Bradley Hotel’s conference facility was packed to capacity , welcoming small and large businesses from all over the state last week at the annual Barter Expo held by Barter Business Unlimited ( BBU ) . This bartering organization is the conduit through which thousands of businesses , from local to international , keep costs low by bartering services with one another .
Here’s how it works : member businesses agree to take payment in “ trade dollars” instead of cash . Using trade dollars earned , a company can purchase goods or services that they need , without the cash on hand . The sheer size of the organization itself makes this an incredibly helpful and financially sound choice for businesses , especially in an economy like the one we presently have , where most businesses are low on spendable funds .
“ We love what we do , ” said President Debbie Lombardi . Her branch presently has 2 , 500 card holders and has only been in existence for about two years. Lombardi said that they hold the annual expo to help businesses “ see what is available on barter . ” Lombardi and the estimated 470 , 000 barter clients all over the United States produce $ 12 billion in annual sales . “ We’re another way of payment , ” said Lombardi . “ There is no recession in barter . Our dollars are constantly rolling , ” she added .
Euphoria Event Solutions , based in Windsor , has been a barter member for the past eight months . President Stephen McKay said he was approached by a college that wanted to purchase one of his tents on barter .
He said he became a member solely so that he could do business with this one client , but he is already reaping the rewards of belonging . McKay said he will use his barter dollars to “ offset business expenses , ” and purchase things like printer supplies and other “ basic things that it takes to run the business . ”
Cindy Florenciana , who owns Rolling Video Games with her husband , Nick , said she would probably use her barter dollars for personal vacations at hotels within the membership .
Some very familiar names were represented at the Expo in Windsor Locks this past weekend , including that of Goodwin College , and the membership list includes a large variety of businesses , including jewelers , florists , computer repair companies , photographers and much more .
Healthcare is the newest addition to barter offerings . Called BarterCare , it is a health management system that allows businesses of all sizes to subsidize and provide health care-related products to families and employees , using barter dollars .
In addition to goods and services , the businesses who barter are able to get their names out into the business world , attracting new clients and marketing their products through networking .
Lombardi started her own barter business in her living room in 1992 . She likes to call the barters she has seen transpire through BBU “ little miracles , ” and feels that bartering helps to keep many people working when too many are not .
Visit the website : www . bbu . com for more information .
Barter Business Unlimited
328 West St
Bristol, Ct 06010
877-228-2765
info@bbu.com
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