Gary W. Smith Recognized For CCEDC Leadership: 40 Years, 175,000 Jobs, and 8,000 New Businesses

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The CCEDC has recognized Gary W. Smith, the Council’s CEO and President, for his forty years of dedicated service.

Close to 150 public officials, business leaders, and community members came together to celebrate Gary W. Smith’s four decades of work with the Chester County Economic Development Council, according to a staff report from the Daily Local News.  

The reception was held at Milky Way Farm in Yellow Springs to recognize Smith’s career which began after he answered a newspaper ad for Assistant Director in 1976, and culminated in him becoming CCEDC’s President and CEO of the economic development council.

“The Board of Commissioners, County of Chester, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, recognizes Gary Smith for four decades of passion and commitment to economic development, helping to shape Chester County into a thriving community that is recognized regionally and nationally as one of the best places live and work,” states the citation issued by Chester County Commissioners Terence Farrell, Kathi Cozzone, and Michelle Kichline.

During his time as Council President and CEO, Smith pioneered numerous award-winning programs, secured the implementation of over 420 projects through $275 million in external funding, and has been instrumental in creating close to 175,000 new jobs and retaining over 190,000 more. Under his guidance, the council has also brokered commercial financing loans of more than $13.5 billion and helped establish over 8,000 new businesses.

Many organizations, including this publication, owe him and the CCEDC a debt of gratitude. You can learn more about Smith’s life and work by reading our Chester County Leadership profile on him here.

Read more about the celebration at Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of CCEDC here.

Learn more about the CCEDC from Patti Brennan of Key Financial, Inc in this short video.

 

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