It is a both a privilege and an honor to Chair the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2018. I am fortunate to be part of a group of business leaders who are committed to excellence in our business community and I am humbled at the opportunity to work so closely with them.
Southern Chester County continues to grow and thrive. Our business community is comprised of large, midsize and small businesses that all constitute a place where people continuously want to live, work, and play. Our members constitute influential business leaders and professionals, not-for-profits, institutions, legislative leaders and more. Our Region continues to offer a distinctly favorable business climate that stimulates economic development and business growth.
Our approach for much of 2018 has been to build on being a member-centric organization, and shifting our focus outward by asking more questions, listening for understanding, and anticipating the needs of our members. By utilizing information from member surveys, focus groups, and a partnership with the Widener Small Business Development Center, we are anticipating new programming offerings for 2019 based on direct input from those we serve.
We have also taken a much broader perspective of our business community with proactive involvement on issues that impacts all businesses within our service area. Our Mushroom/Agricultural Task Force has worked to address the labor shortage, influence legislation that will positively meet challenges, and change public perception of the industry that either directly or indirectly affects almost every resident in Southern Chester County. Our Route 1 Initiative with the Chester County Economic Development Council has provided developers, municipalities, and property-owners the opportunity to take a collaborative approach to development possibilities from Kennett Square to the Maryland border. Building on that effort, our Municipal luncheons have brought both elected officials and key Municipal staff together to share challenges, successes, and opportunities for working together more regionally.
We have continued to enhance our image, visibility and presence through both traditional and social media by proactively communicating what sets the Southern Chester County Chamber apart. We were thrilled to launch or new website at www.scccc.com to drive our reach to our membership, our community and the public.
This exciting time opens the door for so much potential for our Chamber! I want to thank you, our members, who provide us the reason to do what we do best - listen and support you to the highest degree possible. This allows us to set the foundation for both business and personal relationships to form, grow, and continually be nurtured to share in each other’s’ successes. I again want to thank our leadership – the Board of Directors for working together towards the success of the Chamber – and to the Chamber staff, our president, Cheryl and member services manager, Julie – for their continued hard work and dedication. Together, we all make this the special organization it is, and one of which I am proud to represent.
All My Best,
Doug Doerfler, SCCCC Chairman of the Board (Genesis)
Doug Doerfler
SCCCC Program and Event Calendar
November
2018
SCCCC Business After Hours
Thursday, November 1st, 2018 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Member Host: Harvest Ridge Winery Tasting Room
SCCCC Member Anniversary
Friday, November 2nd, 2018 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Member: Kennett Symphony
SCCCC Women in Business Breakfast
Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 8:30 - 10:00 am
Member Venue: Wyncote Golf Club
SCCCC 101 Drive Your Membership Program
Friday, November 16th, 2018, 8:30 – 10:00 am
SCCCC Office, 8 Federal Road, West Grove
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, November 29th, 2018 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Member Venue: Kennett Square Golf and Country Club
Event Sponsor: Vanessa Ross Cakes
December
2018
SCCCC Holiday After Hours with Genesis
Tuesday, December 4th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Event Host and Sponsor: Genesis
Member caterers showcase their fine foods.
Enjoy holiday spirits and networking.
SCCCC Women in Business Breakfast
Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 8:30 - 10:00 am
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, December 13th, 2018 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Member Venue: Kennett Square Golf and Country Club
January
2019
SCCCC 2019 Annual Meeting Breakfast
Wednesday, January 16th, 2019 8:00 am – 9:30 am
Visit www.scccc.com for details
SCCCC Referral Group Open House
Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 7:45 – 9:00 am
SCCCC Office, 8 Federal Road, West Grove
Hosts: BizNet, GROW and Oxford Area Connections
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, January 31st, 2019 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Member Venue: Kennett Square Golf and Country Club
Event Sponsors:
Diamond State Financial Group & Paisley Solutions
February
2019
SCCCC Women in Business Breakfast
Wednesday, February 6th, 2019 8:30 - 10:00 am
Member Venue: Jennersville Hospital – Tower Health
Presentation: Heart Health
52nd Annual Chairman’s Gala
Saturday, February 23rd, 2019
Member Host: Longwood Gardens, 6:30 – 10:30 pm
Presentation of 2018 OUTSTANDING
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Live Music, Dancing & Mingling
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, February 28th, 2019 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Member Venue: Kennett Square Golf and Country Club
Event Sponsor: Eichman Law, PLLC
March 2019
SCCCC Women in Business Breakfast
Wednesday, March 6th, 2019 8:30 - 10:00 am
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
Guest speaker: Bryan Tuk, Esq.
SCCCC 101 Drive Your Membership Program
Friday, March 15th, 2019, 8:30 – 10:00 am
SCCCC Office, 8 Federal Road, West Grove
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, March 28th, 2019 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Member Venue:
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
Event Sponsor: CertaPro Painters
April 2019
SCCCC Women in Business Breakfast
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 8:30 - 10:00 am
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
SCCCC Member Business Breakfast
Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 8:30 - 10:00 am (tentative)
Member Hosts:
Cross Talks and Diamond State Financial Group
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
SCCCC Network at Noon
Thursday, April 25th, 2019 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Event Sponsor: Technivate
Visit www.scccc.com for venue and details
visit www.scccc.com to learn more
Members and Friends,
SCCCC PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
Your Success Is Our Business
Welcome to the Chamber’s new magazine, “Connections”. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to our Advertisers. The publication would not be possible without the support of our members.
Within these pages, you will find a myriad of news and relevant information, including our Member Directory. I encourage you to take time to read and share this valuable marketing tool. Importantly, when seeking products and services, please use the Business Directory –and - reach out to a Chamber member!
As our Mission states, the Southern Chester County Chamber is dedicated to advancing a pro-business agenda to strengthen, support and promote business and sustainable economic development. As the leading force in our region, we play an integral role in many pro-business activities and programs, some of which you will read in “Connections” – others you’ll find on our website, www.scccc.com. In addition, the Chamber aligns with these members for the betterment of our local youth:
• Foundation for Free Enterprise Education’s PA Free Enterprise Week program, an internationally recognized program to teach young adults to understand and celebrate the importance of the private enterprise system of the United States.
• Chester County Technical College High School, Pennock’s Bridge Campus as host of the Southern Chester County School-To-Work Day, in support of career opportunities for local youth.
• Avon Grove, Kennett and Unionville High Schools – for the Chamber’s Scholarship Program. One graduating senior from each high school receives a monetary scholarship for exemplary academic discipline, community involvement and leadership abilities. With all we have to offer, I urge you to make the commitment to activate your membership!
Best regards,
Cheryl B. Kuhn, IOM President & CEO
Southern
Chester County Chamber of Commerce
Cheryl B. Kuhn
The student-centered approach at TCHS offers students a hands-on career exploration using state-of-theart methods and technology guided by industry experience.
Try on a career with TCHS! Call to schedule a tour and explore our facilities!
Technical College High School (484) 593-5100
Technical College High School Pickering Campus Phoenixville, PA (610) 933-8877
Technical College High School Pennock’s Bridge Campus West Grove, PA (610) 345-1800
www.TechnicalCollegeHighSchool.org
• Join our Occupational Advisory Committee (OAC) and help ensure our programs
• Partner with TCHS to establish Co-op and internship opportunities.
