LI African American Chamber of Commerce holds first expo Thursday

The Long Island African American Business Expo seeks to do more than boost trade among attendees, an official said.

“It is also a way to increase African-American employment through growth of companies,” said Phil Andrews, president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce Inc.

The chamber will host the expo, its first, at Nassau Community College’s College Center Building in Garden City from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

Entrepreneurs and business executives can network, promote their products and services, and find resources to support and expand their enterprises, according to the chamber.

More than 40 product and service vendors from various industries, including health care, insurance, finance, graphic design and energy, are registered to attend the expo.

“And it sort of acts like a black directory, too. People get a lot of services [at expos], and throughout the year they can use those services,” Andrews said.

Most of the vendors registered for the expo are black-owned businesses, but that is not a requirement to participate.

Expo tickets are $10 each, but 75 free tickets are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis in advance online at Eventbrite.com and at the door. Further information is available at liaacc.org.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.com@ToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.