Start Local

We chat with Eric Kuhn, Managing Partner with Pillar Real Estate Advisors, LLC, a local area commercial real estate brokerage firm. We learn about the current state of the local commercial real estate economy. Eric shares his professional experience on what entrepreneurs should consider with respect to their workspace needs as their business grows. This wide-ranging conversation is an important listen for any business or nonprofit leader in or around Chester County, Pennsylvania.

We spend time with Laura Manion, the President and CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry. We speak with Laura about her advocacy work at the CCCBI and how she and her colleagues work on behalf of businesses and organizations in and around Chester County. We also go into detail about the challenges of affordable childcare and housing, particularly as they affect local employers and employees.

We spend time with Robert Jefferson, a private practice attorney, about his role as the City Solicitor for the City of Coatesville, Pa and his approach to serving the people of that community. We chat about the non-profit organizations that Rob supports through service on their boards. And we spent time chatting about changes to the legal sector. This was a fun, energetic conversation with an enthusiastic and articulate lawyer.

We explore how the Chester County Food Bank leads the local fight against food insecurity in a great conversation with the for impact organization's CEO, Andrea Youndt. Andrea shares how her career trajectory lead her to her current leadership position, and walks us through how the food bank partners with 150 local partners to address food insecurity and related challenges across Chester County.

We catch up again with West Chester-based marketing agency owner, Marty McDonald. The CEO and Co-Founder of Bad Rhino, Marty shares how every local business should have a podcast – and how that podcast could fill its marketing messaging needs in a easy-to-manage and compelling way.

We learn all about Camphill Village Kimberton Hills from Robert Martin, a retired academic and musician. We begin our conversation with Bob walking us through his storied life and professional trajectory, which saw him move to the Camphill Village in northern Chester County. He then goes into depth about the philosophy and purpose of the village – and its many activities and happenings. 

It was such a treat to learn about this wonderful, caring, and beautiful community. Any single sentence or two would be insufficient to describe Camphill Village Kimberton Hills in any meaningful way – so you will need to dig into the full episode.

We explore how the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) is helping local area businesses move ahead in today'seconomy. Michael Grigalonis, recently appointed as President of the CCEDC, offers his professional goals for the non-profit organization, as well as sharing insight into his personal goals. He walks us through how the CCEDC operates as a non-profit, focused on local workforce development across a range of industries and sectors.

We do a deep dive into how a long-time local business leader and entrepreneur came to commit herself to her local community. Susan Springsteen talks through her journey into seeing Coatesville as the place where she wanted to start and grow a new business. She walks us through getting to know the City of Coatesville, its leaders, and its local residents. She speaks with joy and pride about taking a holistic approach to investing in the long term success of her corner of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Links

nth Solutions

• nth Solutions website
• On Twitter: @nthsolutions
• On LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nth-solutions-llc
• On Facebook: facebook.com/nthsolutions

Leak Alerter

• Leak Alerter website
• On LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/h2o-connected-llc
• On Facebook: facebook.com/theleakalertor

Restaurant, Venues, and Non-Profits in Coatesville

• The Record Kitchen + Bar
• Richie’s Water Ice
• Newlin Foundation

Start Local is back, and we have a fantastic guest! Representative Chrissy Houlahan joins us to give us an update on post-pandemic recovery for small businesses in the Pennsylvania 6th Congressional District. We also discuss the Women Owned Small Business Program Transparency Act, resources available to struggling small businesses, and Congress’ efforts to combat inflation. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in Chester County, PA and the surrounding region!

Links

• US Representative Chrissy Houlahan
• Women Owned Small Business Program Transparency Act
• Problem Solvers Caucus

While we have focused on businesses in and around Chester County since shortly after the arrival of COVID-19, we know that non-profits in the area have suffered the same challenges and hurdles. To learn what non-profits in Chester County are experiencing, and how those non-profits are pivoting, we spoke with Stephenie D. Stevens, Grants & Outreach Officer with the Chester County Community Foundation. 

Links

• The Chester County Community Foundation’s Community Leadership page is designed to provide information/resources on things like COVID-19 and how non-profits are responding: chescocf.org/community-leadership/
• Useful sites for Due Diligence:
  • PA Bureau of Charitable Organizations : Search this database to determine if a charity or fundraiser is registered in PA
  • Guide Star: Analyze a nonprofit’s financial health using IRS-990 data and accountability information
  • Give.org Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance: Monitors and rates charity governance, effectiveness, finances and solicitation, to promote informed giving and charitable integrity nationally
  • Chester County Community Foundation
  • Phoenixville Health Foundation
  • Brandywine Health Foundation
• Organizations mentioned in the show:
  • Camp Dreamcatcher

Notes

What are non-profits in Chester County experiencing during this COVID-19 economy?

• Many local charities that provide human services are seeing a 30%-50% increase in demand for their respective services.
• Those non-profits that were forced to close – like those in arts and culture – have struggled to re-open successfully because they really on ticket sales for revenue.
• Smaller charities across Chester County have seen a $30 million drop in donations in 2020 over 2019.
• Those small charities expect to take 7 to 8 years to recoup the lost donation revenues.
• Locally, the hardest hit non-profit sector is the arts and culture sector. Those charities have seem their revenue streams cut off or dramatically reduced as they switched to presenting shows and events online.

Do you have examples of non-profits have successfully pivoted to offer their services and programs in new ways?

• The pandemic has forced non-profits to think outside the box; they have had to connect with their communities in new way.
• The health sector has very quickly adapted tele-health approaches.
• Camp Dreamcatcher, which provides therapeutic and educational programs to HIV/AIDS impacted youth and their families now offers online counseling.
• Camp Dreamcatcher ran its summer camp online and streamed online activities with its animals.
• Non-profits focused on supporting animals have been streaming groups of puppies or kittens playing together.
• Food banks have transitioned to move food distribution outside in more of a flea market sort of way. 
• As charities transition away (temporarily) from galas, online events and fundraisers are how charities are working to sustain themselves; however online events generally mean smaller audiences and reduced revenues for charities.
• Like businesses, charities are working hard to create new and diversified revenue streams.

For folks who want to support their local charities, how can they review and vet those non-profits?

• The most valuable resource for investigating non-profits is online research. Search for the non-profit on Google or DuckDuckGo.
• Websites like Guidestar list, categorize, and review charities based on tax filings and other published documents.
• Visit the charity’s website – charities should be as transparent as possible so look for detailed information about the organization on its own website.
• Local resources like Guidestar include the Chester County Community Foundation, Phoenixville Health Foundation, and Brandywine Health Foundation

The post Connecting with Local Non-Profits with Stephenie D. Stevens appeared first on Start Local.