• Become a partner in our Ascend program, encouraging students to explore Advanced Manufacturing careers.
• Assist TCHS with mock interview days to hone students’ soft skills.
• Participate in industry awareness days that bring you together with students to offer demos, job interviews/interview practice and networking.
• Become a sponsor at one of the many TCHS community events.
Southern Chester County Mushroom/ AG Task Force helps region’s leading industry address a labor crisis
It’s an example of the Southern Chester County Chamber’s collaborative approach to meeting the needs of its members
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
One illustration of how the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce is responsive to the needs of the community is the Southern Chester County Mushroom/Agriculture (AG) Task Force.
Formed in 2017, the task force is committed to finding solutions to issues impacting the mushroom industry—including the severe shortage of workers who are applying for jobs that are available in the industry.
Doug Doerfler, Director of Leadership and Talent Development with Genesis HealthCare, is Chairman of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He
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HARVESTER
Harvest mushrooms in climate controlled rooms depending on the passes prescribed for that dayand prepare beds for good mushroom growth.
SAFETY DIRECTOR
Coordinates with managers and supervisors to ensure that OSHA regulations are being followed. Train and instruct employees of hazards and conduct accident investigations.
PACKER/WEIGHER
Requirements: Lift up to 20 pounds
Description:
Weigh all boxes/tills while inspecting for quality. Remove/add mushrooms when needed and dump collect product from washer, slicer, and grater.
Machine Operator
Description: Operates equipment, loads and distributes compost.
Requirements: Training and certificate often obtained on the job.
MAINTENANCE
Repairs mushroom house boards when needed and completes basic work orders. Work may involve plumbing, electric, carpentry and auto mechanics.
Mushroom/AG Task Force
Continued from Page 12
said that the mushroom industry is seeing a deficit of approximately 1,000 workers, mostly harvesters, which amounts to about 10 percent of the total industry-wide workforce. The severe scarcity of labor in the mushroom industry is causing growers to lose business, to the tune of what would amount to one day of productivity per week, and more, resulting in a serious employment gap in one of Chester County’s most important industries.
“This industry, either directly or indirectly, affects every single one of our Members so we created a task force to address the crisis,” Doerfler explained.
Erik Gudmundson, Vice President of Pegasus Technologies, LLC., echoed Doerfler’s comments about the impact of the mushroom industry on southern Chester County. He explained that while Pegasus Technologies obviously isn’t a part of the mushroom industry, the company does have a list of clients who are mushroom growers. Clearly, what impacts the mushroom industry impacts many other businesses—that’s how a business community works, and that’s precisely why it’s important that an organization like the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce brings business and community leaders, lawmakers, and local residents together to work on solutions.
The task force is comprised of members of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce, elected officials, and other community leaders who work directly with the industry, including PathStone. PathStone is a private, nonprofit community development and human service organization located in Kennett Square.
According to Cheryl Kuhn, the Chamber President, the task force works on three tracks. First, the task force wants to determine what can be done in the short term to address the labor issue. In an effort to quickly support the industry, the task force held a job fair at the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters in West Grove to connect mushroom companies with potential employees.
Courtesy photo Doug Doerfler, the Chairman of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is Director of Leadership and Talent Development with Genesis HealthCare.
A second track of the task force is to advocate for legislation that would positively help the mushroom industry. Doerfler explained that Congressman Lloyd Smucker toured businesses in the region that included a stop at a mushroom farm in West Grove. It was during that discussion when local mushroom growers outlined the severity of the labor shortage, the impact that it was having on the industry, and how legislation to address immigration reform was needed to meet the needs of all agricultural workers. Meghan Klotzbach, Regulatory Manager for Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms and task force member said, “I truly appreciate all of the support from the community leaders who have helped to build this task force. The amount of work that the Southern Chester County Chamber has dedicated to our industry has been invaluable and I feel our work together has just begun”.
According to Kuhn, in January of 2018, the task force held a joint meeting with local legislators and mushroom growers. The purpose of the meeting was to build awareness about the crisis and devise ways in which the two groups could work more closely together. Subsequent tours and meetings have been held at several local mushroom farms in an effort to continue the dialogue and build relationships. Additionally, throughout the spring and summer of 2018, the task force organized tours and meetings of various workforce development groups, legislators, and others in an ongoing effort to raise awareness and to look at alternative labor solutions.
The third objective of the task force is to change the perception about the industry, job opportunities and its workforce. Kuhn explained that technological advancements have changed how mushroom farming operations do their work and this has a direct effect on the quality of the work environment and pay scale. “There are work opportunities if you can harvest mushrooms, work in production, packaging, drive trucks and equipment, or work in an administrative capacity,” Kuhn explained.
Gudmundson, Chair Elect of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for 2019, said that the efforts to raise awareness about the issues impacting the mushroom industry will continue for as long as is needed.
“The first step for us was listening—learning about what the issues were,” Gudmundson explained. “Certainly, following the job fair, some candidates were hired. But a lot more needs to be done. We need to continue to raise awareness with elected officials and residents in the area.”
Establishing the Southern Chester County Mushroom/AG Task Force is a direct result of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce’s shift to a more member-centric approach to serving its members—and those efforts are ongoing, and will continue to evolve.
To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.
Genesis HealthCare opens PowerBack Rehabilitation location in Exton
Genesis HealthCare is one of the best-known companies and the 42nd largest employer in Chester County. Based in Kennett Square, Genesis and its subsidiaries make up one of the nation’s largest post-acute care providers, with more than 440 skilled nursing centers and assisted/senior living communities in 30 states.
Genesis subsidiaries also supply rehabilitation and respiratory therapy to approximately 1,600 healthcare providers in 46 states, the District of Columbia and China.
The need for post-acute care continues to grow and change, and Genesis has worked to keep up with those needs. Today, they are one of the nation’s largest providers of post-acute care, and they continue to add to their range of services.
This summer, Genesis officially opened its 12th PowerBack Rehabilitation location at 501 Thomas Jones Way in Exton.
Patients who are recovering from a hospital stay for surgery, or an acute condition that required serious treatment, want to get home and get back to their normal lives as quickly as possible. In 2012, Genesis HealthCare launched its PowerBack Rehabilitation program in response to the demand for shorter post-hospital, patient recovery periods with fewer post-discharge setbacks.
PowerBack’s goal is to help patients get back home as quickly and safely as possible. The concept has been a remarkable success, with 11 PowerBack Rehabilitation Centers located across New Jersey, Pennsylvania Colorado, Maryland and Texas,
The newest PowerBack Rehabilitation site in Exton is on 5.6 acres and is approximately 85,000 square feet, and will employ approximately 300 people. PowerBack Rehabilitation has been working with PA CareerLink to fill many of these new positions. PowerBack is on Route 30, two miles from the Route 30 and Route 100 crossroads in Exton.
The facility is composed of 120 private suites, with an expansive rehabilitation gym featuring state-of-theart therapy equipment, including the Hydroworx 1200 Therapy Pool. The hotel-like amenities include a restaurant-style bistro, spa services, a movie theater, and
multiple outside patios, one of which has a fire pit.
