By Jason Sweeney

Rich Martinelli, left, of Stewart Title on Second Street in Los Altos checks the array of low-flow shower heads, garden-hose nozzles and water bottles offered by California Water Service Company members, from left, Melinda Ray, Richard Freeman and Micky Lovell.

The place was packed, the mood was festive and the air filled with the aroma of appetizing food. A large crowd came out for the 17th annual Los Altos Business Expo, held April 28 at the Los Altos Youth Center.

Los Altos-area residents moved from booth to booth to meet and greet local businesses and non-profit organizations while snacking on the free food provided by several restaurants in town. More than 40 exhibits were on display.

“It looks like we have a larger turnout this year,” said Julie Rose, president of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce.

Allen Gerston, a marketing director for Le Boulanger, stood behind two large trays of sandwiches.

“We’ve been here since the thing started,” Gerston said of the expo. The bakery/café has dropped out of two other business expos but keeps coming back to this one.

“This one is like a party,” Gerston said. “This is fun.”

Le Boulanger’s ties to Los Altos go back 24 years when owner Roger Brunello of Los Altos opened the first Le Boulanger on Main Street.

“Foremost,” Gerston said, “our goal here today is to remind Los Altos we are a part of this community.”

Armadillo Willy’s Ranch Grill, Chef Chu’s and Estrellita were also present offering expo-goers a taste of their cooking.

Members of Click Away, a computer repair and sales company, were also there. The company started three years ago in Campbell and is now establishing itself in town. “We see a lot of activity here,” said Travis Bertelsen, the manager of the company’s Los Altos store.

Dennis Potter, a Los Altos resident and owner of Digital Home Comforts, was upbeat about the city’s business climate. Potter’s company wires homes for the latest entertainment and communications technology.

“We’ve been able to grow quickly because people are investing in their homes like never before,” he said.

It wasn’t only businesses present. “We’ve got a nice representation from the non-profits this year,” Rose said.

John Korges and Rod Sayre, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) instructors, were present promoting CERT training. According to Korges and Sayre, a major earthquake is going to strike the Bay Area sooner or later and the best way to be prepared is to take their class. The expo was a way for them to get the word out.

Nicole Gwire, from the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), was at the expo letting people know her organization was part of the community and here to help.

“We’re here every year,” Gwire said.

Numerous prizes were given out. Two grand prizes were a $175 gift certificate at Ciana Salon and Day Spa and a gourmet dinner for eight with wine pairings in the private dining room at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio.

The Valley Yellow Pages was a major sponsor of the event. Peter Woodward of Valley Yellow Pages explained why his organization chose to sponsor the expo. ” Valley Yellow Pages is a community based organization,” he said. “A venue like this is one of the best ways to show our support for the community.”

Gail Carter, executive assistant at the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, said this “was one of the best-attended expos ever” and “was an unqualified success.”