Expo to showcase best of Southeast Texas business

The Greater Beaumont and Greater Port Arthur Chambers of Commerce are ready to roll out the red carpet at the 2007 Southeast Texas Business Expo.

With a Hollywood theme, the event will be 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Beaumont Civic Center.

This is the fifth year that the chambers have joined forces to present the premier business event for Southeast Texas. They first combined their individual business showcases in 2003 to offer a bigger and better Business Expo. Now it has become the largest business trade show in Southeast Texas.

The event includes free admission, free parking, a hiring fair, celebrity fashion show, entertainment, Business After-Hours Mixer, door prizes, silent auction, scavenger hunt and more than 100 booths showcasing the businesses in Southeast Texas.

"We have a slogan," said Jim Rich, president of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. "We're all in it together. This is not just for Beaumont, but for the entire region."

Mary Ann Reid, the new president of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, said "In Southeast Texas, we mean business. It's a wonderful partnership with the two chambers co-hosting the combined event; it's a win-win situation."