Aisles of booths filled the C-GCC gymnasium, with more than 70 Columbia and Greene county businesses and organizations participating. As the crowd surveying the exhibits grew in the after-five hour, David Colby, President of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, declared himself well-satisfied with the success of the event. “We sold out,” he said, referring to booth spaces, “and we’re getting a nice turnout.”

After a few circuits of the exhibit hall, some definite themes emerged. Energy was one of the themes, with National Grid and Sundog Solar positioned hip to haunch in the far corner of the exhibition hall. Banking and finance was another, with the area’s banks and a payroll management service all represented. Marketing and communication—in all its forms—were represented by such businesses as ProPrinters (print) and HAVE, Inc. (mulimedia), from Hudson and KathodeRay Media (Web and new media) from across the river in Greenville. The presence of the Performing Arts Collective of Columbia County and the Chatham performance space PS/21 sharing a booth with Walking the dog Theater attested to the growing contribution of arts and culture to the area economy. The notion that the stress of doing business can be a real pain in the neck was also suggested by the presence of at least two chiropractic groups.

But, in our agricultural county, food was definitely a major theme at the Buy Local Expo. Columbia County Bounty was there promoting its Farm-to-Chef Initiative. The Hudson-Chatham Winery was there, displaying its impressive array of varietals. There were other businesses that produce gourmet gift items—among them Grandpa Pete, purveyor of gourmet past sauces and Grandpa Pete’s Gourmet Dinner, and Micosta Enterprises, offering Latino gourmet foods—and Dinnerwhere?, the annual publication that showcases area restaurants and locally produced food.

Present also were a number of catering services, offering delectable tidbits and reminding folks by their presence that businesses, like armies, move on their stomachs. The list included two food establishments in Greenport: Oasis, which promotes itself as “The Office Deli,” and Hudson Park, the baseball-themed restaurant whose dining room menu and catering menu go way beyond anything you could ever expect to find at a ballpark concession stand.

The booth that was luring everyone, however, was the one occupied by Georgia Ray’s Kitchen, where Chef Danyell, with his characteristic energy and panache, was doling out generous samples of his cuisine: Oriental Shumai Dumplings with plum sauce, Grilled Vegetable Bruscetta Crostini, and French “Triple Apple” Crisp with Bavarian whipped topping. Delicious!

In addition to the exhibits, the Expo offered three series of seminars dealing with energy, technology, and building community. The seminars on the energy focused on alternative energy and ways to control energy costs. The technology seminars examined ways to use the Internet and email to market and promote your business. The building community seminars included one that explored the chamber of commerce as a business resource and another that looked at the potential of the community college to support business, but the most intriguing of the seminars in this track was a panel discussion entitled “Business Lessons of Leadership from Canine Behavior” presented in connection with the Hudson Area Associations Library’s Big Read and the book that is its focus: Jack London’s The Call of Wild. I was truly sorry I had to miss that one.