Western Chester County Life
Western Chester County Life| Letter from the 2020 Board President
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Welcome 2020 and Western Chester County Life with 20/20 vision. The future is clear and bright. Western Chester County is the best place in Pennsylvania to live, work and raise a family. It is evident that in order to have a strong local economy, you must have a strong community. We are so fortunate in our region to have leaders, business owners, educators and citizens who realize that we all share in the responsibility of creating economic success and happiness in our community.
With a new decade upon us, I would like to recognize and appreciate the amazing assets our area has to offer. Western Chester County presents a central location with easy driving distance between multiple world-class cities. We are fortunate to have excellent housing values, beautiful parks with miles of trails to enjoy with family and pets, plus streams and lakes for fishing, boating and other outdoor activities.
There are numerous high-quality educational options, including career and technical training, and innovative state-of-the-art medical facilities with cutting edge training resources. The chamber and libraries, non-profits and community partnerships host a multitude of local events, community days, races, movie nights, craft fairs, farmers’ markets and parades throughout the year. People are moving into and choosing to stay in this area because of everything it has to offer.
The Western Chester County Chamber’s goal is to retain and grow businesses in our region. Through educational and networking events, we help provide resources to our businesses and nonprofits for them to keep jobs and revenues in our region.
Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone in this region who volunteers their time and energy. I am in awe
of the generosity of this community. There are countless businesses, industries, nonprofits and individuals who continue to give both financially and their personal time each year. It is through this ongoing dedication that our region continues to thrive.
We are grateful to those leaders, who have worked so hard in the past, who had a vision for this region and founded the organizations we enjoy today. This dedication provided us with a solid foundation, and it is our duty to improve upon their legacy for the next generation of leaders.
I strongly encourage everyone to get involved and participate in the activities of the chamber and our community. As with anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it! To those of you who are fully engaged right now, we thank you for providing manpower to sustain our chamber and community organizations.
To the younger generation, this is your time to shine. Come introduce new and fresh ideas and take what an amazing opportunity this region affords and make it greater than your wildest dreams.
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No idea or contribution is too small or insignificant. Community progress starts as a vision of just a few individuals and blossoms into successful organizations and events. Some examples are: Our Western Chester County Chamber’s Home Show and our Taste of the Farm Ag event; Parkesburg Action Committees’ Final Fridays; the City of Coatesville’s Grand Prix; and Coatesville Rotary’s Strawberry Festival. Everything that is accomplished is through the hard work and dedication of many.
I invite you to be an active part of our team and work side by side with business and community members who are as devoted to the area’s success as you are. There are many opportunities available. Join a committee or group that focuses on a topic that interests you, sponsor a Chamber event, or come and network with other local professionals at our monthly events. I guarantee that you will find your efforts to be rewarding and even fun!
Don’t forget to join us on February 22, for our Chester County Home Show at the Technical College High School in Downingtown. Remember, all the chamber events are open to everyone, so come out to visit us and discover new business connections!
I am confident that 2020 is just the beginning of a prosperous and successful decade for everyone.
Alissa Griffith Quik-Stop Pharmacy
Western Chester County Chamber 2020 Events
All Events are open to the general public. Visit WesternChesterCounty.com for more details and to register. Our Networking Events are free and a great way to discover the benefits of WCCCC Membership…..helping to grow your business!
February 22
Chester County Home Show presented by the Western Chester County Chamber
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
TCHS Brandywine
February 28
Legislative Roundtable
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School
March 9
SCORE Business Seminar
7 Cool Things to do with Your Website
11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Marriott Courtyard Coatesville
March 12
Ribbon Cutting/Networking
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Midway Arts Coatesville
March 27
Municipal Update Luncheon
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Greg A. Vietri, Inc.
April Workforce
“What’s Working to Build our Talent Pipeline” Time TBD
Chester County Public Safety
Training Campus
May 5
SCORE Business Seminar
Let’s Talk: Loans to Small Businesses (SBA)
11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Marriott Courtyard Coatesville
June 2
Chamber Day in Harrisburg
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
June 11
Gala on the Greene 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Lukens Historic Grounds
July
Corporate Citizenship Date and Location TBD
July 30
WCCCC Night at the Reading Fightin Phils
7 p.m. start Fireworks after the Game
August
Agricultural Summit & Taste of Western Chester County Farms
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Romano 4H Center
August 24
Golf Outing
11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
French Creek Golf Club
Stepping Back in Time to Penn’s Woods
By Kirsten Werner, Natural Lands
In 1996, Natural Lands acquired 177 acres of forested land—situated squarely in the path of development around Exton along the Route 30 corridor. Over the past two-anda-half decades, the non-profit conservation organization has purchased an additional 23 parcels, expanding the property— known as Sadsbury Woods Preserve—to a whopping 508 acres.
The preserve is just a few miles from the Hopewell Big Woods, the largest remaining expanse of unbroken forest in southeastern Pennsylvania measuring more than 110 square miles.
“An unbroken forest is one that hasn’t been divided by roadways, lawns, or meadows,” says Sadsbury Woods Preserve Manager Erin Smith. “These woods are ecologically exceptional, since they offer critical habitat for wildlife… in particular, several species of migratory songbirds.”
Indeed, birds like Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Cerulean Warbler, and Ovenbird are all struggling for survival globally, largely due to the loss of forested habitat. These colorful and melodious birds spend their winters in South America and breed during the spring and summer in North America. To survive here, they need abundant food and protection from the weather and predators. The forests of Sadsbury Woods fill these needs quite well.
Before Europeans first arrived in what is now Pennsylvania, trees covered 90 percent of the territory. By 1850, millions of acres had been cleared for farming, timber, and firewood. And today our region continues to lose its forests to development— about one acre per hour in the Greater Philadelphia Region. In the next 25 years, the population of Chester County, in particular, is expected to increase by more than 28 percent. And all those new residents need a place to live.
Founded in 1953, Natural Lands is the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization. More than 2.5 million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Sadsbury Woods Preserve is one of 44 properties owned by the non-profit company.
“Most land conservation organizations protect open space by placing land under conservation easement. That means the land can never be developed, but the deed is still held by the landowner,” said Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands. “Our organization certainly employs this technique —we hold conservation easements on 23,000 acres of land. But we also actively purchase land to own outright. That way, we can open it up to visitors and connect more people to nature.”
All told, Natural Lands’ properties total 24,000 acres and boast 110 miles of hiking trails. What’s more: they are all open free of charge to everyone.
Oliver Bass says this reflects the organization’s motto: “Land for life, nature for all.” It’s also evidence of the organization’s generous members, whose support makes free visitation possible.
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Sadsbury Woods
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Visitors to Sadsbury Woods Preserve, with its 5.5 miles of trails, can expect to enjoy these highlights:
• Buck Run, a major tributary of West Branch Brandywine Creek, runs through the southern edge of the preserve. The forest helps keep the water cool and clean as it flows downstream—eventually traveling all the way to the Delaware River, which provides drinking water for 15 million people, including the communities of New York City, Trenton, Philadelphia, and Wilmington. The purple trail loop crosses Buck Run at two places, and can make for wet crossing if there’s been heavy rain. Bring boots!
• Part of the preserve is land that was once the Compass Quarry and was mined for building stone. Stone outcroppings dot the landscape at Sadsbury Woods, jutting up from the loamy soil.
• In spring, look for the colorful—and fragrant—blooms of pinkster flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides), a native shrub that thrives in the dappled sunlight and rich, acidic soil of Sadsbury Woods Preserve, particularly along the creek. The common name for this plant, pinkster, comes from the Dutch word for Pentecost (the seventh Sunday after Easter), in reference to its bloom time.
• In summertime, listen for the chorus of neo-tropical migratory songbirds, particularly if you visit early in the morning. One such bird, the Wood Thrush, creates two notes at once
as it sings its flute-like melody. Birds can harmonize with themselves because they have syrinxes instead of larynxes, the human version of the voicebox, which allow them to vocalize simultaneously from each of two pipes.
Sadsbury Woods Preserve is located at 443 Old Wilmington Road, Coatesville, PA. A trail map is available at natlands.org/ SadsburyWoods, or via the organization’s free smart phone app. For more information on the app, visit natlands.org/app. The preserve is open every day of the year, sunrise to sunset. Admission is free.
In 2013, after working for nearly decade in the restaurant industry, Erin Smith was at a career crossroads. She was burned out and wanted to do something that would enable her to have an impact on the environment, so she went back to school to get her master’s degree in landscape architecture at Temple University. During her final semester at Temple she completed a land management internship at Briar Bush Nature Center in Abington, PA.
“I enjoyed every minute of it, even in the snow and rain,” Smith said.
A few months later, she was hired as an intern at Crow’s Nest Preserve, one of Natural Lands’ properties in Elverson, PA, then was promoted to the position of stewardship assistant.
In 2019, Erin became preserve manager for three Natural Lands’ preserves. In addition to overseeing Sadsbury Woods Preserve, Erin is responsible for the stewardship of: • the 126-acre Willisbrook Preserve in Radnor, which hosts a rare serpentine barrens ecosystem that supports more than 40 species of threatened or endangered butterflies and moths; and • the 200-acre Green Hills Preserve in Mohnton, home to a 90-acre meadow restoration project, as well as a protected habitat area for an endangered species. “I’m so proud to be able to represent Natural Lands as a woman, and hopefully to
encourage other women to seek out this career path, or at the very least know that it’s an option,” Smith said. “I’ve had many jobs and I can truly say that, even though there are few women in this industry, I have never felt like more of a valued peer the way that I do at Natural Lands.”
Coatesville Flower Shop
By Greg DePedro Owner of the Coatesville Flower Shop
Coatesville Flower Shop is 71 years old and still going strong! The godfather of our business, Carmen, started in the fall of 1948, along with my mother, Peggy. Opening the business at 334 East Lincoln Highway, the flower shop was across the street from the YMCA, where the Coatesville Towers are now, and nestled between the old Washington Hose Co. and the Famous Restaurant. Two children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren later, Carmen is still working, overseeing the business and going strong.
In the tradition of a true family business, my wife, Dorrie, and I took over the reins of the business in 1972. The flower shop needed to expand and, in 1977, we moved to our present location at the corner of 3rd Ave. & East Lincoln Highway. Dorrie and I worked together side by side as we raised our family. Many days, our children would come to work with us and be in a playpen next to our work station. Once they started school, they would walk from St. Cecelia’s Catholic School to the flower shop and stay there until it was time to go home. They eventually started helping to clean off flowers, help with deliveries and try their hand at designing as the years went on. Our son knew early on that this wasn’t the business for him and he attended West Chester University and is now a health and physical education teacher in the Central Bucks School District.
Our daughter Lisa showed a true talent for designing and a keen business sense as well. Over the next 10 years she began to take the reins from us and became the face of our business. But in March of 2004, Lisa was diagnosed with cancer and five months later we lost her after a truly valiant battle. She left behind a 10-year-old daughter Payton who came to help us for a few years after her graduation from high school, but left to pursue her love of animals and is studying and pursuing her career as a veterinarian assistant.
After the loss of our daughter we had a very difficult time. We were facing the first anniversary of her death and could not imagine how we could face it. We remembered how she bravely faced each day and felt we had to honor that. We recalled the outpouring of love, prayers and help from our community and from her school family. They wanted to do so much. We asked Lisa “Everyone wants to help or do something for you. What should we tell them?”
Her answer was, “Tell them to do something nice for someone today.”
That was her wish. That they take the kindness they were offering her and give it to someone else who needed it. And with that in mind, “Lisa’s Roses” was born. We decided to dedicate the day to “Do Something Nice for Someone Today.” We give away a dozen roses to anyone who comes into our flower shop. There is one stipulation. They keep one rose for themselves and give the other 11 to individuals who need a kindness or just a smile. That
Dorrie and Greg DePedro
was 15 years ago. It has become an annual celebration of our daughter’s life. We have received so much strength from the outpouring of love from our family, our friends and our community, as we give away 10,000 each year. They have brought us through the darkest time of our lives. And every Aug. 23, the anniversary of Lisa’s death, they continue to do so. The day of celebrating our daughter’s life has become so important to us that we realized that we needed to share this healing process with other parents who have lost children. We have opened up our “Lisa’s Roses” to include anyone who would like to come in and give away roses in their child’s name. We stand side by side and say their child’s name and ask our ‘Rose Family’ to distribute their roses in that child’s name. If we can help even one parent survive the devastating grief that they endure we know Lisa is smiling.
We have seen the floral industry change over the years. From the plastic flowers of the 1960s and 1970s to the terrarium craze of the 1970s and 1980s to today’s trend of cactus and succulents. We have seen a change in our wedding business as well. Fifty years ago, the brides carried what was called a cascade bouquet in all white and bridesmaids carried nosegays of pastel roses. We’ve seen the years when the rainbow weddings were the vogue. Then, there were the times when the bridesmaids wore black dresses and the groomsmen were in white tuxes. There was a time when a bride’s favorite month to get married was May, and now any month is a wedding
month! From Christmas weddings to weddings in the middle of a field, we’ve seen it all! We love the changes and diversity as it really keeps us on our toes.
Our family has been through many changes in our community as well, from the town of the 1960s and 1970s with businesses booming up and down Lincoln Highway, to the struggle many small towns in America are facing. The ‘mom and pop’ businesses were shut down and replaced with first strip malls and then the big shopping malls. Many towns faced empty store fronts and people leaving the community for what they felt were bigger and better opportunities. Now the change seems to be taking a swing back. We will never go back to the way things were 50 years ago, but we have seen our community rebuilding. We have seen our local government applying for much needed help with reconstruction and reorganization. And we are proud to be a part of the wonderful people of this community who never left. We have “kept the faith.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about how we came to have such a strong work ethic and such belief in our community. It is thanks to wonderful parents who taught us how to work hard and give back to the community who has given us so much. They taught us the value of family. And they never ever let us forget that we are loved. We have passed that lesson and our love to our son John and our four grandchildren.
Dorrie and I hope that we can give back and love this community as they have loved us.
Western Chester County Life|
Chester County Parks located in Western Chester County
• Hibernia • Springton Manor
• Wolf’s Hollow • Warwick Activities, hiking, lectures and more chesco.org/178/Parks
Community Days
Visit your local municipal website to enjoy your local community day Final Fridays in Parkesburg from April through October https://parkesburg.myshopify.com
Farmers Markets
Downingtown Farmers Market
Eagleview Farmers Market growingrootspartners.com
Remember to Buy Local from our area farmers. Chester County has 1,730 operating farms most of which are family owned. Use the Farm Finder Guide to search by product, address or farm name to find the freshest, local farm goods near you. chesco.org/1124/Find-Local-Farm-Products
Libraries in Western Chester County
• Atglen • Coatesville
• Honey Brook • Parkesburg
Libraries host a wide array of programs and events for every age from preschool to
adults, for fun and to learn. Check out their Business & Career Center, for resources to grow your business, find new clients or explore a new career. ccls.org
March 5
National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
Women’s History Month Lecture
6:00 p.m. “Quaker Women”
50 S 1st Ave, Coatesville, PA 19320 steelmuseum.org
March 28 & 29
Elverson Antique Show & Sale
Twin Valley High School
Celebrating 51 years and featuring more than 30 dealers. Showcasing furniture, folk art, Americana and pottery. elversonantiqueshow.com
April 2
National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum Businesses Along the Brandywine River Lecture
6:00pm
50 S 1st Ave, Coatesville, PA 19320 steelmuseum.org
April 18 & 19
5th Annual FISH Rodeo
Hosted by FISH Fathers Involved Shedding Hope
Join in the event that brings community together to show the youth of Coatesville the power of fishing and the strength of an involved family. Fathers involved Shedding Hope (FISH) was born on that dream and established by David Terry in 2015. For more information or to help volunteer please contact FISH by calling David at 484-8837200 or email FISHCoatesville@gmail.com FISHCoatesville.com
May 2
Sheep & Wool Day
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Springton Manor Farm
The sheep are losing their winter wool and you’re invited to the shearing. Spend a day on the farm experiencing sheep shearing, wagon rides, artisan displays & demonstrations, plus many new and exciting family activities. chesco.org
May
National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
14th Annual
Rebecca Lukens Award Presentation
The Rebecca Lukens Award honors individuals who exhibit the qualities of Rebecca Lukens — resilience, leadership, courage, and strategic outlook. Please join us at the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum for the awards presentation as we recognize our 2020 recipient. steelmuseum.org
TMACC - Transportation Management Association of Chester County
May 11 through May 15 –Bike to Work Week
May 15, 2020 –Bike to Work Corporate Challenge
Interested in participating? Contact TMACC at 610-993-0911 or check us out online at www.tmacc.org
May 9
28th Annual Willowdale Steeplechase
This family-friendly event is enjoyed by over 10,000 spectators who spend a casual yet sophisticated day in Chester County’s horse country. willowdalesteeplechase.org
May 16-17
Chester County Studio Tour 2020
Visit our studios and enjoy the spring weather traveling the winding roads of Chester County. Give art or buy that special piece of art for yourself. This spring we plan on showcasing the best artists and studios in Chester County. Be prepared to spend the entire weekend engaging in the arts. countystudiotour.com
May 16-17
Tough Mudder 2020
Same epic venue, brand new course at Plantation Field in Coatesville/Unionville. Teams square off against ten miles and 20 obstacles. brandywinevalley.com
May 20
Brandywine Health Foundation Garden Party 6:00pm
Enjoy a festive and fun evening of cocktails, light supper and the one and only “Battle of the Berries at Brandywine”, at the foundation’s signature event and help to build a culture of health in the greater Coatesville area. brandywinefoundation.org
May 28 to May 31
Strawberry Festival
Coatesville Rotary
This spring, the beautiful grounds of the Brandywine Hospital will be bursting with exciting entertainment, family fun, food, fireworks, laughter, music and more at the annual Strawberry Festival. facebook.com/ RotaryCoatesvilleStrawberryFestival/
May 30
OABEST Expo
9:30 am- 1:30 pm
OABEST stands for Octorara Agriculture, Business, Environmental, Science and Technology Expo. This community day fair showcases what Octorara Area School District students do best! OABEST Expo is a collabo ative event packed with food vendors, student demonstrations, science fair exhibits, K-12 art show, First Responder demonstrations, crafts, music, games, hayrides and many more fun filled activities.
