Laura Wagoner

Phoenixville native Laura Wagoner, the Finance Director of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, was one of 25 honorees chosen for City & State PA’s inaugural “Above & Beyond: Honoring Women of Public and Civic Mind.”

The event, which took place in the newly created event space at Constitution Place in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood, overlooked Independence National Park.

According to City & State PA, keynote speaker Meryl Levitz, the longtime president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, talked about “the importance of recognizing how far women have come in the workplace, and how much work remains to be done, especially in reaching out to hold doors open and helping each other up the ladder.”

WalkWorks ChesCo! First Responder Walking Challenge

The latest challenge set by the Chester County Commissioners to encourage county residents to take five billion steps by the end of 2018 will be launched on Saturday, April 7 at the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus (PSTC) in South Coatesville.

The WalkWorks ChesCo! First Responder Walking Challenge kicks off that day at a special event open to the public, and especially all Chester County emergency responders and their families and friends.

The Challenge has identified three teams representing Chester County’s 5,000-plus emergency responders and each of the three County Commissioners will be heading a team:

• Commissioner Michelle Kichline is leading #TeamLE (all law enforcement professionals and their supporters in the county)
• Commissioner Kathi Cozzone will head up #TeamEMS (all emergency medical services personnel and their supporters)
• Commissioner Terence Farrell will don a firefighter helmet as he leads #TeamFIRE for all firefighters and their supporters

Anyone can become part of the Challenge by registering here and joining one of the above teams.

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Chester County Women’s Services

CCWS recently held a grand-opening celebration at its new West Chester Center, located at 139 West Market Street.

More than 100 people from the community attended the event. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included a prayer of protection and thanks by longtime CCWS friend Peter Drinkwater, and a scripture reading by board member Pastor Dale Van Ness of Olive Street Presbyterian Church in Coatesville.

The move to a larger, more prominent location in West Chester came in an effort to bring more awareness to the services that CCWS offers women and families in the Chester County community.

“By positioning CCWS in the heart of West Chester, our footprint is more visible,” said Executive Director Myriam Ruager.

Chester County Sheriff’s Office

The Sheriff’s Office recently teamed up with Chester County Hospital and Easter Bunny Inc. to spread cheer in the maternity, pediatric, and emergency wings.

Deputies Brian Carr and Josue Pifer said the event offered a fun way to bring joy to those who weren’t be able to celebrate Easter at home this year.

“My favorite part was giving bunnies to the families with newborns for their first Easter,” said Carr.

The initiative began in 1995 when Sam and Eleanor Meiner founded Easter Bunny Inc. to put a sparkle in children’s eyes during the Easter season. The Florida couple realized that sheriff’s offices could help them expand their reach. In 2004, they began soliciting partnerships at the National Sheriffs’ Association conference.

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Ricoh Americas

Joji Tokunaga, who was previously executive vice president and general manager of shared services for Ricoh Americas, has been named the new president and CEO of the Japan-based company’s operations in the Americas, which are headquartered in Malvern, writes Michelle Caffrey for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Ricoh reported a significant sales drop in its North American division had forced it to project a $1.52 billion operating loss, its first loss in six years.

In the past year, Ricoh cut more than 5,400 jobs, mostly in North America.

DKCB Solutions

Local entrepreneurs have teamed together to create a full-service company redefining the separation process.

DKCB Solutions, based in West Chester, has designed a new approach that gives soon-to-be-displaced employees positive mindset coaching, financial planning strategies, and personal branding/networking techniques to help eliminate typical downtime after being displaced.

By returning workers to the job force sooner, DKCB Solutions seeks to shorten the amount of time displaced employees collect unemployment benefits from employers, thereby returning revenues to the state and local counties faster.

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