Business Expo shows Olive Branch’s vibrancy

Coleman Funeral Home CEO Glenn Coleman, left, and Pre-Need Advisor Frieda Acy McDonald visit with Olive Branch retiree Richard Pounder during the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Business & Community Expo. — at Northcentral Electric Power Association.

Brooke Adams of the Olive Branch YMCA leads (from left) Tameka Davis, Rosia Lipsey, and Amanda Roberson in a “Silver Sneakers” fitness class during the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Business & Community Expo.

Members of the Coleman Funeral Home family were delighted to join other members of the Olive Branch business community on Wednesday, October 12, at the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Business and Community Expo.
The event brought hundreds of people and dozens of exhibitors into Northcentral Electric Power Association’s headquarters, offering information on services from banking and investments to fitness and fire protection, along with hospitality, healthcare and hockey. Business services, building materials, car sound systems, and safety products were other featured products and services.
“I’m in corporate sales, so I’m trying to get people to bring their business team out to the games,” said Austin Pilkington, an outside sales executive for the Mississippi Riverkings hockey organization, which plays home games at the Landers Center in Southaven.
Among specific exhibits, Northcentral EPA and TVA promoted energy efficient homes and businesses while Belhaven University, Northwest Mississippi Community College and the University of Mississippi told Expo attendees about their educational opportunities right here in DeSoto County.
Brooke Adams of the Olive Branch YMCA borrowed a handful of young adults to illustrate a condensed version of the “Silver Sneakers” class she teaches, which uses moderate movements and resistance exercises to help older adults maintain strength, balance and flexibility.
“They help with everything from reaching up into a cabinet to having to bend over to pick up something – a lot of everyday activities,” Adams said.
Angela Green, a stay-at-home mom, said she came to the Business Expo to learn more of what the town offered.
“Olive Branch is a great community,” she said. “It was a great event with a lot of information. People here are easy to talk to and very friendly.”
Jeremy Roberts, events coordinator for Coleman Funeral Home, set up our booth in a burlap-and-blue theme. He spent most of the day visiting, giving away shopping bags and coffee mugs with our logo, and scouting for ideas.
Frieda McDonald, Coleman’s pre-need advisor, answered a steady stream of questions about pre-need policies and memorial options.
“This is a great event,” she said. “We’ve been really busy.”
Perhaps the most frequent question for our folks was when Coleman’s new facility in Olive Branch will open. Dirt work and drainage installation are well under way at the construction site on Parkview Boulevard next to the YMCA and Maples Memorial United Methodist Church.
“The definitive answer is, ‘Soon,’” said Coleman Funeral Home CEO Glenn Coleman. “But not as soon as we’d like.”