Chamber’s Biz and Home Expo returns to Pahrump

Representatives and leadership from dozens of local businesses will set up shop this weekend at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino to show off their wares to the public.

The Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce is set to hold its 20th annual Biz &Home Expo at the Pahrump Nugget starting on Friday from noon to 4 p.m. The expo will continue Saturday at the Nugget’s banquet facility at 681 S. Highway 160 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Chris Erwin, CEO of the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the organization is expecting between 1,000 and 1,500 potential consumers to meet with the more than four dozen businesses slated to set up booths at the 2018 show.

A multitude of business sectors will be represented at the 2018 expo: banking, insurance, real estate, technology and others, with companies such as Valley Electric Association and Mercy Air, just to name a couple, having exhibits.

This is the third year the “home” portion of the Biz Expo will be represented at the show.

Erwin said the chamber saw the local real estate market heating up and decided to add the sector to the show. Several related companies will have booths at the 2018 show: William Lyon Homes, Lisa Bond Real Estate and Nevada Realty.

Additionally, Allan Parker from the Nevada Small Business Development Center and Paul Miller of the Nye County Regional Economic Development Authority will be in attendance at the expo. Both organizations help businesses and promote economic development in the county.

Be a part of the expo

Businesses who want to be featured at the expo must be chamber members.

“It’s a lot of smaller businesses,” Erwin said. “It’s creating relationships. It’s lead-based, so there’s no selling that goes on. It’s all just kind of lead and informational.”

Small businesses are a large part of the chamber. Erwin said 66 percent of the chamber’s membership is comprised of businesses with “less than 10 employees, so we still have quite a few home-based businesses.”

The event is one of three that the chamber handles annually. Erwin said the organization’s largest yearly event is the Fall Festival, followed by the Pahrump Balloon Festival.

Though the Biz event is not the largest, it’s important to local ventures, Erwin said.

“I would make an argument that though it may not be the largest, it’s probably the most important in what role the chamber should play in Pahrump,” Erwin said. “We are very excited about showcasing our members to our community.”

At this point, the cutoff for businesses looking to get a space at the expo has expired, but for purposes of planning ahead to next year, the cost of renting a booth at the 2018 show ranged from $50 to $250.

“The only downfall of the event is that we don’t have a larger facility so that more businesses can participate,” Erwin said in a news release on the expo.

There are approximately 350 chamber members, according to that release.

20th anniversary

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the expo, the chamber is raffling off two 40-inch smart TVs.

A coupon for two tickets to enter the raffle is available at tinyurl.com/yc8xnj23, which can be printed. Eventgoers can also show the coupon on their mobile device.

Tickets are also available for sale at the expo at $2 for one ticket or $5 for three tickets. Winning tickets will be drawn at the event’s end, with winners being contacted directly by the chamber.

There are roughly a dozen sponsors of the 2018 expo. Some of those businesses are the Pahrump Valley Auto Plaza, Platinum Home Mortgage, Mercy Air Services and Nevada State Bank, just to name a few.

For a full list of sponsors, visit the chamber’s website at Pahrump.biz

For more information on sponsoring the 2018 show, contact Jim Butler from the chamber at the main line at 775-727-5800.

People can also contact Donna Corey at that number for information on booth rentals.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes