Exton chamber to honor B&B owner, area banker
Lori Zytkowicz of Faunbrook and Dianna Mattingly of First Resource to receive awards; former Villanova football coach Andy Talley will speak
– Lori Zytkowicz, owner, Faunbrook Bed and Breakfast
WEST CHESTER » For those who have ever dreamed of chucking their corporate careers to run an inn, trust Lori Zytkowicz when she says: “It’s more than making eggs and beds.”
The owner of Faunbrook Bed and Breakfast for almost 10 years now, Zytkowicz is on site at the three-story Victorian-style getaway around the clock during the busy seasons, which is anytime outside of the dead of winter.
Yes, there is a farm-to-table breakfast to prepare first thing in the mornings, and changing rooms once the guests have gone off to explore the region’s countryside.
But there’s also the marketing, bill paying, booking, cleaning and maintaining of the 7,200-square-foot former Darlington family house, which sits on two acres at Bradford and Rosedale avenues.
In her spare time, Zytkowicz belongs to three chambers of commerce — Exton, West Chester and Chester County — and is active enough in them that one is giving her its Small Business Person of the Year award next week.
Zytkowicz and Diana Mattingly from First Resource Bank in Exton will be recognized by the Exton Region Chamber of Commerce Tuesday at the business group’s 2017 Annual Dinner Awards presented by DNB First at the Downingtown Country Club.
Villanova University Head Football Coach Emeritus Andy Talley will share his personal principles of leadership and
“I feel like I’m a very small business. One of the criteria is the economic impact you have and in my 10 years I’ve booked 9,600 room nights, and in that time I’ve hired a lot of landscapers and caterers and things like that. So in a way it has had more economic impact than even I realized.”
motivation as the evening’s keynote speaker.
“I was really surprised,” Zytkowicz said of her upcoming award. “I feel like I’m a very small business. One of the criteria is the economic impact you have and in my 10 years I’ve booked 9,600 room nights, and in that time I’ve hired a lot of landscapers and caterers and things like that. So in a way it has had more economic impact than even I realized.
“It’s humbling, though, to look around at so many that have done more than I have.”
Before taking the plunge to become the fourth owner of the Faunbrook Bed & Breakfast, Zytkowicz had over 25 years of marketing, event management and public relations experience in the publishing, education, auction and hospitality industries.
She read a book as a child that started her dreams of one day operating a B&B. It was a chance that she mentioned her dream to the former owner of Faunbrook, who was ready to sell and who had invested a quarter-million dollars in upgrades.
The timing, however, couldn’t have been worse. It was March of 2008, the start of the Great Recession.
Zytkowicz made it through the downturn and explained why she still loves her job most days.
“Everybody is celebrating something,” she said, “that’s the best thing about this business.”
The inn is a historic venue built in the 1860s and was originally owned by the prominent Chester County Darlington family. Zytkowicz and four part-time employees keep it running. It offers seven guest rooms and can handle events with up to 100 guests.
The B&B hosts weddings, showers, rehearsal dinners, memorial services, birthday and anniversary parties, corporate meetings and more.
“It’s a great area to have this,” she said, adding that Longwood Gardens and West Chester University are important destinations that attract visitors to her business.
Mattingly has worked as a bank branch manager in Exton since 2006, and is now leading the branch at First Resource Bank in Exton.
John Durso, chief retail officer at First Resource, explained why Mattingly deserves the Harold Martin Leadership Award, which recognizes a person from the Exton Region who has achieved success and helped others do the same.
“A key sign of a great leader is when they can recognize talent, grow and develop it, and then have the wisdom to let it go,” Durso said. “Diana’s track record has produced a great number of other leaders in Exton, both in and out of banking.”
Added Laurie Kerkering, president of the chamber: “The Exton Region Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to honor two very deserving business women ... Both give of their time, talent and treasure to the region and the ERCC ...” Visit www.ercc.net for ticket information.