Over 100 businesses met at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce’s 30th Business Expo at the WT Brookshire Conference Centre on February 20th to promote networking and relationships within the local business community.
“My job is in the banking world, so what’s exciting for me is when companies build relationships and build relationships because all that money stays here and there.”
The event was associated with residents exploring the various booths, serving as an opportunity for businesses to connect with each other. Vendors look at the diverse business environment of the region, ranging from pet therapy services to IT solutions.
Some companies were new to the region, while others had deep roots in East Texas.
A multi-generational family-owned business, Rex Air Conditioning and Heating, began in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and expanded to Tyler along with Rex Air East Texas, Texas (LEX ETX), Christy Lumpkin said. When some team members sought a slower pace of life, owners saw an opportunity to diverge.
Lex ETX offers residential, new construction, commercial electricity, plumbing and air conditioning services.
“We moved here about a year ago,” Lumpkin said. “We slowly but surely got out there and put our names out there.”
Understanding that people tend to stick to maintenance providers they know, Lex ETX prioritizes networking and relationship building. At the Expo, they focused on educating visitors about indoor air quality and looted the best one air purifier.
SID Networks is an IT company that caters to small businesses with more than 150 computers and has been in operation since 2016, said owner Sydney Collum. With 25 years of experience, Collum always felt attracted to serving small businesses.
“Every small business needs an IT department, but I can’t afford it, so I created it,” Collum said. “We will do our best to become a turnkey solution.”
The company offers desktop support, server management, internet solutions, email and printing services. This is basically everything small businesses need, except for custom programming and web development.
SID Networks has been a member of Tyler Chamber since its inception and is also a certified business of the Better Business Bureau. In 2023, the company won the BBB Award in the Small Business category, said Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Bosco.
“If responsiveness, support and communication are things that current providers lack, we want to talk about,” Bosco said.
Another IT company marking in Tyler is Love Technology.
Joseph Taylor founded LoveTech in 2020, recognising the need for comprehensive technical services for homes and businesses. The company offers in-house solutions for network issues, alarm systems and more, with the aim of simplifying client technology.
Building trust is especially important for IT services where reliability is the most important thing. Events like Business Expo allow Love Tech to connect with potential clients and showcase their capabilities.
The company expanded from McKinney to Tyler, drawn out by the local welcoming community and convenient proximity to major cities.
The Expo was also attended by the Compass Financial Group of Thrivent, a faith-based, non-profit financial services company. Financial advisors Perry Flowers and Steve Emmons explained that Slivent has been active for over 120 years, serving Christian families and giving back to the community.
The company offers life insurance, retirement planning and real estate strategies, all rooted in the belief that finances are a form of stewardship. Generosity is woven into their work as they usually reinvest the money back into the community and return to taxes.
“We’re really a full-service financial company,” Flowers said.
Thrivent’s non-profit model stands out within the Fortune 500. Here is the only company of this kind. As the country’s largest non-profit financial organization, Thrivent operates under a member-owned structure, distinguishing it from stocks and mutual companies.
“We are member owners and that’s the key differentiator,” Emmons said.
With businesses ranging from financial services to home maintenance, Expo shows the value of promoting the depth of Tyler’s business community and local connections.
