Publisher’s note: I am frequently asked how VISTA Today got started. Last week, Handy Hachadorian told of the promise he saw in Parkesburg Today, the small daily publication I launched in 2007 to keep residents of Parkesburg Borough and the Octorara region informed on positive, and sometimes not so positive, community news.

This morning, noted author Bruce Mowday, who like Hachadorian also happens to be a former Daily Local editor as well, talks about how he facilitated a conversation with the Chester County Economic Development Council in 2013 that fourteen months later led to the creation and launch of VISTA Today. Without Bruce’s introduction and the creativity, encouragement and collaboration of the CCEDC, VISTA Today would never have sprung into existence.

By Bruce E. Mowday

About five years ago Ken Knickerbocker asked to have a breakfast meeting. We met at the Market Street Grille in West Chester and discussed Ken’s idea for a publication for Chester County business news.

As a former managing editor of the Daily Local News, I had been watching the traditional newspaper business decline and struggle to survive, as it does to this day. Even in the best of times county news organizations didn’t provide enough reporters and resources to thoroughly cover the exciting business news being generated in our area.

Chester County has been a dynamic area for business expansion and innovation for decades. Because of the lack of resources, too often what passed for business news was a soft feature on someone opening a retail store that had a life expectancy of a year or two.

During our discussions, the need for such a publication was obvious. Business stories would signal to the public and local and regional business leaders that Chester County was a place where they could do business and thrive. The publication would also allow business owners to share information and strengthen the local business community.

The main obstacle was how to generate income to pay for such a venture. The traditional newspaper model of selling ads seemed to be a dead end and the internet model of getting paid from ad clicks also seemed to be a non-starter. We agreed to continue our discussions and did so.

At the same time I was consulting with the Chester County Economic Development Council and attended weekly management meetings. The CCEDC was looking for ways to tell the public locally and regionally about all of the business successes in the county and the services offered by the organization.

Newspaper releases and feature ideas that turned into stories helped but was not the solution. The CCEDC looked to industry specific publications as possible vehicles for information but they also didn’t provide a comprehensive answer.

At one of management meetings I mentioned Ken’s idea of a county business publication. I remember Gary Smith, President and CEO of the Economic Development Council, as being interested and asking Marybeth DiVincenzo, CCEDC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, to meet with Ken and explore the idea.

I informed Ken of the CCEDC interest and he set up a meeting with Marybeth.

Of course Ken, playing the role of the impatient entrepreneur, wanted to immediately forge a partnership with the CCEDC. But Gary, Marybeth and everyone at the CCEDC were busy organizing and launching VISTA 2025 for the county government and didn’t have time to explore Ken’s concept.

Ken and Marybeth did eventually meet and over the next twelve months developed the structure of VISTA Today with its brief, upbeat posts, affiliated partners as opposed to advertisers, and twice-daily emails.

Four years and nearly 8,000 stories later, in true Chester County style, VISTA Today is a prime example of a business success that came about because of a sound idea, hard work, networking, collaboration, and partnerships.

VISTA Today deserves Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry’s 2018 Small Business of the Year Award!

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Bruce Mowday is an award winning author and newspaper reporter. He has authored more than 15 books on history, sports, business and true crime. Bruce has appeared on the Discovery ID channel, C-SPAN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network, Hollywood and Beyond, and Philadelphia and local television shows. He is a contributing editor with Business 2 Business magazine. Bruce has hosted his own radio shows and was chairman of the Chester County Historical Society and president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates. He is a board member of the Valley Forge Park Alliance and the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau and a frequent speaker at various civic and historical groups.

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