oabestexpo.com
May 30
25th Annual Race Against Violence 9am
Crime Victims Center of Chester County’s annual 5K race and walk. Take a stand against violence with CVC. Thousands of victims and families that we’ve personally helped over the last 45 years will appreciate your support. cvcofcc.org
May 31 to September 27
Brandywine Polo Presents Horses and Horsepower
Brandywine Polo Club is a 0-8 goal USPA club that brings the passion of polo and the spirit of the local community together every summer season. Celebrating their 70th Anniversary year. Check their website for dates and times. www.brandywinepolo.com
June 11 through August 20
26th Anniversary Celebration of Town Tours and Village Walks honoring Our Beacons of PrideArchitecture, Artistry and Personal Expression
Chester County will unveil their schedule of Town Tours and Village Walks in April 2020. Take advantage of these free tours and discover parts of Chester County you may not have ever visited.
chescoplanning.org/HisResources/TownTours
June 14
French Creek Iron Tour 2020 French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust preserves open space where iron blast furnaces and forges served as cornerstones of industry in colonial Pennsylvania - hence “Iron Tour.”When you ride in the French Creek Iron Tour, you have a direct impact on the preservation of the scenic countryside that surrounds you. irontour.org
June 26, 27, 28
Chester County Balloon Festival at Willowdale Steeplechase Grounds Celebrating our 14th year, the Chester County Balloon Festival is a must attend event providing family fun for all ages. Filled with activities on the ground and in the air, with up to 100 craft, food and local business vendors, live bands, and fireworks, mass balloon launches and evening balloon glows. Balloon, helicopter and Monster trucks too. Contributions from the event go to the Chester County Hero Fund as well as other local youth community groups, including our local Scouts and athletic groups.
ccballoonfest.com
July 11
Coatesville Unity Day & Music Festival Fireworks will be at dusk. coatesville.org
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Western Chester County Life|
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July 18
Bike Coalition’s Bikes and Beers 2020
We’re back at Victory Brewing in Parkesburg for a 5th year and we couldn’t be more excited! A bike ride that focuses on local craft beer and benefits Philadelphia Area cycling! You will have a chance to win a new bike, gift baskets and live music. Bikesandbeers.com/portfolio/parkesburg
July 25
Di-Atglen Alley Wizard Faire 11:00 am- 6 pm
Follow Atglen Library on Facebook for all the breaking news! Live owls, magic show, magical marketplace. Free kids’ activities, including Potions, Wandmaking, and Herbology classes. Escape room, food trucks, shopping and more! atglenpubliclibrary.com Facebook.com/DiAtglenAlley
August 8
92nd Annual Chester County Old Fiddlers’ Picnic Rain Date - Sunday, August 9 10 AM - 4 PM
Hibernia County Park will come alive as hundreds of musicians and music lovers gather to celebrate traditional music using a variety of instruments and styles. The event features vendors offering a variety of craft items and novelties, as well as food options, jam sessions, and children activities.
Hibernia County Park | 1 Park Road, Coatesville, PA 19320 checo.org/parks
August 28-30
Citadel Country Spirit USA in Chester County’s Brandywine Valley Dierks Bentley and Chris Young are two of your three Citadel Country Spirit USA headliners. Three-day passes are on sale now for the spectacular festival experience, held at Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds. brandywinevalley.com
September 5-7
Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show & Country Fair
Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show is one of the longest running shows in the area. For over 75 years it is a Chester County tradition on Labor Day weekend for people to attend and compete in this show annually. ludwigshorseshow.com
September 11
National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum Coatesville Remembers
18th Anniversary World Trade Center Commemoration
They should never be forgotten. The thousands of victims of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center twin towers will be remembered at the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum’s “Coatesville Remembers September 11th” Commemorative Service. The service will take place at the site of the Steelworkers’ Memorial, which is marked by one of the ten 50-ton World Trade Center steel tridents recovered by the museum in 2010. Free Event steelmuseum.org
September 19
5th Annual Coatesville Invitational Vintage Grand Prix
Coatesville will come alive with the sights and sounds of vintage and historic cars and motorcycles roaring through the streets of the city. The event gets started at 8:30 AM with a Color Guard ceremony and our National Anthem. Cars go off at 9 a.m. and follow a 2.2-mile course along Lincoln Highway encompassing the heart of the city and its neighborhoods. ADMISSION IS FREE! coatesvillegrandprix.com
September 26
Bike the Brandywine
Explore the scenery, glimpse the history, and discover the lure of the Brandywine during the fifth annual Bike the Brandywine! Three fully supported loops are available to riders – approximately 25, 45 and 80 miles long, with well-marked routes, rest stops and cue sheets provided to all riders. All three routes treat riders to breathtaking landscapes throughout the Brandywine Creek Greenway, with money raised supporting the clean water programs of the Brandywine Conservancy. Register today at: www.bikethebrandywine.org
Blue Dog Printing & Design
Why Blue Dog?” That is the question that Bill and Debi Friedmann, owners of Blue Dog Printing and Design, hear more than any other when asked about their business.
The story goes back to the late 1990s when as a young couple, newlywed and in their first house, decided the time was right to adopt their first dog. They went to the Chester County SPCA and found the dog that stood out. She was a little skittish, because she had been abused and then rescued. What really made her stand out was that she had been dyed completely blue. They brought her home and quickly fell in love. The blue eventually washed away, and she found her forever home.
What does that have to do with a printing company? Well a couple of years later, in 2003, Bill had a corporate job and Debi had her own graphic design business working out of their basement while taking care of their two-year-old daughter. Bill was reading the Sunday paper and saw a print shop for sale. He turned to Debi and said “Hey, what if you could print all the stuff that you design?” She thought he was crazy… a noisy, smelly print shop with paper and ink all around. Not to mention the fact that neither one of them knew a darn thing about running an offset press! He suggested they at least take a look at it. It wasn’t the answer, but the idea did not go away. Debi was working on a large project for a client that required 128 individual documents that needed to be produced in small quantities. Digital print technology was just starting to be developed and it would have made her project much easier and much more affordable for her client. They decided to start their own digital printing company. They rented some office space across the street from their daughter’s daycare center, bought some furniture and equipment and got to work. Bill continued to work at his job for another year or so—the
goal was to be able to bank six months of salary and be confident that the company would make it. As for the name—they want something a little quirky, a little creative and something that would stand out—just like their work. Of course, the inspiration came from their adopted pooch, resulting in Blue Dog Printing & Design.
Today Blue Dog Printing & Design still offers digital printing and graphic design but has expanded its operation to include large format graphics, posters, banners, yard signs as well as full mail house capabilities. Along the way, they acquired a promotional products and apparel company. Blue Dog has become the one-stop local shop for all of a company’s marketing needs. As a family-run business, they focus their efforts on their three core values: Tail Wagging Service, Unleashed Creativity, and Community Loyalty. The third promise is what sets Blue Dog apart from other area printers. Both Bill and Debi have a passion for giving back and see it as a responsibility as a business owner to be community leaders. Over the years, they have gotten involved with countless organizations including The Rotary Club of West Chester, Chester County’s Children, The West Chester School District Education Foundation, The West Chester Chili Cook-Off, and Leadership Chester County to name a few. Bill and Debi have also worked closely with several local chambers of commerce including the Exton Region, the Greater West Chester and the Western Chester County.
Blue Dog also partners with dozens of Chester County non-profits and has created a program designed to help these organizations stretch their marketing dollars. Their non-profit program, Lend-APaw, starts with a discounted rate on printing and design services. Annually, Blue Dog will sponsor an event, on an in-kind level based on the prior year’s revenue.
“We see this as a win-win for us and for the non-profit. We get the exposure of being a sponsor and they receive discounted printing year-round along with sponsorship revenue and our expertise in helping them with their event” remarked owner Bill Friedmann.
In fact, their Lend A Paw program has been so successful in helping non-profits with their fundraising events, a newly formed product is being created and expected to live launch in March. It’s called Event In A Box…a step-by-step website that walks a volunteer-based committee through all the marketing tools needed for a fundraising event.
After sixteen years in business, Blue Dog continues to grow as a company and as a community partner. “We love being a part of the Chester County business community and are always looking for ways to grow our business and to grow our involvement,” stated Debi Friedmann. They are still a family-run business and try to bring that sense of family to everything that they do. Bill and Debi’s daughter Alex, now eighteen and a Graphic Design major
at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, grew up stuffing envelopes and folding brochures. When she is home on break, she makes deliveries and has even been known to help with certain design projects. Service is the number one goal at Blue Dog Printing & Design. Whether it is great customer service or serving the community, they pride themselves on being “real people.”
“As a local company, we see our customers all of the time—we need to make sure that they are happy. If you call us, there are no scripts, if there is an issue, we figure out a way to fix it,” promised Bill Friedmann They really believe that there is a difference as well as a commitment to doing right by their customers, by their employees and by their staff. That is why their tag line is “Because Service Matters.”
Blue Dog Printing & Design is located at 1039 Andrew Drive in West Chester. They can be reached at 610-430-7992 or at bluedog@getbluedog.com. Visit their website at www.getbluedog. com.
The Chester County Economic Development Council celebrates its 60th year in 2020
The Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) is excited to be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2020. This new year begins with a strong foundation resulting from its accomplishments in 2018 and 2019 in the four key areas critical to our clients and the economic health of the county. For example:
Financing Solutions: We facilitated financing for 29 projects totaling more than $58 million and launched our Finance Finder newsletter to support service outreach.
Location Services: We forged a partnership with the development team at Cheyney University to reimagine the campus and identify university assets suitable for local companies.
Workforce Development: We provided career exploration opportunities to more than 4,600 students through our STEM Innovation programs and summer academies.
Innovation Culture: We strengthened our network of services and resources by serving more than 100 emerging tech companies in our region.
The Chester County Economic Development Council team.
With an unemployment rate hovering around 3 percent, recruiting, hiring and maintaining a strong and committed workforce is of utmost importance to the success of our employers. CCEDC is no different. With this in mind, we are proud to celebrate the contributions and successes of our team, along with the outstanding support of our board, partners and many volunteers.
As we enter this anniversary year, we do so with gratitude
Where Place & Possibility Meet!
The library is where people go to find accurate information, connect with others, & collaborate.
Our computers are used for 1000s of hours a month for applying for employment, filing taxes, accessing genealogical records, a studying for tests.
Physical books, books on CD, e-books, movies & TV shows are always available! Our children’s and adult programs are well attended and help our community learn and have fun.
Come by or call 610-384-4115 for more information and to get a library card!
501 E. Lincoln Hwy. Coatesville, PA 19320
610-384-4115
for the work of our team and volunteers and look forward with great anticipation to working together to grow the economic health of Chester County’s commerce, culture, and community.
All the best, Gary W. Smith, President & CEO
For more details on CCEDC please visit: https://annual. ccedcpa.com/
Signal 88 Security of Octorara
When it comes to everyday situations, where there is a need for extra security, Signal 88 Security is available to help.
Signal 88 Security of Octorara is part of a nationwide franchise. Locally, the business is owned and operated by Pete Mango and his wife Jeannette.
Mango’s experience as a police officer meshes perfectly with the security industry. He started as a fulltime police officer with the Veterans’ Administration in Coatesville in 1977, followed by service as a part-time officer in East Fallowfield and Caln Township police departments. He later became police chief at East Fallowfield and served there for 25 years.
“A year before I retired, I was looking at alternatives. When I saw Signal 88 Security franchise opportunities advertised in a police magazine, I thought it was perfect because I know how to protect people and I know how to respond to incidents, but I didn’t know the business side of the security world,” Mango said. “Having the opportunity to buy into a franchise system that provides the knowledge and back-up with HR, payroll, uniforms and everything was just the right choice.”
wide variety of clients, including security for as many as five hospitals at one point.
Signal 88 Security of Octorara is available for one-time special events such as sporting events or concerts, as well as short-term threat situations, and overnight patrols.
“We’ll do one-time events, we’ll do threat responses if there’s an employee termination or a threat against a business,” Mango explained. “We can put an officer in plain clothes in there.”
Now in business for 10 years, Signal 88 Security of Octorara is among one of the senior franchises in the Signal 88 system. They are a twotime winner of the franchise of the year.
With 45 to 50 employees, Signal 88 Security of Octorara covers most of Chester County and the eastern portion of Lancaster County. Over the years, the firm has handled a
The company is also available for short-term security needs, such as site protection after a fire or at construction sites.
Mobile patrols are another way that the company can provide a deterrent to crime and identify problems. Corporate sites, residential sites, businesses, or commercial properties may benefit from patrols conducted in highly visible, marked vehicles.
“The visibility causes those who are intent on conducting criminal acts to look elsewhere,” Mango said.
Signal 88 may be best known for the presence they provide in six Chester County school districts, including Octorara Area School District.
More than just responding to violence on campus, the officers’ presence helps staff and students feel they are in a safe environment where they can focus on education. Officers are also there to help protect students engaging in self-destructive behavior, and control access to the school. Mango explained, “It’s not so much the active shooter threat. There’s also a lot of other services our officers
Courtesy photo
Signal 88 was recognized for sustained employer support of National Guard and Reserve service members.
provide in schools, including identifying people who are using and selling vaping devices in the schools, vandalizing bathrooms, bullying prevention, accident investigation, traffic control and theft from the school or other students. Our officers work closely with the school principals.”
Mango added that for different situations, there are different levels of service.
“We provide armed security officers who are all retired law enforcement officers, recent MPOETC graduates or off duty officers,” he explained. “Many of them are state troopers and local police officers who have retired. We have them in schools in a good part of the county.”
But not every situation calls for an armed officer. “The second service we provide is unarmed officers. They are also in the schools, in some cases working under the supervision of an armed officer,” Mango said.
Utilizing the newest technology, including cameras in all patrol vehicles, officers are automatically logged in and out as they make their rounds. Automatic reporting systems make sure that reports of any incidents they handle are immediately sent to the client. Officers also attend online training via a very robust learning platform, 88University.
As security becomes an issue at the forefront of people’s minds, the need for Signal 88 continues to grow.
“As we see more and more active shooter situations occurring, there’s been a greater demand on us. That’s the
armed officer we’re increasingly providing,” Mango said. “It’s a growing business.”
For more information on Signal 88 Security of Octorara, call 302-298-3307 or visit the website at www.signal88.com.
Pete Mango’s career experience enables him to provide top-level security services
Get to know your
By Ann Lane, Chester County Ag Council
Do the first signs of spring have you ready to reach for your spade and gardening gloves? Consider a visit to your local garden center before you dig in.
“Local garden center staff can give you the personalized advice that big box stores often can’t,” said Susan LeBoutillier of LeBeau Gardens in Downingtown. “A plant may or may not be cheaper at a big box store, but if it’s ill-suited for our region, it will die and you’ll have to buy another.”
Local garden centers often have the advantage over larger chain stores when it comes to providing horticultural expertise because many are familyowned, with generations of the same family passing along gardening wisdom to the customer communities they serve.
“We’re here to help you make the right selection,” says Barbara Gardner, co-owner of Distinctive Gardens in West Chester. “We encourage people to bring us photos of their yards so we can help them find the best plant for their needs.”
Garden centers aren’t just about the plants. Many also offer professional landscape design and installation, hardscaping (patios and permanent outdoor features), seasonally-themed gift shops and more personal seasonal services like installing and decorating your Christmas tree at the holidays.
Whether you are a serious gardener or someone who just wants to add a little seasonal color around your home, a trip to your local garden center will give you the confidence and the materials to make your horticultural vision a reality.
Distinctive Gardens
The appropriately named Gardner family owns and operates Distinctive Gardens, a full service garden center and nursery outside of West Chester/ Marshallton. They carry a wide selection of gardening supplies and plant materials for all seasons, landscape design and installation services, as well as a gift shop which offers unique giftware and holiday decorations.
According to Barbara Gardner, aspiring gardeners need to understand the seasonal nature of the landscape and the value of planning ahead: “It’s important to understand the seasons and the plant materials that go along with them. For instance, if you want lots of tulips and daffodils in the spring, you need to plant them the fall prior.”
Their greenhouses ebb and flow seasonally in order to provide the plant materials they grow on site and to house the plant stock they bring in from other growers. Once their custom wreath and Christmas tree traffic dies down in the winter, Distinctive Gardens’ greenhouses soon fill with seed trays of popular annuals like sunpatiens and lantana that will beautify late spring and summer plantings. In addition to their famous mums, The Distinctive Gardens staff also grow a wide variety of “Proven Winner” perennials, which are bred and tested for hardiness and performance in the garden, as well as many varieties of trees and shrubs.
