Chester County Leadership: Craig Styer

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Publisher’s Note: This profile of Craig Styer was first published in January 2016.

Craig Styer, of Fox Rothschild’s Exton Office and past President of the Chester County Bar Association, speaks to VISTA Today about growing up in Upper Uwchlan, playing (injured) football for Downington, the impact an advisor’s blunt question had on his approach to his studies at Dickenson, the advice his father gave him that led to a career in law and how a moving presentation in church one Sunday morning last summer led him to a leadership role in a Parkesburg youth ministry.

Where did you grow up Craig?

Just by way of background, this was my grandparents’ farm where I lived until I was 8. We lived in a little guest house next door to the big house. You can’t see it in this picture. Before my grandparents owned the house, it was owned by the Fetters family and was used as a school called the Edgefield Institute.
Craig Styer’s grandparents’ farm where Craig lived in a little guest house next door to the big house until he was 8. Before his grandparents, the house was owned by the Fetters family and was used as a school called the Edgefield Institute.

I was born here in Chester County Hospital and raised in Upper Uwchlan Township where I still live. Both my mother’s and my father’s families have lived in Chester County for many years.

Both of my grandparents were farmers, and I lived on my grandfather Styer’s dairy farm on Little Conestoga Road until I was eight. Our family lived in a little guesthouse right next to a big farmhouse. The big house was a great source of fun for us children, with “secret” passageways that we played in. My grandfather sold most of his cows before I was born, but he still had ten to fifteen cows when I was a child. When I was eight, my parents built a house on family land on Milford Road and we moved about a half-mile to our new ranch home.

What did your parents do?

My parents were childhood sweethearts. They met when both attended a one-room schoolhouse on Milford Road. Dad was always an entrepreneur. For years he owned a trucking business that he started with one truck and built to about 50 to 60 trucks at one point. He sold the business in the late 1990’s and started Styer Propane, a retail propane business, with my older brother. My mom was a homemaker who also helped my father with his business.

What memories do you have of growing up in Upper Uwchlan?

There wasn’t much out here at that time. It was pretty rural, so there were some farms and the Village of Eagle. There weren’t many kids to play with when I was a kid so my mom would drive me to a friend’s house if I wanted to play with another kid. Marsh Creek State Park had not been built yet, so Marsh Creek was just a creek.

When I was really young, any time we wanted to go shopping we went to West Chester to Mosteller’s department store. Going to Mosteller’s was a big deal. One of my earliest memories is riding the elevator at Mosteller’s. As for going out to dinner, there were very few restaurants in the area. One of our only options was the Howard Johnson’s at the corner of Routes 30 and 100 in Exton.

When did you notice Upper Uwchlan starting to change?

My father was a township supervisor for almost 30 years, and I can remember when Upper Uwchlan Township didn’t have its own police department. When the township decided to start its own police force and purchased its first police car, there was no place to park the car when it wasn’t in service. My father offered the township the use of his garage at our home, and that’s where the police car was parked when I was in high school.

I really noticed things starting to change when I was away at college between 1983 and 1987. That was about the time Bernie Hankin was starting to build the Eagleview Corporate Center. Shortly after that we started to see many housing developments built in the area.

Did you play any sports in High School?

Styer Football-2
Leaving the field after a Downingtown High School football game.

I played both offensive and defensive line on Downingtown High School’s football team. I loved hitting people! I started every game my junior year. Two weeks before the start of my senior year I tore my ACL in my knee sliding into second base in a softball game. I was devastated! I really wanted to play football my senior year.

I went to Dr. Vincent DiStefano, who was the Eagles’ team doctor at the time, to work on my knee. After determining I wasn’t looking to play football in college, Dr. DiStefano cleaned out my knee and told me I could play after six weeks or so with a brace. I ended up playing that year, but not well! I couldn’t move and ended up dragging my leg around the field. But I played!

I tried out for the team my freshman year at Dickinson College but hurt my knee again and my career was over.

What part-time or summer jobs in high school?

Other than clerking in a law firm during law school, the only place I ever worked was at my dad’s trucking business. I started working when I was 13, washing trucks and fixing truck tires. During college, when I was home for the summer, I got my commercial drivers’ license, and I drove a tractor-trailer hauling trash from a transfer station in Broomall, Delaware County to a landfill in Pottstown. I used to tell people that if the law didn’t work out I could go back to being a truck driver!

What lessons did you learn driving trucks that remain with you today?

It’s all about hard work! That’s the most important lesson my parents taught me, and I’ve tried to teach that to my kids. My wife and I have always told our kids that we expect them to work hard and always do their best and whatever happens, happens.

Does that approach work here in your law practice?

Yes! I will never allow anyone to outwork me. When it comes to getting a case ready for trial, we’ll always be prepared and not let anyone outwork us. Our clients expect us to be the best, and we do everything possible to deliver. What sets us apart at Fox Rothschild is our hard work, experience, and our constant focus on our client’s goals.

