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Letter from the Chamber President
Iam honored to serve as the 2022 president of the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; an organization that works to enhance business and community well-being in the western portion of the county. This is an exciting time for this region. The City of Coatesville is in the middle of a new renaissance with both public and private projects moving ahead to revitalize the business district. Valley Township is experiencing growth as local businesses expand their footprint in the area. Honey Brook Township continues to add to their 5,000 acres of agricultural easement preservation, Atglen is opening a new library and Parkesburg is gearing up to celebrate its 150th birthday. Look out for invitations to multiple ribbon cuttings for new businesses in our region this year as we all grow together.
This is a year of leadership change for our Chamber of Commerce as we say goodbye to our Executive Director Donna Steltz after 20 years of service. The board of directors is excited to welcome Rachel Cathell as our new Executive Director. Rachel moves into this position after serving four years at our Chamber in a communications role. I along with the board will be there to support Rachel and her team during the transition.
A little about my background, my sister and I were born and raised in Chester County. My parents are both transplants with my dad from Hong Kong and my mom from upstate New York. When I finished college (Temple University BA and Penn State MBA) I started my video production company called Valley Creek Productions, ranked top 25 LGBT Owned Companies by the Philadelphia Business Journal 2016-2021. As I grew my business, I started looking for a place to live. I told my friends I was considering Coatesville and the typical reaction was, “The city of Philadelphia is where the action is, you should be living in Philly”, but the price was right to live out here; I liked the slower pace, less traffic, and quiet that comes from living away from the big city.
When I started growing my business, I joined the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce. I noticed right away how down to earth the people are. It really felt like
family. I grew to enjoy attending chamber events, not just to market my business, but to have a good time and catch-up on the latest local news and happenings. I began to feel like this was not just a place I was living at but rather a community I am part of, with a proud history. It’s fun to hear stories from chamber members whose families have been doing business in our area for multiple generations. Members like Mark Milanese of Milanese Remodeling, Jonathan Wright of the Wright Agency, Greg Vietri of G.A. Vietri, Inc, Kirstin Wentz-McElroy of Wentz Funeral Homes, Joseph Regenski of Breuninger Insurance, and Alissa Griffith of Quik-Stop Pharmacy among many other businesses that have started and chosen Justin Chan to stay in our community for many years through multiple generations. For the Chamber, my business produced the show called Western Chester County Checks In. I am excited to continue developing the video segments in 2022 to get the word out about what our member businesses are up to. A big thanks to everyone who helped with the show over the past two years! Our volunteer reporters made all the difference with the show; Alissa Griffith of Quik-Stop Pharmacy, Jonathan Wright of Wright Agency Insurance, Brenda McNeil of Mahoney Environmental, Claudia Muntean of Clarel Janitorial & Maintenance, and Greg Vietri of G.A. Vietri, Inc. Business, at its core, is about people. It is about building and maintaining those relationships, something our chamber does extremely well. This concept is what I would like to highlight this year during my presidency; how our chamber is like family. Or as a fellow board member said to me, “the family you want to be with.” If you want to become a part of our family join us at one of our many upcoming events and you’ll find out quickly how much our chamber can help grow your business. I thank all of you for welcoming me into this family. I’m glad I didn’t follow my friend’s advice on where to live 15 years ago.
