Page 14 - 2022 Chester County Guide & CCCBI Membership Directory
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  ANNIVERSARY
CHESTER COUNTY CHAMBER
 What do you remember most about your time serving on the Board, especially as Board Chair?
It was an honor to serve as the second female board chair over a 25-year period. The Chamber had a healthy unspoken competition with the Chester County Economic Development Council that developed over many years and created some tension on occasion. I rallied our executive team to meet with the leaders from the CCEDC over the course of several months to work through the issues, which was well-received. The CCCBI also grew in membership, programs and financial commitment.
What are some important ways that the Chamber makes a difference in the Chester County community?
There are several chambers of commerce in the county that primarily focus on small business. The CCCBI does as well but also has a nice mix of middle-market and larger business members. That helps create a greater influence in the community and in
the Commonwealth in some cases. CCCBI is often referred to as
the Chamber of Influence, particularly in the advocacy arena.
Their work in advocacy to be the voice for small businesses is essential, especially after what we experienced with COVID. Small businesses do not have the resources to hire lobbyists to help their industries, but CCCBI has the influence to partner with our local political officials to advocate for small business needs. They are truly bipartisan and interested in advancing business efforts, so our county continues to grow.
JIM LEE, BOARD CHAIR 20172019
When did you first become involved with the Chamber, and what made you want to take a more active role?
I became more involved in the Chamber while I was a Regional Store Director [at Wawa] in 2010. In that role, I asked my leadership
team to deepen their connections with the local communities in which we operated. At the same time, a friend of mine had invited me to a few events at the Chamber. I really enjoyed the topics
of discussion as well as the engaging people I met at the events. Selfishly, it was also a means to broaden my personal network since I am not originally from this area and wanted to get to know more leaders in the community.
What do you remember most about your time serving on the Board, especially your time as Chair?
I joined the Chamber Board in 2011 and have remained active ever since, working on many efforts over the years such as creating the strategic plan for the Chamber, enhancing our learning agenda and guest speaker series, and membership projects designed to improve our programs for small business owners. I find it hard to point to a single defining moment of my service; instead, I recall the amazing business leaders that I’ve gotten to work with throughout the years. I only hope I did enough when it was my turn to guide the Chamber as Chairman.
What are some important ways that the Chamber makes a difference in the Chester County community?
The work the Chamber did in support of our local restaurants
and food industry during COVID was one of the most impressive moments for me. The team saw all of the challenges emerging for these businesses and quickly began to unite those that understood the industry with those that could shape policy to best support them while remaining safe. All of our work to maintain a strong network of business leaders and policy makers, create learning environments in which we could grow together, and drive productive change for the community, made the years of service worth the investment. I look forward to seeing how we will rise
up to the next challenge we are faced with, given how well the organization responded.
DAVID HACKETT, BOARD CHAIR 2021PRESENT
When did you first become involved with the Chamber, and what made you want to take a more active role?
I had two levels of involvement. I was involved initially when Rob Powelson became President of the Chamber because he was a
high school classmate of mine and I wanted to support him. We got involved in doing some great activities like sponsoring March Madness parties, get-togethers for businesses and then when I came to Cozen O’Connor about five years ago, Cozen had a Board seat. The attorney who was the firm’s representative on the Board had left the firm, so I agreed to go on the Board.
What has been most memorable about your time serving on the Board, especially your time as Chair?
I think our efforts in the pandemic to assist companies in need and to advocate for the referendum last year to limit the powers with respect to the Governor’s office in the pandemic were highly successful. It demonstrates the success of our advocacy.
What are some important ways that the Chamber makes a difference in the Chester County community?
I think that we are very involved in advocating for the renovations to the Paoli Train Station. Improving that train station has been a huge effort in assisting businesses. Also, being an advocate for women
in business. We have a Women Influencing Business Committee,
and that’s a huge success of ours. I think that we’ve been very
good at establishing relationships with our elected officials within the county, whether that’s the County Commissioners or the State Senators or State Representatives. That’s been helpful in making sure that Chester County’s businesses are heard on issues that
they are considering. Companies have recognized that we can be an asset to them if they’re having an issue where they need to get access to an elected official or deal with a local municipality. I think the Chamber really recognizes that Chester County is a special place to conduct business and to raise a family.
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