Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Hill School hosting conference for investors
Event will show off the properties available for development
Potential real estate and business investors will have the opportunity to take a close look at the potential in Pottstown when The Hill School hosts the second Pottstown Investors’ Conference on Friday, April 20.
The event will be held in the school’s Center for the Arts, 760 Beech St. starting at 8 a.m. There is no charge to attend, but registration is requested.
The Pottstown Investors’ Conference is a partnership of the Hobart’s Run neighborhood revitalization initiative and The Hill School, to provide an opportunity for potential investors to learn more about the potential prospects in Pottstown — both commercial and residential.
“The mission of the initiative is to encourage economic development in Pottstown through real estate acquisition, business development, home ownership incentives, state grants and federal money including tax incentives,” said Twila Fisher, manager of community and economic development for The Hill School.
Fisher stressed that everyone is invited to this year’s conference — including potential investors and interested community members that want to hear about what is happening in Pottstown in terms of investment.
Last year was the first year for the Pottstown Investors’ Conference, which attracted nearly 100 representatives from the business, nonprofit and real estate communities.
“We definitely had some successes come out of last year’s conference,” Fisher said. “Any time you have momentum building in a positive way, it’s because of collaboration and we want to be part of that. We want to spread the word in a way that
results in buy-in.”
One of the success stories from last year’s event according to Fisher, came about as the result of a comment made that a downtown building was for sale, but had not yet been listed. The building was the former Ellis Mills building on East High Street, which was owned at the time by Scott Bentley, owner of VideoRay.
“Word spread from that conference about some of the availabilities, and that building sold within six months,” Fisher added.
In addition to highlighting some of the successes sparked by last year’s conference, this year’s event will feature a working session focused on coordinating revitalization efforts.
“We want to work this year at assessing the accomplishments and setting goals for next year and asking, ‘how can we keep the momentum going,’” she said.
Lunch will be a “Taste of Pottstown” buffet, provided by local restaurants. Fisher added that lunch is designed to be a working lunch for participants.
“There will be discussion questions at each table that we hope people will take time to discuss. Then we’ll have a group discussion — to come up with some goals,” she said. “We’re hoping to be more strategic moving forward.”
Something else new this year will be a demonstration of an idea The Hill School is developing for a Pottstown Social Innovations Lab.
As part of the initiative, Fisher said students would work to find new solutions to old problems and that have a social impact. She added that the school has applied for a grant from the Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation to help support the initiative — with matching funds from The Hill School and Hobart’s Run.
During the conference, several Hill School students will demonstrate how the initiative would work — presenting five minute social innovation pitches to a judging panel and the audience.
“We’re not looking for funding for the ideas that get pitched next week — it’s a way of introducing the idea,” Fisher added. “The idea is to listen to the pitches and see what the Social Innovations Lab could be.”
Registration and a continental breakfast run from 8 to 9 a.m., followed by a keynote address by Dave Zellers, commerce director for Montgomery County; brief reports on economic developmentrelated news; discussions on issues ranging from the local business permit process to financial support such as grants and tax incentives for developers; and the Pottstown Social Innovations Lab pitches.
State Sen. Robert Mensch, R-24th Dist., is expected to make brief comments before the group breaks for lunch. The day will conclude with networking and a showcase of Pottstown properties available for development.
Registration for the event is free, and Fisher said interested participants can register up to the morning of the event. To register for the conference contact Shelley Baumgarten, director of engagement and events at The Hill School, at sbaumgarten@thehill.org or call 610-705-1117. Email business story ideas to business editor/ writer drovins@21stcenturymedia.com.