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The Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at the future site of Boxers Bed & Biscuits in the former Middleton Doll Co., 1301 Washington Blvd.
The Belpre Business Expo, showcasing businesses and nonprofits from the Mid-Ohio Valley, will be presented by Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
The site is undergoing renovations for Boxers, a pet boarding service.
"With this year's exciting location at the new Boxers site, the community is buzzing with anticipation to see the new business as well as the displays from our business community," said Karen Waller, Belpre Area Chamber of Commerce executive director.
The chamber is anticipating more than 30 businesses, nonprofits and displays this year.
"This is our third event, and it is destined to be our biggest and best," Waller said. "The excitement is the business growth we are seeing here in the Mid-Ohio Valley. There is a lot of interest in the valley in what we are doing here in growing and expanding businesses."
People have been interested in seeing what Boxers Bed and Biscuits is doing to the former Middleton Doll facility.
Boxers has been operating on Braun Road outside Belpre for a number of years.
"The owner, Angie Beck, made it a mission to bring the business here to Belpre," Waller said. "She saw property, if developed properly, could be an asset to the community. She put those two goals together and doggedly went after the property and secured it for her business."
The property has been a landmark in the Belpre community for years and there is a lot of interest in it.
"It will be really interesting to people, even if they don't have dogs, just to see what someone can do with that property," Waller said. "That business will bring traffic to the area. As people are dropping off and picking up their pets, our goal is they will spend some time and money in town. It is a win for everybody."
"Every year we have done this (expo) we have upped our numbers by half a dozen," Waller said.
The expo is free and open to the public. Industrial, marketing, retail, realty, financial, medical, nonprofit and service businesses will be represented, plus local restaurants offering items for sample and sale.
"It is a diverse mix," Waller said. "I think once people see the opportunity here, I think a lot of people will wish they were here."
Other sponsors, through advertising, of the event include Pioneer Clothing Care, Main Street Car Wash and Peddlers Junction.
The Belpre Chamber is an area chamber, just like chambers in Marietta and Parkersburg, in that they all promote the Mid-Ohio Valley as a whole.
"All three of us have developed into area chambers," Waller said. "There are people interested in this area as a business site and as a place to grow."
There are a lot of businesses and services available that people have traditionally thought they would have to leave the area to get, she said.
"We invite everyone to stop in after work, before dinner or just as a special outing to view our displays, become aware of new businesses and services available in our valley and to see the new Boxer's facility," Waller said. "It really is everyone's first chance to see a novel business concept relocate to our central business district. Chamber members and their friends have really pitched in to make this an event to be proud of."
Participating businesses and institutions who will have booths are Wood Heating & AC, Citizens Bank, Peoples Bank, Consumer Credit Counseling, Camden Clark Medical Center, Exit Realty, Kraton, Marietta Memorial Hospital, Riverview Credit Union, Continuous Health Care, Children's Hunger Alliance, Belpre Savings Bank, Huntington Bank, Habitat For Humanity, Breakthrough Marketing Strategies, Marietta Health and Wellness Center, Elite Signs, Lambert Tatman Funeral Home, Pleasantview Towers, Kroger, Health South, West Virginia Central Federal Credit Union, Newton Insurance, First Settlement Physical Therapy, Interim-Marietta, Schwendeman Agency, Unity Cafe, Whit Enterprises, Planet Fitness and Inspire 111.
"We are so proud to partner with the Belpre Chamber to introduce the community to the new Boxers Bed and Biscuits," said Ann Troutman, advertising director for The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. "We are really looking forward to the best Belpre Expo ever."
A number of door prizes will be given out by area businesses, including gift cards, gift baskets, a gas grill, tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game, a Belpre Stadium Blanket, whole house carpet cleaning, a 6-month gym membership and more.
Businesses providing door prizes include Kraton Polymers, Peoples Bank, Marietta Memorial Hospital, Marietta Health and Wellness Center, Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home, Kroger, Newton Insurance, Inspire 111, New Way Carpet, Planet Fitness, Citizens Bank, First Settlement Physical Therapy, Elite Signs, Consumer Credit Counseling, Habitat For Humanity, Basement Doctor and Crawl Space Solutions, Wood Heating and Air Conditioning, Riverview Credit Union, the Schwendeman Agency, Whit Enterprises, Pioneer Clothing Care and Main Street Car Wash.