Photo by Emma Delk
Craig White wore two hats as Grand Vue Park general manager and Greater Moundsville Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director during the Marshall County Business and Health Expo on Friday at the Moundsville Center.
The 20th annual Marshall County Business and Health Expo kicked off on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Moundsville Center.
The Marshall County Chamber of Commerce organizes the expo, which unites local businesses, healthcare providers and community organizations to display their services and engage with the public.
Chamber members, event sponsors and Moundsville city officials gathered for the ribbon-cutting. Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Reager said WVU Medicine and WV Unified Banking were major event sponsors.
After Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, the expo officially opened from 4-8 p.m. and continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Reager said up to 2,000 attendees will visit the Moundsville Center during the expo to learn about the services of the 85 vendors participating in the event.
Reager said a “well-rounded variety” of businesses and organizations were represented at the expo.
“Sometimes the expo has been a little bit lean, but this year we have a lot of vendors, including landscapers, contractors, real estate agents, financial services and lawn and garden services,” Reager said. “We also have a concession stand run by Bread and Butter Deli.”
WVU Medicine participated in the expo with a booth advertising the orthopedic care offerings of WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital. Jessica Moore, associate vice president of foundation and community relations for Wheeling and Reynolds Hospitals, said the booth served as a way for the hospital to get in touch with community members who may need their services.
“We’ve had a lot of good conversations with people here who have gone through orthopedics or have had knee operations and want to talk about their recovery,” Moore said. “It’s a great chance for us to be a part of the community and have those one-on-one conversations with residents.”
Moore added that as a member of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce, it was important for WVU Medicine to support the chamber’s work in “helping all the businesses throughout the community.”
“For this event specifically, it’s important for WVU Medicine to be involved so that we have materials available for the general population to use and so we can be a part of the community,” Moore said.
Craig White, Grand Vue Park General Manager and Greater Moundsville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, had plenty of informational materials available at the combined Grand Vue Park and CVB booth to inform attendees about the county’s recreational opportunities. He noted that Marshall County was “unique” due to the variety of attractions it has to offer, from Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold to the West Virginia Penitentiary.
“Unfortunately, I’m sometimes opening the eyes of residents to what they have to do in their own town, but this is a great opportunity to do so,” White said. “I have some brochures at the table for the CVB and also letting people know about the new calendar on our Facebook and website that allows people to see what activities are happening weekly in the county. We want people to know that if they’re coming up to stay here for a weekend, there’s more to do than Grand Vue.”
American Legion members Jim Davis and Robert Pope also had a booth at the expo to inform community members about the American Legion’s offerings. Davis said they were focused on recruiting younger members to the organization and gaining participation in their Boys State and Girls State programs and Oratorical Contest.
“We’ve participated in the expo for the past 15 years to reach out to anybody that is not a member of the American Legion,” Davis said. “We typically get four to five people signed up for American Legion during this event, so we try to let people know all we have to offer.”