Instead of the stressful long-term care environment that is commonly associated with nursing home care, the relaxing, comfortable environment at PowerBack gives patients a positive, upbeat experience. The hotel environment is accompanied by attentive health care and rehabilitative therapy that is aimed at making rapid progress for each individual.
From expert specialists to the most advanced technologies and equipment, PowerBack creates highly personalized plans to get patients home sooner. Expanded clinical capabilities include cardiac, orthopedic and pulmonary specialized care.
At PowerBack Rehabilitation, patients enjoy all private suites, which are individually climate-controlled with spalike bathrooms. Bistro style and in-room dining services offer a wide variety of meal choices. Stay in touch with wireless Internet, flat-screen TVs and iPads, plus there is a full service salon on site so that you can always look your best. Guest Service Specialists are on hand to ensure that each patient has an outstanding experience.
On the health care side of the experience, nursing, therapy and physician assessments are done within the first four hours of admission. Full-time physicians and nurse practitioners are on staff making daily rounds, plus a Care Transition Nurse follows up with patients for 30 days after they are discharged.
“We are thrilled to be officially open and caring for patients in the greater Exton area,” said Thao Wesler, Center Executive Director. “PowerBack offers state-ofthe-art equipment and aggressive rehabilitation therapy plans in a pampering environment. Our entire team here is dedicated to helping our short-stay patients get their power back and return home as quickly as possible.”
Most PowerBack Rehabilitation patients typically recover and return home within a couple of weeks. By calling PowerBack, patients can pre-book their stay to allow for a smooth transition from hospital to rehabilitation. PowerBack also encourages people, particularly those 50 and older, to order their own personalized PowerBack Card, which can be requested by calling 484-873-3700.
Visit PowerBack Rehabilitation at www.powerbackrehabilitation.com to learn more or call PowerBack Rehabilitation in Exton at 484-873-3700.
Genesis HealthCare is a longstanding member of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce and has had a number of employees serve on the Board of Directors, including the current Chairman of the Board, Doug Doerfler. Doerfler was nominated to represent Genesis by the Chamber Board in 2014. He has served on the Community and Governmental Relations Committee, having chaired that committee in 2017 while also serving as Chair-Elect prior to moving into the Board Chair role in 2018.
The diversity and heritage of the region is treasured by its residents and by our students. Respect for peers and community is a value that all Kennett students are expected to exemplify.
Kennett Consolidated School District has been recognized for its safe and caring schools, and we work diligently to create supportive environments that are most conducive to student learning.
Changes in communities increase the challenges of attracting staff Fire companies work to balance service, volunteers and budgets
PBy Chris Barber Staff Writer
eople who live anywhere in southern Chester County can lay their heads on their pillows each night, confident that if a fire, sudden illness or injury befalls them, the volunteer fire companies stand ready to help.
The Kennett Fire Company has roots that go back to 1875, while Longwood Fire Company began in the early 20th century. Between them, they cover all or part of Kennett, Kennett Square, Pennsbury, Pocopson and East Marlborough. For years, these volunteer companies have supported the community without fail, providing EMS education, CPR lessons, car-seat installation, football games and public events protection, fire police and more. That’s in addition to answering calls that involve downed poles, hazmat incidents, auto accidents, fire alarms and water rescues. Meanwhile, as their service areas have increased in population and square mileage, so have their fleets, their services, their buildings and their budgets.
All photos by Chris Barber unless otherwise noted
Longwood Fire Chief AJ McCarthy looks out on Route 1 from his fire house.
Longwood Fire Company
SCCCC member since 2000
Longwood was started by Longwood Gardens founder Pierre DuPont in the early 1920s. He reckoned that a facility as significant as Longwood needed to ensure protection if something went wrong. He enlisted a group of a few sturdy volunteers to plant their flag in the boiler room and prepare themselves for anything that went astray.
By the 1950s, the crew grew to the point where they needed their own building, since they were serving not only the gardens, but also the surrounding community.
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Bunker gear hangs ready for quick access at the Longwood Fire Company.
Fire Companies
The result was the present building, which sits just outside the entrance to Longwood Gardens and responds to about 3,000 calls per year. The building has been added to several times, but it is so small that many of the fire engines and ambulances must park outside.
The leadership is hoping to build a new, larger and more modern facility a few hundred yards to the east along Route 1. With that in mind, they are embarking on what looks to be a multi-million-dollar capital campaign.
Fire chief AJ McCarthy said they are in the very early stages, and before they go out to the public to seek donations and grants, they must organize a strategy and meet with fundraising professionals to plan the road ahead. Longwood Gardens and Longwood Fire Company are working together to switch properties for a new fire station, and it’s a work in progress.
McCarthy, 37, has been a member since he was a teenager in 2007. He became chief in 2011, having been reared in a family that believes in community service. He bears the responsibility of overseeing a $3 million annual operation that includes two engines, a ladder truck, a heavy rescue truck, four ambulances, and an all-terrain
vehicle, among others.
The company is staffed by 50 volunteers, 30 EMS career members, the chief and a business manager. The budget for payroll alone is more than $1 million. They also have four ambulances which are used for both advanced and basic life support calls, generating ambulance billing that doesn’t totally cover paying the staff.
With the company’s annual budget in mind, McCarthy tries to balance the mission of community service with a variety of fundraising projects to offset the major income source – local taxes. Today they are financed not only by local taxes (40 percent) but ambulance billing, EMS subscriptions, a fund drive in May, federal and state grants, and filling pools.
Yes, the most successful fundraiser is filling swimming pools.
They fill more than 2 million gallons of water a year, which amounts to hundreds of pools. The average cost is $50 per 1,000 gallons of water delivered, but final costs are calculated based on the distance from the firehouse and the water source. “Sometimes I don’t see they guys all day when they are out filling,” he said.
McCarthy also worries about attracting and keeping volunteers. “People don’t realize how much volunteerism saves on taxes,” he said. He added that State Rep. Stephen Barrar has announced that in Longwood’s company, if they were all paid wages, the price tag would be higher by millions of dollars.
McCarthy said they draw from self-employed locals, road crews and local municipalities, but it’s tough. “I’m trying to keep them,” he said.
Continued on Page 22
The Longwood Fire Company sign advertises what events are coming up and reminds the public to stay safe.
Fire Companies
Continued from Page 21
Kennett Fire Company No. 1
SCCCC member since 2009
The Kennett Fire Company is a prototypical small-town department.
Originally, it grew out of a response to the borough’s first documented fire: An incident at the Unicorn Tavern on State Street in 1875 when a woman perished, unable to escape the flames. Shortly after that, the borough council set about to purchase a hand pumper and gather 40 members for volunteers. They were so proud of the pumper that in later years, they entered it in contests.
The most famous pull (with their own brute strength) was Sept. 29 and 30 in 1972. The hand pumper was pulled from Kennett Square to Laurel, Del., for the Delaware State Fireman’s Convention. The trip was 102.2 miles and was completed in 34 hours and 20 minutes.
The feat put the company in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous pull of hand-drawn apparatus. Today, the pumper sits in the building’s south bay.
