Robyn Rebel wants to make sure her business stays fresh in the minds of long-time customers. But, she also wants to take advantage of the population boom the Dickinson area is experiencing.
Rebel, the owner of Taylor Nursery, worked a booth Saturday during the Dickinson Area Builders Association Home Show at the Dickinson Recreation Center and met old and new customers. The event continues from noon to 5 p.m. today.
“We’re just out here to let them know that we’re here to help them and we have what they need,” she said.
Many area business owners had the same mindset for this weekend’s home show: meet your old customers, establish new ones and explain exactly what it is that they do.
Jeremy Lyons, owner of Lyons Concrete in Dickinson, said his goal this weekend is to show that his business doesn’t just install concrete - it also has decorative projects for inside and outside of the home.
“That’s why we have the cool stuff here,” Lyons said with a smile. “We don’t just have gray, regular concrete. We have concrete countertops, stamped concrete, so we can show we’re not just your everyday concrete contractor. We do the high-end decorative stuff as well.”
Lyons is the home show chairman and said more than 70 businesses and vendors participated this year.
One of the new businesses at this year’s show was West Dakota Mudjacking, a Dickinson business which fixes cracks and raises concrete.
Nick Gates, one of West Dakota Mudjacking’s partners, said he met about 30 people in the first 45 minutes of the home show.
“You get more customers and you get more exposure at a place like this,” Gates said. “It’s probably some of the cheapest advertising a guy could get.”
Gates said the home show is a good way he and his business partners can explain what they do for potential customers.
“Basically, we have our pump set up and they want to know how we do it,” he said. “Most people have never heard of mudjacking, so we have to walk them through the process and we’re amazed.”
Meyer Real Estate Group, entering its third year in Dickinson, is still a relatively new business here.
Theresa Hart, the company’s director of sales and marketing, said the home show is a way for her to reach potential customers - especially those new to the area - who may be looking to settle down, whether that’s in a single-family home, a townhouse or an apartment.
“There’s a lot of people looking for homes now in the Dickinson market,” Hart said. “You know, it’s becoming a sustainable neighborhood with all the growth we have here. And what we’re seeing is people are bringing their families to Dickinson. They want to be in Dickinson, even if they’re working in other cities.”
Meyer is also using the show to promote their new commercial developments, such as its business park in the industrial area north of Dickinson and its Pinecrest Commons shopping and living areas on the new western edge of the city where they soon hope to break ground.
Chad Glasser, a Dickinson native and one of the owners of Venture Building Co., said he too is hoping to meet potential customers, and knows they could be both established residents and people new to Dickinson.
“Everyone knows there’s a ton of new people coming to town,” said Glasser, whose company is only three years old. “It is nice to meet new people. … It is nice to meet new people and get your name out there.”
If you go:
Where: Dickinson Recreation Center, 1865 Empire Road.
When: Noon to 5 p.m. today.
What: More than 70 vendors selling home-related products and services.
Parking: Use parking lots at Rec Center and West River Community Center.
