Business Expo draws nearly 1,000

Friday, October 30, 2009

FRENCH LICK -- Nearly 1,000 people gathered for the 13th Annual Buy Indiana Expo at the Sports & Exhibits Complex at French Lick Resort on Tuesday.

Hosted by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce, the Expo experienced record attendance with more than 200 vendors exhibiting at the sold-out venue.

Buy Indiana Expo is the premier event for companies to showcase their products and services to NSWC Crane which spends $1.2 billion doing business each year.

NSWC Crane Commanding Officer, Captain Charles LaSota was on hand at the Expo to welcome the exhibitors, visitors and more than 400 NSWC Crane employees who work in Mission Support Services, Special Missions, Strategic Mission and Electronic Warfare/Information Operations.

"This event infuses the talents and capabilities of Indiana businesses into what we do to support the Warfighter," Capt. LaSota said. "The synergy of Buy Indiana is unmatched in southern Indiana and gives us exposure to companies that can help us continue to be the agile and reliable resource that we are to the military."

As one of Indiana's largest employers, NSWC Crane is responsible for $2 million to the state's economy each day. Through the Buy Indiana Initiative.

"Over the years I've watched Crane as a respected provider of the national security that we all depend on, but it is important to understand that they also contribute greatly to the economic development of Indiana," Sen. Hume said.

In addition to the NSWC Crane exposure and the business-to business opportunities, the Expo also provided educational sessions for the vendors including workshops on "How to do business with NSWC Crane" and "Wide Area Workflow" which detailed the process for invoicing federal contracts.

"I want to thank the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce for co-hosting this fantastic event," Capt. LaSota said. "With this kind of support from our local and regional community we cannot fail in our mission to provide world-class solutions to our Warfighters."

For more information about the Buy Indiana initiative call 812-854-1542 or visit www.crane.navy.mil.