Supporting Chester County's Major Employers
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Over the past several weeks, the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry has joined with the Chester County Commissioners’ Office and the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) to meet with some of the county’s largest employers.
Together, we’ve had the opportunity to sit down with leaders from Longwood Gardens, the Chester County Intermediate Unit, Penn Medicine/Chester County Hospital, Main Line Health/Paoli Hospital, Devereux, and the YMCA, with additional visits planned in the months ahead.
These conversations provide valuable insight into the needs, opportunities, and challenges of our local employers — allowing us to collaborate more effectively to strengthen Chester County’s business climate and ensure our county remains a great place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.
We’re grateful for the open dialogue and partnership from each organization and look forward to continuing this important work together.
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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Oola Bowls Malvern
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Last Thursday afternoon, CCCBI partnered with Ooola Bowls Malvern for a special ribbon cutting ceremony.
Our guests enjoyed delicious treats, a welcoming atmosphere and even made some new connections as we gathered to celebrate owner Ed Ferderbar and his team!
Açaí the Oola way
Their açaí is what it should be—creamy, smooth, and packed with real flavor. They go straight to the source and choose ingredients that are responsibly grown, ethically sourced, and made with care from farm to bowl. Because better ingredients don’t just taste better—they do better.
Be sure to stop in or utilize their curbside pickup for your next açaí bowl, soft serve, smoothie and more!
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Breaking Down the Big Beautiful Bill with Regional Partners
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Yesterday morning, CCCBI partnered with the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and the Main Line Chamber of Commerce to host Breaking Down the Big Beautiful Bill.
Nearly 70 members from all three chambers gathered at The Inn at Villanova University for an in-depth look at how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is transforming the way businesses approach taxes, incentives, growth and more.
This collaborative breakfast was designed in an effort to help our members discover and unpack the opportunities within the IRA legislation — from energy incentives to tax credits and compliance strategies.
Thanks to our moderator, Mike DeHaven of PKF O'Connor Davies and our three panelists:
- Hillary Alexander - Brinker Simpson & Company
- Katrina R. Samarin - Kreischer Miller
- Kevin McGinn - PKF O’Connor Davies
Special thanks to our fellow chambers who partnered with us to make this timely event possible. Together, we're strengthening the business community in Chester County and beyond.
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Government Affiars Committee Meeting
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This morning, CCCBI's GAC held an in-person meeting to discuss the current state budget impasse, tracked legislation that can impact our membership, the federal government shutdown and more.
Guest speakers Jim Selken of Continental Realty provided some key insights into property taxes and Chester County CEO, David Byerman, gave a candid update on the lack of state and federal budgets on our community.
Our next meeting will take place virtually on Friday, November 21st from 8:30am to 9:30am. We invite our Membership to join us for the last update of 2025 as we look forward to 2026.
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Recovery-Friendly Workplace Initiative Survey
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The Center for Economic and Community Development at Penn State is conducting a survey to assess the needs and interests of businesses and organizations across Pennsylvania regarding a recovery-friendly workplace training initiative.
The survey gathers information on:
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Workforce needs
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Understanding of substance use disorder
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Current workplace practices in supporting recovery
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Interest in recovery-friendly workplace training
Responses will inform the development of a training initiative tailored to the needs of Pennsylvania employers. Survey responses will be anonymous. All participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card as a token of appreciation for their time.
If you are interested, please complete the survey at the link below. Also attached is a QR code to the survey.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at cecd@psu.edu. Thank you!
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American Water and Essential Utilities to Merge as a Leading Regulated U.S. Water and Wastewater Utility
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CAMDEN, N.J. & BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK) (“American Water”) and Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) (“Essential”) today announced that each company’s board of directors has unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock, tax-free merger as a leading regulated U.S. water and wastewater public utility with a pro forma market capitalization of approximately $40 billion and a combined enterprise value of approximately $63 billion, based on closing stock prices as of October 24, 2025.
American Water President and Chief Executive Officer, John C. Griffith said, “This combination brings together two industry leaders united by our shared mission to provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to our customers. By joining forces with Essential, the combined company’s enhanced scale and operational efficiency will support continued investment in our critical infrastructure, enabling us to continue providing superior customer service at affordable rates. We look forward to bringing together the talented teams of both companies to help solve the many water and wastewater challenges across the country and expand our customer base.”
Essential Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher H. Franklin said, “Throughout Essential’s nearly 140-year history, we have consistently led with purpose to shape a future rooted in sustainability, innovation, resilience and best-in-class service for our customers. We are confident that the combined company will build upon our longstanding track record of delivering safe and reliable services and be better positioned to solve today’s challenges while creating a sustainable future. Together, we will have expertise, financial strength and regulatory credibility to continuously improve our infrastructure and meet the evolving needs of our customers. American Water and Essential will continue to enable our communities to thrive.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Essential shareholders will receive 0.305 shares of American Water for each share of Essential they own at the closing of the transaction. This exchange ratio implies a premium of approximately 10% to Essential shareholders based on the average of the daily volume weighted average price of each company’s common stock over the 60-trading-day period ending October 24, 2025. Upon completion of the merger, American Water shareholders will own approximately 69% and Essential shareholders will own approximately 31% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.
Combination Provides Expansive Benefits to Key Stakeholders
- Advances shared mission of delivering essential utility services. Providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services will be of the utmost importance to the combined company. Management will continue to work closely with the EPA and federal, state and local officials to deliver the quality of water that customers have come to expect from American Water and Essential, while also adhering to safety and sustainability best practices.
- Delivers attractive, long-term capital investment profile with ability to provide increased solutions to water and wastewater challenges across an expanded footprint. American Water expects to maintain its long-term rate base growth target of 8-9% upon the closing of the merger, positioning the company to continue to provide high quality service to customers. The combined company will continue to allocate capital to infrastructure renewal, resiliency, water quality, technology and growth projects.
- Upholds commitments to employees and provides greater long-term opportunities. The combined company unites two highly skilled and experienced teams in the regulated utility space, with a greater ability to attract, develop and retain employees and create long-term opportunities for career growth. The combined company does not anticipate material changes to employee compensation or benefits as a result of the transaction. Both companies value their union partnerships, and all union contracts will continue to be honored in accordance with their current terms.
- Strengthens commitment to communities, including water affordability. The combined company will remain an active member in the communities it serves, supporting customers and stakeholders with a dedicated workforce and passionate employee base. American Water and Essential each have a strong history of charitable giving, which will remain central to the combined organization. There will be no change in customer rates as a result of the merger, and American Water and Essential will be better able to maintain an average customer water bill that is affordable, supporting the economic prosperity of the more than 2,000 communities in which the combined company will operate.
Transformative Merger Driven by Compelling Strategic, Customer and Financial Rationale
- Bolsters significant regulated water and wastewater utility providers. The combined company would have a water and wastewater rate base of approximately $29.3 billion1 as of the end of 2024, with approximately 4.7 million water/wastewater connections across 17 states and on 18 military installations. With a larger footprint and customer base as well as increased geographic diversity, the combined company will be well positioned to deliver operational leverage, better customer service and broader customer reach.
- Creates a more resilient utility with improved credit quality and a strong balance sheet. The credit profile and metrics of the combined company are expected to remain strong, benefiting from diversified service territories and regulatory exposure, and a broader customer and revenue base. As a large-cap, regulated utility, the combined company will continue to have ready access to the equity capital markets. There is no debt issuance related to the transaction.
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Your Trusted Guide Through Complex Data
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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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