In addition to their outdoor plant materials, Distinctive Gardens also carries a wide variety of unique and interesting house plants, a trend Gardner sees making a comeback. She is especially excited about new varieties of “phenomenal” succulents making their way into homes and gardens, which can provide visual interest in a range of diverse growing conditions.
Distinctive Gardens is located west of Marshallton at 1531 Telegraph Road, West Chester, Pa.
local garden center
R-P Nurseries
R-P Nurseries has the distinction of being the oldest family-run nursery in the United States. This Kennett Square business opened in 1866 as a bare root tree operation, and it has since expanded and evolved under generations of the Rakestraw/Pratt family.
In response to changing customer demand, their business model now includes a garden center; gift shop; residential and commercial landscaping; and maintenance services. They’ve also greatly expanded their greenhouses to include a rotating inventory of indoor and outdoor plants everything from popular varieties to rare finds.
Manager Greg DiStefano says their loyal fan base of customers return year after year because they appreciate R-P’s knowledgeable staff, great selection of plants and good prices.
DiStefano and his staff relish the opportunity to engage with their customers to help them solve gardening dilemmas and understand what to do in the garden and when.
“We often get questions from customers about the right time to trim or plant,” said DiStefano. “It all depends on the type of plant, and we enjoy guiding them to a good choice.”
R-P Nurseries is located in Unionville at 656 Unionville Road, Kennett Square, Pa.
LeBeau Gardens in Downingtown is also founded on a strong family gardening tradition. Susan LeBoutillier, who opened LeBeau Gardens in 2012, is the granddaughter of James and Anna Paolini who founded the much loved network of Waterloo Gardens garden centers, where she got her start in the landscaping department.
“I’ve been doing this work my entire life,” said LeBoutillier fondly. LeBoutillier understands that shoppers have many choices when it comes to buying plants and other garden materials. However, she strongly encourages people to shop at local garden
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LeBeau Gardens
Nurseries
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centers like hers to not only support community businesses, but to also get the personalized advice and attention only a trained horticultural staff can provide.
“There are rules of design and rules of horticulture to understand,” she said. “Looking at the Internet alone for ideas won’t do it.”
She encourages home gardeners to be diligent with their pruning to keep their foundation beds in check and to understand that the lifespan of a good garden design is often only 15-18 years. After that point, plants can grow out of scale to their surroundings and it can be a good time to make changes.
LeBoutillier and her staff stock LeBeau Gardens with everything from unusual perennials, to beloved classics and native plants, an increasingly popular segment of the garden industry.
In terms of plants to keep an eye out for this spring, LeBoutillier is particularly excited about “Einstein,” a relatively new variety of the native clethra shrub. The “Einstein” cultivar is a hardy shrub with long, white racemes of blooms that attract pollinators and tolerates a wide variety of growing conditions, a good candidate for many kinds of landscapes and site conditions.
LeBeau Gardens is located on Rt. 113 south of Lionville, 320 W Uwchlan Avenue, Downingtown, Pa.
Valley View Perennial Growers
Busy from March until Thanksgiving, Valley View Perennial Growers offers a large selection of over 250 varieties of container perennials, grasses, bedding plants, herbs and vegetable plants. Many of which are native to Pennsylvania and pollinator-friendly.
Owner Lynn Snyder Mack strongly believes in the importance of either growing her own plants or sourcing from nearby quality growers.
“Customers ask us why our plants do well and plants from big box stores don’t,” said Snyder Mack.
According to Snyder Mack, plants from big box stores are often grown entirely in green houses and fed excessive amounts of plant food in order to look particularly green and lush when they hit stores’ shelves. However, this aggressive start in life means these plants aren’t always able to adjust and thrive in the variable, sometimes challenging garden conditions found outdoors in Pennsylvania.
“It’s taken us years to find the best local sources for young plants, years of trialing plants to make sure they will be reliable in the garden and years to find good sources for our special potting mix blend, so we can produce the most productive plants for our customers,” says Snyder Mack. “We want our plants to do well in the real world, not just in a greenhouse.”
Understanding that customers can sometimes feel overwhelmed by their wide selection of plants, Snyder Mack and her staff are always happy to offer advice on a plant’s deer resistance, pollinator appeal and the best way to site
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plants for long term garden success. They also offer free sample landscape design plans customers can take home to get ideas about garden design and structure.
Valley View Perennial Growers is located on Rt. 10, 2068 Limestone Road, Cochranville, Pa.
Other local garden centers to visit:
Hidden Acres Greenhouse, 956 Fallowfield Road, Atglen, PA 19310
Jane’s Flower Patch, 1219 Horseshoe Pike, Downingtown, PA 19335
King’s Herb Nook, 1060 Compass Road, Honey Brook, PA 19344 Route 10 Garden Center, 430 Limestone Road, Oxford, PA 19363
Somerset Nursery, 1697 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore, PA 19343
Water Crest Farms Nursery, 190 Woodcrest Road, West Grove, PA 19390
Inspector: Kevin Kerr
Western Chester County Life|
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Chester County’s destination towns offer unique experiences
By Brian O’Leary Executive Director of Chester County Planning Commission
Chester County’s urban centers are becoming destination towns where more and more people want to live, work, and visit to enjoy unique experiences offered by breweries and tasting rooms, farmers’ markets, food trucks, and short-term rentals such as Airbnbs and VRBOs.
That was the message that came out of the Chester County Urban Centers Forum last fall at the Victory Brewing Company in Parkesburg.
Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet cofounded Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown in 1996 and now have locations in Parkesburg and Kennett Square. The manufacturing and distribution operation now sells its products in 35 states and six other countries.
“We’re very proud of our home,” said Covaleski. “We’re very appreciative of the water here.”
Kent Steeves of the new Braeloch Brewing in Kennett Square spoke about some of the hurdles people might face when opening a brewery or tasting room. He credited Kennett Square Borough officials for being forward thinking when it comes to welcoming new businesses there.
Farmers Market Directory. Farms selling direct-to-consumer are more likely to remain in business. On average, about 13 fulltime jobs are created by farms that sell locally per $1 million in revenue created, compared to three jobs for farms without local sales.
County Planning Commission Urban Planner Kevin Myers discussed short-term rentals, which are more commonly known as Airbnb or VRBO rentals. These are residential properties or portions of residential properties that are available for rent on a limited duration basis; there are over 250 of this type of rental in Chester County. Myers said these rentals are popular options in communities with higher lodging demand, thriving business or entertainment districts, seasonal destinations, significant tourism attractions, close proximity to universities, and large special events such as fairs, concerts and festivals.
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Myers noted that municipalities should consider some factors before allowing this type of lodging including potential neighborhood opposition, the effects on housing availability and affordability and effects on commercial lodging such as hotels and bed and breakfasts. Myers also provided suggestions for municipalities, such as examining policies and determining methods of regulation such as zoning ordinances or standalone ordinances.
There are currently about 25 breweries in Chester County, based on 2019 Chester County Health Department licensing records. Pennsylvania is ranked first for volume of craft beer produced in the United States and ranked sixth nationwide for the number of breweries. This industry has a $6.3 billion economic impact on Pennsylvania, which is second only to California.
Lisa O’Neill, owner of Growing Roots, spoke about the benefits of farmers’ markets in Chester County. Her organization currently runs three markets in Chester County and one in Berks County. She said the markets help bring visitors to the boroughs who then patronize the local businesses.
“Our purpose is to breathe life back into the community,” she said.
There are 10 active farmers’ markets in Chester County, six of which are open during the off-season. As of December 2019, there are more than 8,700 farmers’ markets nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Eric and Elaine Kelleher of On the Roll Food Truck were on hand to discuss the benefits of food trucks in urban centers. “It’s been interesting and it keeps us busy,” said Eric Kelleher.
Kelleher added that he doesn’t believe food trucks take business away from brick-and-mortar restaurants. “We’re not taking business away from them – we’re actually bringing business to them,” he said. “I actually think we complement each other.”
There are dozens of food trucks licensed to operate in Chester County, according to a Planning Commission analysis of Health Department records. The annual food truck sales in the United States equates to over $2 billion.
Chester County Health Department Environmental Health Specialist Carrie Lane spoke about the importance of business owners and municipal officials reaching out to the County Health Department for assistance when opening new restaurants, breweries, and businesses. “It’s vital that we’re involved from the get-go,” she said.
Phoenxiville Borough Planning and Land Development
Courtesy photos Farmers’ Markets are very popular.
Director and Zoning Officer David Boelker spoke about how consumers have shifted their spending habits toward more online shopping these days versus brick-and-mortar stores. As a result, when people go out in their spare time, “they want experiences,” he said.
Urban Centers Forums have been conducted since the development of VISTA 2025, the County’s economic development strategy. The forums are the result of a partnership involving the Chester County Commissioners, the County Department of Community Development, the County Planning Commission, and the Chester County Economic Development Council.
The Planning Commission is implementing projects in Landscapes3 that will help the boroughs and City of Coatesville such as an Urban Centers Design Guide. In addition, the Vision Partnership Program (VPP) is available for all municipalities in Chester County, including urban centers, to help improve their planning programs while achieving consistency with
Landscapes3. View more information about the VPP: https:// www.chescoplanning.org/municorner/vpp.cfm.
County Department of Community Development Director Pat Bokovitz noted that urban centers can apply for Chester County Community Revitalization Program (CRP) grant opportunities for infrastructure improvements. View more information about the CRP: https://chesco.org/1924/Apply-for-Grants.
View fact sheets about destination towns: https://chescoplanning.org/MuniCorner/UrbanPlanning.cfm
The Chester County Planning Commission can be reached by phone at 610-344-6285, by email at ccplanning@chesco.org, or by mail at 601 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19380. Get all the latest updates online at www.chescoplanning.org
Founded in 1919, Coatesville Savings Bank has been serving the needs of the community and its residents for over 100 years. Having survived the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, the Bank has demonstrated its resiliency and stability throughout the years. Even today, our team remains committed to providing quality customer service, along with financial products and services, supported by modern technology, that help you prosper. We invite you to stop by a local branch to meet us and learn more!
Victory Brewing has three locations in Chester County. Food trucks can have many benefits for urban centers.
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Stottsville Inn owner realizes youthful wish
Michael Quinn running successful landmark
By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer
Not everyone is able to fulfill a childhood dream, so the Stottsville Inn owner Michael Quinn might be counted among the lucky.
“From a young boy, for some reason or another, I always had the yearning to own a restaurant,” said Quinn, a building contractor who specializes in historic renovations.
In 2016, Quinn purchased the Inn at 3512 Strasburg Road from the estate of the late Raymond Carr, the well-known entrepreneur and developer of the Duling-Kurtz House in Exton and Kennedy Supplee Mansion in Valley Forge National Historical Park.
The pull for Quinn was strong. “I drove by this place for 30 years,” he said, “and I put an offer in the day it went on the market.” Being able to put his talented son Isaac as executive chef in the kitchen was also compelling motivation to acquire the Stottsville. The younger Quinn counts among his cooking experience stints at such Philadelphia eateries as Barbuzzo, Lolita and Little Nonna.
The charming hotel rooms have been pared down from 16 to nine, to accommodate more bathrooms with five-foot, walk-in showers. The rooms were enjoyed by one particular guest, Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet. The actress Kate Winslet, in Chester and Delaware counties to tape her upcoming HBO series, “Mare of Easttown,” spent one December night in the suite. Unfortunately, other commitments pulled Quinn away that evening, so he didn’t meet her. “But we can say, ‘Kate slept here’,” he said.
Quinn’s contracting know-how was naturally a boon when it came to remodeling. “We did about a year-and-a-half of renovations – mostly interior and painting the outside. We put about $1 million into it.”
Included in the design changes were adding windows throughout the interior, resulting in a light and open feel in the main dining room, the clever suggestion of his wife Kelly. Another move was to remove the tired, musty carpeting to expose the original heart pine floor. Quinn explained the panels were cut from the center of pine trees from the 19th century and “you can’t get that kind of wood anymore.”
The Stottsville dates back to 1858, when it was built as a hotel-restaurant for travelers going from Lancaster to Philadelphia. “It was a way station where people could board their horses, eat a meal and sleep overnight,” Quinn said, noting it was just one of many such establishments along the route, including the Marshalton Inn, about 12 miles east on Strasburg Road and the General Warren in Malvern. Stottsville has gone through a few incarnations since its early days, including its previous turn as a fine-dining restaurant.
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But under the Quinn family, the Stottsville has embraced a more laid-back and comfortable atmosphere. Michael Quinn describes the menu, with its mix of homey and more sophisticated selections, as eclectic.
He speaks enthusiastically about the chef’s offerings, listing some of the more popular ones.
“Everything he cooks, he’s just got a little twist to it. It’s not the same that you would get any other place. We go from bar food all the way to four- or five-star entrees.”
“My son is a very innovative chef,” Quinn said. “We have things like shrimp and grits, and chicken marsala. All of our soups and salads … everything is house-made. Our tomato soup is just a little different than a standard tomato soup
Pictured inside the Stottsville Inn are (from left) owner Michael Quinn; general manager Kate Richárd, who was Quinn’s longtime office manager in his general contracting business; and Isaac Quinn, Inn executive chef and Michael Quinn’s son.
The sign outside the Stottsville Inn.
The chef himself said he’s trying to do a mix of comfort food and dishes that might be new to some of the patrons. “I try to make the regular menu pretty approachable. But on the weekends, I’ll try to do more elevated specials,” Isaac Quinn said.
Quinn said the kitchen expansion part of the renovation was to accommodate a very special piece of equipment.
“Isaac and I built and designed the kitchen. We put in a five-foot, custom wood-fired grill that we got from Texas. So we either cook or finish things off on the wood-fired grill. We use it extensively on anything from steaks, hamburgers … our wings are par-fried and then finished off on the wood-fired grill, so they have the barbecue, smoky taste to them. We have grilled asparagus … we do a lot of vegetables.
“Our calamari … we have sautéed as well as fried calamari, served with a house-made tomato sauce. In our appetizers, we have Brussels sprouts that are finished off on a wood-fired grill and our shrimp cocktail – in my opinion a true, five-star shrimp cocktail – he marinates it in a Creole sauce, then finishes it off on the wood-fired grill and it’s served over a bed of thinly sliced celery with the cocktail sauce on the plate. In comparison to the shrimp cocktail that would just be in a cocktail glass. That’s just boiled shrimp.”
Cheesesteak and chicken steak sandwiches also benefit from this manner of cooking. The meat is cooked on the wood-fired grill prior to being on the flattop grill. “It’s cooked twice, which gives it a special flavor. Our cheesesteak is not your normal cheesesteak.”
Stottsville’s casual food has been recognized by Main Line Today magazine, which gave the Inn an award for best pizza in the Western Suburbs. “Our margherita pizza is just over the top. It’s like it has a little bit more cheese than most margherita pizzas. And then we have our custom pizzas: barbecue chicken, Brussels sprout, short rib ….”
But don’t ask for a large. “We don’t do any large pizzas
because, in my opinion, they don’t cook the same. So we do 12-inch pan pizzas.”
Popular entrees include Mushroom Beef Stroganoff, which can be made without beef for a vegetarian option; the Inn Crab Cake; and Grilled Hangar Steak.
But if brunch is more your style, you’re in luck. Chicken and Waffles, S’mores Pancakes and Bananas Foster French Toast all grace the menu from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Stottsville also has daily specials, of course. But they come with a little something extra, Quinn said: a stated price.
Continued on Page 43 with a little bit different spice in it. Our French onion soup -- instead of being a standard broth base-- has a little tomato base in it that people just absolutely love.”
“I hate going to a restaurant and they have a list of specials and they don’t give you the price. You might be hesitant or embarrassed. You don’t want to look like a cheapskate, so you go ahead and get it and it costs $42!
“So we have prices on our specials. It’s in our business plan to put our fresh food at reasonable prices and we’ve made a huge effort to do that.”
Quinn is planning on adding an additional dining room, but not to pack the restaurant.
He pointed to the substantial spacing between tables in the dining room.
“You see, there’s generous room here. I can pack more tables in here if I wanted. But when you get this dining room full, it’s too loud. And people feel like they have to leave as soon as they’re done.
“So my business plan is to have more tables so that means it can double as a private party space. It’s a little bit of a European model. [Europeans] basically live in smaller homes and they don’t have the same space to entertain, so they go to restaurants and stay for four hours.” Quinn said he’d welcome people to linger and chat at his tables.
As he gains more experience as the proprietor of the Stottsville Inn, Quinn said one of his greatest satisfactions is watching many of the young people in his staff of 35 grow and mature in their jobs.
“There are so many hard things about running a restaurant,” he said. “But this is a real joy.”
Natalie Smith may be contacted at DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com
The bar at the Stottsville Inn was enlarged in the 18-month renovation after it was purchased by Michael Quinn in 2016.
Actor Kate Winslet slept in the suite in the Stottsville Inn early in December when she was in Chester County during the filming of her HBO series, “Mare of Easttown.” The beds in each of the nine rooms has 600 thread count sheets.
Photos by Natalie Smith
The dining room at the Stottsville Inn.
