Take another look at local merchants

MATAMORAS — The 2009 Business Expo, hosted by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, doubled in size when it was held last week at the Riverview Inn, drawing over 70 exhibitors and some 300 visitors. “The economic downturn has created an opportunity for the Chamber to really show its strength and value, which is primarily networking and marketing community businesses together,” said Sue Hines, President of the Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. The goal of the expo was to create awareness in the community about the diversified businesses within Pike County. It is through this diversity, Hines said, that the county will be able to sustain itself in difficult times. “Unlike other places that might rely on a particular industry, our strength is in our variety, such as the many small to medium family-run businesses we have,” she said. These businesses are looking for creative new ways to market themselves, and the expo provided such an opportunity. One included Green Feed Catering, a local catering company co-owned by LoriAnn Hines, a high-energy entrepreneur who also opened the ForkLift Café in Dingmans Ferry three years ago. The business’s mission is “to create an experience and atmosphere that our clients will remember forever.” Forging a close tie with the environment at their on-site location at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, the company seeks to bring that ambience to clients wherever they may be, LoriAnn Hines said. And to prove it, they had plenty of food samples on hand within an attractive booth at the expo. As businesses are working hard to attract customers, so too are job seekers to find employers. Over 1,000 unemployed residents came through the doors of the County’s Workforce Development agency in the last three months, a significant increase relative to last year, said director Cynthia DeFebo. The agency provides free resources to those looking for work, such as help using job databases and writing resumes. “There is a shortage of jobs and an over-abundance of job seekers. In the past, 20-30 people competed for a job; now, that number can be 200-300,” she said. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the region’s unemployment rate in April was 8.4%, down from a February high of 9.3%. The County’s youth population is among those hardest hit because adults are taking the jobs that young people would otherwise get, DeFebo said. Her advice for all job seekers: persistence. “Don’t e-mail your resume, go knock on doors and meet people,” she said. And the take-home message for the community from the Chamber’s Sue Hines: shop local. “There are 65,000 people in Pike County. People go far away to get things that I don’t think they know are right here. Only residents can make that difference for businesses on a day-to-day basis.”