Future Focus

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

WCCCC was thrilled to be able to present the Corporate Citizenship Recognition this year to The Parkesburg Point for the significant contributions the organization has made to the health and well-being of the western Chester County region. The Corporate Citizenship Recognition's overall purpose is to highlight non-profit organizations in the community that provide essential capabilities that enable all members of our community to progress in their lives; and to discover from business leaders why it is essential for all members of the business community to be active partners with non-profit groups that develop these essential capabilities. During the event, Bob Beggs, Executive Director of Good Works Inc. expressed the importance of businesses and non-profits working together for the community. "Our region has many opportunities for businesses to offer their employees, really rich experiences by getting them involved in non-profit organizations." Craig Styer of Fox Rothschild explained the reasons he gives back by serving on the Board of Directors of the Parkesburg Point.

The POINT's mission is to empower youth and their families to live victoriously by offering a safe, engaging and spirit-filled environment. The youth center addresses spiritual, emotional, academic, and physical needs of young people by partnering with local churches, businesses and organizations in the community. The POINT's daily programs are 100% free to all students and open Monday through Thursday from 4:300 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The organization is home to a large youth center, classrooms and gymnasium as well as a Hands on Training Center to help youth build skills in the trades such as carpentry, electrical, bicycle repair and robotics. If you have interest in volunteering at The Point call Amy Walton at 610-857-3393 or email amywaltonfour@gmail.com

Ways you can give: parkesburgpoint.com/give

At the event, the Chamber presented our 2021 Trades Scholarship to Jack McDevitt. The Twin Valley High School graduate participated in the TCHS Carpentry Program where he started in a co-operative education placement as a cabinet maker with StyleCraft Cabinetry. Since then, Jack was offered a full-time position with the business and continues to excel in his carpentry skills. He even started his own side business in 2020 crafting various carpentry items and plans to grow this business moving forward. During the event, Bob Beggs Executive Director of Good Works Inc. was impressed with Jack's determination and was able to donate tools from his organization to help Jack further his dream. Connections like this one are why the Chamber loves what we do!

PAST HONOREES

2012-Bob McNeil & the Chester County Food Bank 2013- Parson family, CTDI, & the United Way of Chester County, Community Dental and Regina Horton-Lewis 2014-Bentley family, Bentley Systems and Bridge of Hope 2015-Citadel and the Chester County Food Bank 2016- Martin Skolnik with the Coatesville Army Navy Store Eugene DiOrio, Lukens Steel Pearl Sorensen, United Way Coatesville Youth Initiative 2017-Krapf family, Krapf Coaches, and Handi-Crafters. 2018- The Chester County Association for the Blind. 2019- Good Works, Inc. and Citadel 2020- Life Transforming Ministeries, Vanguard and Harcum College.

VISIT THE CHAMBER'S VOLUNTEER WEBPAGE

Find local non-profit organizations you can engage, volunteer or learn more about at westernchestercounty.com/volunteer/

FUTURE FOCUS

The Chamber recently held our 9th Annual Future Focus event at Victory Brewing Company in Parkesburg. This event came about through our Regional Planning Committee which crafted a regional economic development study called Future Focus; designed to bring municipalities together to enhance and promote the western Chester County Region. Since then, the Chamber has implemented priority projects from that study each year. This year, the event hosted Atglen, Parkesburg Borough, Modena Borough, the City of Coatesville and Valley Township to share their development or open opportunities in their area. We also had three speakers sharing their business growth story or development plans in ChescoWest.

CTDI | Keith Montone Keith discussed why and how CTDI operates in Coatesville. The business has 100 global operations in 22 countries and delivers innovative, in-region and technical supply chain solutions to the worlds leading Service Providers and OEMs including Amazon and Verizon. CTDI has 575 employees at the 470,000 sq. ft. facility in Coatesville. Keith explains that the business chose western Chester County because it offered the ability to expand their light industrial warehouse footprint in a location that was in close proximity to their global headquarters in West Chester. The location also offered CTDI access to local talent and a valuable pool of potential employees with 69% employees at the Coatesville location being Chester County residents.

Valley View Business Park | Phil Earley and Bill Wilson Valley View Business Park, off of Waverly Boulevard is home to a modern state-of-the art warehouse for sale or lease. The zone provides for a wide range of industrial activities. Available is a design build of a 35,100 to 198,000 sq. ft. high bay warehouse, right off of route 30 near the Chester County Airport. Also nearby, are several new development projects including new business parks and housing developments. Valley View is already home to the new Cigas Machine Shop and G.A. Vietri, Inc. John H. Lymberis discussed his project, Lafayette Square, a luxurious rental community in Sadsburyville. The 125 unit condominium development is on 12 acres located in Sadsbury Township. John explained that the growth of residents coming to western Chester County is in an upwards tick and the project fills the need of housing in the area.

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

The WCCCC understands that in order to have a strong economic environment, you must have a strong community. We are truly blessed to have businesses, municipal leaders, educators and citizens who realize that we all share in the responsibility of the economic success in our community.

To help our member businesses, we provide a variety of networking, educational, advertising and social opportunities over the course of the year.

I want to congratulate our dedicated staff for a championship year. Donna Steltz and Rachel Cathell have done a fantastic job of making this an incredibly successful year. We welcomed Ashley Pierce as our Membership Engagement Specialist, a new position within the chamber that has shown immediate results. Membership of the WCCCC is impressive and growing rapidly, as we close in on 400 members strong. We performed a number of new business ribbon-cuttings, including the beautiful renovation at the Midway Arches St. Cecelia’s Event Center. We look forward to the dedication of the 190 Innovation Center in Coatesville this fall, as well as the much anticipated kick-off of the Coatesville train station construction project.

Since 1916, the Chamber has stood strong representing both small businesses and large corporations. We also represent sole proprietorships, diverse non-profits, leading regional institutions, manufacturing and agriculture.

I want to thank all of our members, both new and long-standing for making the WCCCC a continued success. We have a number of our signature events planned for the remainder of the year. These include: The Reading Phillies event, our annual golf outing, the Coatesville Grand Prix, our annual dinner and awards banquet, as well as the 20th anniversary of our municipal luncheon. Please check our website for regular updates for all of our events.

I represent a very dedicated Board of Directors and loyal chamber staff and I am honored to serve as their president. On behalf of the board of the directors, we look forward to working with you. We are committed to continue to grow the chamber and continue its long storied history.

I am excited to see everyone at any of our chamber events. As we always say, please help to spread the word. The Western Chester County Chamber is the place to be!

Greg Vietri, G.A. Vietri, Inc.

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