Submitted photo Kennett Fire Chief Chris Plumley stands proudly beside a newly housed fire truck.
Through the years, the Kennett Fire Company has occupied buildings on State Street, Sycamore Alley and South Broad Street. Then, in 1975, they acquired land on East Cypress Street beside the Red Clay Creek and railroad tracks. This current building is more than a housing for vehicles and offices, however. The structure along the Red Clay Creek holds council meetings in its Monroe Nute Room, and is an almost weekly host to receptions, celebrations and events in its Red Clay Room.
Two of its most heavily attended events in that banquet hall are the annual Old Timers dinner and the springtime EMS awards meeting that attracts more than 400 emergency responders and public officials.
Chris Plumley, 32, became chief on April 1, 2015, and, like others
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Kennett Fire Company members participate in the ceremonial housing of one of two new trucks in 2016.
Continued from Page 23
in his company, he grew up in the culture of fire protection and community service.
He said that, as a kid, he was taken regularly to see the firemen and the trucks. That led to his early age commitment to EMT certifications and operating the ambulance daily.
Kennett Fire Company trucks and personnel respond to a call in Kennett Square.
The Red Clay Room at the Kennett Fire Company hosts many events throughout the year.
Plumley oversees a company that has more than 300 members, 65 of them active. Many of those who are social members don’t answer the fire bell, but they support fundraising and non-fire ground activities.
They get 400 fire calls and 1100 ambulance calls a year. They have two rescue pumpers that are about 14 years old and also have a two-year-old Midmount 95-foot Tower, and a four-year-old, 3,000-gallon tanker.
The Kennett Fire Company runs a 24/7 BLS ambulance, and has several small vehicles, including a brush truck, ATV for events and brush fires, and we have a three-boat complement for water rescues.
Additionally, they have some major renovations going on around the station grounds, including upgrades and remodeling of the Red Clay Room and the outside gardens. This fall, they take delivery in of a new Pierce engine to replace one of our rescue pumpers, Plumley said.
Dealing with fire calls and maintaining equipment is just part of a chief’s job, however. As the demographics change in the service area, with more people working out of town, so does the availability of volunteers. Speaking on behalf of fire chiefs throughout the county, state and nation, Plumley said, “More is asked of our members every year as the increase of growth and development in the area. Training requirements increase from the state and national levels. An essentials class in 2001 was about 100 hours. The same level class today is over 200 hours.
“Training becomes more important as our fires become more dangerous,” he added. “There aren’t as many fires as there used to be, due to increased safety awareness and codes enforcement. Now you tell someone, ‘I need you to take all of this training, attend countless events, raise funds to help us, leave your family in the middle of the night, miss Christmas dinner due to someone else’s emergency, go to dozens of meetings a month, risk your life for total strangers, and by the way, do it all for free.’
“Work, life and volunteer balance is very difficult. It takes a toll on all volunteers in the area, and not just in Kennett, not even just in Pennsylvania, but all over the country.”
The Tri-M Group, LLC
SCCCC
member since 1970
By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Staff Writer
In its 54-year history, The Tri-M Group has grown and evolved to meet the electrical needs of commercial and industrial clients in the mid-Atlantic region. That includes building automation, energy analytics, network infrastructure, security, electrical construction and high voltage.
“We started out solely as an industrial electrical contractor. We have evolved into a solutions company,” President and CEO James Horn said. “We refer to ourselves as an electrical solutions company because there’s not much we can’t do when it comes to wiring.”
Tri-M was founded in 1964 by brothers Tom and Dick Musser, with Tom buying out his brother early on. After 34 years of expanding the company, Musser sold the firm to Encompass Services, Inc., but within a few years he took the lead in buying back his creation and serving as its chairman.
In 2002, Chairman Tom Musser and Horn became joint owners. Musser passed away in 2016, but his spirit remains with the company. He lived by the philosophy “always be thankful, but never satisfied.” He was thankful for his family, his country, his freedoms, his employees and customers. His vision, passion and entrepreneurial spirit motivated others to be their best and not be complacent, and forged the growth of Tri-M.
Tri-M does not do residential work, but focuses solely on commercial and industrial clients. They are able to tackle large or small jobs, in new construction or retrofitting. Toward that end, Tri-M offers a unique and convenient way for clients to request service and monitor the progress of their project through an online project navigation tool – ProNav.
Today, providing power to a building is not enough. Businesses want buildings that have a self-controlled environment, built-in security systems, and the latest in data access.
“Smart building intelligence is big today. It used to be called energy management,” Horn said. “It has evolved into a building automation product. It controls not only the temperature, but the card access system for entering and leaving the building, and lighting controls.”
Tri-M is ready to help clients design a plan for their buildings that will meet their individual needs. “We have about 15 to 18 engineers that will meet with a customer and customize a solution for them,” Horn said.
“In our building automation group, we do a lot of retrofitting for colleges and universities,” he said. Currently, the company is working on major projects for the University of Delaware.
With offices in five locations, including Kennett Square, and about 450 employees, Tri-M covers the Delaware Valley, Lehigh Valley, Pine Valley and more. Along with new installations, Tri-M offers preventive maintenance and 24-7 service.
“Our network services group does a lot of work for a lot of local companies in the Kennett Square area. That’s the voice and data cabling for phone systems and data wiring,” Horn said.
When Horn joined Tri-M as a designer, there were just 35 employees.
“We have a strong commitment to quality for our customers and a strong commitment to our employees,” Horn
Tri-M President and CEO James Horn
said. “Our commitment to our employees is to continue to grow this company, to provide opportunities for them, just like the opportunities provided for me. We want everybody to seek the level of their aspirations. If they want to be a vice president someday, we want to provide that path, and the only way we can do that is to continue our commitment to growth. We also have a strong commitment to safety. Safety with no injuries. A lot of companies out there don’t take safety seriously -- we do.”
Tri-M puts an emphasis on employee training, with new hires going through an extensive three-day onboarding process. Tri-M also has several PA state approved apprenticeship programs for employees to earn their journeypersons papers.
“Technology changes every year, We as a company have to keep up with it to provide our customers with the latest solutions,” Horn said. “I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s neat to evolve to take on challenges.”
Because they cover all facets of electrical services Tri-M employees have a wide spectrum of skills. “The nice thing about Tri-M, if somebody’s looking for a career, is that we offer a wide range of employment opportunities because our service offerings are so diverse within the electrical field. You can seek out the career you want here,” Horn said.
Tri-M is also committed to the community. Horn has served on the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce board for many years, and is currently on the steering committee for the Route 1 Corridor and the Community and Government Committee. To learn more, visit www.tri-mgroup.com.
Q: What was the primary goal for the hospital under Tower Health?
A: Jennersville Hospital’s mission is to provide compassionate, accessible, high-quality, cost-effective healthcare to the community. Our mission is influenced by our ultimate goal to advance health and transform lives in the community we serve. The hospital was acquired by Tower Health on Oct. 2, 2017 as a part of Tower’s plan to expand access, high value and quality care across the region. Tower Health positions Jennersville Hospital to advance growth in healthcare services, investments in hospital infrastructure and technology, and recruit the best physicians and staff.
