County invites public to 2018 Business Recovery Expo

County invites public to 2018 Business Recovery Expo
Posted on 03/20/2018
MANATEE COUNTY, FL (March 20, 2018) – Manatee County will host a public Business Recovery Expo next month to share information with local business owners on how to prepare for this year's Hurricane Season and natural disasters.

The expo, "We survived Hurricane Irma in 2017 - Are you ready in 2018?," is free and open to the public. It will be held Thursday, April 26 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd, Palmetto. The event is organized by Manatee County Economic Development, a division of the Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity department.

The goal of the Business Recovery Expo is to engage local businesses and to bring attention to the process of having a plan and being prepared.” said Karen Stewart, County Economic Development Official.  “Disasters come in all forms, shapes and sizes – not just bad weather, preparation is key.”

Over 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster. Be in the 60%.

The Expo will feature exhibits from local disaster recovery businesses and nonprofit organizations as well as workshop speakers from the National Weather Service and Florida Power & Light, and lessons learned from the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center.

Manatee County resource partners assisting with the event include CareerSource Suncoast, Small Business Development Center, Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, Manatee Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce, Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Manatee County Black Chamber of Commerce and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For more information, call Bruno Kapacinskas at (941) 749-3029 ext. 6218 or email him at [email protected]

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter @ManateeGov