Chamber News

Welcome New Members

Shared Interest Group: Banking

Early last Wednesday morning, CCCBI hosted a Shared Interest Group (SIG) for our Members in the Banking industry.

The intent of these quarterly meetings is to stage opportunities for Members to learn, network and develop long-term, meaningful relationships in a casual setting that promotes conversation and camaraderie. A few of the most timely topics of discussion included inflation, employment and the implementation of AI.

Other common threads covered the importance of community involvement, relationship building with clients, different retention strategies for different sized banks, as well as how different the real estate market is now versus pre-covid trends.

Thank you to our attendees who brought this conversation to life, Truist, S&T Bank, Mid Penn Bank, First National Bank and our moderator, Citizens Bank!

Celebrating Business Excellence

The Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry (CCCBI) proudly hosted our second annual Business Awards Luncheon, presented by Constellation Energy, honoring nine Chamber Members and welcoming esteemed writer, Brad Ingelsby, for an exclusive fireside chat.

More than 260 business leaders, entrepreneurs, partners, and community members gathered to celebrate excellence, leadership, and innovation across Chester County’s business community.

In her opening remarks, CCCBI President and CEO, Laura Manion, reflected on her personal connection to Ingelsby, who taught her computer class at St. Patrick School when she was in seventh grade. Manion recalled Ingelsby telling students that he planned to move to Hollywood and become a successful writer and director - a bold ambition that, at the time, felt larger than life to a room of middle schoolers. More than two decades later, Ingelsby has done exactly that, earning national acclaim as the creator of Mare of Easttown and Task. Manion shared that reconnecting with her former teacher by chance at a local Starbucks last year led to the invitation for this year’s event, calling his journey a powerful example of the luncheon’s central theme: that excellence is achieved by setting a bold vision and pursuing it relentlessly.

“I remember sitting in Mr. Ingelsby’s class in 2003 and hearing him tell us he was going to move to Hollywood and become a famous writer and director,” said Manion. “At the time, we all thought to ourselves, ‘okay, Mr. Inglesby, sure.’ But he did exactly what he said he would do, and he did it in a remarkable way. To interview him, as his former student and now as President and CEO of the Chamber, was incredibly special and a reminder to everyone in the room that excellence begins with the courage to believe in what’s possible.” Manion finished her introduction by saying, "to everyone here today, he is Brad Inglesby, but to me, he will always be Mr. Inglesby." This truly touching story energized the room leading up to the highly anticipated award ceremony.

As presenting sponsor, Constellation Energy introduced the nine honorees, each nominated by their peers for their achievements, leadership, and commitment to the Chamber and broader community.

Congratulations to our 2026 award winners:

Camphill Soltane – Nonprofit of the Year
Fearless Restaurants – Family Business of the Year
Greencastle Consulting – Veteran-Owned Business of the Year
Jen Saverio, Meridian Bank – Rising Star of the Year
Meghan Popoleo, The O’Connor Group – Female Business Leader of the Year
Minuteman Press Chadds Ford – Minority-Owned Business of the Year
Phamily Orthodontics – Small Business of the Year
Roman Coia, Roman Coia Photographer – Entrepreneur of the Year
SERVPRO of the Main Line – Community Partner of the Year

This celebration stemmed from the combination of two of our most popular and meaningful events—our Small Business Awards and our Women Influencing Business Awards—into one powerful celebration of business excellence. “The result was truly a bigger, bolder, more unified event that reflects the full strength, diversity, and spirit of our business community,” said Laura Manion.

To showcase the excellence of our Membership at its core, our honorees and sponsors filmed a series of videos with Valley Creek Productions, sharing in their own words why this annual event matters—to celebrate leadership, commitment, and the lasting impact CCCBI members make across industries and communities.

CCCBI thanks all of the generous sponsors and members who supported this impactful event.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with DreamMaker Kitchen & Bath Chester County

Tuesday evening marked the grand opening of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen's new design center in Chester Springs.

Owner Jack Stewart, coordinated the opening of the new design center and collaborated with local vendors to provide some delightful snacks with a great group of attendees for the ribbon cutting in partnership with CCCBI.

Several of our ambassadors attended this celebration with our Director of Member Engagement, Jarrod Rabatin and our Director of Events, Jamie Comiskey.

Thank you to all who came to support one of our newest Members for this special occasion!

Business Before Business- People's Light

The sun came out just in time for yesterday's Business Before Business at People's Light!

These monthly networking opportunities are designed for our Members to build and strengthen professional relationships, spark meaningful conversation and help our business community grow.