Tower Health is a non-profit organization, and all hospitals within Tower Health are non-profit. Jennersville Hospital, as a non-profit organization, is positioned to fully support health initiatives and programs within the community. Jennersville Hospital is conducting, with other community organizations, a Community Health Needs Assessment to identify and address health and socioeconomic factors impacting the community.
You’ve been here since January. What have been some of the changes you’ve been part of at the facility?
Jennersville Hospital is focused on improving quality and safety for our patients and staff. We have invested in patient care equipment, including electrocardiogram (EKG) machines, laboratory equipment to support efficiency in performing and reporting patient results, upgrading and replacing surgical equipment and supplies, and renovations to patient care rooms to provide a higher level of comfort to patients and family members.
Some indirect patient care changes include replacement of the roof, replacing the air handling system, upgrading the alarm system including fire, replacing the parking lot, and more. One of the most significant changes, directly impacting the delivery of care and access, is the implementation of our new electronic health record system, to be implemented in the summer of 2019.
A bright new future for Jennersville Hospital
Jennersville Hospital, now a member of Tower Health, has been serving the southern Chester County community for more than 100 years. In January 2018, Ronnie Ursin was named as President and CEO of the hospital, and has been part of a successful new direction for the facility. Ursin recently answered some questions about the hospital and its vital place in the community.
Ronnie Ursin is the President and CEO of Jennersville Hospital.
What efforts are being made to reach out to the community with health-related events or classes? How does that make the hospital more of a community asset, instead of someplace you have to go when you’re sick or injured?
The Community Health Needs Assessment will identify community health issues the hospital will be able to help address with other organizations in the community. To accomplish this task, we have developed a Community Advisory Council which includes community members. We will conduct several focus groups including general and mental health sessions, stakeholder interviews, online surveys, etc., to assess needs. Jennersville has already partnered with the Penn Township, Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce, Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, and other organizations to support community events and programs through participation and financial support. Jennersville Hospital is hosting a Breast Health education session in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a Joint Pain Seminar for the community to learn more about joint pain.
How does Tower Health work with, or benefit from, its involvement with the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce?
The hospital maintains a position on the Board of Directors of the Chamber. Our involvement with the Chamber is essential to building relationships with other businesses in our region, and partnering with the Chamber to participate in and support their health-related programs. Jennersville Hospital has a similar relationship with the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce.
What are some of the challenges faced by this region?
The Community Health Needs Assessment has provided some initial results reflecting areas of opportunity within the West Grove and surrounding communities. Through this initial work, we identified the following as challenges facing the region: Lack of health insurance coverage, transportation as a barrier to healthcare, obesity, high blood pressure, mental health and use of opioids/opiates. Other challenges were identified and will be shared in reports presented to the community in July 2019.
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Jennersville Hospital
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How is the hospital reaching out to the Latino community in southern Chester County?
The hospital cares for any individual presenting to our facility for healthcare. Jennersville Hospital is working closely with and building a stronger relationship with organizations such as La Comunidad Hispana (LCH) to ensure health initiatives developed are diverse and include a broad population including our Latino community.
Given the stability at Jennersville over the last nine months, what changes have you seen, within the staff and doctors, as far as focus and morale?
Jennersville Hospital staff has fully supported the ownership transition to Tower Health. Physicians and staff have communicated their support and appreciation verbally and in writing to hospital leadership. Since our transition to Tower Health, Jennersville has added new staff to support the emergency department, medicalsurgical/telemetry units, surgical services, physician practices, human resources, and other departments. Hospital leadership implemented and sustained a culture of transparency and open communication. Town Hall meetings are held on a quarterly basis, which provide the opportunity for staff to hear information and ask questions. We feel and see a tremendous difference from a year ago.
How have pop-up medical facilities these days affected the bottom line for hospitals in general? It would seem to be shifting the health care model, because more routine services can be purchased a la carte at these businesses.
Our focus at Jennersville Hospital is identifying and providing needed services to the community. Despite developments of medical facilities in the area, we are focused on serving our community by providing excellence in quality and safe care to our patients. We have 100 percent support from Tower Health to achieve what is best for the patients we serve.
You’re coming up on your first year at Jennersville, so how do you feel about the direction of the facility?
This year has been challenging, yet rewarding. I have met many wonderful people over the last 10 months who show support for our hospital and share feed-
back on how we can continue to enhance the patient experience. I feel strongly we are moving in the right direction in alignment with Tower Health’s strategic goals and objectives. We look forward to the impact our partnership with Drexel University College of Medicine and Acadia Healthcare will have on the West Grove community. In addition, with the acquisition of Premier Urgent Care, Tower Health becomes the largest provider of urgent care services in the region.
What would you like the facility to have achieved in another year?
Our strategic plan focuses on expanding services to support the needs of our community. I would like to ensure we provide greater access to patients by recruiting excellent primary care providers and specialists. We will continually strengthen existing programs and services across the continuum of care and develop new programs to support the findings and recommendations of the Community Health Needs Assessment.
And on a personal note, do you live in the community? I continue to learn more about the Jennersville/West Grove community. I currently reside in Maryland and have lived there since 2004. However, I am living in the North East area since fully transitioning to Jennersville. I have one daughter, Tabitha Bernadette, who is 1 year old.
Bowling Green Brandywine
Living with substance abuse and addiction challenges is overwhelming. Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center has the facilities and expertise to help make a successful, lasting transition back to sobriety and a life of long-term recovery.
Located at 1375 Newark Road in Kennett Square, Bowling Green Brandywine uses a multidisciplinary approach that consists of medical, pharmacological, clinical, and behavioral interventions.
During a stay at Bowling Green, clients have access to detoxification and stabilization services, residential and/or partial residential rehabilitation and dual diagnosis treatment. Medications such as vivitrol, naltrexone, buprenorphine and methadone may be used to assist in achieving and maintaining sobriety. There is also specialized programing available to meet the needs of pregnant women.
Each individual’s length of stay at Bowling Green Brandywine, and the treatment plan they receive, are designed to meet their specific needs. After a thorough evaluation and assessment, clients can expect to participate in many programs and services, such as relapse prevention planning, specialty groups, and medically assisted treatment. Comprehensive case management helps match clients with the best programming for their specific needs.
A typical day at Bowling Green may include group process, lectures, 12 Step work and recreational time. There are also individual counseling sessions throughout the week. All activities are part of the individual treatment plan. The daily schedule is designed to help clients take advantage of all the program has to offer. Daily participation is expected.
Each client has a designated primary counselor who works with them to design a treatment and discharge plan. Clients meet with their counselor to discuss the progress of that plan. Treatment plans outline goals and objectives while in treatment, and a discharge plan speaks to what the client should do to remain sober, one day at a time. Access to a counselor is available throughout each day.
Some clients may be able to meet their goals without full-time residence at the facility. Day treatment allows those clients to participate in the drug and alcohol recovery program while returning home every evening. Under the day treatment structure, clients have the opportunity to practice the principles of recovery in their daily lives. When they return to the facility, they have a chance to share with peers and staff their personal successes and the barriers they encounter to staying sober. The system provides individuals with a smooth transition back into the community.
