Four small businesses and nonprofits were celebrated Thursday, June 10 during the annual SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties Small Business Achievements Awards program.
It was the 11th year for the awards, and the second year the event was held virtually via the Zoom conferencing app.
Each year since 2010, SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties recognize owners and entrepreneurs that reached out to SCORE for mentoring and assistance in starting or growing their businesses and demonstrated vision, innovation and achievement in support of the local economy and small business community.
Maria Smith, chairwoman for SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties, hosted the hour long event, introducing pre-recorded segments with the winners and their SCORE volunteer mentors.
She said that in Pennsylvania, there was a 26% increase in the number of new business applications by the close of 2020.
“Out of chaos and uncertainty, we see a silver lining — as Americans choose creativity and courage to be the masters of their own destiny,” she said.
Recognized Thursday for excellence in small business this year were:
Dr. Georgia K. Tetlow, MD, founder, Philadelphia Integrative Medicine, Wayne, Chester County;
Bob Finkenaur, owner, RGF Materials — Form-A-Tread;
Annette Pyatt, executive director, Chester County Improvement Project, Chester, Delaware County;
Andy Resch, owner, Resch Enterprises, St. Cloud, MN.
The virtual event featured a brief video about each honoree, with an introduction by the SCORE mentor that worked with each entrepreneur to help them achieve their goals.
This year’s winners were selected from a group of nominations from SCORE mentors, according to Smith, and each business case was reviewed by the team to understand:
• their mission and unique value proposition
• their path to success
• how SCORE helped them
• how the business is doing today
For the first time, the event featured a keynote speaker — Susan Springsteen, CEO of H2O Connected. Springsteen is currently developing an innovation and headquarters for the company in Coatesville. J2O Connected manufactures and supports water-saving and water-damage prevention products.
In her comments, Springsteen spoke about her lessons learned through years of innovative product startups. She emphasized the importance of perseverance for business owners and the value of peer and mentor relationships early on.
“Perseverance while outside your comfort zone can change the trajectory of your life,” she said. “This has been a recurring theme throughout my varied career and personal pursuits.” She explained that there are three legs to the perseverance stool, “that have helped keep me pursuing and pushing when Murphy’s Law comes knocking.”
The three “legs” are:…
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