Commissioner Maggi questions decision to hold second Real Estate Expo
Communications, marketing companies hired to plan and promote 2026 event
Courtesy of Larry Maggi
Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi is questioning why the county is holding another real estate expo next year after two firms were hired to begin planning and promoting the second annual event.
Maggi asked his fellow commissioners, Nick Sherman and Electra Janis, to table the motions Thursday to hire Richardson Communications for consulting services and to pay $2,000 per month to Drive Marketing Inc. plus 10% of its gross funds raised to promote the event. His attempts to block the votes failed as they passed 2-1 with his dissent.
“I’m not aware if there’s been a date established for this event,” Maggi said. “I’ve not been told and I’m not sure why we’re hiring these firms to do work with something that we don’t have a date, or at least that I’m aware of for this event.”
The county commissioners organized the inaugural Real Estate Expo at Washington & Jefferson College earlier this year that brought speakers and vendors to the daylong event March 12. The expo cost a little more than $130,000 to produce, although it nearly broke even with the help of sponsorships, vendor fees and grants.
Sherman and Janis have touted the event as a success that led to multiple development deals and showcased the county’s economic opportunities, while Maggi questioned why government resources and staff were used to organize the expo.
“I have not been involved in any formal discussions, and therefore I do not know the purpose, goal, mission or the projected cost of the event, which I can only assume will be held again next year,” Maggi said in a press release after Thursday’s meeting. The release included a photograph of the “sparse” attendance during the main event when Sherman and Janis were about to give an update on the county economic development.
The largest expense for this year’s expo was $35,164 spent to bring HGTV television personality Hilary Farr to serve as the keynote speaker for the event. The expo paid $30,000 for her speaking appearance, along with $1,845 for her first-class flight from Toronto and $1,566 for her two-night stay at the Fairmont hotel in Pittsburgh, which included $262 for room service meals that involved a $120 breakfast the morning of the expo.
During Tuesday’s agenda-setting meeting, Maggi questioned Sherman about why they intended to hold the expo again after he raised concerns about the cost and the time it took to produce. Sherman said they learned several lessons from this year’s expo and plan to shorten the length of the event next year and do not intend to bring in another celebrity keynote speaker, which should cut down on expenses.
Maggi also asked why there was no bid put out to hire Richardson Communications and Drive Marketing, although both were used for this year’s expo. That prompted County Administrator Daryl Price to question Maggi why he did not have qualms about other high-cost contracts that would be voted for at Thursday’s meeting, leading Maggi to shut down any debate with Price.
“Hey, I’m talking to my fellow commissioners here,” Maggi told Price.
“I thought it was a great event,” Janis told Maggi when he asked whether she agreed to hold a second expo next year.
No date or location has been selected for the 2026 Real Estate Expo, and it was not known yet if the event would follow the same format with vendors being placed in one area and speakers in another location, or if changes would be made.