One of the newest programs at Bowling Green is the HOPE program. This unique treatment experience focuses on healing the mind and body in unison from the effects of a destabilized endorphin system.
The program consists of humor therapy, music therapy, integrative medicine, antagonist therapy, healthy nutrition, recovery-enhancing medications, physio fitness group, post-acute withdrawal and reward endorphin deficiency syndrome groups, as well as brain entrainment and meditation.
Programs are covered by most insurance plans and Union Trust funds. Bowling Green’s resource center coordinators are available to check benefits availability prior to admission
Each client receives an individual discharge plan specific to their needs that includes a list of aftercare resources. Online aftercare may also be available.
The staff at Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center is a dedicated group of professionals who work tirelessly to provide an optimal treatment experience for every individual entrusted to our care.
A corridor of opportunity: The Route 1 Economic Development Initiative moves forward
CBy Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
hester County is the fastest growing county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and a highway runs directly through it.
It is a corridor of heritage, seen in the sweeping views that showcase and preserve a region’s history, but it is also one that reveals its future, seen in the delicate balance of preservation and opportunity, where farmland meets commerce and business.
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Route 1
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It’s not just magic that allows a community to protect its past while at the same time offering a portion of it to make way for its future. It takes the work of planning, so in 2011, a group of stakeholders interested in preserving Chester County’s history and spearheading efforts to create its future formed the Route 1 Economic Development Initiative, in cohesion with the County’s Landscapes 2 Plan and its VISTA 2025 Plan.
Over the last seven years, in what has become a continuing conversation with elected officials, residents, business leaders from Kennett Square to West Nottingham, the members of the Route 1 Economic Development Initiative have galvanized municipalities and communities to best answer the complex question of how to provide economic opportunity along Route 1, while at the same time helping to maintain its exquisite beauty.
“The corridor was identified in Landscapes 2 and in VISTA 2025 as one of the corridors of opportunity for economic growth for the next decade,” said Jim Horn, the president of Tri-M, and the former chair of the Initiative’s steering committee. “Our mission during the first phase of the initiative was really to create the entire concept of municipal engagement. In order to make progress, we needed to have the public, private and government sector all working together.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
The power of the Initiative’s first phase was seen in its seven subcommittees that addressed key issues related to the future growth and preservation along the Route 1 corridor.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
During its first phase, the Route 1 Economic Development Initiative held several town hall meetings that brought together stakeholders in conservation, business and local government.
“It’s the competitive and comparative component of human nature to want to take the lead, and what we began to find early on is that once one municipality began talking about their ideas for the corridor, others wanted to be heard, as well.”
To best gather data and ideas, the Initiative formed seven subcommittees during Phase 1, in partnership with the Chester Council Economic Development Council and the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. The first step was creating a mission statement and, following the blueprints of the Landscapes 2 Comprehensive Plan and VISTA 2025, its steering committee created a general playbook that would pave the way for attracting economic opportunities. Its municipal coordination committee met with representatives in municipalities along the corridor, in order to gauge their appetite for economic growth, open space and
land preservation. Its transportation committee measured the potential impact of economic development may have on transportation along Route 1, and its infrastructure committee began to locate all utilities along the corridor.
Meanwhile, the Initiative’s economic development committee began assessing the economic impact of growth along the corridor as it related to schools, hospitals and other community services, while its housing committee worked with the county on finding affordable housing opportunities to those who would be seeking employment along the corridor.
Finally, the economic development committee compiled a list of all available inventory along the corridor, and its branding and marketing committee worked with the students from Chester County Technical College High School
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Route 1
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in creating a centralized website that now contains vital data and information for prospective business leaders who may be interested in locating along the corridor.
McGarrity said Phase 1 served as a listening and data collecting tour of the region that helped to provide sharper focus on key areas that could be future growth centers.
“From a population perspective, we began to see the desire of many to focus that growth in our boroughs – in what we call our urban centers, in order to create opportunities for walkable centers with the right amount of commercial development,” she said.
Phase 1 also served to calm the fears of preservationists who were worried that the idea of the Initiative was to turn Route 1 into a congested and unbroken link of retail and businesses.
“Initially, there were people who thought that the Initiative was an aggressive movement to erase open space and not balance preservation with growth, but after seven years, we have an even better dialogue going with the preservationists and open space
organizations,” McGarrity said. “They’re realizing that we’re working within the county’s plans, and not working outside of it.”
Now in Phase 2, the Initiative is creating opportunities to put community leaders in the same room with business leaders, and get them to begin talking to each other. In 2017 and earlier this year, they invited township managers and supervisors whose municipalities, townships and boroughs border Route 1 to a municipal luncheon, that served as a forum for ideas.
“These two events served as a springboard to create social opportunities that invites local leaders with business leaders who have already set up shop along the Route 1, as a measure of telling these leaders, step by step, how businesses were able to develop in the corridor, and what advice they would give to leaders in terms of loosening codes,” said James Turner of the Chester Water Authority, who is the current chairman of the Initiative’s steering committee. “It comes down to identifying inventory, infrastructure challenges, and the municipalities who want to work with us. Because
the next phase of this initiative will serve to bridge these municipalities with the business community, we’re entrusted with helping to create that dialogue and bridge those intersections.”
The Initiative had another win this year: the development of the Route 1 Corridor Opportunity Map. Created in partnership with the Chester County Planing Commission, the map is a compilation of data that clearly spells out parts along the Route 1 corridor that are designated as preservation areas, as well as areas that are zoned for commercial and industrial development. It also gives up-to-date information about zoning and zoning codes for each municipality.
“We asked the municipalities to identify sites in their communities that they want to see redeveloped, in coordination with the Landscapes 2 Comprehensive Plan, and in accordance with their own comprehensive plans,” McGarrity said. “This way, a developer can easily locate all of the information about the opportunities along the corridor in a one-stop shopping format. If they need any other information, there is a hyper link right to
the initiative group in email format, that connects these developers to answers and to people who can help steer them toward those answers.”
If the heavy lifting of the first phase of the Route 1 Economic Development Initiative was seen in bringing together stakeholders in communities, in business and in conservation, then its second phase holds the promise of giving them the tools to work with.
“The pieces of the puzzle we have helped develop are starting to be put in place,” Horn said. “We’re not to change who these communities believe they are. We’re trying to work with the people in these communities who wish to balance growth and preservation.”
“What it comes down to is not what we do today, but the policies that we set for tomorrow, that will make the difference,” Turner added. “Officials may change, businesses may change and the will of the residents may change, but if there is strong policies in place and ways to accomplish our goals, then it will get done.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.
Neuchatel Chocolates
By Marcella Peyre-Ferry
Fifth-generation Swiss chocolatier Albert Lauber offers the finest in Swiss chocolates, as well as new chocolate lines that appeal to contemporary tastes.
Founded in 1982, Neuchatel is based in Oxford, where the chocolate factory creates a well-known and loved line of truffles and other chocolate treats, made with fine, imported Swiss chocolate. Shipped worldwide, Neuchatel is the choice of discerning chocolate lovers.
“The Neuchatel line is chocolate made in Switzerland that we bring in, melt it down and make the candy with it,” Lauber said.
