Chester County Daily News Business Briefs reviews stories important to Chester County and beyond.

Michael Chain named to Philadelphia Business Journal’s Annual 40 Under 40 list

Michael Chain, General Manager of Great Valley’s The Desmond Hotel, is the only Chester County business leader this year to be named to Philadelphia Business Journal’s prestigious “40 Under 40” list.

The annual award recognizes forty Delaware Valley leaders, all under 40 years of age, who “have done so much with their lives in such a short period of time.”

The brief synopsis of Chain’s career accomplishments in PBJ’s May 1st edition, notes Chain grew up in the hotel business, his father having managed the Desmond Hotel in Albany and then opened the hotel’s Malvern location in 1988.

Of his own right, PBJ notes, under the younger Chain’s leadership, “the [Desmond] hotel has been able to grow revenue, continue to enhance the reputation of the property and provide steady employment for more than 150 workers living in the region.”

More on PBJ’s 40 Under 40 list and Chain’s profile here.

AMETEK reports small 1st quarter sales increase, larger operating income growth

AMETEK (NYSE: AME), the Berwyn-based global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with operations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, first quarter 2015 earnings released last week, reported sales of $984.1 million were up 1% over the same period of 2014.

Excluding realignment costs of $15.9 million, or approximately $0.04 per diluted share, operating income increased 7% to a record $236.8 million, operating margins were up 140 basis points to 24.1%, and diluted earnings per share increased 11% to $0.63 per diluted share from the first quarter 2014.

According to Frank Hermance, AMETEK Chairman and CEO, “AMETEK achieved solid results to begin the year with outstanding operating performance across the Company and double digit earnings growth.  Since the strong U.S. dollar and sluggish global economy will impact our 2015 sales growth, we have proactively taken actions to properly position AMETEK to deliver earnings in-line with our initial guidance.”

Citing, “excellent portfolio of businesses, proven operational capabilities, organic growth investments, and a successful focus on strategic acquisitions, Hermance expressed confidence the company’s operating income would continue to grow.

More on the company’s first quarter performance on AMETEK’s Investor’s page here.

Exton Closet Designer Wins National Award

Main Line Today took note of Closet by Design in Exton took home two awards and an honorable mention from the Cabinets and Closets expo in Chicago on April 15. Known for merging form and function with sophistication and style, the Exton designers impressed the experts enough to gain notice for their closets and garages.

Kelly Clark from Closets by Design won for ‘laminate closet more than 18-linear feet’ for her “White Chocolate Dressing Room.”

Cay Evans took top honors for the ‘garage under 6 feet’ category with her  “Sleek, Silver Garage.”

Karen Ridge earned honorable mention in the ‘laminate closet less than 18 linear feet’ category with her  “Closet Improvised.”

The entire Main Line today article and pictures of Closet By Design’s winning entries here.

SEPTA Puts Wawa Station Upgrade On Its Drawing Board

Chadds Ford Live announced that Chester County 2020 and the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) will host a breakfast on May 13th to answer the public’s questions about a SEPTA project to extend train service on the Media/Elwyn line to the Wawa station.

The station, which has been out of service for more than 30 years, will be revitalized with parking to support 500 users per day, according to a Chester County 2020 press release. Byron Comati. a strategic planner for SEPTA, will discuss the project and its impact on the Route 1 corridor.

The event will be held at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square. Doors open at 7 a.m., and the buffet will start at 7:15 a.m. The program will run from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. For more on the event visit VISTA Today’s event calendar here.

A Historic Moment for the U.S. and Japan

Finally this morning, Congressman Ryan Costello closed his weekly constituent email with this story:

On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed a Joint Session of Congress to highlight the long relationship between the U.S. and Japan. This was the first time in history that a Japanese Prime Minister has addressed Congress, so it was a historic day. Prime Minister Abe offered his “eternal condolences” to America for the loss of American lives in World War II and discussed the importance of trade and strengthening the U.S. alliance with Japan.

There are times when being a Congressman enables me to help create a special experience for my constituents. I was thrilled to invite Yoshi, a National Honor Society student at Downingtown STEM Academy who was born in Tokyo as my guest for Prime Minister Abe’s address. Following his address to Congress, I asked the Prime Minister for a signed copy of his speech, which I gave to Yoshi.

The prime Minister’s speech to the joint session of Congress can be viewed below.  Abe’s address begins at the 16 minute portion of the video and his World War II reflections and the “eternal condolences” remarks spoken of by Congressman Costello begin at the 25:30 minute mark of the video.
______