Western Chester County Life|
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Transportation and the 2020 U.S. Census
By Tim Phelps TMACC Executive Director
Awareness of the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census is growing. State and local governments around the nation are establishing Complete Count Committees (CCC) to educate and raise awareness to all to participate in the census. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the Chester County Commissioners approved a resolution calling for the formation of a countywide Census 2020 Complete Count Committee (CCC) to encourage all residents’ participation in the Census survey and established a Complete County Committee.
In the County announcement the Commissioners stated that Chester County’s CCC is a group of volunteers who, at the local level, develop and implement a 2020 Census awareness campaign based upon their knowledge of the local community. The CCC is comprised of government and community leaders from education, business, health care, and other community organizations. Their focus is to raise awareness about the 2020 Census and conduct public outreach to “hard-tocount” residents of Chester County.
In March and April of 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau will be conducting the 2020 Census, as is required by Article 1,Section 2 of the United States Constitution which mandates a count of all the people living in the United States every ten years. The county announcement goes on to say, “Because the 2020 Census affects the future distribution of state and federal funding to Chester County’s governments and social service organizations, the Chester County Commissioners have established a Complete Count Committee to help ensure that all
residents in Chester County are counted.”
So why does the Transportation Management Association of Chester County and its partner organizations like the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce strongly support the participation in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census?
From a transportation perspective it’s this simple: Federal Highway Planning and Construction dollars relies on censusderived data and funds distributed by state.
The George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy conducted research for the U.S. Census entitled Counting for Dollars 2020. The first portion of the study focused on the allocation of funds from 55 large Federal spending programs and then the 16 large Federal assistance programs that distribute funds on basis of decennial Census -driven statistics. At $34.3 trillion dollars, Highway Planning and Construction is the fourth largest Federal assistance program to State transportation departments. These are formula driven grants where State departments select projects in cooperation with local officials; for southeast Pennsylvania this is the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission a Metropolitan Planning Organization. Five transportation programs including Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality which local municipalities apply for, and Surface Transportation rely on this Census -driven data which includes population and median income. Moreover, per the code, the distribution of funds with a state is to be based in part on local population size. A State decennial Census undercount would directly result in lower population and lower state share of transportation leading to less project funding.
Per the study, in FY2016 Pennsylvania received $39,179,047,733 through 55 federal spending programs
guided by data derived from the 2010 Census. Of the 16 large Federal assistance programs for FY2015, Pennsylvania’s number four assistance program was Highway Planning and Construction for a totaled $1,670,766,557
So why does the Transportation Management Association of Chester County encourage everyone to participate in the U.S. 2020 Census?
Pennsylvania relies on the federal dollars to continue repairing, rebuilding and maintaining our state transportation infrastructure. In the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 2018 Annual Report (Pub 409 (7-19)), it states that PennDOT is ”directly responsible for approximately 40,000 roadway miles and 25,400 bridges in Pennsylvania, maintaining our transportation network takes strong partnership among the department, federal and local governments, planning partners, the construction industry and our communities. In addition to the state’s highways and bridges, a robust menu of travel and commerce options such as aviation, transit and rail facilities are also essential to keeping people and goods moving”. Construction lettings in 2018 was for $2.48 Billion dollars for 726 contracts that focused on highway and bridges.
For Chester County and the Delaware Valley we must continue to improve the safety and efficiency of moving people
and goods throughout the region. More efficient transportation network reduces congestion, improves our air quality and increases our quality of life.
To learn more about the figures in this article, visit The George Washington University’s Public Policy website for Counting for Dollars 2020 at www.gwipp.gwu.edu/countingdollars-2020-initial-analysis. For information on the U.S. Census visit www.census.gov . Chester County’s CCC will be actively working from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2020 to ensure that everyone in Chester County is counted. Please visit the Chester County Planning Commission’s Complete Count web page to view the 2020 Census timeline, obtain informational resources, and learn how you can become a Census Champion.
TMACC is the Transportation Management Association of Chester County, a non-profit, member-based organization focused on improving traffic congestion and air quality for the County of Chester through transportation demand management strategies. If you are interested in being a part of the movement, visit them at tmacc.org
Take the Census. We are counting on it!
Coatesville Area Senior Center
The Coatesville Area Senior Center (CASC) has more to offer than you may expect. Most people envision a senior center as a place for bingo and perhaps blood pressure screenings for people who have slowed down during retirement.
Today’s senior center offers much more than that. In addition to the mid-day meal, social games, and exercise classes that are traditional staples of a Senior Center, at CASC you may also find beer- and wine-tasting events, active gardening clubs, art classes, dance classes, and even stand-up comedy after dark.
Bill Pierce, the CASC director, explained, “We strive every day to think outside the box and bring engaging, exciting, and innovative opportunities to our participants – because let’s face it, it’s what they want. Wouldn’t you want the same?”
No longer exclusively for sedentary seniors, CASC is striving to meet the expectations of people with five or more decades of interests and abilities.
“If you have children by age 35, they’ll be 50 years old by your 85th birthday. That means that you and your children could be enjoying CASC together. Additionally, our programs
and services must be adaptive for varying financial circumstances, medical conditions, mental health diagnoses, and more,” Pierce said.
“For one person, CASC might provide the only full meal in a day. For another, our fitness programming may provide a safe and comfortable environment to stay active without fear of being injured or overworked. No matter the need, CASC is committed to staying relevant for individuals who want to stay active and healthy,” Pierce said.
One-size-fits-all options that cater to an increasingly elderly America are no longer a viable option. The aging population is the largest demographic shift that business leaders, policy makers, health care providers, and service providers will face in the next few decades.
It is projected by the U.S. Census Bureau that by 2034 older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history. Community members still under 50 should be thinking about what they want a senior center to look like when they’re ready to visit one. CASC is working now, with an eye to the future, to begin offering those same kinds of programs and services.
Jerry James
Ruth Wilson
CASC offers support services to connect individuals to the resources available in the community. Trained staff encourage clients to take better care of themselves and learn how to ask for help – when they need it.
Exercise programs in partnership with the Brandywine YMCA help people stay active as they age, with weekly fitness classes that improve mobility and increase strength. Everyone has access to outcome-based approaches to staying healthy.
People should also engage in the creative process to activate the mind and body. At CASC, there are a wide range of artistic projects that improve fine motor skills, generate new ideas and help people discover new talents.
Educational opportunities provide the means to learn a new language, explore history, or even brush-up on driving skills. Classes are conducted in a respectful learning environment that encourages interaction with like-minded peers.
Nutrition programs are at the heart of CASC. Nostalgia Kitchen by CASC offers a unique dining experience for the community. Everyone, no matter their age, may enjoy breakfast at CASC with lunch available for persons age 60 and older. CASC’s culinary-trained chef leads clubs and cooking classes and the nutrition team produces homemade soups for purchase on a weekly basis.
CASC recognizes that their visitors are not just seniors. They are also teachers, activists, chemists, leaders, innovators, and founders.
Ruth Wilson, age 93, is one of only six living AfricanAmerican Rosie the Riveters from the World War II campaign aimed to get women to come into the workforce. She left her job to do sheet metal work on the USS Valley Forge at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Labor activist Jerry James returned to Coatesville after his time in the service and took a job at then Lukens Iron and Steel Company. At the time, black men were often relegated to menial jobs and labor gangs. Dissatisfied with his limited opportunities, he persevered with the status quo until the racial injustices were recognized. He helped to alter company policy and would open the doors for his peers as he represented them as the first black brick layer for Lukens.
Services at CASC are open to anyone age 50 and over. Volunteers of any age are welcome to help on the administrative team, lead a class or work on a fund raiser. No matter what your interest, there is a place where you can help.
CASC works behind the scenes to remind everyone, including service providers, funders, and the government, that their commitment to working for the welfare of older persons is important. That is true whether their interest is ending hunger and poverty or increasing access to medical treatment.
CASC is located at 250 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (formerly Harmony St.), Coatesville. For more information call the Center at 610-383-6900 or visit the website at www.coatesvilleseniorcenter.org and follow on Facebook.
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Parkesburg: A borough on the cusp of a Renaissance
By April Kenworthy, Parkesburg Action Committee
The Borough of Parkesburg has faced more than its share of challenges over the years. If you drive down Main Street or First Avenue today, you will see many empty storefronts situated between thriving businesses. Occasionally, a new business will open up with great expectations - but then after a year or sometimes less, sadly close their doors.
Fortunately, there is a movement taking place in the borough that is bringing a wave of positive change. It’s coming not only from the local government, but also its citizens and business owners. Longtime residents are joining forces with newcomers, and something exciting is happening. People are taking part, joining local committees, participating in activities, stepping up and getting involved. There is a “Can Do” spirit growing here that is contagious.
People want to see the charm of a small-town return to Parkesburg. The good news is that the borough has been actively working with the Chester County Planning Commission on a path towards revitalization.
The first step towards this goal is updating the Comprehensive Plan. Working on this is a task force comprised of representatives from the county, the borough council, business owners and citizens.
Long time projects that have been mired down in decades of red tape are finally shaking free and clawing their way towards progress. The Parkesburg train station is slated to begin muchneeded property upgrades funded by PennDOT and pushed through Amtrak thanks to Senator Andy Dinniman. We should
start seeing work there in 2021.
PennDOT announced that it will also start replacing the long-closed West Bridge Street bridge at the end of 2020. This will provide another connection between Main Street and 1st Avenue as well as clean up a blighted eyesore.
While on the topic of eyesores, the long empty former ACME underwent mysterious renovations, sparking many rumors over just what was going into the space. After more than 15 years of sitting vacant, the iconic ACME was transformed into a bustling Planet Fitness. So not only is the town shaping up, the citizens are too.
The Keystone Valley Fire Department completed the renovation of the fire station and memorial garden. This was celebrated last May with a dedication ceremony.
The Chester Valley Trail (CVT) West project held feasibility studies and town meetings to evaluate potential routes through the borough. The project will connect the CVT in Downingtown to the Enola Low Grade trail west of Atglen. Having the trail go through Parkesburg Borough, rather than around it, brings the promise of the borough becoming a “Trail Town.” The potential of recreation-centered economic development is enormous.
Within the borough itself, there have been many changes. The new borough manager, Neil Vaughn, has been instrumental in much of what has taken place. He sought, and was awarded, a $50,000 grant which will be used for several improvement projects at Minch Park.
This year, the borough has also formed two new commissions. The Parkesburg Historic Commission’s mission is to record the history of the borough, maintain an archive of various historical memorabilia, and to inventory historical sites and structures. One of the main objectives of the Historical Commission is to create a physical museum to house, preserve and display the history of Parkesburg. Under the guidance of Vice Chairman Gerry Treadway, a vast collection of historic memorabilia is currently awaiting a permanent home. To kick off the fundraising efforts, the commission sold Christmas ornaments featuring a vintage photograph of the old Parkesburg School. The sale was so successful that they look forward to repeating the fundraiser yearly.
The Parkesburg Parks and Recreation Commission was also formed and was immediately joined by several enthusiastic citizens who desired to become involved with borough activities. They coordinated the first borough-wide street luminary event and adorned the gazebo in Minch Park with festive
decorations. They look forward to seeing these programs expand every year. The commission has a vision of a large, permanent evergreen tree that will be the center of future tree lighting ceremonies.
The Parkesburg Action Committee (PAC) was formed almost four years ago by a group of business owners and community leaders who desired to create a sense of community, promote growth and improvement within the borough. They started hosting a street fair one night a month called Final Friday. The 200 block of Main Street is closed off to traffic, allowing vendors, food trucks, musical entertainment, local businesses, and civic groups to all come together and enjoy the evening. Many people have expressed how nice it is to have an activity that brings the town together, gets people outside and visiting their friends and neighbors. They also host a Christmas on Main event, highlighting the businesses on Main Street and bringing in additional local vendors for holiday shopping.
Reviving a community requires residents, businesses and the local government to work together, one step at a time. Parkesburg is on the path to reinventing itself for current and future generations to live, work and play.
For more information on Parkesburg events follow Parkesburg Action Committee on Facebook.
Functional Healthcare offers new approach
Agape Institute looks to brain for illness beginnings
By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer
For those interested in expanding their healthcare beyond drug management, Dr. Stephen Conicello and his staff at Agape Institute of Functional Health and Chiropractic, offer a chance for patients to look outside more traditional methods.
Agape’s Functional Medicine is defined on its website. “Functional Medicine looks for the cause of why your body created the problem, instead of managing your symptoms with drugs or surgeries for the rest of your life.”
Conicello is a doctor of chiropractic that is specific in the use of functional neurology and holds a host of post graduate education in related disciplines. The doctor has an impressive and varied background, which includes being a paramedic, conducting research, correcting patients with upper cervical chiropractic, and attending medical school up to his 4th year. At that point, Conicello decided he did not want to continue a residency in medicine. Conicello is constantly studying, both to keep up with the latest advancements in his field and to find the best ways to handle his patients’ ailments.
lacrosse, ice hockey and football – the chiropractor said he suffered numerous concussions that affected his well-being for years. Among his ailments were impacted sinuses and asthma, which required the frequent use of an inhaler.
“Over time, the constant use of the medication started to deteriorate the cartilage in his lower spine and his hips,” said Dr. Conicello’s wife Michelle, who is studying to become a certified natural health practitioner. But Dr. Conicello’s visits to an upper cervical chiropractor relieved his symptoms which ultimately led to cartilage regrowth. It was an inspiration for Conicello to pursue his life’s work.
In 2009, Conicello was invited to Rome, Italy to take part in a revolutionary research study with leading cardiologists, vascular and orthopedic surgeons on multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. After returning to Pennsylvania, in 2010 he opened the Upper Cervical Chiropractic Neurology Center in Downingtown. Following completion of his training in Functional Chiropractic Internal Healthcare, he opened Agape Institute in Coatesville in 2014 and is focusing on that side of chiropractic.
Dr. Conicello also knows personally what it’s like to deal with his own health issues. As a very athletic boy – playing in the playoffs for the Little League World Series and later in
At Agape, which translates to “unconditional love,” patients are helped with a wide variety of conditions through state-of-theart technology, lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements. But it all starts with the brain/body connection.
Michelle Conicello explained what a typical process for a new patient would be:
“The first step in the practice would be to analyze what’s going on with the person neurologically, [using a neurofeedback machine],” she said, “because the brain can actually drive disease throughout the body.”
This helps to determine if there has been different types of trauma to the body, to the brain, especially, including things like a concussion, whether it’s an actual physical concussion or chemical concussion. Concussions are more common than one might think.
Michelle explained, “Most children, as they’re learning to walk, hit their head more than you realize. So some of us have had mild concussions and we may not even realize it. It can even be kids playing sports when their first major concussions can happen. You see the [young kids’] football and they’re not supposed to collide, but they do. Even hitting a soccer ball on your head, which is normal during the game, could produce a mild concussion and even mild concussions can cause swelling.”
All photos by Natalie Smith
Dr. Stephen Conicello and wife Michelle founded the Agape Institute in 2014.
“The brain assessment can show whether or not there’s a problem or an imbalance” she explained. To use the ClearMind Brain Mapping System, an electrode cap to monitor brainwaves is placed on the head, and the software records electrical impulses. A detailed report is issued from ClearMind center to identify which brain areas could be causing a patient’s problem.
From brain mapping, the analysis may need to go deeper using blood, urine, saliva— whatever Dr. Conicello deems appropriate to show him a fuller picture of how everything is functioning.
Another part of patient assessment is measuring ocular movement using a system called RightEye.
Agape
process that rids the body of fat cells. It works best on people who are just looking to lose about an inch.
“When the person is doing the testing, the system uses an infrared camera to track the eye movement. For someone with vision problems, that’s just one part of it,” said Michelle. “Children who have trouble reading; even adults who feel like they have to read the same paragraph over and over – there could be a tracking issue.”
For people who play sports, using RightEye could prove invaluable.
“Pro athletes are using the system to get better. So any sport, any position within that sport, can be improved.
“The therapies can actually be done on your home computer,” she said.
A staff nutrition coach plays a role in helping the patient heal. “Once the patient knows ‘OK, these foods need to be avoided’ from specific lab testing, we can help the body to decrease inflammation in the body, and allow it to heal. A lot of times their lifestyle needs to change, even if it might be for a three- or four-month period,” she explained.
“What [the nutrition coach] does is works with the patient and their family member -- whoever does the cooking -- to help them make substitutions with their diet,” Michelle Conicello said. “For example, a patient might need to eliminate grain and dairy from their diet, every single person’s blood chemistry is different.”
Agape also offers oxygen therapy to improve healing and performance.
“One of the things that’s very helpful for the brain to heal and the body in general is oxygen. And one of the only things that’s able to heal nerve tissue is oxygen and oxygen under pressure is what we do with hyperbaric therapy.”
The patient gets inside the chamber, which is loosely like a very large, all-encompassing sleeping bag. “All the air that’s going in is the air that is in the room. The pressure of the hyperbaric chamber is set at 4.5 psi. This allows the hyperbaric to infuse oxygen into the body and help it to heal. The chamber also has an oxygen concentrator which takes the oxygen out of the air, filters it, concentrates it and puts it in through a mask which is on the patient’s face. It’s going directly into the lungs at 98 percent oxygen into the lungs. It’s so great for people that have post-concussions, trauma brain injury (TBI), wounds, post-stroke, pre- and post-operations and increase sports performance.” For the wheelchair-bound, Agape has a lift to easily help those patients into the chamber.