The team at People's Light created the perfect environment for our 50 guests, many of whom were new Members, to connect over a cup of coffee and sent each person home with a special gift bag.

Thank you to The Farmhouse at People's Light and everyone who joined us for an extraordinary morning!

Legislative Update

Pennsylvania's Primary Election Results

Pennsylvania’s primary elections were held on May 19th. None of the incumbent elected officials in Chester County faced primary opponents, however there were several hotly contested primary battles across the state.

For seats in the PA Senate, three incumbent Republican State Senators- Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne), Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington), and Chris Gebhard (R-Lebanon)- defeated primary challengers backed by the skilled gaming industry, which is advocating against regulations and taxation of their skilled game terminals. Incumbent Sen. Pat Stefano (R-Fayette) also fought off a primary challenger who was not necessarily tied to skilled game issues. Every other incumbent Senator on both sides of the aisle easily defeated their primary opponents or ran unopposed.

However, several PA House incumbents lost their primary elections. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), the longest serving member of the House, lost to challenger Judy Trombetta. Rep. Keith Harris (D-Philadelphia) lost to Sierra McNeil. Rep. Ana Tiburcio (D-Lehigh), sworn in in March following a special election to replace Josh Siegel, lost to Ce-Ce Gerlach. Rep. Bud Cook (R-Greene) lost to Ben Humble.

Republican candidate George Margetas won a special election in York County to fill the seat vacated by Seth Grove, who resigned earlier this year.

For U.S. House, current State Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 3rd U.S. Congressional District in Philadelphia to replace Dwight Evans, who is not seeking reelection. Rabb is unopposed in the general. Bob Brooks, whom Governor Shapiro endorsed, won a competitive Democratic primary in the 7th Congressional District to face Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R) in November. This sets up what will likely be one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country.

Indeed, Pennsylvania could very well decide the majority of the US House, with three other Republican incumbents facing significant challenges in the November election:

Democrat Janelle Stelson secured a rematch against incumbent Congressman Scott Perry (R-10th CD).
Scranton Democratic Mayor Paige Cognetti will face incumbent Rob Bresnahan (R-8th CD).
Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie easily won his primary to face long-time incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st CD).

Below is the list of names for the fall General Election for Chester County:

Governor
- Governor Josh Shapiro (D) and Lt. Governor Austin Davis (D) will face current state Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) for Governor and Jason Richey (R) for Lt. Governor
US House 6th Congressional District – 2-year term
- Incumbent Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D) vs. Marty Young (R)
PA Senate – Pennsylvania State Senators serve four-year terms with half of the 50 districts up for re-election in 2026, including the 44th Senate District which has portions of Chester County:
- Democratic Incumbent Katie Muth is being challenged by Republican Melissa DiCranian
PA House – 2-year terms with all 203 House Districts on the ballot for 2026
- 13th House District: Madelyn Alvarino (D) vs. Republican Incumbent John Lawrence
- 26th HD: Incumbent Paul Friel (D) does not have a Republican challenger
- 74th HD: Incumbent Dan Williams (D) vs. Republican Lorenzo Kelley
- 155th HD: Incumbent Danielle Friel Otten (D) is running unopposed
- 156th HD: Incumbent Chris Pielli (D) vs. Republican Kris Vollrath
- 157th HD: Incumbent Melissa Shusterman (D) vs. Republican Justin Pak
- 158th HD: Incumbent Christina Sappey (D) is running unopposed
- 160th HD: Incumbent Craig Williams (R) vs. challenger Elizabeth Moro (D)
- 167th HD: Incumbent Kristine Howard (D) vs. Republican Joe Lewis

Read our Legislative Agenda

Member Spotlight

Firstrust Bank

Firstrust Bank is a privately held, third-generation family-owned commercial bank committed to building strong partnerships that help businesses grow, innovate, and expand with confidence.

For over 90 years, we’ve partnered with businesses across the greater Philadelphia region by providing relationship-driven banking, local decision-making, and tailored financial solutions designed around the needs of our customers.

Firstrust remains dedicated to supporting the businesses, organizations, and leaders helping drive economic growth throughout Chester County and the greater Philadelphia region. As part of our continued investment in the region, Firstrust has plans underway to expand its Chester County presence with a new branch expected to open in early 2027.

Whether supporting a business acquisition, financing a commercial real estate project, improving treasury management strategy, or helping a company expand operations, Firstrust focuses on delivering practical solutions backed by responsive service and long-term partnership.

Firstrust combines the capabilities and expertise of a full-service commercial bank with the accessibility and hands-on approach that business owners, brokers, and referral partners rely on when navigating growth, change, and opportunity.

Let’s get a conversation started.

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