Most Lakewood residents will recall the scene outside Bais Yaakov High School on a beautiful Sunday afternoon last February. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic was overwhelming and parking lots throughout James Street were jammed. Everyone seemed headed to the same place: the first ever Parnassah Expo, hosted by the local Learn and Network organization.  

Indeed, the Lakewood Police Department estimated that about 5,000 cars –and 7,000 people- converged on that location within a span of four hours. The results of this historic event was that an untold number of attendees landed jobs, learned new skills, networked with valuable contacts, or built or improved businesses, including some as prestigious as national chain stores.

Men and women flocked to the event from across the country. At the Expo’s conclusion, they all had a similar sentiment on their lips: “When’s the next one?”

The answer has now been revealed: February 12th, 2013, in the gigantic Meadowlands Exposition Center. 

Learn and Network’s founder Reb Duvi Honig is never one to shy away from a challenge and is never content with leaving things the way they are. Ever since last year’s successful Expo, Reb Duvi has been working feverishly to host a follow up Expo that will be many times broader than the first one in both size and scope.

With the plans firmly set, the upcoming “Nationwide Parnassah Expo and Networking Event” is poised to be –by a long shot- the single biggest and most productive Jewish community parnassah event in American history. Over 60,000 square feet of floor space will be used to the max, and extensive outreach will be done to a diverse cross section of frum communities throughout the region, and an unprecedented turnout is expected, b’ezras Hashem. Reb Duvi sums up the Expo’s pool of resources in four words: “Every Stage, Every Age.”

Over 60,000 square feet in the Exposition Center will be dedicated to the Expo, divided into six sections, to cover the gamut of everything anyone would need to get a step ahead in their parnassah quest. Whether you looking to launch or advance in a business or find a single job, businesses and other useful resources of all sizes and forms will be there to help, in a very organized and easy-to-find fashion. Businesses of all sizes can gain immeasurably from the exposure to thousands of potential new customers and clients. Special accommodation will be made for employers looking for a single employee or a handful of them and do not desire to reserve a full booth.

1-      Section One will host a major job fair with scores of businesses and organizations of all sizes will meet prospective employees and accept resume’s. A special feature of this job fair will that aside from the many employers who will reserve booths, it will accommodate employers of smaller entities who are looking to hire a small number of employees as well.

2-      Section Two will feature a cross section of community and social services organizations, to help people make financial strides in our current environment. The section will include organizations to help people remain afloat while struggling, as well as both organizations and headhunting corporations that assist in job placement and business funding.

3-      Section Three will feature a vast selection of professional training courses to help people in our community choose the right profession for them and get the best training and placement possible. The section will include courses in both academic fields and business niches.

4-      Section Four will feature Business Enhancement Tools and Services for every business. The resources featured will all be highly useful, including services such as consulting, marketing, sales agencies, legal advisors, funding resources, and much more.

5-      The Expo’s largest and most revolutionary section is Section Five, which will be divided into five subsections. The section falls under the single “Industries” umbrella, but is in reality several business expos in one. The section will include every resource imaginable for a particular business field, divided by industry to help attendees easily target the resources relevant to them. This section’s focus will be on showcasing businesses that service and enhance businesses in that field, including resources that are not ordinarily known about.

The section will include exclusive subsections for the real estate and construction (ex. architecture, lead abatement, management, etc.), health care (ex. billing, supplies, medical centers, etc.) and technology industries, import/export and manufacturing, along with a section for a mix of other industries.

6-      Section Six will add to the Expo’s gamut of tangible resources by featuring a host of seminars on a variety of business related topics. Prominent successful businessmen from the community will be present and share their wisdom and experiences, as will professional lecturers in a variety of fields.

In addition to Reb Duvi’s tireless dedication, a top catalyst of Learn and Network’s success is his inimitable ability to network. Anyone who has ever crossed paths with Reb Duvi knows that he’ll instantly know the best person or enterprise for you to contact and will continue following up with additional tips.

With the anticipated crowd at the Expo expected to be of historic proportion, it promises to be the ideal venue to network with others and help launch many mutually beneficial relationships. To that end, there will be a space set aside in each section of the Expo floor for general networking, to enable attendees to meet others of interest. There will be a special “Investment Circle” in the center of Section Five, where individual investors and investing firms will be present to discuss investing capital in business ventures. This goes to the crux of Learn and Network’s success in helping thousands of yidden find parnassah assistance through helping them network with the right people. Additionally, Learn and Network has recently introduced a special private equity service to match investors up with ambitious businessmen with good ideas.

“I was encouraged by the unbelievable results of the first expo,” Reb Duvi surmises, “and I’m confident that that we’ll have siyatta dishmaya Everyone with motivation and talent –at any stage in life- will be able to find several resources that come very handy,” Reb Duvi concludes.

For more information about reservations (including pre-registering for networking groups) or to take advantage of the special rates for early reservations, please visit www.parnassahexpo.com or email [email protected].