Nubarter News, Events, Testimonials, and Media

An excellent expo: Business event brings companies to the community

By Savannah Morning News
Created 2010-07-20 00:18
Linda Sickler
Business was booming at the Pooler Business and Consumer Expo. A large crowd turned out July 15 to see what companies in the area have to offer.

The expo was held at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. Many vendors offered special deals during the expo, and some sponsored giveaways.

“We’ve had a nice, steady stream coming in,” said Karen Robertson of the Pooler Chamber of Commerce. “We even had some early arrivals who were here at 5:15 p.m.”

Robertson said the variety of vendors who participated was particularly thrilling. “It’s fabulous,” she said. “We’re sold out with vendors.

“This is only our second time to do this,” Robertson said. “The chamber did one last year, and there was one five or six years ago.

“As people heard about this one, interest has grown,” she said. “The comment we’re hearing most from vendors is that the numbers are up over last year.”

In all, 23 vendors turned out. “It’s everything from banking, healthcare to spas, real estate, travel, entertainment – a very good variety,” Robertson said.

The expo gave vendors a chance to advertise, and customers an opportunity to find products and services. “We’re talking to everyone about our services,” said Patty Anderson of the GeoVista Credit Union.

“We’re here to educate the public about Hospice Savannah,” said Sarah Copeland, community outreach coordinator for Hospice Savannah. “We cover five counties – Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty and Long.”

While most people are familiar with Hospice Savannah, they’re not aware of all the services it provides, Copeland said. “People are unfamiliar with Full Circle, which provides bereavement services,” she said. “It is open to anyone who has had a loss.”

Heather Parks of Holiday Inn was surprised at the number of people who came for the expo. “The hotel business is vital to our economy,” she said.

Jacquie Stein is a territory licensee/manager with NuBarter, a Savannah-based online bartering company, whose members trade goods and services for other businesses’ goods and services. NuBarter members barter their goods and services to increase sales, reduce cash expenditures and increase profits.

“We’re the largest trade exchange in the Southeast,” Stein said. “We bring added visibility and revenue to our members.”

Events such as the expo are important for businesspeople and community members to network, Stein said. “Every new contact in worthwhile,” she said. “We are trying to educate businesspeople on the benefits of bartering.”

Sarah Sherman of Savannah Commons Retirement Community said this was her company’s first event in Pooler and an opportunity to show the community what it has to offer. “We’re encouraging everyone to come over and take a look at us,” she said.

Sandy Downs of Beazer Homes is a member of the Pooler chamber. “This is the first time we’ve done this,” she said. “I’m really happy with the way everything is set up here.”

Beazer Homes builds houses that range in price from $130,000 to $180,000 and, despite the tough economy, the company is thriving. “All our homes are built with energy efficiency in mind,” Downs said.

Plans already are under way for another expo next year. “We want it to be bigger and better each year,” Robertson said. “We want our vendors to know they have the perfect opportunity to show people what they have.”

Published: 28 Aug 2009 01:18:06 PST

Author: Rosalind Resnick

Q: Our sales have been slow for the past three months, and I’m worried that we won‘t have the cash we need to keep our home based catering business afloat. Any ideas?

A: If you don’t have the money to pay your suppliers, ask whether they’ll consider a barter deal instead. Barter, a noncash exchange of goods and services that dates back to the dawn of human existence, has seen a resurgence among cash-strapped small businesses that lack the cash or credit to pay for the supplies, advertising and other products and services they need to survive.

As a catering business that can offer food preparation and hospitality services, your company is in an excellent position to barter with a wide range of vendors–radio stations that sell the ad spots you need to attract new customers, attorneys and accountants who may be willing to swap their professional advice for help throwing parties and creating gift baskets, even a web designer who’s willing to host or update your site. Thanks to the internet, barter deals can be done online through exchanges such as International Monetary Systems and Itex, which promise to help you conserve cash and boost sales by letting members trade their excess inventory at full value to purchase computer equipment, T-shirts, caps, phones, printing services and even restaurant meals.

But barter has its limitations. Just about every landlord still wants his monthly rent in old-fashioned greenbacks–and your local utility probably won’t let you use cupcakes to pay the electric bill. There are also tax consequences to consider. Michael Goldberg, a CPA from Scarsdale, N.Y., who advises small and midsize businesses on tax planning and compliance, says it’s important to remember that barter transactions are considered sales and must be reported to the IRS on your federal tax return.

While it may be possible (though not legal) to barter your services with the company next door and not report it, you can’t get away with it when doing business through barter exchanges on the internet. “Barter clubs credit or debit members’ accounts based on goods and services provided and purchased,” Goldberg says, noting that most club members will get an IRS form 1099-B from the exchange showing the value of the credits to their account.

However, debits to members’ accounts can be tax-deductible if they are spent in connection with a trade or business. “IRS looks closely at barter transactions to confirm that they are reported properly,” Goldberg says. “A standard preliminary question in an IRS audit is whether there have been any barter transactions.”