Chamber Hosts First Business Expo
The following was published at the Floyd Times on March 24, 2026
The Floyd County Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Business Expo on March 18. Held at the Town Offices Community Room and sponsored by Carter Bank, the event was an example of the Chamber’s renewed mission to showcase regional businesses and networking opportunities.
The Community Room was filled with 14 table displays spotlighting online and brick and mortar businesses of Chamber members. Members engaged in conversations, answered questions about their business and gave out brochures, business cards, samples and gifts (pens, bags, flashlights, candies etc.) to the public. 
Willow Beseda, a licensed Massage Therapist who works out of Therapeutic Massage and Wellness of Floyd had samples of homemade chocolate hearts that were happily sampled by attendees. The chocolates, which she refers to as “heart melts,” contain cacao, nutrient-rich unadulterated chocolate that is used medicinally to bring deep relaxation and enhance mood and cognitive function.
Beseda, who shared a table with fellow Therapeutic Massage and Wellness practitioner Leia Jones, invited guests to stretch out a red-light therapy heat mat. Therapeutic Massage and Wellness, located at 242 Main Street, is a collective of holistic wellness practitioners that provide therapeutic massage (enhanced by heat therapy, aromatherapy, cupping, and hot stones), deep tissue massage, neuromuscular therapy, Thai Yoga herbal compress and body work therapy, Reiki energy healing, reflexology, sports massage, Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and more.
Experienced licensed insurance agents Melodie Pogue and Dean Chiapetto of We Insure Retirement staffed an attractive table set-up with colorful pinwheels to give away. “We want everybody to stay healthy.” Chiapetto said. “We do retirement planning and healthcare is the foundation,” he continued. “If you don’t have health care, you can lose everything if you end up in a hospital.”
He noted that the right kind of life insurance policy can be drawn on to pay for elder care. Pogue and Chiapetto are available for walk-in or appointment consultations at the Pharm House on Tuesdays from 9:30 to noon. They frequently make house calls by appointment to review all the retirement options.
Susan Cordell is a health and wellness entrepreneur with a new business, Make Wellness, that promotes wellness through oral supplementation of all-natural bioactive precision peptides for fitness, brain health, building muscle, as a sleep aid, for weight management and more. She had brochures and sample peptide drinks for Expo visitors to sample and suggested that people visit Facebook and the business website – where a tagline reads “Powered by Science, Inspired by Nature” – for more information.
Primerica Financial Services’ Robert Carrington is a financial advisor who heads up the Young Professionals component of the Chamber. He reported that there are currently 35 Young Professional members and that the Chamber is preparing to develop a committee tasked with guiding them to volunteer in the area. Carrington, also an Expo exhibitor, stated that Primerica Financial Services is one of the largest financial companies in North America. “But we don’t advertise. It’s all been word of mouth, from one happy family to another.”
One of the Young Professionals exhibiting at the Expo, Taylor Arney, is business owner of We R Vets, a veteran-owned and operated home service company that specializes in paver sealing, power washing, hardscape restoration and putting up Christmas lights. We-R-Vets provide veterans with home maintenance jobs and empowers them with training and support to start their own businesses with home service franchises. “Our motto is ‘We continue to serve.’” Arney said.
Touring the exhibit tables was educational and inspiring. Ethan Wimmer from Safe and Sound Home Solutions keeps homes safe from fire hazards. He offered home maintenance tips, recommending that HVAC duct venting be cleaned about every 7 years and dryer vents once a year.
Attendees happily checked out ceramic artist Andrea Denniston’s custom porcelain to-go cups. Dennison’s Floyd Mug Company won the top C4 Business Development Series in 2024.
Turner Family Farm Vittles Wagon food truck provided lunch for exhibitors and Expo attendees.