Entrepreneurship isn’t always glamorous, but it can be deeply fulfilling and rewarding. Jason Feller, owner of Crystal Clean Canz, joins us to discuss his journey from managing country clubs to growing a business centered on cleanliness and customer service. We talk about the surprises he encountered as a first-time business owner, how he diversified his services, refined his service area, and works to grow his recurring revenue. Jason also shares why he values his role as chair of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. Jason’s story is a candid look at the risks, rewards, and realities of building a small business.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Crystal Clean Canz

• Website: crystalcleancanz.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/crystalcleancanz
• Facebook: facebook.com/CrystalCleanCanz
• Email: info@crystalcleancanz.com

Additional Links

• Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
• New London Consulting
• This Sober Vet
• Univest
• LBDesign

Related Episodes

• Networking, Local Community, and Business Connections with Tony Poluch

Transcript

A full transcript will be posted on our website as soon as it is available.

Networking offers avenues to opportunities, collaborations, and growth, especially in business. In this episode, we sit down with Tony Poluch, Senior Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer at Univest Bank & Trust Company, to explore how meaningful conversations with local professionals can produce business success, further a career, and forge strong local connections. Tony shares his insights on cultivating authentic relationships and the value of curiosity in business. We explore Tony’s lengthy career in commercial banking and ask about the location business environment. Whether you consider yourself a networking pro, or are struggling in that area, this conversation offers spot-on guidance on making the most of business conversations.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Tony Poluch / Univest Bank

• Tony Poluch on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tony-poluch-a50b544/
• Univest website: univest.net
• Univest on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/univest
• Univest on Facebook: facebook.com/univestfinancial
• Univest on Instagram: instagram.com/univest_financial

Chester County Chambers of Commerce

• Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
• Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce
• Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry
• Exton Chamber of Commerce
• Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce

Additional Links

• The Gables at Chadds Ford
• Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC)
• Delaware Contractors Association

Local Nonprofits

• Home of the Sparrow
• Open Hearth
• Chester County Art Association
• Kennett Library
• Urban Affairs Coalition

TRANSCRIPT

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

In a first for our show, we are are excited to feature a guest who is both a business and nonprofit leader. It was a privilege to walk a full round with Christopher Everett, Senior Vice President at Truist Bank and the Founder and Board President of the RLE Go Fore It! Foundation. Christopher guides us through his career in banking – a journey of almost 25 years. He explains what led him to create a nonprofit that empowers young people through business education, mentorship, and exposure to new possibilities – all through the game of golf. He shares some tough lessons he learned in his younger days, and what connecting people and opening doors for the next generation means to him.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Truist

• Website: truist.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/truistfinancialcorporation
• Facebook: facebook.com/truist
• Instagram: instagram.com/truist
• Christopher on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christophereverett26
• Careers with Truist: careers.truist.com/us/en

RLE Go Fore It! Foundation

• Website: goforeitusa.com
• Book: Go Fore It!: A Family and Golf Story by Christopher Everett
• Facebook: facebook.com/goforeitusa
• Instagram: instagram.com/goforeitusa

Golf/Sports Organizations and Books

• Carter’s Spectrum Golf
• Book: Swinging Beyond the Spectrum: How Autism Became My Superpower On And Off The Golf Course! by Carter Bonas
• Book: Playing from the Rough by Jimmie James
• Book: Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You by A’Ja Wilson

Additional Links

• Sow Good Now
• Chester County Community Foundation
• North Carolina Central University

Local Restaurants

• Black Lab Bistro
• Sedona Taphouse
• Savannah Bistro
• The Naked Olive

Transcript

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

What makes a town truly welcoming? We head to southern Chester County to meet with Daniel Embree, Executive Director of Kennett Collaborative, to explore how placemaking, events, and people shape a stronger, more inclusive community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Daniel shares the organization’s mission and why collaboration is at the heart of their work. We discuss Daniel’s own journey from artist to nonprofit leader, and the value of telling personal stories in public spaces. From Kennett Brewfest, Daniel paints a beautiful picture of his corner of our community.

