We spend time with Kirstin Downie, Director of Development and Communications with Canine Partners for Life (CPL), as she explains how the organization works to improve quality of life for people with disabilities or other challenges by pairing them with professionally trained service or companion dogs. Kirstin takes us for a long walk through the extensive training that service and companion dogs undergo to be able to assist their assigned companions. We learn how CPL provides these highly trained dogs to folks of all ages from across the USA. And we hear about some uniquely wonderful volunteer opportunities.

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Canine Partners for Life

• Website: k94life.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/CaninePartnersforLife
• Instagram: instagram.com/k94life
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/canine-partners-for-life
• Fall Festival featuring Cow Bingo
• Volunteer with Canine Partners for Life: k94life.org/volunteer
• Kirstin Downie on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kirstindownie

Additional Links

• Brian’s House
• Valley Forge Educational Services
• Assistance Dogs International

Transcript

A transcript will be posted as soon as it is available.

Now in its 27th year, the Kennett Brewfest is a leading beer festival held yearly in Kennett Square. Arguably the oldest beer festival in the Philadelphia region, the Brewfest provides support to the Kennett Collaborative. We speak with the founder and long-serving lead organizer of the festival, Jeff Norman. An architect by trade, Jeff has lead efforts to organize and deliver the famed Kennett Brewfest since its inception. We talk about the history of the festival, its evolution over time, and of course, all things beer.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Kennett Brewfest

• Website: kennettbrewfest.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kennett.brewfest
• Facebook: facebook.com/KennettBrewfest
• Jeff Norman on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-norman-5004382

Other Kennett Square Festivals

• Kennett Winterfest
• Kennett Summerfest
• Mushroom Festival

Kennett Collaborative

• Website: kennettcollaborative.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/kennett.collaborative
• Facebook: facebook.com/kennettcollaborative

Additional Links

• Waywood Beverage
• Victory Brewing
• Braeloch Brewing
• Two Stones Brewing
• Jeff’s favorite beer: Avec Les Bons Vœux from Brasserie Dupont
• Dressler Estate (Ciders)
• Excursion Ciders
• ServPro of Kennett Square/Oxford
• Kennett Run
• Ales for ALS

Transcript

The transcript will be posted as soon as it is available.

With a unique nonprofit business model, Handi-Crafters employs, trains, and encourages people with intellectual and developmental challenges to enable them to find meaningful and engaging opportunities in the workplace. Focused on the individual skills and needs of the community it serves, Handi-Crafters has been delivering employment-centered programs for more than 60 years from its facilities in Thorndale, Pa. We speak with the Executive Director of Handi-Crafters, April Ennis-Pierson, to learn more about the organization and its innovative approach to its work.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Handi-Crafters

• Website: hcocenter.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/HCOpportunity
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/handi-crafters
• April Ennis-Pierson on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/april-ennis-pierson-32b33127/

Additional Links

• Section 14(c) Subminimum Wage Certificate Program
• PA Office of Developmental Programs
• ARC of Chester County
• Herr’s
• Victory Brewing
• CTDI
• Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty
• Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe

Transcript

The transcript for this episode will be posted as soon as it is available.

Green or clean energy regularly garners press coverage and is often a topic of vigorous public debate. We speak at length with Ron DiSabatino about sustainable and fossil-fueled energy to better understand the factors and considerations around the debate. Ron is the VP of Nuclear Engineering with Constellation, the largest provider of carbon-free energy in the US. We also explore employee recruitment, engagement, and retention, discussing how Constellation works to attract top talent to its nuclear power plants.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Constellation

• Constellation Energy website: constellationenergy.com
• Twitter: @ConstellationEG
• Linked In: linkedin.com/company/constellation-energy
• Instagram: @constellationenergy
• Facebook: facebook.com/ConstellationEnergy
• YouTube: Constellation – YouTube

Nuclear Energy Information & Statistics

• US Department of Energy: Multimedia Resources | Department of Energy
• Nuclear Energy Institute: Nuclear Energy Institute – nei.org
• Yucca Mountain

Additional Links

• Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
• Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• Tick Tock Early Learning Center

Transcript

The transcript will be posted as soon as it is available.

