The Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce held its 25th Annual Business Expo on Nov. 5 at the Miami Lakes Hotel on Main. At this year’s event about 60 exhibitors ranging from local eateries to insurance firms, developers, banks, restaurants and even local gift shops presented their goods and services to the community.
“I thought it was great, I thought the energy was really, really high … we literally sold out,” Chamber President Ray Palacios said.
Exhibitors gave out raffle prizes, including wines, liquor; a charging phone stand; miniature wireless speaker; a dominoes game table, an electric toothbrush, gift bags and a printer. A popular giveaway was the squishy cow toy from The Graham Companies. The Chamber of Commerce also gave out a prize for the best booth and this year’s winner was Virtrify Virtual Staffing Solutions. Virtrify founder Alex Miranda accepted a $300 check. Chamber Past President Fred Senra was pleased with the size of the crowd and estimated “at least 400 people” came through the ballroom doors at the Miami Lakes Hotel on Main.
“We had new businesses exhibit this year, at least seven that we didn’t have last year,” Senra said. “It’s a good sign, the new businesses want to showcase their products. I’m happy with the turnout.”
Broker Pamela Carrera of JP Realty is a mentor coordinator with the BNI Excellence Miami Lakes business networking organization and staffed its table during the Expo.
“This was a very good event, one of the best ones in recent years,” Carrera said. “We got three potential new members.”
Having a very active Chamber of Commerce and two BNI organizations -- BNI Excellence Miami Lakes and BNI Lakes Connect -- in such a small town indicates opportunities for entrepreneurs, she said. “[Having those three organizations mean] it grows your business,” Carrera said. “We passed over $3 million in business referrals to each other in each of 2023, 2024 and we’re at $2 million plus for 2025,” she said. “We have 50 members in our chapter. I think this [business environment] looks good. A lot of people showed up tonight. It was really good to see.”