Our Partner

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Kennett Collaborative

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennettcollaborative/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kennett.collaborative
• Volunteer: kennettcollaborative.org/volunteer
• Donate: kennettcollaborative.org/support
• Brewfest Tickets: https://www.kennettbrewfest.com/
• Unicorn Across the Street: https://kennettcollaborative.org/stories/the-unicorn-across-the-street/
• Daniel Embree on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielembree/

Local Shops and Organizations

• Great places to eat and shop (Business Directory): kennettcollaborative.org/explore
• KSQ Farmers Market: https://www.ksqfarmersmarket.com/
• Shoppe Marché: https://www.instagram.com/shoppemarche
• Camp Dreamcatcher: https://campdreamcatcher.org/
• Kennett Area Community Service: https://kacsimpact.org
• The Garage Community and Youth Center: https://www.garageyouthcenter.org
• YoungMoms: https://www.youngmomschestercounty.org

Related Episodes

• Spearheading the Organization of a Community Brewfest with Jeff Norman

Note: The photo of Daniel used in the episode artwork is by Dylan Francis.

Transcript

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

Continuing our run of conversations with local producers, we sit down with Olga and Brian Dressler, the owners and cider makers at Dressler Estate. We learn about their branch to bottle approach to making local cider. We hear about their recently opened tasting room in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and their vision for this new home. We talk cider production, label making, and the business of a running a cidery. Pour yourself a glass of their finest and tune in for a great conversation.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Dressler Estate

• Website: dresslerestate.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/dresslerestate
• Facebook: facebook.com/DresslerEstate

Additional Links

• East Branch Brewing
• Station Taproom
• Bottleroom
• Rosie’s Kettlecorn
• Downingtown Main Street Association
• Downingtown Farmers’ Market
• Chestnut Hill Farmers’ Market
• Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market

Related Start Local Episodes

• Farming Grapes and Making Local Wine with Anthony Vietri
• Spearheading the Organization of a Community Brewfest with Jeff Norman

TRANSCRIPT

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

Southeastern Pennsylvania is not typically at the top of the list of renowned wine regions of the world. Yet that is exactly why we stopped into the tasting room at Va La Family Vineyard. We sat down Anthony Vietri, farmer and wine maker, to learn how his family has been farming the land in Avondale, Pennsylvania for almost one hundred years. We talk about his approach to farming grapes and crafting unique and complex wines flowing from the local terroir. If you're into wine and looking for a wonderfully different and refreshing discussion about wine and the business of wine, this is a conversation to savor.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Va La Family Vineyard

• Website: valavineyards.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/valavineyards
• Facebook: facebook.com/VaLaVineyards

Additional Links

• Shellbark Hallow Farm
• Canine Partners for Life
• Stroud Water Research Center

Related Start Local Episodes

• Training Service and Companion Dogs with Kirstin Downie
• Conducting World-Leading Fresh Water Research with John Jackson

Transcript

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

In times of uncertainty, the desire for financial security is universal. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Patti Brennan, founder and CEO of Key Financial, a wealth management firm based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Patti shares practical ideas for navigating turbulent markets. We explore her unique career path from ICU nurse to nationally recognized financial advisor. We dig into her people-first leadership style, and the values that shape her firm – now managing $2.5 billion in assets. We also dive into her new book, Am I Going to Be Okay?, published by Forbes.

OUR PARTNER

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

LINKS

Key Financial

• Website: keyfinancialinc.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/KeyFinancialInc
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/key-financial-inc
• Patti Brennan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keyfinancialinc
• Patti’s Book: Am I Going to Be Okay?

Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC)

• Chester County Economic Development Council
• Seedcopa
• Hire One
• ITAG
• Supporting the Local Business Community with Michael Grigalonis

Additional Links

• Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital
• Top-Rated Health Care and Well-Supported Staff with Karen Pinsky, MD and Ed Callahan

Transcript

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