Business showcase celebrates 10th anniversary

It wasn't business as usual at the 10th annual Business Showcase Thursday afternoon.

The first obvious difference from last year was this year's wet, snowy weather, making a muddy mess of the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

"This year we made it a winter event," joked Bill Chernock, executive director of the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce which organizes the annual trade show. "We didn't exactly plan to have it turn out this way."

There was something else going on, though. It was the third year in a row business owners and community members have come together in one of the worst economic recessions in history. There seemed a subtle change in the air, a palpable shift in attitude toward a more optimistic outlook, or at least a tacit understanding among the 66 participating businesses and the more than 600 attendees that the worst of the economy is behind us.

"I think business people are less pessimistic than last year," said Chernock. "I think there's a feeling things have leveled out a bit, at least in Carson Valley. Some indicators out there are very encouraging."

Paula Corley of the Corley Ranch, whose booth contained information about their annual fall harvest festival, agreed that things seem to be getting better.

"Last year was our fifth annual harvest festival, and we thought it would be our last because we couldn't afford to not make a profit," she said.

However, Corley said, with some hard work and a supportive community, people came together to make last year's festival one of the most successful ever, breaking records in attendance, pumpkin sales and student participation from local schools. And the event is on track for this fall.

"People came up to us and said, 'You can't not do this,'" Corley said. "We feel good about the community supporting us. Our goal in doing all this is to help with tourism in the Valley. We're looking forward to making it a destination, another Apple Hill. Things are starting to turn around, but we have to be very cautious."

Douglas County Commission Chairman Mike Olson, representing the workers compensation firm Pro Group Management, said there's definitely more optimism in the business community this year. Olson's been attending the showcase since it started a decade ago.

"It's important for the community to know we're still doing business in Douglas County," he said. "You can still get things, get services down, have places to eat."

Olson predicted that taxable sales numbers would start leveling off in the next few months.

"I think we'll start seeing them bottom out and not the double-digit declines," he said. "People are starting to feel comfortable spending again."

Not all the booths at the event were occupied by for-profit businesses. The Partnership of Community Resources was one of a handful of nonprofits and other community organizations making a presence. Along with prevention coordinator Linda Gilkerson and grants manager Martie Washington were members from the Partnership's Students Taking on Prevention club.

"This is a great venue," said Washington. "We like to get our name out there in the community because we're a behind-the-scenes kind of group."

The Partnership, which just moved to a new location in Minden, is trying to be part of the optimism, Washington said.

"We continue with our efforts despite the economy," she said. "We're looking to do things for our youth that are feel-good things and don't necessarily cost money."

Johnson Lane resident Sherri Ence attended the showcase with her daughter Sarah.

"We come every year," said Ence. "We actually like to see the community and what businesses are opening up and what's happening with the old ones. We try to support businesses in the Valley."

Sarah, 11, picked up a free ice cream cone from Debbie Lyn's Ice Cream, a new scoop shop where Cold Stone used to be in the Minden Village.

"It's good," she said of the homemade chocolate.

"The way the economy is," her mother added, "people have to be optimistic."

Event sponsors this year included GE Energy, The Record-Courier, Scolari's, E Squared C, 99.1/KCMY and Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare.