The Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce will give local residents a chance to look into their future Thursday.
From technology-focused enterprises to startups incubating right here in town, chamber Executive Director Sherris Moreira said there is a lot going on – and plenty of good news about jobs and companies that are growing in Mercer County.
And to introduce the community to these possibilities, and opportunities, the chamber is hosting a free event – TechBrek: A Tech-Related/Startup-Focused Breakfast.
The gathering, which will be Thursday from 8 to 10 a.m. at the new CHIP Building on the Lindenpointe campus in Hermitage, is being co-presented with the eCenter@Lindenpointe and DQE Communications of Pittsburgh.
“Our purpose in holding this event is to spotlight the innovation in the region and to connect and promote a variety of communities,” Moreira said. “Our hope is that by highlighting the tech and startup community in this way, it strengthens the reality that the area is full of inventive people and innovative opportunities.”
And this is not a one and done, either, she added.
The event will be held twice a year and will pop up” in a different building location in the Shenango Valley that is available for lease or sale.
That will also allow local investors the chance to see the opportunities available for potential startups or expansions of their own.
“Our purpose in doing this is to also help fill spaces in our community, and what better way to do so then by bringing the public inside,” Moreira said, adding that CHIP building investors will have the opportunity to describe location details to attendees.
The “flex building” is the brainchild of Community Hope Investment Partners (CHIP), an economic development-based nonprofit that plans to use the proceeds from this new building, once it fills, to construct others in the future as a way of drawing business to the region.
Moreira said there are going to be a variety of exhibitors at the event ready to introduce their businesses and products to the community.
One of the exhibitors on that list is a startup winner from the eCenter’s recent VIA competition.
KOPO is working to improve living conditions in developing countries by providing reliable and extremely affordable water sources.
Also on that list is one of the startups from Penn State Shenango’s new entrepreneurial VenturePointe – The Guardian’s Nest. The nonprofit provides information and support to the veteran community.