Finding and accessing quality and affordable healthcare is a concern for many. We meet with Ronan Gannon, Chief Executive Officer of LCH Health and Community Services. We speak about the medical and related needs of underserved communities and economically disadvantaged families in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. Ronan shares about the structure and offerings of LCH – and how the nonprofit has continued to expand to meet the evolving needs of the community it serves. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, LCH provides a range of healthcare and related services to vulnerable individuals who are insured, under-insured, or uninsured.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

LCH Health and Community Services

• Website: lchcommunityhealth.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/LCHcommunityhealth
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/la-comunidad-hispana
• Instagram: instagram.com/lchcommunityhealth
• Careers with LCH: lchcommunityhealth.org/recruitment
• Newsletter sign-up form

Additional Links

• Fighting Food Insecurity Locally with Andrea Youndt
• Advocating for Sustainable Transportation with Tim Phelps
• Mighty Writers
• Constellation Energy

TRANSCRIPT

The episode transcript will be posted on our website as soon as it is available.

With Kennett Square celebrated as the Mushroom Capital of the World, we knew it was only a matter of time before we spoke with Meghan Klotzbach. Meghan is the Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Operations at Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms. With the family farm outside West Grove, Pennsylvania, and facilities at a number of locations in southern Chester County, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms pioneered the organic mushroom movement in the late 1980s. We talk all things mushrooms with Meghan in this insightful and fun conversation.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms

• Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms website
• Facebook
• Instagram: instagram.com/motherearthorganicmushrooms
• Pinterest: pinterest.com/motherearthllc
• Careers with Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms

Additional Links

• Treetops Kitty Cafe

TRANSCRIPT

The episode transcript will be posted on our website as soon as it is available.

We spend time with Nina Kelly, Director of Marketing with Chester County Tourism. We chat with Nina to discover some of the many great places to visit and wonderful things to do in Chester County. We learn about a number of hidden gems in our local area and explore some of the many exciting happenings coming to the region. This conversation is a great way to find fun activities this summer, both for tourists and for locals.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Chester County Tourism

• Website: brandywinevalley.com
  • Museums & Gardens
  • Outdoors & Recreation
  • Shopping
  • Heritage & History
  • Chester County Cheers
  • Performing Arts
• Video: cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/get-away-to-chester-countys-brandywine-valley/

Things to Do / Places to Visit

• America 250 Chester County
• Wharton Ersherick Museum
• Antique Ice Tool Museum
• American Helicopter Museum
• Brandywine Museum of Art
• Longwood Gardens
• Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience
• Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens
• Chester County History Center
• St. Peter’s Village
• People’s Light Theater
• Uptown! Knaurer Center for Performing Arts
• Historic Sugartown

Places to Eat / for Foodies

• White Dog Cafe in Chester Springs
• Portobello’s of Kennett Square
• The Farm at Doe Run
• Birchrun Hills Farm

Craft Distilleries

• Botanery Barn
• Bluebird Distilling

Other Start Local Episodes

• Repairing Homes and Building Relationships with Bob Beggs
• Keeping the Milk Moving and Making Cheese with Sue Miller

We meet with two leaders from Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital to discuss the medical needs of the local community and how the teams providing that care are being supported. Dr. Karen Pinsky, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at the hospital and a practicing clinician specializing in pediatrics. Her colleague, Ed Callahan, is the Chief Human Resources at the hospital. We cover everything from addressing health inequity, the challenges following local hospital closures, finding the right medical team, staff retention, and more.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital

• Website: chestercountyhospital.org
• Dr. Karen Pinksky: pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/karen-pinsky
• Pediatrics and Children’s Health
• Careers with Penn Medicine: pennmedicine.org/careers

Additional Links

• Chester County Community Foundation’s Idea Council