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Message from President Obama to Be Delivered at Orthodox Jewish B2B Trade Show

B2B Trade Show and Business Conference to Be Held March 17-18 at NJ Convention and Exposition Center is one of Largest of its Kind in U.S. 
 
Edison, NJ, March 16, 2015 - Parnassah Expo, one of the largest business-to-business trade show and conferences in the U.S., which serves the niche Orthodox Jewish market, will open Tuesday with a personal message from President Barack Obama read aloud to the estimated 10,000 attendees, 300 exhibitors and 60 high-profile speakers presenting dozens of seminars at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. 
 
The nonprofit Parnassah Expo, which grew out of a job and education fair first set up by Honig in 2012 in response to the U.S. economic downturn and high unemployment rate in the Jewish community, has not only helped hundreds of companies grow and boosted the sales of hundreds of business service providers; it has helped countless Orthodox Jews struggling to feed their families find jobs and start their own businesses. While Parnassah Expo (the Hebrew word for “Livelihood”) was launched by founder and CEO Duvi Honig as a means to help struggling Jews find jobs and regain their footing during tough economic times, it has evolved into one of the largest business-to-business trade show and conferences of its kind. 
 
“The wealth and breadth of knowledge, talent and resources coming from our business conference is unparalleled anywhere, and it took months to bring together, reaching as far as President Obama who hand-penned a message to our attendees,” said Honig, who formerly worked in commercial real estate and launched Parnassah Expo when he himself fell on hard times. “It’s a one-of-a-kind event that helps become people become self-sufficient, successful and contribute to society. Countless prominent political and business leaders including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Cory Booker realize the impact of Parnassah Expo. This event helps bring economic stability to the Jewish community, to the New York metropolitan area, and to the entire country.” 
 
The content of the presidential message could not be disclosed under strict guidelines from the White House but will be displayed at the two-day event that is also open to the public and will be read aloud by Honig when it opens. Honig is also founder and CEO of the nonprofit Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce which hosts the expo. 
 
Last year just prior to Parnassah Expo, Honig led a delegation of Orthodox Jewish business leaders to Washington to meet with Matt Nosanchuk, the White House’s official Jewish community liaison. And last November, mere hours after the polls closed on Election Day, newly-elected Sen. Booker was personally in touch with Honig about how he could help meet the economic development needs of the Orthodox Jewish community and discussed his hopes for replicating the Parnassah Expo’s success with the African American and other minority communities in New Jersey. Two days later, Sen. Booker’s deputy state director, George Helmy, visited Parnassah Network’s Lakewood headquarters. Lakewood Mayor Issac Akerman serves on Parnassah Expo’s executive committee. 
 
Parnassah Expo will feature a high-profile CEO panel, a live “shark tank” competition with venture capital firms offering up to a million dollars of investment in presenting startups, and over 40 different business seminar tracks including technology, marketing, real estate and construction, online sales, finance, law, health care, manufacturing and distribution, nonprofits, insurance, human resources and a special Women in the Workforce track aimed at helping women increase their income and professional skills as well as improve their ability to balance work and family. The Expo also hosts a networking breakfast for show exhibitors and a VIP networking dinner for CEOs and business leaders. 
 
Among the presenters that will be delivering dozens of business seminars and workshops at this year’s conference are world renowned motivational speaker Charlie Harary, co-founder of multimillion-dollar venture capital and advisory firm H3 & Co. and a clinical professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University; Ezra Friedlander, founder and CEO of government advocacy and public relations firm The Friedlander Group, and Ira Perlmuter, head of Private Equity and Venture Capital for the Triple Five Group and Managing Director of T5 Equity Partners LLC. Past keynote speakers have included N.J. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, world renowned criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman and former AIPAC President and Chairman of the Board Howard Friedman, who is also a founding partner of hedge fund Lanx Management LLC. 
 
Some 10,000 attendees from all over the United States and the world including Australia, the UK, Belgium, Russia, Chile and Israel are expected to fill the 120,000 square-foot convention center in Edison, N.J. “This is huge business networking event and an incredible opportunity for companies to come and get introduced, connect and find new business opportunities in the niche Orthodox Jewish market,” said Honig. “Thousands of Jewish business owners are attending to look for services to grow their businesses. The Expo offers all sponsors and exhibitors an incredible opportunity to showcase their products and services in front of the Jewish business world, which is very powerful.” 
 
In addition to establishing Parnassah Expo and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, Honig founded the nonprofit Parnassah Network to organize economic development initiatives for the Orthodox Jewish community and publishes Business Network Magazine, the Jewish community’s only business magazine.