Chester County Economic Development Council updates stakeholders

Council shares its top milestones from the past year

EAST WHITELAND » The Chester County Economic Development Council updated its stakeholders and investors on the organization’s milestones from fiscal year 2021 during its annual breakfast on Nov. 19.

The event marked a return to an in-person format for the popular event, with an estimated 150 business and community leaders attending the breakfast at the Desmond Hotel in East Whiteland. The 2020 breakfast was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The annual meeting is meant to inform the agency’s stakeholders about its achievements in developing the county’s economy and workforce development its four key areas of focus — financing solutions, location services, workforce development and innovation culture.

The meeting also offers the opportunity for the Chester County Economic Development Council to say “thank you” to its stakeholders and partners.

“As we celebrate the discussion today, the staff and the stories you’re going to hear — you’re part of that,” said Gary Smith, Chester County Economic Development Council president and CEO, said in his welcoming remarks. “We could not do this without your support.”

Mike Grigalonis, COO of the CCEDC, echoed Smith’s comments, adding that “everything you do is really the lifeblood of the organization.”

As they did last year, Smith and Grigalonis thanked the organization’s staff.

“These folks come to work with a smile on their face, passion in their hearts and they deliver good work and services to fulfill this diverse economy we have. They are sympathetic, they’re caring and they take care of people. And that’s the most important thing we can do in our lives,” Smith said.

Grigalonis added that when he thought about what the highlight of what 2021 was — it was the staff of the Chester County Economic Development Council.

“I think the staff has always been great, but this year I believe it was exceptional,” he said, adding they “did what was asked, many times completely out of their job description and things they had never done be