For those who are interested in body sculpting, Agape offers SculpSure, a system that uses light-based technology to destroy surface fat cells. While not a way to lose weight but to lose fat, the system is for healthy people who have a BMI of less than 30 and want spot toning. Patients will see results as early as six weeks following the 25-minute session with optimal results usually within three months. The nice thing? There is no down-time!
The Conicellos understand that some of Agape’s methods might be unfamiliar, but they want people to know they are effective.
“It’s a different approach, but it’s all based on science and a lot of training,” Michelle said. “The reason we do brain mapping as a first step is because of what Dr. Conicello has learned that most disease processes start with the brain.
“We’re looking at the way things are functioning and helping the body to ultimately heal itself. We’re not the ones healing it, we’re guiding the patients and encouraging the patients. We really are coaching them, but on a very high level so it’s completely different than just a life coach or health coach.”
Conicello works with each patient’s medical doctors. “As a patient improves, they may no longer have a need for medication, [Conicello] is not going to take them off, the medical doctor needs to take them off.”
Conicello emphasized that the health of the patient is the ultimate goal, with neither MDs or practitioners being the “be all, end all. It’s about the collaboration to help the patient to become well.”
also offers SculpSure, a
Some of the supplements included in recommendations for patients of Dr. Stephen Conicello of Agape Institute of Functional Health and Chiropractic in Coatesville.
The Hyperbaric Chamber is good for healing both brain and body.
Belaying & Bouldering: Philadelphia Rock Gym continues to climb the ropes in Coatesville and beyond
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
At first glance, the 32-foot-high walls at the 12,000-square-foot Coatesville branch of Philadelphia Rock Gyms seem unfit for the faint of heart or the sedentary soul.
Their height, and the maneuvering it takes to get to the top, seems like it would require a pretzel twist of the body and a wish for luck, and although the last two words in the company’s slogan – Community and Climbing – are easy to see from the dozens of climbers ascending in teamwork with each other, it is the first word – Confidence – that appears out of place.
And yet, in the 11 years the Coatesville facility has been open and served thousands of novice and experienced climbers, confidence is the word that most clearly defines and measures its success. Residents from Coatesville, Downingtown, West Chester, Parkesburg, Exton and the Brandywine Valley – drop-ins and Continued on Page 54
Photo by Derrick Ruf, Iron Oak Studios Philadelphia Rock Gyms are the perfect social opportunity for friends and coworkers to have a lot of fun.
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nearly 500 members – are bursting through the doors of the Coatesville facility, donning climbing gear, and under the tutelage of experienced teachers, are climbing their way toward new challenges.
“The best example of where you see confidence manifest here is at the top of the wall,” said Lauren Caporizo, Philadelphia Rock Gyms’ (PRG) Chief Business Development Officer. “Getting up there for most people when they start out seems intimidating and extreme, but when people get there for the first time it instills a sense of achievement. They’re doing something they previously didn’t think they could do, because they have pushed themselves beyond their boundaries.”
Founded in 1994 by two college friends and now owned by Dave Rowland, PRG has introduced more than 500,000
residents throughout southeastern Pennsylvania to the sport of indoor rock climbing. In addition to the Coatesville location, PRG has facilities in Oaks, East Falls, Wyncote and Fishtown, and is preparing to open its newest location in Malvern this spring.
Rowland’s vision for the company clicked in perfect harmony with the timing of his purchase. Once relegated to rugged outdoor enthusiasts and thrill-seekers, the popularity of rock climbing and bouldering has soared in recent years, due in large part to the surge in indoor facilities popping up across the U.S. Statistics provided by IBISWorld estimated that from 2012-2017, the average annual growth for the indoor rock climbing industry was nearly four percent in the U.S., nearly 40 percent more than the gym, health and fitness club industry grew during that same period.
The five PRG locations are now among the more than 500 indoor rock climbing centers in the U.S., and in that past few years, facilities have opened in Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, and in California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New York State, New Jersey and Wyoming, among other states.
The popularity doesn’t end with new facilities. Beginning at the 2020 Summer Olympics, indoor rock climbing will be listed as an official Olympic sport, and in 2018, two documentary feature films – “The Dawn Wall” and the Academy Award-winning “Free Solo” – were released to critical acclaim.
“At the time the Oaks location opened in the 1990s, indoor rock climbing was not nearly as popular as it is now,” Caporizo said. “It was more of a passion project for the original owners and their friends, but when Dave bought the business, he saw this venture as an opportunity to legitimize both the sport and the business, and by expanding our reach, we could introduce more people to the sport.”
For Rowland and COO Lucas Stoddart, PRG’s success is measured by far more than merely riding on the wave of the sport’s popularity. Each of their five centers continue to expand their curriculum by providing a wide array of programs for climbers of all ages
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Megan Stockdill, Troy Probst and David Cowens are regular climbers at the Coatesville location.
and experience, including classes tailored specifically for women, parents and families; kids camps and several special events; fielding competitive teams that have won several regional, national and even world titles; and providing outdoor expeditions throughout the U.S.
In addition, PRG is also becoming a perfect spot for team building sessions, targeted specifically to each business or entity who attends, that allows employees to strengthen their bonds outside of the often-confining limits of the workplace.
“Climbers have to be experts in communication and trust, which are frequently the most pertinent things that those attending our teambuilding sessions want to focus on,” Caporizo said. “If you don’t trust your climbing partner, the effects are often devastating. In business, they are equally as devastating. We focus on creating these microcosms of where communication breaks down, and we address how to anticipate problems in the workplace before they happen.
Although climbing is offered as an option at the end of each session, “most of our classes are not done at the wall at all,” Caporizo added. “Our sessions are both feet firmly planted on the ground, to encourage our participants to use their brains more
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Photo by Derrick Ruf, Iron Oak Studios
Every Philadelphia Rock Gym location provides trained and certified instructors.
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than their bodies.”
Megan Stockdill, an engineer with an orthopedic medical device company owned by Johnson and Johnson in West Chester, began to rock climb at the Coatesville location on an invitation from a co-worker who had been climbing there since 1999. She’s been a regular at PRG in Coatesville for the past five years.
“I’ve benefited a lot from rock climbing at PRG, from the standpoint of building a confidence in my own abilities,” she said. “I really enjoy the mental component of climbing. It’s something I really thought I wouldn’t like when I first started, because I was scared of heights. Over the past five years, however, I’ve slowly acclimated to heights and been able to take that confidence into some of my other hobbies, such as hiking.”
Photo by Richard L. Gaw Philadelphia Rock Gyms offer opportunities for both beginning and experienced climbers.
In the documentary “Free Solo,” professional rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to conquer the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan’s 900-meter vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. While there are state-of-the-art indoor rock climbing facilities in the U.S. that provide all of the training that climbers like Honnold need, PRG’s business paradigm has always been structured to reach a more broad audience.
“I always tell people that if they’re looking for a high-end facility, we’re very laid back and more about the fun, the team environment and the camaraderie,” Caporizo said. “We’re in the business for non-climbers, in order to create opportunities that allow 99 percent of the people who walk through our doors for the first time get to the top of that wall on their first day.
“The way we define being a climber is someone who is willing to intelligently push themselves past their limits, and that can be anyone who shows up on Day One, and someone who has been with us for several years.”
Day passes at Philadelphia Rock Gyms are $18.50, and monthly memberships are $53 a month, and $43 a month for students. To learn more about all five Philadelphia Rock Gym locations including Coatesville, visit www.philarockgym.com, or call 877-822-ROPE.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
Western Chester County Life|
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Honey Brook Community Partnership
By Reuben Schonebaum, vice president
One of the familiar landmarks that is identified with the Honey Brook community is the Waynebrook Inn, in the center of the borough. You may well ask, ‘why isn’t it the “Honey Brook Inn?”
The town was originally named after the Revolutionary War general, Mad Anthony Wayne, the source of the name for the inn. Unfortunately, the railroad, which ran through the village, caused a problem. There was another town with the same name in western Pennsylvania, and the freight was being routed to the wrong stations. So, the name was changed to Honey Brook, to correspond to a translation of Nantmeal, from which the town was split in 1789. Well, whether you call it Waynebrook or Honey Brook, local organizations will offer a wide array of activities this spring and summer. Among them are the following:
The Honey Brook Food Pantry, which provides a three-to-four-day supply of various food items to neighbors in need in the Honey Brook community, will be open on the 2nd Wednesday (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and the 4th Wednesday of the month (4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.). A new initiative of the Food Pantry is the “Under-Four” program, a nutritional supplement program for infants and toddlers, whose development is most critical for future health. Specialized foods, instructions, educational materials and counseling are offered to over 40 families and parental feedback has been overwhelming. The Food Pantry is located at Goods Food Distribution Center, Door #8, 5064 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook, PA 19344.
day! Each week will be centered around a theme, such as dragons and princesses, STEM, or the Olympics. Registration forms will be available in late spring on the Township’s website, www.honeybrooktwp.com.
Pick-up games of Pickleball at the James A. Umble Memorial Park were a big hit last summer and will return this spring on a date yet to be determined. Typically, games begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What began as a half-dozen curious folks last year blossomed into over 20 enthusiasts by season’s end. Additional information will be available on the township’s website.
For its sixth year, the Honey Brook Township Park & Recreation Board will sponsor a half-day summer camp. The camp will be held at the Honey Brook Elementary Center on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon, starting July 7 and ending July 30. Campers from grades K-5 will enjoy games, crafts, trips to the Honey Brook Community Library, special guests, and—always a favorite—water games
The Honey Brook Borough Park and Recreation Committee will hold its annual free summer concert series in Honey Brook Borough Park (located behind the Honey Brook Post Office). The concerts in the past have included a blues band, a Celtic band, an Indie/folk band, and a folk/rock group. The Park and Rec Committee also sponsors four bocce tournaments from May through November. Details about all park events can be found on Honey Brook Borough’s website, www.honeybrookborough. net.
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The Honey Brook Community Library will hold a variety of engaging programs, free of charge, for children, teens and adults. Preschool children can enjoy songs, stories and crafts with Miss Jennifer. The library has started a new Book Club for Young Adults age 18 and older. The YA Club will meet the 2nd Thursday of each month. Adults are invited to join the “Chatty Crafters” every Thursday evening. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own supplies to crochet, knit or work on any other crafts. Beginners can learn from more experienced crafters who are eager to teach and share their talents. For more information, contact Jennifer Spade, Library Director, at: jspade@ ccls.org.
The organization that ties together all these organizations is the Honey Brook Community Partnership. The Community Partnership was founded in 2008 by a group of local busi-
ness leaders to bring together Honey Brook borough and township partners. They had the common goal of wanting to find ways to enhance the community and attract people to visit Honey Brook. However, the Partnership has developed into much more than a business organization. Its members have re-instituted and revitalized the annual Harmony Day festivities, organized the annual Deck the Brook winter holiday event, started a scholarship program for Twin Valley High School students, and established a grant program for projects sponsored by local non-profit organizations.
Becoming a member of the Community Partnership is an excellent way to enhance the visibility of your business or organization in the greater Honey Brook Area. As part of our efforts to promote our community, we have a strong Facebook and web presence. Our social media reach falls somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 contacts a month. These media channels have been so well received, that we want to make these marketing avenues available to our membership. For more information about becoming a member, please contact us through our website: www.hbpartnership.org.
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Coatesville building restoration paying off for developer, businesses Midway Arts attracting eclectic group of artists and others
By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer
As Coatesville is on its way to being a hub for the changing face of business, among the facilities in the center of the trend is Midway Arts. The century-old structure at 139 E. Chestnut St. is rapidly becoming an attractive location for those in the creative fields looking for reasonable rent, an accommodating landlord and community feel.
The transformation of this five-story, 68,000-square-foot building (whose past functions ranged from livestock service, to sewing factory and most recently the Lipkin’s Furniture warehouse), is the vision and work of real estate development firm Mark Lane Properties.
Company vice president Lane Udis said giving an old structure in a striving area new life has been his partner and company president Mark Sherman’s practice for more than 30 years.
“It’s focused not only on what we’re doing [in Midway Arts], which is artists’ studios and office space, but in larger terms, retail, restaurant and entertainment— things that will draw people into an area,” Udis said. “Down the road it might lead into residential, although for the most part we don’t do residential.”
Udis cited past successful similar projects in sections of Philadelphia, including Nicetown, West Philadelphia and East Falls. In addition to Coatesville, the developers are currently working on a project in York, in a building that used to house a wire screen company.
“We come into areas that need that burst of commercial [development] and burst of restaurants, entertainment or something excit-
ing; something that makes the area a destination,” Udis said. “That’s how we change a community. It’s through those commercial and retail businesses, not through residential and townhomes.”
And how does Mark Lane Properties make those changes that add to a community?
“Our model is very basic,” Udis said. “We take a building such as this -- usually an old industrial warehouse. We do all the cleanup; environmental, as well as the frontage and general cleaning ... just one layer of paint and cleaning up a parking lot can make a huge difference for an area.”
Breathing life into an old property certainly presents challenges, but developer Sherman’s own personal history of success and the firm’s achievements have given the partners the experience to identify the right building in the right area, Udis said.
“Someone else might walk in here and say this is a gigantic amount of restoration. But we walk into a space and we see what’s left of a roof and some nice flooring and brick walls and we love it. We’re ready to make it work,” he explained.
They purchased the building, which they dubbed Midway Arts Coatesville, in December 2018 and got right to the business of making it tenant-ready.
“The ground floor had a lot of trash, but the second floor and up was mostly empty with some broken windows. There were a lot of pigeons,” Udis said with a laugh.
Photo by Natalie Smith
A chalkboard in the Midway Arts office has the names of some of the building’s tenants.
Photo by Natalie Smith Lane Udis is a partner in Mark Lane Properties, the developer of Midway Arts Coatesville.
“But it has really good bare bones, you know, and it was easy to sweep out and paint.”
On the five floors, there are roughly 50 spaces of varying sizes, with rent an affordable $12 per square foot. The fifth floor, an airy, open space lined with windows, might be appropriate for a restaurant, with views that sweep over the top of the city, Udis said. More parking spaces are planned.
“We basically create spaces as the tenants come to us.” Udis said, and consideration is given to placement, such as locating noise-producing businesses in certain areas or whether a retail establishment requests a certain floor. “Hopefully, this will create a good mix of community and artist space. It’s gone very, very well in this Coatesville location.”
The goal of mingling artists with business space is proving an appealing one. “The office-users love it because they get to experience the whole artist vibe and they all end up working together,” he said, giving as example that the graphic artist has created logos for many of his fellow business owners.
Some of the current tenants include a potter, a bladesmith, two yoga studios, a tattoo artist, three photography studios and an energy carrier call center. There is a large commercial gym on the first floor.
Soon to be welcomed on the first floor will be a coffee roaster, also a retail business. In one of the two sub-basements, there will be a microgreens company, growing the tiny plants that are smaller than baby greens but larger than sprouts. “Because the temperature stays moderate, it’s a really easy space to set up for their production,” Udis said. Mark Lane Properties is also talking with a jerk chicken company that is interested in opening a small restaurant on one of the floors.
Thus far, most of their tenants have come through Craigslist. Udis reckons that about 40 percent of the tenants are from outside the area. “They come for multiple reasons,” he said. “Many have come from far away because other areas are so saturated with [their type of business].”
Tapping into Coatesville’s past for its future potential has the developers looking even beyond Midway Arts. They’re hoping to close on the building at 204-206 East Lincoln Highway, the former location of the Coatesville Record. The plan there is to turn half of its 10,000 square feet into a restaurant. “It’s a very, very nice building,” Udis said. “If you walk down the street, there’s building after building of incredible architecture in Coatesville.”
Udis gave high marks to the city leadership and the people of Coatesville for working with the developers and making them feel welcome. “You walk down the street here and people say hello to you. It’s a really good community and we’re happy to be here,” he said.
The developer said an earmark of his firm’s business plan is to not drag their feet.
“We don’t sit on things,” Udis said. “We come into a community to do something now. People always laugh at that. ‘Yeah, right. We’ll see you in a couple years.’ That’s not how we work.”
Natalie Smith may be contacted at DoubleSMedia@ rocketmail.com.
Courtesy Mark Lane Properties
Creation Cottage is a holistic yoga practice owned by Tabathe Wallace in Coatesville’s Midway Arts building.
Photo by Natalie Smith
Two local women stopped by to talk to Kyle Wegman of Lift, Inspired Fitness about his gym’s program. Pictured from left are Wegman, Tarah Payne and Dionne Holmes.
Courtesy Mark Lane Properties
Michele Allen is owner of Mimi’s Favorite things, which hosts small events to view and purchase locally made goods.
Courtesy Mark Lane Properties Eight Bells Tattoo is owned by Jess Baker and is part of the community at Midway Arts.
Strawberry Festival lives on thanks to Rotary
By Nina Malone, Arbonne
The Rotary Club of Coatesville is at the helm of the annual Strawberry Festival once again. The festival will take place this year from Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, May 31 on Brandywine Hospital’s grounds on Reeceville Road in Coatesville.
Rotary is picking up the mantle from the Brandywine Health Foundation (BHF), which is using its resources to focus on a new strategic direction: To improve the conditions under which all people in the Greater Coatesville community can be healthy and thrive. The BHF approved a $30,000 general operating grant to assist Rotary in
Treatment
Complete Restorative Care
Dental Implants
iTero Scanner Digital Impressions
Cosmetic Services including Bonding & Veneers
Root Canal Treatment
Excellent Hygiene Care & Dental Health Education
Caring Pediatric Dentistry
Invisalign® Treatment
In-House Whitening & Take-Home Whitening
its efforts to continue this family-centric and hugely popular event.
