Given the sorry state of the economy, folks are looking for answers and they just might find some at a June 28 event billed as the first of its kind called the Recession Help Expo.

The free, all-day exposition at the Holiday Inn on the Bay at 1355 N. Harbor Drive downtown includes some 150 outreach exhibitors and agencies offering help and information to people affected by the recession, said Bart Allen Berry, the event’s organizer.

“The county’s not doing it, the city’s not doing it and the state’s not doing it, so I took it upon myself to do it,” said Berry. “This will be ground zero for recession dialogue, and the resources to deal with it.”

Among the featured speakers are Jennifer Remling, author of “Carve Your Own Road,” which chronicled how different businesses across the nation are responding to the recession, and Lanny Goodman, an executive business consultant.

Other speakers are author Marcy Morrison, the businesswoman behind Careers With Wings; Cindy Filbert, a woman’s empowerment expert; futurist Paul D’Heilly; Scott Silverman, executive director of Second Chance; Maurice Wilson of the Urban League; and motivational speaker Brian Tracy.

Government agencies and organizations committed to attending include the Small Business Administration, the American Red Cross, Legal Aid Society and Neighborhood House.

For more information, check out www.recessionhelpexpo.com.

— Mike Allen