Start Local

The focus on STEM education and STEM careers in recent decades has us meeting with Richard Roberts, III, to talk about supporting economically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented youth to become the next generation of leaders. Rick is the founder and President of Young Men and Women in Charge, headquartered in West Chester, Pa. In a well-rounded conversation, we talk about how a village of support enables local young people to excel.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Young Men and Women in Charge Foundation

• Website: ymwicfoundation.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/YMICFoundationInc
• Instagram: instagram.com/ymwicscholars
• Twitter: twitter.com/ymwicfoundation
• Vimeo

Additional Links

• Building Teams in Manufacturing and Engineering with Doug Thompson
• Trellis: trellis4tomorrow.org
• Chester County Community Foundation: chescocf.org
• Chester County Workforce Development Board
• Chester County Economic Development Council: ccedcapa.com

With a growing local population and much upheaval in recent years in how and when people commute to and from work, the transportation needs and goals of Chester County are an important topic for discussion. We meet with Tim Phelps, Executive Director of the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC), to talk about advocating and collaborating for sustainable transportation practices. We discuss the many travel planning initiatives happening across the region, and explore how locals can get involved with travel programs and initiatives in their specific regions.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

TMACC

• Website: tmacc.org
• Community magazine: tmacc.org/chesgo
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/1524399
• Facebook: facebook.com/ChesCoTMA

Transportation Organizations and Sites

• Chester County Planning: chescoplanning.org
• Chester County Parks: chesco.org/4520/Parks-Trails
• DVRPC: https://dvrpc.org/
• PennDOT D6: penndot.pa.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/default.aspx
• D6 Traffic Bulletin: penndot.pa.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/Philly-Regional-Traffic-Bulletin.aspx
• Bonus: 511pa.com

Additional Links

• Chester County Food Bank: chestercountyfoodbank.org
• LHC (formerly La Communidad): lchcommunityhealth.org

Transcript

The transcript for this episode will be posted as it becomes available.

With so much happening in the local residential property market in recent years, we meet with David Graham and Bela Vora to discuss the topic. Based in Kennett Square, David Graham is a mortgage specialist with Rapid Mortgage. Bela Vora is a realtor in Exton, with Coldwell Banker Realty. We cover what steps to take before applying for a mortgage, how to to prepare for buying a first home or buying a home for the first time in a long time, and trends in the Chester County property market – and more.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Links for David Graham

• Facebook: facebook.com/DavidGrahamMortgageSpecialist
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidgrahammortgagespecialist/
• Instagram: @davidrgrahammortgagespecialist
• Website: rapidmortgage.com/kennettsquarebranch/loan-officers/david-graham/

Links for Bela Vora

• Website belavorahomes.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/belavora/
• Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCZZp377QGuzUNnl1OK2tYgQ
• Facebook: facebook.com/PhillySuburbsRealtor
• Instagram: instagram.com/philly_suburbs_realtor/
• Contact Bela: belavorahomes.com/contact-me

Additional Links

• Safe Harbor of Chester County
• Habitat for Humanity of Chester County
• Chester County Food Bank
• Addressing food insecurity in Chester County: Start Local Podcast episode with Andi Youndt, CEO, Chester County Food Bank
• Commercial real estate market in Chester County: Start Local Podcast episode with Eric Kuhn, Pillar Real Estate Advisors

We jump into the local manufacturing sector with Doug Thompson, Manager of Manufacturing at R-V Industries, Inc.. We learn about how R-V Industries, celebrating fifty years in business this year, has grown and expanded to include facilities and operations in multiple sites in Pennsylvania, and in New Jersey and Illinois. Doug talks about building and supporting manufacturing and engineering teams and more at R-V Industries, while highlighting the opportunity for young people to build a career in manufacturing. This is a great exploration of local manufacturing in Chester County.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

R-V Industries

• Website: www.rvii.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/r-vindustries
• Facebook: facebook.com/RVIndustriesInc
• Careers with R-V: www.rvii.com/careers/

Additional Links

• Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
• Thaddeus Stephens College
• Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Manufacturing Alliance of Chester County and Delaware County (MACCDC)
• CMMC Demystified (by our friends at Pegasus Technologies): pegasustechnologies.com/cmmc-demystified

Local Food Pantries

• Honey Brook Food Pantry
• Twin Valley Food Pantry

We spend time with Chris Saello, President & CEO of the United Way of Chester County. We explore how the United Way operates and how it supports our local community generally. Chris then walks us through the many exciting and impact-focused programs that the United Way is delivering to address a range of significant local needs. We also focus on the ALICE community and the work being done to support those in need there ... and more.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

United Way of Chester County

• Chris Saello on LinkedIn
• What does United Way do?
• Next Generation United Way
• Social Innovation Lab
• ALICE
• Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Program
• Ways to Get Involved
• Facebook: UWChesterCounty
• Instagram: UWChesterCounty
• Twitter: @UWChesterCounty

