Porter County Chamber Coalition Network Night was an Expo Worth Exploring

Porter County’s largest chamber expo once again took over the Porter County Expo Center in mid-October, bringing businesses and organizations of all types together for some super serious networking. Yes, friends, it was Porter County Chamber Coalition Network Night (or CNN as some call it). It’s a business owner’s playground.

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Each year there is a theme. It adds to the uniqueness of the event and gives vendors a chance have some fun. This year’s theme was sports so everyone dressed in their best sporty gear. Since the Cubs were dominating the sports world and since we’re right near Chicago, Cubbie blue was everywhere. Of course, some mathletes were there as well as Elvis and his entourage, some Steelers fans, some White Sox fans, and even Gomez and Morticia Addams stopped by.

“Chamber Network Night is a coalition between the Duneland Chamber, the Portage Chamber, and the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce,” Nancy Simpson, Office Manager for the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce said. “We have been doing this for several years. It’s a great time for businesses to meet each other, network with each other, and it’s a great time for the Chambers to get together.”

“We have a great theme this year. It’s a sports theme so everyone gets to dress up and represent their favorite sport or sports team,” Ashley Hawkins, Membership Coordinator of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce said. “We’re very appreciative that we have been able to form this partnership with the Valpo and Portage Chambers and we enjoy being able to strengthen it every year through this event.”

Many people loved the event, viewing it as prime networking time. For some this was their first time being part of the Porter County Chamber Coalition Network Night, for others it’s something that they enjoy coming back to year after year. Here are what some had to say about why they find value in attending the Porter County Chamber Coalition Network Night.

"When you are building a brand the only way to get your brand known and to work on building any business, especially a small business, is to get out and socialize. As a company that promotes social media we like being out with the people as much as we love being online helping our clients," John Marx, President and owner of JM2 Webdesigners said.

“I love this. I’ve been to these events before but this time is different,” Angela Boland, Director of Clinical Business Development for Symphony of Chesterton said. “People were very excited to talk to us because we have a new facility opening in Chesterton and there was a buzz about the new building. These networking events are fantastic ways to meet new people and to share information about your business with them.”

"Chamber Network Night has allowed Steindler Signs & Graphix to showcase our talents from simple designs to major manufacturing. We have wrapped vehicles on the show floor, i.e. ValpoLife and Oil 'N' Go, and shown off monument signs and custom routed displays. The past couple years we've even printed, routed and fabricated our entire booth. It's a great way for us to give people a close-up look at what we do. We have had the pleasure over the years to meet some great business partners as well as friends, and look forward to many more years at Chamber Network Night," Tom Steindler Jr., owner of Steindler Signs & Graphix said.

"Running Vines loves being part of our local community. We feel the best way to grow is by helping each other, promoting each other, and promoting local business. We feel CNN gives us a great opportunity to meet other local businesses and business owners in a fun yet informative way," Nicole Caylor, owner of Running Vines Winery said.

"The Portage Township YMCA loves participating in CNN because we like to stay connected to our community and build relationships," Amber Alexander, CEO of the Portage Township YMCA said. "That's what the YMCA is all about so CNN fits perfectly into our mission. We're all in!"

“This is a great opportunity for Porter Regional Hospital’s Health at Work Program to get the word out about our Occupational Health Program,” Laurie Wehner-Evans, Director of Community and Corporate Wellness at Porter Regional Hospital said. “It’s important that we get the message out about corporate wellness and the other programs that we have, and Chamber Network Night is the perfect place to reach people.”

“It’s a great chance to renew friendships and meet new people,” Tim Bucher, owner of Buchertech said.

“I think it’s very important to maintain a presence, especially in a tight community like this,” Robert Sego of Franciscan Alliance said. “It’s nice to get out and to meet people in a relaxed and fun setting like this.”

“We realize the importance of networking,” Karin Woodside, Community Outreach Specialist at St. Mary Medical Center said. “There are a lot of great businesses in Porter County that are here tonight and we’re happy to share our services with everyone here. We have a lot to offer and we care about the health and well-being of our local communities.”

“I like to network, and CNN is a great place to do it,” Kevin Kosek, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for REGIONAL Federal Credit Union said. “We get to see other businesses and new faces and we also get to see community members here who are our members and they come up and give us testimonials on how great our product is and how great we’re doing. That feedback is important because it lets us know that we’re going in the right direction. It’s a fun night. We like to dress up, and I look fabulous every year.”

“It’s been a pretty amazing experience,” Kevin Hand, owner of Zounds Hearing in Crown Point and Valparaiso said. “I’ve been to other Chamber expos but this is one of the better ones. The amount of people that come through is great. And not only that, there is ample time to go network and check out other businesses which is really cool.”

#‎NETWORKNIGHT2015‬

Grand Sponsor: First Merchants
Tailgate Sponsors: First Merchants, Porter Health Care System, NITCO
Sponsors: 1st Source Bank, Anton Insurance Agency, Blachly, Tabor, Bozik, and Hartman, Blue Chip Casino, Hotel and Spa, BMO Harris Bank, Burke, Costanza and Carberry, Centier Bank, Chase, Comcast Business, Extra Mile Fitness, Fagen Pharmacy, First State Bank of Porter, Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Michigan City, General Insurance Services, Hoeppner, Wagner and Evans LLP, Hogan Consulting Group, Horizon Bank, The Kotys Group, LaPorte Savings Bank, Metron Recycling, Ogletree Deakins, Peoples Bank, REGIONAL Federal Credit Union, Rittenhouse Senior Living, St. Mary Medical Center, Symphony of Chesterton, Teachers Credit Union, The Times Media Company, Vic Volom CLU, CFP – Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Weiss Entities