The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Randolph County Development Authority Executive Director Robbie Morris, left, speaks with Frank Hinzman during the Elkins Entrepreneurs Expo at the Phil Gainer Community Center.

ELKINS — People looking to start, expand or relocate a business to the Elkins area made their way to the Phil Gainer Community Center for the second annual Elkins Entrepreneurs Expo.

The event, sponsored by the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, the Randolph County Development Authority and Elkins Main Street, is designed to demonstrate the benefits of locating, expanding and enhancing businesses in Randolph County.

“Things have gone really well today, we’ve had great participation from different entrepreneurs, the vendors have been busy, and we’ve had a lot of people asking questions and getting information,” Randolph County Development Authority Executive Director Robbie Morris told The Inter-Mountain.

“The goals of this are being met at this point, but we never know what the success of this particular event is going to be for several months afterwards as entrepreneurs gather information, make connections, and do the things they have to do in order to open a business, grow their current business, or do something else,” Morris said. “The level of engagement that we’ve had here today is very encouraging.”

The Expo featured vendors from throughout the area, and several new local business owners were on hand to discuss and answer questions about opening a business.

Before the doors of the Phil Gainer Community Center opened at 12:30 p.m., the Expo officially began with a “Downtown Opportunity Tour” that was hosted by the RCDA and the West Virginia Hub’s Downtown Appalachia Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program.

“The first part of the Expo was the tour and we had 20-plus participants who went around to several different buildings downtown that have vacancies,” said Morris. “Whether it’s commercial space, retail space or restaurant space, the entrepreneurs were able to see what was available and what options they had.

“They were able to interact with the property owners and discuss lease rates and all of those types of things. It was a very beneficial tour to see what kind of opportunity is available in downtown Elkins.”

The Expo also offered 16 workshops throughout the day for visitors to the event to attend. Entrepreneurs were eligible to choose up to four classes to sit in on, officials said.

“This event provides a fantastic opportunity for people who are thinking about going into business for themselves,” Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain. “They are able to ask questions and get answers from people who have a lot of knowledge.

“I commend the Chamber for organizing and coordinating this event and I hope it is something we continue to do to help our region grow.”