Chester County SCORE chapter named best in the nation
The area SCORE chapter was recognized by the national organization as the top chapter out of more than 300 in the nation.
SCORE of Chester and Delaware County took in top honors this year after being runner-up last year, said Wilson Chu, a counselor and Marketing Committee chairman for the chapter, which provides free business advice.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” Chu said. “I think the fact that we were runner-up last year already put us on their radar.”
The Chester County chapter merged with the Delaware County chapter in October, forming a stronger overall organization to serve businesses in the region, said Kerry Francis of the area chapter. SCORE of Chester and Delaware County has 13 counseling locations and almost 100 volunteers, she noted.
And not all SCORE counselors are retired, the group’s original adviser demographic.
“About a third of our volunteers are fully retired, a third are semi-retired and a third are still working,” Francis said.
The services have expanded, too, she said. The organization’s original focus was on helping people start their own business, and SCORE still does that, but it also counsels ongoing businesses in need of help.
“Our speakers’ bureau is hugely popular,” she noted, “and anything to do with how to use social media for your business is also very popular.”
In announcing the recognition, Steve Records, vice president of field operations for SCORE, said the area chapter “is the model SCORE chapter for how we