Dickinson_College_2
Dickinson College is a private liberal arts college in Carlisle.

How did you settle on Dickinson for college?

I liked the fact that Dickinson was a small school close to home. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.

Was Dickinson a good choice?

Yes. When I started school, I assumed I would get a degree and come back home and work at my father’s business. At first, I didn’t take school very seriously, but I buckled down when my advisor challenged me to live up to my potential. He sat me down at the end of my sophomore year and point blank asked me, ‘why are you wasting your father’s money.’ His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I worked a lot harder and turned my grades around.

Why did you decide to go to law school?

I never thought about going to law school until one day my dad suggested I consider it. I went to Widener Law School and graduated near the top of my class. I had found my niche! The analytical part of law really clicked with me.

What happened after graduation?

Immediately after law school, I worked for a small law firm in Philadelphia called Mattioni, Mattioni & Mattioni (now Mattioni, Ltd.). I met my future wife, Michele, who was a paralegal at Mattioni. We started dating and got married shortly thereafter.

We lived in a townhouse in North Wilmington and commuted together to Mattioni where I focused on litigation work. In 1994, our daughter was born followed by our son in 1996 making the Wilmington townhouse too small for our family.

I knew I wanted to come back to Chester County, and so Michele and I bought a lot from my grandmother right next to her house. We built a house on the lot, and I took the R5 train into Philadelphia every day to work.

At that time, I was working for a different center city law firm and not enjoying the work. The commute was difficult with a young family. I was leaving my house every morning at 6:15 and returning home at 7:30. In 1997, I started looking for a job closer to home and was fortunate enough to be hired at Fox Rothschild in Eagleview.

Was the Fox office in Exton brand new when you came on board?

No, Fox Rothschild had been in Exton since 1990. In fact, three of the attorneys who started the office, Al Riviezzo, Mark Ashton, and Michael McBratnie, are still here. When I started, there were about ten lawyers in our office and now we have about 40.

What brought Fox to Chester County back in 1990?

The firm was starting to expand. Fox’s first office outside of Philadelphia was in Princeton; Exton was the next. When I started in 1997, Fox had about 125 lawyers in all. We now have over 700 lawyers with 22 offices throughout the United States.

What motivated you to get more involved in the community?

I believe it’s important to give back to the community that has given so much to me. Our firm has also stressed community involvement as a way to develop business.

I started with the Exton Region Chamber of Commerce where I eventually served as Chairman of the board. I then served on the boards of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry and my local youth sports association before getting involved with the Chester County Economic Development Council and the Chester County Bar Association. Each of these presented me with opportunities for leadership positions and the ability to help the organizations, which has been extremely rewarding.

You liked the leadership aspect of your community service?

Yes, I’ve always looked for leadership opportunities because I believe that’s where I can make the most difference.

You recently joined the board of The Point – the Parkesburg Youth Center. How did a Downingtown guy like you get involved in a western Chester County community initiative?

PrintI had been thinking about how blessed I am and how well the Lord has provided for me and my family. I wanted to give back by getting involved in something that wasn’t business related. Dwayne Walton, The Point’s Executive Director, spoke at our church this past summer. Dwayne’s a great speaker, charismatic, just a wonderful guy. I was moved by his story and went up to him after the service and told him that I wanted to get involved. Dwayne invited me to visit the Point and to join the board.

The Point is a faith-based organization with over 350 volunteers from local churches who serve hot meals to the kids in Parkesburg and Coatesville five days a week. It provides a safe place for the kids and families to meet daily for learning, music and recreation. I want to do whatever I can to help the kids served at The Point.

What are some of the challenges and opportunities facing Chester County?

Chester County is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. There are a lot of challenges in trying to keep it that way. We’ve all heard the saying, if you’re staying still, you’re falling behind. Thankfully, we have great leadership in the county. Not only are our elected officials top notch but those managing the County, like Mark Rupsis, the County’s Chief Operating Officer, do a great job as well. I’m confident the County will continue to be a great place to live and work.

For me personally, my term as President of the Chester County Bar Association ended at the end of December and my five-year term as office managing partner at Fox ends on March 31st, 2016. While those positions will end, there are plenty of other opportunities to continue to serve in this great community.

I’m very active with the Chester County Economic Development Council, which is a great organization that does so much for the County’s business community. I’m also excited about helping the kids at The Point by expanding the number of people who know about the Point and who are willing to support its mission.

Who gave you the best piece of advice?

It would have to be my parents, who just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Their advice came more in the form of the example they set: the unconditional love they showed my brother, sisters, and me over the years, the way they went about their daily lives, their leadership, their work ethic, all of those things. I could never repay them for all they’ve done for me. I am very grateful.

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