'Businesses for everyone'

COEUR d’ALENE — Rick Powe had knee surgery last week, and still made his way around the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s Business and Job Fair on Wednesday.

“We’ve been coming to this thing for years,” he said as he took a break with his walker while Markitta Powe checked out more booths.

The Powes of Post Falls have won some big prizes at the fair in years past, including a ski package and a Wii gaming system. On Wednesday, Markitta carried a green bag of smaller gifts and both enjoyed the free food.

“We got so full so fast,” she said, laughing. “I’m still waiting for dessert.”

The annual fair at The Coeur d’Alene Resort featured about 70 booths representing nonprofit and for-profit, schools, health care, entertainment, finance, media, fiber optics, hospitality and more.

Prizes, games and snacks were available at every turn as booths enticed passersby to become customers.

It was working.

“You name it we’ve got businesses for everyone,” said Linda Coppess, chamber president and CEO.

The event attracted hundreds of guests in a three-hour window and new this year, the chamber added a job fair element. The goal was to create opportunities for businesses to connect with potential clients, promote services and products and find qualified job candidates in “one high-impact evening.”

“We are thrilled with the response,” Coppess said.

She liked the networking and relationship building she saw going on, which is what the fair is about.

“I look around the room and it’s just buzzing with energy,” she said.

Much of that energy was coming from the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance booth, where Ali Shute, Callie Cabe and Janie Roth were in costumes from the '20s to promote “Speakeasy,” a fundraiser set for May 25.

That evening includes “an exciting prohibition night in a secret location."

As attention flowed their way, the trio smiled, laughed and offered lemon-flavored champagne.

“I feel like people are really excited to be out and connecting,” Shute said.

At the other end of the large ballroom, another attention-getter was an extra large Great Dane mastiff, Lady.

Her owner, Rachel Brown, is a nurse with Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital.

While Lady looked intimidating, she was friendly, letting people pet her while hoping to land some treats, too.

Brown said Lady, a 5-year-old rescue, is a hospital mascot.

“This is her demeanor,” Brown said. “This is why she’s great with people.”

Over at the TDS booth, Sandy Raudebaugh and Joseph Callan were chatting with people while offering pens, blue balls and candy.

Guests' most frequent question: Are your services in our area?

Raudenbaugh was happy to often answer, "Yes."

“We’re debuting that we offer 8 gigs now,” Raudebaugh said, adding, “We run that fiber all the way to your house.”

Steven Paquin of Marketing Beaver gave the colorful prize wheel a spin at the J.A. Bertsch Heating and Cooling booth as he toured the fair.

“There’s a lot of companies you don’t see every day,” he said. "It’s nice to have them in one place. You can see what jobs are needed and how businesses are growing.”