Quad Chamber Expo offers opportunity for exhibitors

Representatives of businesses from across lower Fairfield County exchanged business cards and learned about their products and services at the Quad Chamber Expo & Business Networking Expo at the Stamford branch of the University of Connecticut, and for some of them it was the first opportunity they had to meet. The annual affair, which was conducted last Thursday, Nov. 21, gave 57 business owners from Stamford, Greenwich and Norwalk a chance to display their wares, talk to fellow business owners and engage with members of the community. The event is the combined effort of the Stamford, Norwalk, Greenwich and Darien chambers of commerce, and usually draws about 300 visitors each year, said Barbara Seiter, executive vice president of the Stamford chamber. "It's a great way to connect a face with a name in this era of electronic communication," Seiter said. "It's a cross section of the business community. We get a lot of companies that are new to the area and want an opportunity to not only expose themselves but get to know what's out there." Rodizio Grill, a Stamford restaurant just across the street from the UConn campus, came to the event with steaming trays of appetizers to introduce participants to the restaurant's slightly different take on Brazilian fare. Rodizio Grill works with companies like UBS and some of the area's hotels for corporate events, caters to outside parties and has a private room for gatherings in the restaurant. Though a relatively new business, the restaurant has been active at other Stamford Chamber events. "It's a great opportunity for people to get to know the restaurant, to do cross promotions," Megan Cody, sales and event manager at Rodizio Grill, said of the Quad Chamber event. Each chamber hosts a variety of events within their own membership and community, but it's important for the four to work together to facilitate business connections between towns, Brian Griffin, vice president of the Norwalk chamber, said. "It's a rare occasion when we all get together, so I think for our members it's an opportunity to network with people outside of the chamber," Griffin said. Some of the members have locations and services that stretch across multiple towns, like Urgent Care Centers and Splash Car Wash, representing Norwalk and Greenwich, respectively, but present in multiple locations. Splash has locations in Stamford, Darien, Fairfield, Cos Cob, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Shelton and Wilton. Urgent Care, which also has locations in Newtown, Southbury, Brookfield and Ridgefield, offers services across the county and was highlighting a new program, a membership for those without insurance that acts like a gym membership, giving people a place to go when they're in need, said Brittany Nuzzaci, director of sales and marketing at Urgent Care Center "Everybody's friendly, interactive with each other," Nuzzaci said. "All of these people are our customers."

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