Chamber News

Welcome New Members

Youth Leadership Program Visits Wawa

The Chester County Chamber Foundation's Youth Leadership Program kicked off their first program day at Wawa, Inc. Corporate Headquarters!

Special thanks to John Kalogredis who serves on our Foundation Board, Jim Lee, Ben Yankelitis & Patrick Lolli for making this wonderful experience possible!

Wawa Day is always one of the most engaging and interactive days of the year. Over 40 students from 12 different schools toured Wawa's campus, offices, test kitchen and more with none other than Thayer Schroeder, a member of the Wood family (aka the founding family of Wawa)!

Students also participated in what we call...the Bagel Project. With the resources in Wawa's Innovation Center, groups of students founded, operated, and pitched their bagel businesses to judges Marianne Martelli and Kathy Rosano, the Chair of our Foundation's Board of Directors.

"Every year I look forward to seeing what the kids come up with for their business plan," said Marianne. "Something as simple as bagels helps them gain experience in teamwork, leadership, creativity and most importantly, they build confidence as we head into a full program year."

Successful days like this would not be possible without the support of our Sponsor, Pennsylvania American Water, whose generosity has funded both the Foundation and the Youth Leadership Program.

Stay tuned next month as YLP travels to Penn Oaks Golf Club for Personal Branding & Etiquette Day!

Business After Hours

Tuesday's Business After Hours at the General Warren could not have been better!

We had over eighty members, business owners, community partners and board members join us to connect and celebrate the end of the summer.

General Warren provided delicious food and drinks, gorgeous views across the patio and grounds, and some attendees were even able to tour the historic Inn.

Thank you to our generous hosts and all who took the time to support CCCBI at this wonderful event!

Mark your calendars and get registered for our next BAH at Malvern Retreat House coming up in October!

New Member's Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Yesterday, CCCBI helped new member, Bella Vita Coffee & Cream celebrate a grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony!

Laura Manion, Laura Ellis and a few of our Ambassadors were able to join in the fun to congratulate the Bella Vita team and wish them luck at their prime location in Exton.

Click Here to Learn More

Legislative Update

Canned Cocktail Sales Expand Among Pennsylvania Retailers Following Liquor Code Reform

By Jack Troy, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

As of Monday, Pennsylvanians finally have what Gov. Josh Shapiro has called “real freedom” — the freedom to buy canned cocktails from a wider variety of retailers.

Under bipartisan legislation (Senate Bill 688) signed by the governor in July, about 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery stores and gas stations that are licensed to sell alcohol now can get a special permit to stock so-called “ready-to-drink” cocktails.

The initial application fee is $2,500 per business.

Until now, only state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores could carry canned cocktails.

However, several restrictions apply. Eligible drinks must have an alcohol content lower than 12.5% and cannot exceed 16 ounces. Furthermore, canned cocktails cannot be sold after 11 p.m.

Ready-to-drink cocktails are a booming market in Pennsylvania, with some analysts projecting the state to reap $35 million a year in related revenue by the 2028-29 fiscal year.

In other alcohol-related legislation, bars and restaurants as of Friday were permitted to extend their happy hours.

Under HB 829, signed by Shapiro in July, bars now are able to host 10 more hours of discounted drink times — going from 14 to 24. The law also permits establishments with liquor licenses to offer food and drink deals.