Chester county residents are fortunate to have the Neuchatel factory store available, where additional chocolates can be found in a wide variety of shapes that are perfect for special occasions and gifts. Whether it be a chocolate horse for the equestrian, a mushroom typical of Chester County, chocolate bugs to delight the imagination, a seasonal shape for the holidays or wine truffles in a chocolate wine bottle, you are sure to find something that will be a thoughtful and tasty gift – or a special treat for yourself.
“Those things we don’t ship because they break easily. We have pretty much any shape. Over the years we’ve accumulated so many things,” Lauber said.
In addition to special shaped chocolates for the store, the factory produces different chocolate lines for other tastes. One of the newest is the Chocoeve line, made from fair trade purchased cocoa beans from the Phillipines and made at the Oxford factory.
“I know those farmers and we try to develop their business. I actually go there to the farmers. We pay them more for the beans. Everything is fair trade,” Lauber said. “I know exactly which farmers my cocoa beans come from. I talk to the farmers and explain to them, ‘If you give us good beans and you get rid of the bad ones, we pay you more money.’
“The new line is the Chocoeve line that we now do bean to bar, from start to finish. The milk chocolate is less sweet. It’s geared toward people that don’t want as much sugar,” Lauber said. “You have a milk chocolate that is now nice and milky but it’s not so sweet.
We have the dark milk chocolate which is 60 percent cocoa beans with milk powder. That is a little bit more bitter than what you are used to in milk chocolate. It’s all natural. It has raw sugar, cocoa beans, milk powder, cocoa powder, real vanilla and sunflower lecithin. Company wide, we no longer use soy lechetin. We have been soy free for six years.”
There are also a number of specialty items in the Chocoeve line, such as the green tea hot chocolate. “It’s a chocolate milk that has green tea powder in it. It’s really good. We sell that a lot in Japan,” Lauber said.
Neuchatel products are sold worldwide, with products geared to different regional tastes.
“The Middle East is still one of my big [markets]. I still supply some of the royal families in the Middle East,” Lauber said.
One way that Lauber gauges tastes is by participating in shows. “We do a lot of shows all over the world, and I see
Photo by Marcella Peyre-Ferry:
Albert Lauber at Neuchatel in Oxford, where the factory creates treats made with fine, imported Swiss chocolate.
what people like,” he said. “We set up a table with different samples and we see what people prefer. We adapt.”
Tastes even vary within the United States. “It starts in Boston, where we sell mostly dark chocolate. The farther south you go, the sweeter it gets,” Lauber said.
Chocolate tastes also change over time. “Here in America, we started with dark chocolate that was 50 percent cocoa beans. People like more dark now. On television and everywhere you hear now the dark chocolate is healthy,” Lauber said.
There are also more discerning chocolate buyers today who are looking for specific features, including chocolate at different percentages of cocoa content. “The different percentages of chocolate are popular. More people now want the 100 percent,” Lauber said. “Our 80 percent is one of the sweetest dark chocolates you can imagine. Because we select the beans that are really special and what we call sweet, you don’t even know you’re eating 80 percent. That’s actually our best-selling chocolate.”
Other lines include organic and sugar-free chocolates, chocolate-covered snacks, chocolate drink mixes and much more. No matter what variety of chocolate you purchase at Neuchatel, you can be sure you are getting the very best in quality.
“I do pride myself that my chocolates are the freshest around. We do not like to prepack stuff way ahead. We want people to get the freshest possible chocolate,” Lauber said. “I am still doing most of the production myself, so I know it’s consistent.”
Shop Neuchatel at 461 Limestone Rd., Oxford, or visit the website at www.neuchatelchocolates.com.
Southern Chester County Chamber initiates new member-support programs
By Chris Barber
The Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce has a rich history that reaches back more than 85 years in the region.
To many residents, what stands out in their minds is the annual gala, started in 1968, that included a prestigious award originally called “The Man of the Year.” At that time, it was given to the late community activist and Kennett School District Administrator Bob Scott.
The chamber continues that tradition, bestowing what is now the “Outstanding Citizen” recognize an individual each year in honor of his or her community support and service. But, as the nearly 500 members know, the chamber’s services go far beyond a yearly banquet. The Southern Chester County Chamber has led the region as a powerful economic driver as well.
The chamber is the “pro-business voice” which seeks to strengthen, support and promote its membership and provide sustainable economic development in the region, according to its mission statement. In that vein, chamber President and CEO Cheryl Kuhn, Chairman of the Board Doug Doerfler (Genesis), and the board leadership are stepping up services to members even more through alliances that offer counseling, consulting and education to business owners who are seeking to grow.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a while now, and with the current leadership, we said ‘Let’s do it,’” Kuhn said.
Recently, following advice from chamber Vice Chairman Jim Turner, she contacted the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Widener University. This program is one of 18 small business development centers throughout Pennsylvania. It is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of
All photos by Chris Barber Guests at the SCCCC annual dinner applaud 2018 Outstanding Citizen Jim McLeod.
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Community of Economic Development, and the 18 colleges and universities across the state that host the centers.
Small Business Development Centers have, in a sense, earned their governmental support because they enhance business. They attract capital investment, they create jobs, they increase sales and customers, and produce more client satisfaction, according to Widener SBDC Executive Director Lenin Agudo. Its method involves presenting large group workshops and seminars to organizations, as well as one-on-one programs carefully crafted for individuals. According to a publication issued by the university, in 2015, for example, the Widener SBDC provided 3,139 hours of consulting services. It received a 90 percent satisfaction rate, working with 302 clients in the Delaware County community.
“From these consulting hours, the SBDC was able to increase client sales by $2.6 million and secure $3.5 million
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Southern Chester County CEO Cheryl Kuhn is stepping up business support services for members.
Outstanding Citizen Jim McLeod joins his Rotary Club friends at the annual chamber dinner.
Chamber Vice President Jim Turner advised the board to seek a partnership with Widener’s SBDC.
Member-support programs
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in investments,” the publication says. In Chester, it is credited with helping a number of small businesses grow, including Phatso’s Bakery and Cheryl’s Southern Style Cooking.
After the chamber reached out to the SBDC, Agudo and his team met with chamber members in a group setting to determine their business needs. In the case of the Southern Chester County Chamber, two major topics they expressed were bringing relevant and timely business programs to our community, and having the ability to support the Latino business community, Kuhn said. The process will proceed from those expressed needs.
Widener SBDC Assistant Director Peter Hornberger said the method and process they cling to is “hypothesis.” In other words, a business owner starts with the belief in a concept – growth, for example. (It could also be for increasing efficiency, working with social media or acquiring capital – any number of things). It is tested and evaluated. Given success or failure, the features are adjusted and evolve. In this way, SBDC has constructed a path for growth and repair that is alive and ever-changing.
Hornberger pointed to an origami object hanging on the wall of the lab and said the model is significant to the process. In one way, an origami object begins with a flat, plain piece of paper, but it holds the potential
Widener SBDC Director Lenin Agudo leads the program that offers guidance to local small businesses.
to grow into something useful or significant based on how it is folded, according to the desire of the artist. Additionally, like an origami creature, it can be unfolded and changed into something else.