“Forty-seven years ago, our club staged the first festival along with the nurses of the former Coatesville Hospital,” explained Lindsay Myers, president of the Rotary Club of Coatesville. “We are incredibly excited to again lead this landmark event, which the Brandywine Health Foundation has built into such an important event in our community. We deeply appreciate this extraordinary show of support with this general operating grant.”
Other local organizations and individuals have stepped up to support the event, as well, including Presenting Sponsor Citadel,
plus Dallas and Di Krapf, and Jennifer and Bob McNeil.
The event will feature all the favorites: Rides and games on the midway, the international food fair (don’t miss the Rotary’s strawberry shortcake!), a craft, art and vendor fair, a used book sale, live acts and entertainment on the Strawberry Stage and Strawberry Cafe Live, Strawberry Land, the Strawberriest Kids Contest, the signature fireworks extravaganza, and much more. Organizers are hoping to also offer adult beverage selections. Visit www.brandywinestrawberryfestival.com and follow the Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
RotaryCoatesvilleStrawberryFestival/ for the latest updates.
All the fun and fanfare is still for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit the Coatesville Youth Initiative, Chester County Food Bank and other community organizations.
Myers said, “We are so excited to be able to bring the energy and enthusiasm of the Rotary Club of Coatesville to this event. We’re looking to preserve the well-loved traditions of the Festival while bringing some new twists to include something for everyone.”
Interested in sponsoring, volunteering, crafting or more? Contact the organizers at strawberryfestival@coatesvillerotary.org.
Western Chester County Life|
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Continued from Page 64
Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance Orchestrating the Renaissance in the City of Coatesville
You’ve read articles and updates about Coatesville’s economic progress under the heading of Traction in previous issues of this magazine. Now learn more about the 2nd Century Alliance and the work they are doing in Coatesville.
First, a quick review:
Who is the 2nd Century Alliance?
The 2nd Century Alliance is a group of community stakeholders that came together in 2015 when Coatesville celebrated its 100th anniversary as a third-class city. They are the City’s partner in community and economic development, and they work together and alongside community partners to ensure that Coatesville’s “second century” is economically prosperous.
Their mission is to develop and execute a strategy that improves current economic conditions of the City, stabilizes and strengthens the social climate, fosters investment and development, and brings resources and community partners together for these purposes.
They are a true Public/Private Partnership, funded by a collaborative partnership between the Chester County Department of Community Development, public and private grants, and charitable contributions from the private sector (Note: tax deductible contributions to their efforts can be made through their Facebook page @Coatesville2ndCenturyAlliance. You can also see a full listing of their funding partners at www.2ndCenturyAlliance.org.)
What do they do?
The 2nd Century Alliance detailed five-point revitalization plan includes:
1) Building strong residential neighborhoods;
2) Bringing jobs and economic opportunities to City residents;
3) Revitalizing Coatesville’s downtown corridor;
4) Implementing and advancing programs that improve the overall quality of life;
5) Promoting the City’s assets and advocating for progress that will benefit the entire community.
Why does it matter?
Without a consistent and concerted focus on revitalization, a vulnerable community like Coatesville can fall deeper into
economic decline, causing further degradation of housing stock and other real property, deterioration of parks and public spaces, increases in criminal and vagrant activity, added financial burdens on the municipal budget, and a perpetuated social malaise among residents and other stakeholders.
The economic and social health of Coatesville, Chester County’s only city, is a reflection of, and on the County. Positive progress in revitalization initiatives will:
Continued on Page 64
• Grow jobs and economic opportunity for residents by attracting various business sectors.
• Cultivate civic leadership and empower residents to take ownership of their neighborhoods.
• Improve parks and public spaces, encouraging healthier behaviors.
• Increase owner occupied residences thereby strengthening neighborhoods.
• Create safer, cleaner, and well-lit streets to encourage commerce and neighborliness.
• Enhance public transit and transportation systems connecting residents with jobs.
To that end, outlined here are some of the organization’s accomplishments made since their inception in 2015. Adding up the funding dollars, they’ve secured more than $1 million to support their work in Coatesville.
Coatesville Growing Greater Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative: $500,000
In November of 2018, a grant from the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation was awarded to hire a Community Coordinator who will carry out a five-year residential neighborhood stabilization plan. The strategic plan focuses on strengthening neighborhoods in order to mitigate gentrification displacement.
Neighborhood Partnership Program for Downtown Revitalization: $600,000
A successful application to the PA Department of Community
and Economic Development provides funds to add a Downtown Manager who will focus on supporting existing businesses, recruiting new retail and hospitality businesses, ensuring downtown is “clean, safe, and green,” facilitating a facade improvement program, and coordinating special events that entice patrons into downtown Coatesville.
Vision Partnership Program: $40,000
Building a collaborative partnership between the City, South Coatesville, and Valley Township, this multi-municipal grant from the Chester County Planning Commission will allow all three municipalities to work together to create an economic development and business attraction strategy bringing jobs and economic opportunity to City residents.
Historic Train Station: $70,000
CDBG funds secured from the Chester County Department of Community Development address deferred maintenance on the exterior of the existing historic train station building at Third Avenue and Fleetwood Street.
LERTA
The 2nd Century Alliance worked with the City to shepherd the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance program through the municipal adoption process and through acceptance by the Coatesville Area School District.
New Train Station Development
The 2nd Century Alliance is working with the City, the Coatesville Redevelopment Authority, and PennDot to ensure the new station and surrounding private development stays “on track” and will be the economic stimulus for the City it promises to be.
Qualified Opportunity Zone
Introduced in the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, this new economic incentive provides for capital gains tax relief in exchange for investment in low- to moderate-income communities. The 2nd Century Alliance advocated for and secured designation for all four Coatesville census tracts, and are working to facilitate, manage, and market the program.
Parking Strategy
In order to encourage patronage of all City businesses and afford residents easy access to on-street and near-by surface parking, they are leading the City Planning Commission in the development of a comprehensive City-wide parking plan that addresses current and future parking needs.
Coatesville Community Connector
They initiated a conversation with the Chester County Department of Community Development about having a fulltime point-of-contact social service navigator in Coatesville. Through the Chester County Human Services Department and a partnership with Child and Maternal Health and the Coatesville
Area Public Library, they helped relocate the existing “information and resources” staff to the Library, and introduced a fresh branding and communications campaign for a more efficient service-delivery system for Coatesville residents.
www.2ndCenturyAlliance.org
In partnership with the Chester County Planning Commission, an interactive map highlighting opportunity sites, projects in process, and community assets was developed for www.2ndCenturyAlliance.org.
Development Projects
The staff and volunteer leadership of the 2nd Century Alliance work consistently with the Coatesville Redevelopment Authority and individual developers and investors, supporting, endorsing, and assisting in projects in numerous and various ways. They’ve crafted press releases, testified at State hearings, advocated for grants and subsidies, and helped navigate roadblocks as needed.
You can help. Why support the 2nd Century Alliance?
County growth projections, federal and state incentive programs, affordable real estate, and an administration committed to progress, Coatesville has garnered a great deal of attention and today is at a tipping point. Many vulnerable communities similar to Coatesville have undergone rapid, uncontrolled expansion and suffered unexpected consequences such as traffic congestion, parking shortages, artificially inflated real estate prices, and most importantly residential displacement.
In order to create a long-lasting, sustainable economic recovery, and ensure that everyone in Coatesville is prepared to reap the benefits of progress, it is imperative that Coatesville embark on a measured and strategic approach to economic growth.
The Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance benefits the City of Coatesville in the following ways:
As an independent non-profit, they maintain constant and consistent implementation of long-range revitalization strategies, independent of election cycles.
As a federally designated charitable organization they can access grants and other funding opportunities.
Their partnership with Chester County and relationships with local, state, and federal officials can bring new and previously untapped resources to the city.
Their extensive technical expertise supports and enhances the City’s goals for growth and prosperity.
Their experienced staff brings more than 20 years of tried and proven principles to their programming, ensuring smart development and highest and best use of limited real estate. Their expansive volunteer board leadership provides access to skills, talents, and resources.
Their short four-year track record illustrates significant strides in organizational growth and community impact.
Learn more and sign up for regular updates at www.2ndCenturyAlliance.org.
Octorara Area Career & Technical Education
Programs: Where careers begin
CHAMBER MEMBER DIRECTORY
Accounting Service
Albert Abdala Tax & Insurance Center
Albert Abdala (610) 384-6425 apatax.com
CBIZ Employee Services
Organization
Donna McCorkle (484) 667-6652 cbiz.com
Gina’s InterNet Advising
Gina Rodkey (484) 712-5959
GinasInterNetAdvising.com
Paisley Solutions
Paula Paisley (610) 444-2597 paisleysolutions.com
Quinn, M Cynthia, CPA
Cynthia Quinn (610) 380-1040
mcq1040.com
The Small Business
Accounting Solution Inc
Nicole Odeh (610) 203-9682
TSBAS.com
Administrative Services
Brandywine Business Systems
Sam Slokom (610) 563-1487
Agriculture
Cairns Family Farm
Don Cairns (610) 636-8107
Chester County Agricultural
Development Council
Hillary Krummrich (610) 344-6285 chesco.org/141/Agricultural-Development-Council
Chester/Delaware County Farm Bureau
Dan Miller (717) 529-2508 pfb.com
Highland Orchards
Marsha Hodge (610) 269-3494 highlandorchards.net
Highspire Hills Farm, LLC
Deborah Ellis (610) 942-9634
localharvest.org/highspire-hills-farmllc-M6683
Penn State Extension
Logan Hall (610) 696-3500 extension.psu.edu/chester
Romano 4-H Center of Chester County
Don Cairns (610) 636-8107
facebook.com/TheRomano4HCenterofChesterCounty
Windy Hill Farm
Anna Larsen (848) 218-2949
windyhillfarmpa.com
Apartments and Townhomes
Fairways Apartments & Townhomes
Kristin Undercuffler (610) 383-0690 fmgnj.com
Millview Apartment Homes
Melissa Gatto (610) 466-7800 millviewapts.com
Architecture
Art & Architecture
Susan Salvo (484) 880-8023
fb.com/susansalvoarchitect
Ronald David Osborne Architect
Ronald Osborne (610) 384-3133
Attorneys
Carosella & Associates, PC
Vincent Carosella, Esq. (610) 431-3300 carosella.com
Gawthrop Greenwood, PC
Anthony Verwey, Esq. (610) 696-8225 gawthrop.com
See ad pg. 18
Keen, Keen & Good
William Keen, Esq. (610) 383-7810
KKGLawFirm.com
Lamb McErlane PC
Helen Esbenshade, Esq. (610) 430-8000 lambmcerlane.com
Law Firm of Barry S. Rabin
Barry S. Rabin, Esq. (610) 873-1600
BarryRabinLaw.com
Law Office of Jayne Garver Jayne Garver, Esq. (484) 784-5372 jgarverlaw.com
Law Office of Robin J. Gray
Robin Gray, Esq. (484) 769-5855 robinjgraylaw.com
Law Offices of August J. Ober, IV
A.J. Ober, Esq. (215) 779-3433 OberLegal.com
Powell Law Associates, LLC
Marvin Powell, Esq. (610) 489-1714 powellpatentlaw.com
Siana, Bellwoar & McAndrew LLP
Chris Gerber, Esq. (610) 321-5500 sianalaw.com
Skinner Law Firm, LLC
Michael Skinner, Esq. (610) 436-1410 skinnerlawfirm.net
Unruh, Turner, Burke & Frees, P.C.
Theodore Claypoole, Esq. (610) 692-1371 utbf.com
Automotive Sales and Service
Brian Hoskins Ford Ed Kovatch (610) 384-4242 brianhoskinsford.com
Extra Mile Auto Service
George Devine (610) 384-2864 extramileauto.com
See ad pg. 12 Fling’s Towing, Inc. Daryl Fling (610) 383-6362
flingstowing.com
K’s Collision
Bruce Kuryloski (610) 384-3337 kskollision.com
RS-Werks Automotive Shop LLC
Michael Meldrum (484) 712-5044 rswerks.com
Salvo Brothers Motorcars Ari Salvo (610) 384-1352 salvobrothersauto.com
Banks
BB&T | Parkesburg
Patrick McCullough 610) 857-9667 bbt.com
BB&T | Honey Brook
Stephanie Rich Bailey (610) 273-2992 bbt.com
Bryn Mawr Trust Company
Andrew Stump (610) 430-6158 bmtc.com
Coatesville Savings Bank
Steven Cunningham (610) 384-8282 coatesvillesavings.com
See ad pg. 35
First Resource Bank John Durso (610) 363-9400
firstresourcebank.com
See ad pg. 31
Fulton Bank | Guthriesville Patricia Savino (610) 873-4740 fultonbank.com
Fulton Bank | West Chester Mike Reese (610) 918-8814 fultonbank.com
M&T Bank | Honey Brook
Jennifer Simmet (610) 273-7022 mtb.com
Meridian Bank
Geoffrey Sheehan (484) 568-5026 meridianbanker.com
Mid Penn Bank Mike Guyer (717) 690-3985 midpennbank.com
See ad pg. 59
Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust
Steve Pratt (610) 933-1000 PhoenixFed.com
PNC Bank | Christiana Susan Kuryloski (610) 593-2121 pnc.com
Banquet Facility
West End Fire Company #3
Gina Langan (610) 384-9798
Beverage / Breweries
Christiana Beer & Beverage
Mike Peace (610) 593-5887 christianabeer.com
See ad pg. 54
Lamb Beverage Inc. Michael McGinley (610) 384-1470 lambbeverage.com
Sly Tom’s Take Out John Sly slytoms.com
Continued on next page
Directory
Continued from previous page
Suburban Brewing Company
Honey Brook
Corey Ross (610) 273-3106
suburbanbrewingco.com
Victory Brewing Company
Mike Kearns (484) 718-5080 victorybeer.com
Building Contractors
Provident Homes Corporation
Matt Bedwell (610) 692-7697 providenthomes.com
Rittenhouse Builders
George Metzler (610) 380-9570
rittenhousebuilders.com
Simmers Builders Inc
Lloyd Simmers (610) 383-5562
simmersbuilders.com
Building Supplies
Graber Supply, LLC
David Blank (610) 593-3500 polebarn.com
Hatt’s Industrial Supplies and True Value
Chip Clavier (610) 384-1954 hatts.com
See ad pg. 18
Business Consulting
SCORE of Chester and Delaware Counties
Vic Goldberg (610) 344-6910
chestercounty.score.org
Transfers of Learning
Tasha Delaney (610) 466-7521
transfersoflearning.com
See ad pg. 30
Caterers
Harry’s Nieghborhood Place
John H. Lymberis (610) 857-2331
HarrysHotdogs.com
See ad pg. 56
John Serock Catering
John Serock (610) 640-2836
serockcatering.com
See ad pg. 13
Rita’s of Gap
Debbie Pierce (610) 405-4586 ritastruck.net
Triple Fresh Catering
Jim Petro (610) 384-5037 triplefresh.net
Victory Brewing Company
Mike Kearnes (484) 667-9249 victorybeer.com
Chambers of Commerce
PA Chamber of Business & Industry
Alex Harper (717) 720-5431 pachamber.com
Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce
Donna Steltz (610)384-9550
westernchestercounty.com
Chiropractors
Agape Institute of Functional Healthcare
Michelle Conicello (484) 593-0882 agapefhc.com
See ad pg. 75
Chamberlain Chiropractic
Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain (610) 429-4920
chamberlainchiropractic.com
Churches
Our Lady of Consolation
Mary Wishneski (610) 857-3510 olcchurch.org
Cleaning Services
Clarel Janitorial/Maintenance
Ser vices Corp.
Claudia Muntean (484) 378-0827 clarelmaintenance.com
Morinelli Powerwashing
Joseph Morinelli 610) 316-6422 morinellipowerwashing.com
Rainbow Washhouse
Steve Dovidio (610) 637-7636
Commercial Flooring Sales and Installation
Precision Flooring Enterprises LLC
Marilyn Costalas (610) 857-3519
precisionflooringllc.com
Communication Services
Verizon Wireless
Saeed King (484) 378-7979
Community Services
Angel Grapevine
Joan Allen (774) 272-1914
AngelGrapevine.com
Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art
Sheila Fleming (610) 388-8389 brandywine.org/conservancy
Brandywine Health Foundation
Vanessa Briggs (610) 380-9080
brandywinefoundation.org
See ad pg. 45
Brandywine Regeneration Project
Bob Holliday (610) 717-2265
Bridge Academy and Community Center
Jordan Crans (610) 466-9505 thebridgeacademy.org
Caln Athletic Association
Steve Santillo (484) 378-0470 calnaa.com
Chester County Association for the Blind
Tracey Melia (610) 384-2767 chescoblind.org
Chester County Community Foundation
Stephanie Stevens (610) 696-8211 chescocf.org
Chester County Council, BSA
Jeffrey Spencer (610) 696-2900 cccbsa.org
Chester County Futures
Clarence Johnson (610) 241-6624 ccfutures.org
Chester County OIC
Taj Brown (610) 692-2345 ccoic.org
Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance
Sonia Huntzinger (484) 786-8896 2ndCenturyAlliance.org
Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc.
