CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce hosts a networking breakfast at the beginning of every month.
The event is an opportunity for local businesses and individuals to get to know each other and spread the word about their organizations. The breakfast has a $5, cash-only entry fee, but gives individuals the opportunity to spread the word about their business.
This month’s event took place Thursday at the Crestview Community Center. It featured breakfast catered by Uncle Bill’s Family Restaurant.
During the event, door prizes were handed out, including prizes from businesses such as Eglin Federal Credit Union and Shoal Creek Rehabilitation Center.
The event also has “Bang for Your Buck” tables to spotlight organizations and their upcoming events. This month the spotlight was on the Crestview Area Youth Association (CAYA), Odyssey of the Mind, the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s annual duck race, Children in Crisis and the Crestview Rotary Club.
“This is just one of the many ways where we kind of kickstart our month and get motivated to go and do good business,” said Robyn Helt, Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
Each month, the breakfast has a different sponsor. This month’s sponsor was the University of West Florida. The university’s president, Martha Saunders, gave a short presentation on the school and the different ways they are expanding across Northwest Florida.
“We’ve been standing in line for a long time to sponsor this event,” said Saunders. “We are really strengthening our presence. I think if we are going to serve this region, we need to have flags flying everywhere.”
Helt said she was pleased with the event.
"We were very glad the University of West Florida sponsored us this month,” said Helt. “We’re looking forward to everyone being back next month.”
The next networking breakfast will be at 7 a.m. Thursday, April 4 at the Crestview Community Center.
For more information, visit the chamber's website (www.crestviewchamber.com) or Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Networking, one month at a time