Full House for Volpe Enterprise's Business Before Business
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On Wednesday morning, we hosted our sold out Business Before Business at Volpe Enterprise's Malvern location in partnership with our CCCBI Young Professionals Network!
The YPs opened their annual March Madness Tournament where participants could make a donation to the the Chester County Chamber Foundation for the chance to win two tickets to the Foundation's one and only fundraiser, the Summer Solstice, coming up in June.
Our host Steven Volpe gave a wonderful overview of his business and a powerful reflection on his chamber Membership and the opportunities that are made possible by connecting and collaborating with fellow Members. This was the perfect environment for our members and business leaders to forge meaningful relationships while promoting their business.
Thank you to ANEU Kitchens who provided some delicious pastries for breakfast and Cafe Gourmino who crafted custom coffee drinks! We love to see our members partnering for events like these. Thank you to Volpe Enterprises and all who attended this awesome morning!
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Celebrating Women's History Month
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CCCBI is proud to recognize some of the amazing women and woman-owned businesses that shine in our Membership throughout Women's History Month! Stay tuned this March to learn about and celebrate the women of our Chamber.
This week, we'd like to honor Michele Garrett, Founder of Michele Garrett Coaching and Monica Ferguson, Content Marketing Specialist for IT Edge!
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We asked Michele about her business, what she loves about our Chamber's active Women Influencing Business Network and who inspires her. Here's what she had to say:
Michele Garrett has spent her career helping others navigate change with clarity and confidence.
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As a transformational life, transition, and leadership coach, Michele works with high achieving women 45+ who find themselves at an inflection point and are asking an important question: what is next for me? Through her program Reignite YOU!, she guides women to rethink what is possible with her thoughtful, supportive, and deeply practical approach, giving women the space and tools to design the next chapter of their lives with intention.
“I bring more than three decades of experience across teaching, instructional design, and leadership coaching. I combine that experience with genuine warmth and encouragement, meeting women where they are and helping them move toward where they want to be. I am also embracing my own Act III with purpose, enjoying empty nest life, pursuing yoga teacher training, and spending meaningful time with family and friends.”
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We asked Monica about her work, what she loves about our Chamber's active Women Influencing Business Network and who inspires her. Here's what she had to say:
Monica Ferguson is a Digital Marketing professional who specializes in content creation and distribution. She enjoys local businesses, time with family/friends, and a good book in her free time.
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She is the Content Marketing Specialist in the Marketing Technology Department at IT Edge in West Chester.
“CCCBI has brought me not only professional relationships and referrals but friendships as well. It connects me to likeminded women with the same inspiration for Chester County and its community. A woman who has impacted my professional journey was my boss at my first internship while I was in college. She was inspiring because she had many career pivots but remained hardworking while trying to keep the fun in everything she did. Jane gave me the best advice: ‘Love what you do every day and work hard, the rest will come two-fold.”’
Special thanks to Michele and Monica for their continued support and involvement with CCCBI!
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Congratulations to our VISTA NextGen Superstar!
A Message from Laura Manion, CCCBI President & CEO
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"In her three years with the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry, Abby Wolfe has grown from a behind-the-scenes communicator to a confident, visible leader representing the Chamber across our region.
Abby’s natural leadership, creative drive, and deep understanding of relationship-building have elevated every aspect of our organization’s marketing and engagement.
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Under Abby’s direction, our marketing reach has grown to new heights. Social media engagement has increased significantly across all platforms, and our newsletter open rate has climbed from the low 20% range to nearly 50% — a remarkable achievement that reflects her ability to create content that resonates with our members and broader community.
Abby’s growth, confidence, and contributions exemplify what it means to be a Millennial Superstar. I am so proud to call her a colleague and friend."
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Potential Changes for PA State Police Protective Services
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Under a bill introduced last week, communities without municipal police departments could begin to have to pay the Pennsylvania State Police for protective services. House Bill 2284, introduced by Rep. Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin), would end the practice of funding the PSP with gas tax funds and would create a system for the state police to bill municipalities that rely exclusively on the PSP. The bill would create a sliding scale for fees based on the population of the municipality and whether they have a part-time police force or none at all. “Municipalities that establish their own local police departments or join regional police forces would be exempt from the fee,” Fleming said in a memo seeking support for HB 2284. “Importantly, the proposed fees remain significantly below the actual cost of providing PSP services.”
Between 2001 and 2019, state police were the exclusive provider of police protection over 65 municipalities. As the territory they needed to patrol increased, the PSP responded to 38% more incidents. The bill exempts municipalities from the fee system if they are enrolled in the state’s program to assist financially distressed communities. However, all three of the currently enrolled municipalities– Chester, Harrisburg, and Newville– have police departments. Former Governor Tom Wolf proposed a similar fee system, but the effort stalled after resistance from rural lawmakers.
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VoiceFront is a Chester County–based technology company helping small businesses eliminate missed opportunities.
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For many service businesses, every unanswered call or delayed response can mean lost revenue. VoiceFront builds automated customer engagement systems that respond instantly to inquiries, qualify leads, schedule appointments, and ensure every opportunity is captured — 24/7. Unlike traditional answering services, VoiceFront designs customized AI systems that integrate directly with a business’s workflows and calendars, helping companies respond faster, book more appointments, and deliver a consistent customer experience without increasing payroll.
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VoiceFront was founded by Chester County resident Matthew Yuan, who grew up in a small business environment through his family’s locally owned restaurants in the area. Seeing firsthand how hard small business owners work — and how often opportunities can be missed simply because they can’t respond fast enough — inspired him to build solutions that help local businesses operate more efficiently.
Today, VoiceFront focuses on making practical AI accessible to small businesses so they can grow without adding unnecessary overhead.
Matthew is active in the local business community and always enjoys connecting with fellow Chamber members. If you see him at an upcoming Chamber event, feel free to say hello.
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We’d love to hear from and highlight your business! We are seeking member spotlight stories to include in our weekly newsletter!
Email your news to abby@chescochamber.org
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