Eighteen colleges and universities in Pennsylvania have SBDC centers. Since 1990, the Pennsylvania SBDCs have helped entrepreneurs start 30,000 businesses; obtain more than $3 billion in startup and expansion capital; increase sales by $13 billion; win $3 billion in government contracts; grow international markets with more than $1.6 billion in export sales; create more than 150,000 new jobs; and generate more than $796 million in new tax revenue, according to its brochure.
The chamber is also presenting to members a second program in partnership with Penn State Brandywine as part of the Invent Penn State initiative. Brandywine Boost will offer support to small- and mediumsized business owners and entrepreneurs in the form of webinars and workshops. Areas of support may include accounting/bookkeeping, use of information management tools, marketing research strategy, entrepreneurial start-ups, leadership, and much more, Kuhn said.
The chamber plans to continue its longstanding relationship with
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Peter Hornberger is assistant director of the Widenerbased SBDC. He and Agudo meet with organizations that request help with business development and growth.
Chester and Delaware County SCORE. With nearly 100 volunteers to assist those thinking of starting a business, or those already in business who need help with growth, SCORE’s experience and knowledge matches those of most business school faculties. SCORE’s primary goal is to help small businesses be successful by creating an ongoing relationship with the entrepreneur and providing necessary business expertise to foster success.
In addition to offering fellowship and business support, the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce sponsors annual scholarships to highschool students and provides opportunities with Technical College High School at Pennock’s Bridge where businesses are invited to come in and interview students for shadowing, internships, co-ops and job opportunities.
Graduate student Josh Gallone and MBA graduate Na’Shaun Scott gather at a media event with the SBDC. Scott recently earned her degree and said she has worked with groups of women who sew professionally to get organized.
The Quick Center at Widener University in Chester is the focus of the SBDC program engaged by the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce.
LCH offers quality health care for all
LCH (La Comunidad Hispana) added a fourth location in 2018, expanding their health care services to reach even more members of the community.
LCH believes that everyone needs access to health care. To help make that possible for southern Chester County residents, they have spent the past 45 years extending health care services to a wide range of services to everyone in the region, regardless of their ability to pay.
From their start, as a small health and social services agency providing just a handful of services, LCH has grown in recent years to provide comprehensive physical, behavioral, and dental health care from four locations.
LCH’s Kennett Square headquarters, at 731 W. Cypress Street, provide primary care for all ages, along with behavioral health counseling, and a range of social services to address the social determinants of health, such as limited income and education.
These services are provided using the evidence-based Integrated Person Centered Services (IPCS) model of care, which puts each individual at the center of his or her care plan and provides multiples services to help them reach their personal goals. In addition to health care, LCH offers a variety of programs, including ESL and GED classes, job-seeking assistance, a Family Fitness Program to encourage healthy diet and exercise, and health insurance enrollment assistance.
LCH’s Oxford Health Center, located at 303 North 3rd Street, offers primary care and behavioral health counseling. The location addresses the needs of area residents who do not have access to reliable transportation to the main location in Kennett Square.
Recognizing the need for dental care, and the difficulty accessing this care for people with Medicaid or no coverage, LCH offers oral health care for all ages at the LCH Dental Center, at 404 McFarlan Road, Suite 302-A.
The latest addition to the LCH range of services is dedicated Women’s Health Center at 150 Vineyard Drive in West Grove. The facility is designed to provide a central location for all women’s health services,
including routine cancer screenings, prenatal care, and family planning. All LCH locations have fully bilingual staff, speaking both English and Spanish, and all are open to see patients with private insurance, public insurance (such as Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP), and no insurance.
LCH has been proud to receive a number of quality awards and recognitions in the past year. In recent national rankings released by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), LCH earned the status of Health Center Quality Leader for the second year in a row. LCH is one of only fourteen health centers in Pennsylvania to receive this award in 2018.
“We strongly believe that we must focus on both quality and accessibility of care to have the greatest impact in our community,” said Alisa Jones, President and CEO.
“For more than 50 years, LCH health centers have delivered affordable, accessible, cost-effective, and quality primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay,” said Ronan Gannon, Chair of LCH’s Board of Directors. “Health is a critical part of the bigger picture of a strong and prosperous southern Chester County, and we are proud to be making our community healthier.”
LCH’s care model includes full-time, paid professional providers, ensuring that patients receive true continuity of care. The organization’s expenses are funded in part
with federal funding from HRSA, and in part from insurance reimbursement. To meet their operations budget, LCH must raise well over $1 million each year in charitable contributions to cover the cost of caring for uninsured patients. Fortunately, LCH’s many friends in the community make this possible.
Many local businesses partner with LCH to support their work, primarily through their two annual events: a 5K run at Anson B. Nixon Park, and the Amigos and Amigas of LCH Gala (to be held on Friday, November 2, 2018 at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square). Both of these events are driven by the sponsorship and efforts and local businesses and volunteers. Anyone interested in assisting with the effort can reach out to LeeAnn Riloff, Director of Development for LCH, at lriloff@lchps.org.
Needs throughout the community continue to grow, and LCH is preparing to meet future demand.
“In the spring of 2018, LCH developed a new Strategic Plan, which will guide our growth for the next three years,” said Jones. “This included crafting a new mission statement: to change lives by serving southern Chester County as the leading provider of integrated health and community services. Changing lives is an ambitious target, but with the help of our friends in our region, I know we can do it.”
Since 1973, LCH has held firm to their belief in the power of integrated health, behavioral and social services to change lives and strengthen our community. As southern Chester County’s only Federally Qualified Health Center, LCH provides care to all regardless of ability to pay.
Celebrating Community Service. Leading
Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Membership Index
3D Collision Centers - Oxford ...........610-932-9210
Automotive Services - Body Shops
A Hand For All Seasons, LLC ............484-467-4836
Home Services - Maintenance
Accountemps,
BB&T Bank - West Grove ..................610-806-5011
Financial Institutions - Bank
BDO USA, LLP...................................302-656-5500
Accountant - CPA
Burton’s Barber Shop, Established 1892 ..............................610-444-9964
Southern Chester County ..................610-444-0400
Nonprofit
Fenstermacher & Company, PC ........610-444-1215
Accountant - CPA
Fidelis Engineering, Inc. ...................484-883-7060
Engineering - Structural
Financial House, Inc. ........................302-654-5451 Financial Services - Financial Planning First State Community Loan Fund .....302-652-6774 Nonprofit Fischer Cunnane & Associates Ltd ...610-431-1003 Accountant - CPA
United States Senator for Pennsylvania.....................................215-241-1090
Government - Government Officials
United States Senator for Pennsylvania ...............................717-231-7540
Government - Government Officials
Univest Bank and Trust Company .....484-947-2751
Financial Services
Upland Country Day School ..............610-444-7744
School - Private School
Upland Country Day School ..............610-444-7744
School - Private School
V.P. Electrical Contracting Inc. ..........610-268-3725
Electrical
Valley Del Publications .....................610-918-9300 Publishing - Magazine Vanessa Ross Cakes .........................610-467-1800 Restaurants and Food Service - Catering
and Food Service Viking Power Products Co.................610-255-4030