Christine Zaccarelli (610) 388-1218 x212 cvcofcc.org
Good Samaritan Services
Nate Hoffer (610) 380-1360 goodsamservices.com
Good Works
Robert Beggs 610) 383-6311 goodworksinc.org
Greater Deliverance Development Outreach
Stephanie Duncan (484) 886-6413
greaterdeliverancechurch.org
Habitat For Humanity of Chester County
Joey Fowkes (610) 384-7993
hfhcc.org
Honey Brook Area Community Partnership
Verna Emery (484)-467-2837 hbpartnership.org
Life Transforming Ministries
Bill Shaw (610) 384-5393 quietrevolution.org
Minding Manners With Ms B Bongai Mhloyi (484) 356-8935
mindingmannerswithmsb.com
PABA - Parkesburg Area Business Association
Allan Fellman (610) 857-5114 paba-pa.org
Parkesburg Action Committee
Jenny Alexander (610) 425-1148 facebook.com/PAC19365/ Rotary Club of Coatesville
Michael Givler (610) 384-9196
facebook.com/rotaryclubofcoatesville/ Salvation Army - Service Extension
Cindy Yearsley (610) 383-0868
Star Superior Home Foundation Stefanie Tarloski 610-331-2624
starsuperiorhomefoundation.org
Stewart Huston Charitable Trust Scott Huston (610) 384-2666 stewarthuston.org
The Huston Foundation
Charles Lukens Huston III (610) 832-4955 hustonfoundation.org
The Parkesburg POINT
Debbie Shupp (610) 857-3393 parkesburgpoint.com
See ad pg. 27
United Way of Chester County
Chris Saello (610) 429-9400
unitedwaychestercounty.org
See ad pg. 33
Construction
City Construction Co. Inc.
Dennis Fallon (610) 269-9530
cityconstructionco.com
D. Howe & Sons, Inc.
Douglas Howe (610) 942-4249 dhoweandsons.com
David P. Kristman Excavating, Inc.
David Kristman (610) 273-9388
dpkristmanexcinc.com
Directional Drilling, Inc.
Curt Eldredge (610) 873-1099
directionaldrillinginc.com
Fidelity Contracting LLC
Richard Burkholder (610) 816-0704
fidelitycontracting.com
See ad pg. 32
Five Point Renovation & Remodel
Rob Wishneski (484) 888-8276
fivepointconstruction.com
G Force Engineering & Construction
David Steltz (610) 233-9925 fbsginc.com
Graber Supply, LLC
David Blank (610) 593-3500 polebarn.com
JGM FABRICATORS & CONSTRUCTORS LLC
Joseph Messner (610) 873-0081 jgmusa.com
Provident Homes Corporation
Matt Bedwell (610) 692-7697 providenthomes.com
Rittenhouse Builders
George Metzler (610) 380-9570
rittenhousebuilders.com
Simmers Builders
Lloyd Simmers (610) 383-5562
simmersbuilders.com
Veteran Construction and Utility Services, Inc
Sue Durborow (610) 384-8235 veterancus.com
White Horse Construction
Chris Stoltzfus (610) 593-5559
whitehorseconstructionpa.com
Credit Union
Citadel | Eagleview Corporate Office
Doug Thompson (610) 466-6412
citadelbanking.com
See ad pg. 30
Citadel | Parkesburg
Kim Jarvis (610) 466-6634
citadelbanking.com
See ad pg. 30
Citadel | Thorndale
Gwen Smoker (610) 466-6649
citadelbanking.com
See ad pg. 30
Citadel | South Coatesville
Anthony Williams (610) 466-6623
citadelbanking.com
See ad pg. 30
Dentists
Hughes & Hughes Family Dentistry
Cheryl Gaudi 610-942-3321
hughesdentistry.com
See ad pg. 62
Rainbow Valley Dental
Stephanie McGann, DMD (610) 383-4747
rainbowvalleydental.com
Developer
First Eastern Development Company, LLC
John Newton (610) 842-8224
Mark Lane Properties
Lane Udis (215) 510-6399
New Heritage Properties, LLC
Crosby Wood (610) 383-9800
newheritageproperties.com
Legend Properties
David DePetris (610) 941-4034 lpre.com
Oliver Tyrone Pulver Corporation
Donald Pulver (610) 834-3185 otpcorp.com
Dry Cleaners
Orth Cleaners
Chris Miceli (646) 519-1472 orthcleaners.com
Economic Development Organization
Chester County
Economic Development Council
Gary Smith (610) 321-8227 ccedcpa.com
Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance
Sonia Huntzinger (484) 786-8896
2ndCenturyAlliance.org
Education
Chester County 2020
William Stevens (484) 680-5570
CC2020.org
Chester County Intermediate Unit
Kristina Goodwin (484) 237-5153 conferencecenter.cciu.org
See ad pg. 55
Chester County Futures
Clarence Johnson (610) 241-6624 ccfutures.org
Chester County Technical College
High School
Beth Myers (484) 593-5100 tchsbrandywine.org
See ad pg. 5
Coatesville Area School District
Dr. Richard Dunlap (610) 466-2400 casd.schoolwires.net/Domain/4
Delaware County Community College
Ruth Bennett (610) 359-5131 dccc.edu
Harcum College Coatesville
Sondra Brewer (610) 810-1556 harcumcoatesville.org
Octorara Area School District
Lisa McNamara (610) 593-8238 octorara.k12.pa.us/ See ad pg. 66
Pope John Paul II Regional
Catholic Elementary School
Maria Samson (610) 384-5961 popejohnpaul2sch.org
Electrical Contractors
Bill Mullen Electric LLC
Bill Mullen (484) 716-1177
Billmullenelectric.net
Billows Electric Supply Company
Bob Weiss (610) 269-1493 billows.com
Denmans Electrical Services, Inc.
Jeffrey Denman (484) 228-8111
denmanselectric.com
G. A. Vietri, Inc.
Greg Vietri (610) 857-1110 gavietri.com
See ad pg. 14
Rumsey Electric
Patrick Melvin (610) 832-9000
rumsey.com
William S. Malany & Sons, Inc.
Chad Lease (610) 436-4023
malanyelectric.com
Emergency Services
Chester County Department of Emergency Ser vices
George (Beau) Crowding (610) 344-5000
chesco.org/217/Emergency-Services
Elverson - Honey Brook Area EMS
Steven Jones (610) 286-8925
http://www.elversonems.org
Keystone Valley Regional Fire District
Raymond Stackhouse (484) 571-9686
kvfd8.com
Keystone Valley Fire Department Krystine Sipple (610) 857-3232 kvfd8.com
West End Fire Company #3 Gina Langan 610-384-9798
coatesvillefire.org/content/wfofficers/ Employment and Training Services
Chester County OIC
Taj Brown (610) 692-2345 ccoic.org
Energy Management Service
Electric Advisors Consulting, LLC
Frank Lacey (610) 793-2809 electricadvisorsconsulting.com
Kauffman Gas Inc.
Ken Kauffman (610) 593-5063 kauffmangas.com
Rhoads Energy Family of Companies
Michael DeBerdine (610) 857-1650 rhoadsenergy.com
See ad pg. 57
Tobelmann Energy Brokers, Inc.
John Tobelmann (610) 639-1406 tobelmann.net
Engineer Consultants
Edward B. Walsh & Associates, Inc.
Theodore Gacomis (610) 903-0060 ebwalshinc.com
See ad pg. 25
Continued on next page
Directory
Continued from previous page
Hydraterra Professionals
Joe Boldaz (610) 942-3000 hydraterrapro.com
McMahon Associates, Inc
Natasha Manbeck (610) 594-9995 mcmahonassociates.com
Padula Engineering Company
Mark Padula (610) 357-2896 padulaengineering.com
Traffic Planning and Design, Inc
Randy Waltermyer (610) 326-3100 trafficpd.com
Entertainment and Recreation
Air Ventures Balloon Flights,Inc
Deb Harding (484) 753-2598 air-ventures.com
Revival Productions
Heather Grayberg (484) 378-0047
revival-productions.com
Rita’s of Gap
Debbie Pierce (610) 405-4586 ritastruck.net
The Golf Zone
George McNamara (610) 942-9494
golfzoneproshop.com
The Lukens Band
Mike Givler (610) 383-4197 lukensband.org
Environmental Consultants
Coventry Environmental, Inc.
Steven Ohrwaschel (484) 639-4578 covenv.com
Envera
Michael Matheny (484) 593-4002 envera.com
Sovereign Environmental Group
Larry Johnson (610) 383-9919
sovereignenvironmental.com
Excavating Contractors
David P. Kristman Excavating, Inc.
David Kristman (610) 273-9388
dpkristmanexcinc.com
Fidelity Contracting LLC
Richard Burkholder (610) 816-0704
fidelitycontracting.com
See ad pg. 32
Financial Services
Beacon Financial Group, LLC
Cathy Jackson (484) 844-7824
CAJ-BeaconFinancial.com
Penn Rise Advisors
Karl Klingmann II (610) 269-8363
pennriseadvisors.com
See ad pg. 44
Fire, Water and Damage Clean-up
SERVPRO of Central Chester County
Dave Lyman (610) 524-0211
servprocentralchestercounty.com
SERVPRO of Kennett Square/Oxford
Cliff Masscotte (610) 268-8620
Servprokennettsquareoxford.com
See ad pg. 45
Fitness Training and Sports Centers
Academy Sports Complex
Rob Smith (484) 288-8033
academysportspa.com
Elemental Yoga
Sarah York (717) 341-5005
elementalyogawellness.com
LiFT Fitness Coatesville
Kyle Wegman (484) 378-2562
liftinspired.com/
YMCA of Greater Brandywine, Brandywine Branch
LaKeisha Harris (610) 380-9622
ymcagbw.org
See ad pg. 63
Florists
Blue Moon Florist
Ami Trost (610) 873-7900
bluemoonflorist.com
Coatesville Flower Shop
Greg DePedro (610) 384-2677
coatesvilleflowershop.net
Funeral Home and Services
Harris Mountain Funeral Home & Cremation Ser vice
Kevin Mountain (610) 384-1091 harrismountain.com
James J. Terry Funeral Home
Greg Froio (484) 378-7210
jamesterryfuneralhome.com
Wentz Funeral Home
M. Joye Wentz (610) 384-0318 wentzfuneralhome.com/
White Willows Memorial Design
Fay Monte (717) 442-9001
whitewillowsmemorials.com
Furniture
Greg Pilotti Furniture Makers
Greg Pilotti (484) 764-6956 gpfurnituremakers.com
Gifts & Specialty Shops
Homestead Studios
Tracy McClaskey (484) 712-5087 homestead-studios.com
Golf Courses
Applecross Country Club
John Harte 484-692-1010 x102 applecrosscc.com
Broad Run Golfer’s Club
Tom Morgan (610) 738-4410 broadrungc.com
Coatesville Country Club
Chris Walton (610) 384-3200 coatesvillecountryclub.com
French Creek Golf Club
Thad Fortin (610) 913-6330 frenchcreekgolf.com
Honeybrook Golf Club
Donna Horvath (610) 273-0207 honeybrookgolf.com
See ad pg. 23 Ingleside Golf Club
Chris Ward (610) 384-9128 golfingleside.com/ Moccasin Run Golf Club/ Shotgun Pub & Grille
Curtis King (610) 593-2600 moccasinrun.com
Government Elected Officials
U.S. Congresswoman
Chrissy Houlahan 6th District (202) 225-4315 houlahan.house.gov
U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (215) 405-9660 casey.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey (215) 241-1090 toomey.senate.gov
State Senator Andrew E. Dinniman 19th District (610) 692-2112 senatordinniman.com
State Senator Katie J. Muth 44th District (717)787-1398 senatormuth.com
State Representative Tim Hennessey 26th District (610) 326-2626 rephennessey.com
State Representative John Lawrence 13th District (610) 869-1602 replawrence.com
State Representative Danielle Otten 155th District (717)783-5009 repotten.com
State Representative Christina Sappey 158th District (717)772-9973 repsappey.com
State Representative Dan Williams 74th District (484) 200-8256 repwilliams.com
Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline (610) 344-6000 chesco.org
Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell (610) 344-6000 chesco.org
Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz (610) 344-6000 chesco.org
Government - County
Chester County Commissioners
Becky Brain (610) 344-6100 chesco.org
Chester County Department of Community Development
Pat Bokovitz (610) 344-6900 chesco.org
Chester County Department of Emergency Services
George (Beau) Crowding (610) 344-5148 chesco.org/217/Emergency-Services
Chester County DES - Public Safety Training Campus
John Gillespie (610) 344-4100 chesco.org/des
Chester County Planning Commission
Brian O’Leary (610) 344-6285 chesco.org
Government - Municipal
Atglen Borough
Caren Andrews (610) 593-6854 atglen.org
Borough of South Coatesville
Ramsey Reiner (610) 384-1700 south-coatesville.org
Caln Township
Kristen Denne (610) 384-0600 calntownship.org
Christiana Borough
Carol Pringle (610) 593-5199 christianaboro.com
City of Coatesville
Michael Trio (610) 384-0300 coatesville.org
East Brandywine Township
Scott Piersol (610) 269-8230 ebrandywine.org
East Fallowfield Township
Scott Swichar (610) 384-7144 eastfallowfield.org
East Nantmeal Township
Kathy Brumfield (610) 458-5780 eastnantmeal.org
Elverson Borough
Lori Kolb (610) 286-6420 elversonboro.org
Highland Township
Barbara Davis (610) 857-1791 highlandtwp1853.org
Honey Brook Borough
Janis Rambo (610) 273-2020 honeybrookborough.net
Honey Brook Township
Kristy Deischer-Eddy (610) 273-3970 honeybrooktwp.com
Modena Borough
Jennifer Daywalt (610) 384-6777 modenaborough.com
Newlin Township
Gail Abel (610) 486-1141 newlintownship.org
Parkesburg Borough
Neil Vaughn (610) 857-2616 parkesburg.org
Sadsbury Township
Tammy Russell (610) 857-9503 sadsburytwp.org
Valley Township
Carol Lewis (610) 384-5751
valleytownship.org
Wallace Township
Barbara D’Angelo (610) 942-2880 wallacetwp.org
West Bradford Township
Justin Yaich (610) 269-4174 westbradford.org
West Brandywine Township
Dale Barnett (610) 380-8200 wbrandywine.org
West Caln Township
Thomas Siedenbuehl (610) 384-5643 westcaln.org
West Fallowfield Township
Gina Wheeler (610) 593-5916
westfallowfieldtownship.org
West Nantmeal Township
Deborah (Debi) Kolpak (610) 286-9722 westnantmeal.com
West Sadsbury Township
Ed Haas (610) 857-5969 westsadsburytwp.org
Western Chester County
Council Of Governments
Jennifer Daywalt (610) 384-9550 wcccog.com
Graphic Design and Marketing
Blue Dog Printing & Design
Debi Friedmann (610) 430-7992 getbluedog.com
Hyland Graphic Design & Advertising
Matthew Weiss (484) 879-6145 hylandgraphics.com
Link Promos
Megan Lamkin (717) 543-3767 linkpromos.com
Surefire Graphics & Marketing
Vincent Zambuto (484) 378-4033
SurefireGraphics.com
Grocery Store
Crop’s
Fresh Marketplace
Chad Cropper (484) 593-2665
cropsmarketplace.com
See ad pg. 15
Triple Fresh
Jim Petro (610) 384-5037 triplefresh.net
Hardware Stores
Hatt’s Industrial Supplies & True Value
Chip Clavier (610) 384-1954
hatts.com
See ad pg. 18
Healthcare Providers
Brandywine Hospital Tower Health
Mark Reyngoudt (610) 383-8000
towerhealth.org
See ad pg. 16
ChesPenn Health Services, Inc.
Michael Lucas (610) 383-3888 chespenn.org
Lancaster General Health
Debra Wertz (610) 857-6639
LancasterGeneralHealth.org
See ad pg. 2
Levin Luminais Chronister Eye Assoc
Paul Fernandes (610) 384-9100 lleaeyes.com
Physical Therapy Workshop
John Spangenberg (610) 466-7060 ptworkshop.com
Surgical Specialists, PC
Scott Kripke (610) 384-6550 surspc.com
Health & Wellness
Agape Institute of Functional Healthcare
Michelle Conicello (484) 593-0882 agapefhc.com
See ad pg. 75
Arbonne International
Nina Malone (610) 331-8285 ninamalone.arbonne.com
Heating and Air Conditioning
Darryl N. Barber Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Darryl Barber (610) 273-2369
darrylbarberandsons.com
Joe Ward Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Joe Ward (610) 593-6474
MACK Services Group Heating & Cooling
Eric Jameson (610) 857-5525 mackservicesgroup.com
Rhoads Energy Family of Companies
Amy Stackhouse (610)857-1650 rhoadsenergy.com
See ad pg. 57
Summers & Zims
Joseph Zimmerman (610) 593-5129 sumzim.com
Historical Society
Graystone Society | National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum
Jim Ziegler (610) 384-9282 steelmuseum.org
Home Improvements
Budget Blinds of Coatesville Germaine Schumann (610) 643-4929
budgetblinds.com/Coatesville/ Cellarium Wine Cellars
Don Cochran (610) 721-9698 Cellarium.com
Certapro Painters of Western Chester County
John Fecile (484) 283-5003
western-chester-county.certapro.com/ Chester County Fencing
Chris Kaminski (610) 273-3300 chestercountyfencing.com
See ad pg. 63
Chester County Tile and Design Jason Phillips (610) 380-5040 chestercountytile.com
Five Point Renovation & Remodel Rob Wishneski (484) 888-8276 fivepointconstruction.com
Good Works Inc.
