Made in Monmouth Expo could be bigger than ever as it returns

The Made in Monmouth Expo is back for 2022 where more than 130 vendors will be on-site in the Robert J. Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College on April 30 to showcase all the great items sold at their small businesses.

You can expect to see similar small businesses on-site that you have in the past as well as new vendors showcasing their skill sets.

"Woodcrafters, coffee makers, winemakers, cheese makers, artists -- there are so many things here," Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone tells Townsquare Media-Jersey Shore News.

There are a lot of responsibilities for small businesses to take care of, Arnone explains, that the County Commissioners want to help them market themselves and this Made in Monmouth Expo is a perfect way to accomplish that.

"They have so many other things that they have to address, financially, and this is a way for us to showcase it out there for them, and it's free, it's free for all our vendors here in Monmouth County and I'm going to make that apart from where that never changes," Arnone said.

The Made in Monmouth event, which is put on by Monmouth County's 'Grow Monmouth team', is a springboard for our community businesses to grow in name, brand, and recognition while also increasing their revenue intake as thousands of people come to check out what's going on.

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"They have a day of selling their products and I have numerous, numerous small businesses tell us that this is their best Saturday of the year, which is pretty special," Arnone said. "There's a possibility, a high possibility that there'll be over 5,000 people there coming through the doors. We've had that pretty consistently through all our 'Made in Monmouth's', and that's special because that's 5,000 people that I can guarantee you find things in there that they never knew were here in Monmouth County."

The Made in Monmouth Expo is a way to provide a boost to small businesses which make up 95-percent of the Monmouth County business climate, so in more ways than one, they need to do well and be supported by everyone.

"At the end of the day, the backbone of Monmouth County is our small business world," Arnone said. "Listen, the world's been taken over by Amazon and all those other larger entities, but there's something to be said about the person that's right in your backyard, hardworking, dedicated to their business, their family, and of course their county and the municipality that they're in -- that's important and I think its government's job to help them."

Even though there are more than 130 vendors signed up for the Made in Monmouth event, Arnone says if any other small business in Monmouth County wants to have a table, they are encouraged to sign up as well.

"The positive thing about this is so many people want to be there," Arnone said.

To apply for the waitlist to have a table at the event, contact the Monmouth County Division of Economic Development at econdev@co.monmouth.nj.us or 732-431-7470.

In related Monmouth County news, there will be a spring job fair taking place on April 6 from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm at Brookdale Community College’s Robert J. Collins Arena as well.

“The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to partner with the Division of Workforce Development to provide this free opportunity for County residents to find a new job or pursue a new career,” Monmouth County Deputy Commissioner Director Sue Kiley, liaison to the Division of Workforce Development, said in a written statement. “Employers throughout the County and surrounding areas will be searching for hardworking, qualified applicants to fill available positions in a variety of fields including finance, education, telecommunications, computer science, and everything in between.”

There will be more than 85 local companies will be on-site for this job fair.