Additional Links

• Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC)
• i2N (a CCEDC Initiative)
• Great Valley Launchbox
• CareerLink of Chester County
• Chester County Workforce Development Board

Chester County Non-Profits

• Crime Victim’s Center of Chester County
• Aiden’s Heart
• Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Grandfamilies
• Housing Partnership of Chester County
• Youth Mentoring Partnership
• Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness

Related Start Local Episodes

• Investing in Your Local Community with Susan Springsteen of nth Solutions
• Fighting Food Insecurity Locally with Andrea Youndt of the Chester County Foodbank
• Advocating for Local Businesses and Organizations with Laura Manion of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry
• Running a Data Analytics and Software Development Company with Chris MacNeel

We enjoy a wonderful conversation with Sue Miller, a local farmer and cheese maker. Together with her husband and their two sons, Sue owns and runs Birchrun Hills Farm in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. We dive into cheese making and running a dairy farm where the cows produce milk that goes into the cheese. 

Links

Birchrun Hills Farm

• Website: birchrunhillsfarm.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/BirchrunHillsFarm
• Instagram: instagram.com/birchrunhills
• 2023 Chester County Farmers of the Year

Additional Links

• Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA): pasafarming.org
• Peter Dixon: dairyfoodsconsulting.com
• Le Garage Winery
• White Dog Café
• Valley Milk House
• The Collective Creamery – a cheese Community Supported Agriculture shares
• Amazing Acres Goat Dairy
• PA Right to Farm Act (from Penn State Law)
• Pennsylvania Agricultural Security Areas

We cover a lot of ground with Laura Berry, an R&D Tax Credit Specialist with Bowers R&D Associates. We talk at length about how local-area businesses can secure tax credits for their research and development. We also talk about being the spouse of a veteran, playing and coaching rugby, creative writing, and more. If your business is currently doing R&D or you are thinking of getting into it, this is a must-listen conversation.

LINKS

Laura Berry

• Laura Berry on LinkedIn
• Laura’s Books: indiesunited.net/laura-dinovis-berry

Bowers R&D Associates and Tax

• Bowers R&D Associates
• Bowers R&D Associates on LinkedIn
• PA website for credits: revenue.pa.gov/IncentivesCreditsPrograms/Pages/default.aspx
  Blog Post on Keystone Innovation Zones (KIZ): bowersrd.com/what-is-the-keystone-innovation-zone-tax-credit-program/

Additional Links

• Safe Harbor of Chester County
• Military Spouse Advocacy Network
• Conestoga Rugby Football Club
• Phoenixville White Horse Rugby Club
• Remark Glass

Transcript

The transcript for this episode will be posted as it becomes available.

We spend time with Chris MacNeel, the Chief Operating Officer of Freya Systems, a local area data analytics and software development company. Having met Chris at TECH360, we go right in AI and the many ways it is shaping our lives today. We talk about company culture and explore remote vs. in-person work environments. This is a wide-ranging listen and an important listen for any leader of a business or nonprofit.

Links

Freya Systems

• Freya Systems website: freyasystems.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freya-systems-llc
• Twitter: @FreyaSystems
• Instagram: instagram.com/freyasystems
• YouTube

Additional Links

• Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS): eosworldwide.com
• TECH360: tech360pa.com

Transcript

The transcript for this episode will be posted as it becomes available.

We meet with with Bertram L. Lawson II, the new President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. With a long and distinguished career with the YMCA (garnered in leadership positions at several YMCA locations), Bertram shares his insight and experience of steering a large local nonprofit at a difficult and challenging time.

Links

YMCA of Greater Brandywine

• Bertram L. Lawson, II on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bertram-l-lawson-ii-4167a66
• YMCA of Greater Brandywine website: ymcagbw.org
• YMCA of Greater Brandywine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ymca-of-greater-brandywine/
• YMCA of Greater Brandywine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YMCAofGreaterBrandywine/
• YMCA of Greater Brandywine Holiday Angels program: ymcagbw.org/holiday-support

Chester County Foodbank

• Chester County Foodbank website: chestercountyfoodbank.org/double-your-impact-thanks-to-bentley-family/
• Start Local episode with Andi Youndt, CEO of the Chester County Foodbank

Additional Links

• Lincoln University website: lincoln.edu
• Sedona Taphouse: sedonataphouse.com/locations/west-chester-pa

We chat with Bob Cox, Managing Partner of BHHC, a local area consultancy focused on enabling companies and nonprofits to move towards greater success. We speak at length with Bob about how to support and empower high performing employees, especially in a difficult labor market.

Links

• BHHC website: buildandperform.com
• Bob Cox on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/accountabilitybob
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• Project C.U.R.E.: projectcure.org/location/philadelphia
• Rise Against Hunger: riseagainsthunger.org
• Orphan Grain Train: ogt.org/branches/mid-atlantic
• Habitat for Humanity of Chester County: hfhcc.org