that are a part of the Kennesaw Business Association,” said Kim Perez, current KBA president.
Many businesses have giveaways for those who stop by, and there will even be restaurants participating this year with samples.
Light refreshments will be served when the doors open at 4 pm.
Debbie Underkoffler, president and CEO of North Georgia Staffing, was president of the KBA in 2007 during the association’s first Business Expo.
“[It was] mainly for our members to have an opportunity to network among each other and to be able to show people what they did,” Underkoffler said. “So often we knew these people but we didn’t know what they do.”
To better delegate the responsibilities of an organization that continues to grow, JRM Management Services helps run certain aspects.
“We are a management company that handles all the day-to-day operations,” said Peter Jezerinac with JRM, “…to let the organization as a whole concentrate on the recruitment and retention of members, sponsors for events and the networking opportunities the association puts on.”
According to Jezerinac, last year’s expo hosted 65 businesses, and they are still receiving more applications for this event.
“It has definitely grown tremendously,” Underkoffler said. “The first one we did was over in the Kennesaw Community Center. I think we only had 20 vendors at the most.”
Other events are also in the works and quickly approaching. “KBA and Kennesaw’s largest event is the Big Shanty Festival held in downtown Kennesaw on April 18 and 19,” Kim Perez said, “followed by our fastest growing event, Taste of Kennesaw, to be held Saturday Sept. 12.”
The Kennesaw Business Association is comprised of an assortment of local businesses that have the opportunity to both network with one another as well as give back to the community. In 2014, the KBA gave over $70,000 back in donations to organizations and institutions like the police department, museum, food pantry, teen center, and several area schools.