Robert Beggs (610) 383-6311 goodworksinc.org
Milanese Remodeling
Mark Milanese (610) 384-5820 milaneseremodeling.com
See ad pg. 4
Precision Flooring Enterprises LLC
Marilyn Costalas (610) 857-3519
precisionflooringllc.com
Tony Buck Home Improvement
Tony Buck (610) 384-7863 tonybuck.com
Home Inspections
Ground Up Home Inspections
Kevin Kerr (610) 324-3064
grounduphomeinspections.com
See ad pg. 32
Continued on next page
Continued from previous page
Hotels
Courtyard Marriott Coatesville
Tamira Stevens (610) 380-8700
courtyardcoatesville.com
Stottsville Inn
Michael Quinn (484) 718-5121
stottsvilleinn.com/ Human Resource Consultant
CBIZ, Inc.
Donna McCorkle (484) 667-6652 cbiz.com
Human Services
Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc.
Christine Zaccarelli (610) 388-1218 x212 cvcofcc.org
Greater Deliverance Development Outreach
Stephanie Duncan (484) 886-6413 greaterdeliverancechurch.org
Industrial Engineered Graphic System
Uticom Systems, Inc.
Paul Keeler (610) 857-2655 uticom.net
Insurance
Albert Abdala Tax & Insurance Center
Albert Abdala (610) 384-6425 apatax.com
Beaver Insurance Agency
Larry Beaver (484) 356-6455 allstate.com/larrybeaver
Breuninger Insurance
Chip Breuninger (610) 384-1980 binsured.com
See ad pg. 17
C. Kenneth Grant Insurance & Real Estate
Barry Norton (610) 384-6260 grantinsuranceandrealestate.com
Chester & Associates, LLC
Penny Reeder (610) 383-3884 rswinsurance.com
DiMatteo Insurance
Al DiMatteo (610) 383-1114 dimatteoinsuranceinc.com
EMB Specialty, LLC
Erik Brecht (610) 857-4759 embspecialty.com
Knies Insurance Group
Greg Knies (610) 273-3756
keytoinsurance.com
See ad pg. 49
The Wright Agency
Jonathan Wright (610) 269-6115
wrightagencyinsurance.com
See ad pg. 11
US Health Advisors
Harry Lilley (484) 554-4989 ushagent.com/HARRYLILLEY
VanDyne Insurance Agency
Donna VanDyne (717) 430-2798
vandyneinsurance.com
Whitford Insurance Network, Inc.
Bob Ward (610) 524-7860 whitfordinsurance.com
IT Services
CompNet, Inc.
Mark Davis (610) 380-1314 compnetinc.com
Fashay Consulting
Diane Fasnacht (610) 331-9246 fashay.com/
Origami Technology Group, Inc.
William Gayle (484) 639-0004 origamitg.com
Landscaping
Bonner Landscape Contractors
Ryan Bonner (484) 886-2925 BonnerLC.com
Matthew Forrest Hardscape & Landscape
Matthew Siter (484) 753-4434
The Tree Connection
Ryan Sipple (484) 888-5360 treeconnection.us
Libraries
Atglen Public Library
Robbyn Kehoe (610) 593-6848
ccls.org/158/Atglen-Public-Library
Coatesville Area Public Library
Penny Williams (610) 384-4115
coatesvilleareapubliclibrary.org
See ad pg. 25
Honey Brook Community Library
Jennifer Spade (610) 273-3303
ccls.org/171/Honey-Brook-CommunityLibrary
Parkesburg Library
Kathleen Hood (610) 857-5165 parkesburglibrary.org/ Management Consultants
Transfers of Learning, LLC
Tasha Delaney (610) 466-7521
transfersoflearning.com
See ad pg. 30
Manufacturing
ACR Machine Inc.
Steve Tury (610) 383-6150
ACRMachine.com
Aerzen USA Corporation
Cheri Hager 610-380-0244 aerzen.com/en-us.html
American Roll Suppliers, Inc.
Karen Neuhauser (610) 857-2988
ArcelorMittal
Albert Fuller (610) 383-2000 arcelormittal.com
Armstrong Engineering Associates, Inc.
Robin Austin (610) 436-6080 armstrong-chemtec.com
Brandywine Valley Fabricators
Josh Crane (610) 384-7440 brandywinevalleyfab.com
See ad pg. 20 Cigas Machine Shop, Inc.
Craig Cigas (610) 384-5239 cigasmachine.com
H2O Connected
Susan Springsteen (610) 594-2191 leakalertor.com
JGM Fabricators & Constructors LLC
Joseph Messner (610) 873-0081 jgmusa.com
John Rock Inc.
Bill MacCauley (610) 857-8080 johnrock.com
Keystone Turbine Services, LLC
Patrice Beail (610) 268-6200 kts-aero.com
Pacer Industries, Inc.
Joseph Moran (610) 383-4200
pacergrindingwheels.com
Paulsonbilt
Pamela Barranco (610) 384-6112
paulsonbilt.com
Pelet Welding Inc.
Timothy Pelet (610) 384-5048 peletwelding.com
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Chuck DiLabbio (610) 644-4430
lockheedmartin.com/us/what-we-do/ aerospace-defense/sikorsky.html
See ad pg. 16
Marketing and Public Relations
Communication Works Now
Judith Lee (610) 368-2058 communicationworksnow.com
Media and Publishing
Chester County Press
Randall Lieberman (610) 869-5553
chestercounty.com
Vista.Today
Ken Knickerbocker (610) 256-9571 vista.today
Memorials and Monuments
White Willows Memorial Design
Fay Monte (717) 442-9001 whitewillowsmemorials.com Metal Fabrication
American Roll Suppliers, Inc.
Karen Neuhauser (610) 857-2988
Brandywine Valley Fabricators
Josh Crane (610) 384-7440 brandywinevalleyfab.com See ad pg. 20
JGM Fabricators & Constructors LLC
Joseph Messner (610) 873-0081 jgmusa.com
Mortgage and Financial Guaranteed Rate
Jason Ashe (610) 864-6357 rate.com/jasonashe Museum
Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Ar t
Sheila Fleming (610) 388-8389 brandywine.org/conservancy
National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum/Graystone Society
Jim Ziegler (610) 384-9282 steelmuseum.org
Music
The Lukens Band
Mike Givler (610) 383-4197 lukensband.org
Networking Groups
Women’s Business Connection of Chester County
Bette Cowles-Friedlander (484) 823-0110 wbcchesco.com
Ophthalmologists
Levin Luminais Chronister Eye Assoc
Paul Fernandes (610) 384-9100 lleaeyes.com
Painting
Certapro Painters of Western Chester County
John Fecile (484) 283-5003 western-chester-county.certapro.com/ Parks and Recreation
Chester County Parks
Lori Caldwell (610) 932-2589 chesco.org
Payroll Services
CBIZ, Inc.
Donna McCorkle (484) 667-6652 cbiz.com
The Small Business Accounting Solution Inc
Nicole Odeh (610) 203-9682 TSBAS.com
Pharmacies
Honey Brook Pharmacy
Tony Scalies (610) 273-7300 honeybrookpharmacy.com
Hopewell Road Pharmacy
Tony Scalies (610) 269-0002 hopewellroadpharmacy.com
Quik-Stop Pharmacy
Alissa Steele-Griffith (610) 384-6100 qstoppharmacy.com
Photography
Aleesha Nicole Photography
Aleesha Howe (484) 824-1897 aleeshanicolephotos.com
Images by Trish
Trish Kozola (484) 258-1977 imagesbytrish.com
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy Workshop
John Spangenberg (610) 466-7060 ptworkshop.com
Plumbing
Darryl N. Barber Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Darryl Barber (610) 273-2369
darrylbarberandsons.com
J-S All Things Plumbing
Bob Sparr (610) 500-4373
bobsparr.wix.com/allthingsplumbing
See ad on back cover
Joe Ward Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Joe Ward (610) 593-6474
Summers & Zims
Joseph Zimmerman (610) 593-5129 sumzim.com
Tri-County Water Services Inc.
Brent D. Hershey (610) 857-1740 tricowater.com
Printing and Promotional Services
Adelfi Promotions, Inc.
Michael Millard (484) 999-0656
adelfipromo.com
Blue Dog Printing & Design
Debi Friedmann (610) 430-7992 getbluedog.com
Denron Sign Company
Robert Sciarra (610) 269-6622
DenronSigns.com
FASTSIGNS EXTON
Carrie Mengel (610) 280-6100
FASTSIGNS.COM/368
Image Ink
Janet Petsko (610) 518-5181 image-ink.biz
Link Promos
Megan Lamkin (717) 543-3767 linkpromos.com
Metro Printing & Promotions
Veronica Hall (484) 883-1243
metroprintingusa.com
Paragon Business Gifts, Inc.
Greg Krajewski (610) 857-5506
paragonbusinessgifts.com
Shirts N More LLC
Joseph Early (610) 873-6075
shirtsnmorepa.com
Surefire Graphics & Marketing
Vincent Zambuto (484) 378-4033
SurefireGraphics.com
Tam Arte Design Studio
Rick Milne (610) 269-7518 tamartedesign.com
The UPS Store Print ShopDowningtown
Bruce Cobb (610) 518-5010 theupsstore.com
Zakback Inc.
Bruce Korn (610) 407-0285 zakback.com
Property Management
BLUE CORD Property Care
Bradley Fink (484) 796-1586
bluecordpropertycare.com
Brite Realty Services
Thomas Taylor (610) 524-8285 briterealty.com
Clarel Janitorial/Maintenance Services Corp.
Claudia Muntean (484) 378-0827 clarelmaintenance.com
Huston Properties
Sharon Tandarich (610) 384-2666 hustonproperties.org
Wills Property Maintenance
Richard Wills (610) 384-1624 willspropertymaintenance.com
Zeke’s Inc.
Joseph DiSciullo (610) 384-5119 zekesincpa.com
Real Estate
Brite Realty Services
Thomas Taylor (610) 524-8285 briterealty.com
C. Kenneth Grant Insurance & Real Estate
Barry Norton (610) 384-6260 grantinsuranceandrealestate.com
Help-U-Sell Direct Homes
Matthew Boyle (610) 363-3737 helpusell.com
High Associates, LTD
Brian Davison (610) 380-8437
highlandscenter.com
Keller Williams Jennifer Randell (610) 659-0800
battykolo.com
Mark Lane Properties
Mark Sherman (215) 510-6399
The Gorham Group
Matt Gorham (610) 363-4340
mattgorhamgroup.com
Re/Max Professional RealtyLaurie Keen (610) 363-8444
teammatrixhomes.com
Star Suoerior LLC Real Estate
Stefanie Tarloski 610-331-2624
starsuperior.com
Recycling and Collections Services
A.J. Blosenski, Inc.
Anthony Blosenski (610) 942-2707
ajblosenski.com
Mahoney Environmental Services
Brenda McNeil (610) 425-1289 mahoneyes.com
Reliable Industries
Michael Carlini (717) 626-2181 relbox.com
Rentals
American Tent Rental
Jay & Denise Riley (484) 340-7450 americantentrental.wixsite.com
Northwestern Chester County Rentals
Kathy Duca 610) 857-1110 nccrllc.com
Residential Exterior Remodeling
Milanese Remodeling
Mark Milanese (610) 384-5820
milaneseremodeling.com
See ad pg. 4
Restaurants
Beaver Creek Tavern
Stuart Deets (484) 593-0481 beavercreek-tavern.com
Bordley House Grille
Melissa O’Hara (610) 738-4410 x13 broadrungc.com/amenities/bordleyhouse-grille
Continued on next page
Directory
Continued from previous page
Bright Spot Café
Shannon Maria Brower (610) 458-7000
BrightSpotExton.com
Glenmoore Deli
Christie Keith (610) 942-4321
facebook.com/Glenmoore-Deli-Country-Market-997885856960616/
Greenside Grill at Honeybrook Golf Course
Donna Horvath (610) 273-0207 honeybrookgolf.com/greenside
Harry’s Neighborhood Place
John H. Lymberis (610) 857-2331
HarrysHotdogs.com
See ad pg. 56
Little Chef Family Restaurant
Nick Lymberis (610) 384-3221
thelittlecheffamilyrestaurant.com
Mr. E’s Tavern & Fine Food
Beth Perdue (610) 384-4356 mrestavern.biz
Rita’s of Gap
Debbie Pierce (610) 405-4586 ritastruck.net
Rocco and Anna’s Ristorante Italiano Rocco Pirozzi Jr. (610) 857-1111
roccoandanna.com/ Shotgun Pub & Grill at Moccasin Run Golf Course
Grace King (610) 593-2600 moccasinrun.com/pub/shotguns
Stottsville Inn
Kate Richard (484) 718-5121 stottsvilleinn.com
The Attic Lounge at Harry’s
John H. Lymberis (610) 857-0202
TheAtticLoungeAtHarrys.com
See ad pg. 56
Victory Brewing Company
Mike Kearnes (484) 667-9249 victorybeer.com
ZING Sushi
John H. Lymberis (610) 857-0001
ZingSushi.com
See ad pg. 56
Retirement Life Care Communities
Freedom Village at Brandywine
Nicole Rosella (610) 383-5100 fvbrandywine.com
Harrison House of Chester County
Jean Bryan (610) 384-6310
harrisonseniorliving.com
Harrison Senior Living of Christiana Sherri Stoltzfus (610) 593-6901
harrisonseniorliving.com
Heatherwood Retirement Community
Kelly Miller (610) 273-9301
heatherwoodretire.com
Tel Hai Retirement Community
David Shenk (610) 273-9333 telhai.org
Safety Systems and Services
Signal 88 Security of Octorara
Pete Mango (302) 298-3307 signal88.com
The Protection Bureau
Christine Pezzi (610) 903-4900 protectionbureau.com
VVP Security
Michael Amersek 267) 977-8706 securityvpp.com
Witmer Public Safety Group, Inc.
James Witmer (484) 288-6405 wpsginc.com
Self Storage
Global Self Storage
Jonathan Arasin (610) 857-0777
globalselfstorage.us
Hidden Valley Self Storage
Denyce Tober (610) 857-1778
hiddenvalleystorageparkesburg.com
See ad pg. 44
Senior Services
Coatesville Area Senior Center
Bill Pierce (610) 383-6900 casc.org
Skincare and Cosmetics
Arbonne International
Nina Malone (610) 331-8285
ninamalone.arbonne.com
Telecommunications and Networking
CTDI
Keith Montone (610) 793-8103 ctdi.com
FBSG, Inc.
David Steltz (610) 233 9925
fbsginc.com
Transportation
Chester County Area Airport Authority
Gary Hudson (610) 383-6057
chestercountyairport.com
Chester County Aviation
Steve Fortin (610) 384-9005
chestercountyaviation.com
Krapf Group
Gary Krapf (610) 431-1500 krapfbus.com
Signature Aviation
Blaze Sharkley (610) 384-9000 signatureflight.com
TMACC-Transportation Management
Assoc. Chester County
P. Timothy Phelps (610) 993-0911 tmacc.org
Travel and Tourism
ChescoWest chescowest.com
Chester County Conference and Visitor’s Bureau
Susan Hamley (610) 719-1730
brandywinevalley.com
Tree Care
The Tree Connection
Ryan Sipple (484) 888-5360 treeconnection.us
Wills Property Maintenance, LLC
Richard Wills (610) 384-1624 willspropertymaintenance.com
Utilities
PECO Energy Company
Scott Neumann (610) 725-7189 exeloncorp.com
PECO Energy Company
Edward Piscopo (215) 841-5411 peco.com
Pennsylvania American Water Company
Terry Maenza (610) 670-7789 amwater.com
Pennsylvania American Water Company
Justin Brame (610) 384-1776 amwater.com See ad pg. 54
Video Production Multimedia
CRD Multimedia LLC
Ross Darlington (610) 247-0766
crdmultimedia.com
Valley Creek Productions
Justin Chan (215) 525-9904
valleycreekproductions.com
See ad pg. 47
Water Products & Services
H2O Connected
Susan Springsteen (610) 594-2191
leakalertor.com
Tri-County Water Services Inc.
Brent D. Hershey (610) 857-1740 tricowater.com
Website Design
CompNet, Inc.
Mark Davis (610) 380-1314 compnetinc.com
Fashay Consulting
Diane Fasnacht (610) 331-9246 fashay.com
Link Promos
Megan Lamkin (717) 543-3767 linkpromos.com
Mercurygraphix
Brandon McLean (610) 639-4723 mercurygraphix.com
Youth Services
Bridge Academy and Community Center
Jordan Crans (610) 466-9505
thebridgeacademy.org
Caln Athletic Association
Steve Santillo (484) 378-0470 calnaa.com
Chester County Council, BSA
Jeffrey Spencer (610) 696-2900 cccbsa.org
Minding Manners With Ms B
Bongai Mhloyi (484) 356-8935
mindingmannerswithmsb.com
The Parkesburg POINT
Debbie Shupp (610) 857-3393 parkesburgpoint.com
See ad pg. 27
