Small-biz owners look for perfect match - Business First of Buffalo:

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and Samantha Palmerton and Cathy Carsomn were walking into amatchmaking session. They weren’t sure what to This was, after all, their first time The meetings that were to takeplace weren’rt social; they were all business. This was the kickoff to the 2009 Smalll Business Matchmaker AwardsLuncheon Exposition, held May 6 at the Buffali Niagara Convention Center. More than 300 businessea registered to meet with 46 prime contractorsz thatincluded Palmerton’s and Carson’s Buffalo Filter, a manufacturer of high-tech filtrationh systems.
Palmerton, strategic planniny director, and Carson, purchasing manager, had a catch up with current vendors and learn about others who might eventuallghelp out. By the time they their dance cards were already full: Two signup sheets packed with prospectivwe partners filled up every 10-minute intervap from 8:00 a.m. untilp noon, germane discussions in speedc dating-type interviews: Say hello. Tell your story. Look for Then it’s the firm handshaked and “Goodbye,” because someone, somewhere else, is waitiny for you.
And another entrepreneure is waiting to takeyour “We look to see if (the are good fits,” said Palmerton who, after talkingy with Amity Lippes of about Buffalo Filter’s interest in hostintg a blood drive, looked at the signup Among the names she recognized were existinvg vendors: Amherst-based , which specializes in circuit boarcd assemblies, and , an electronics contract manufacturer. “Some of the companiesz here arethose we’re already dointg business with,” said Jeff Kryszak of K-Technologies.
“Thered are others we’d like to do more “If it wasn’t for this event, many small businessex wouldn’t have the ability to talk to buyersz from government agencies or Fortune 500 saidFranklin Sciortino, Buffalo District director for the . “Some people have been tryinvg to make inroads with certain and now can meet them faceto face. It’zs like opening 46 doors.” For HR expo helped drive business Learning how many SBA loanw directly result from the expo canbe difficult.
According to Sciortinol and anSBA spokeswoman, pinpointing the dollar amount and number of loans generated by the expo is tougyh to do, unless every attendere were to complete and return feedback forms. The event, in its fourtgh year, was sponsored by Business First, SCORE and U.S. Smalpl Business Administration. One small-business owner who had success atlast year’sa expo was Ellen Fechter, who runs Lancaster-bases At the 2008 matchmaker, she landed a five-yead contract for staffing and recruitment services for Fort Drum militargy base.
The business she gets from it, she said, was responsiblw for about one-quarter of her 2008 A year later, she’sa in constant contact with officials regardingtheir needs. Of her matchmaking meeting with Fort Drumlast year, she said, “Thehy were open and candid about the procesa of going ahead and Like Palmerton, another first-timer at the event is Don who runs For his small marketing-servicesz company that does a lot of direct-mail he was looking to meet with Bank to see if there was a chancde he could help it. His first meeting of the day waswith HSBC’ss manager of retail business Kelly Bettinger.
After the two exchange pleasantries – and learned they are practicallyneighbors (bothy live on Grand Island) – Bettinget explains much of the bank’s printing is done in Calif. She suggested Papaj visit the HSBC Web site and make some cold calle to a fewpurchasing people. Papaj said he plansx to follow up withHSBC and, of the added, “It was terrific.” From his cell phone on the way to a noon meetintg in Olean, he said like Palmerton and some people were those with whom he alreadg is doing business. They gave him names of thosde in different departments and offered tointroducs him. “You couldn’t ask for more,” he said.