Laura Manion is the President & CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry, the region's premier business advocacy organization representing a diverse membership of 600 businesses — from small enterprises to multinational corporations — across 155 zip codes in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

As the voice of the business community, Laura advocates for pro-business policies at the local, state, and federal levels through a range of initiatives including hosting elected officials, convening roundtable policy discussions with community partners, and authoring sign-on letters and letters of support for members seeking government funding. She drives strategic efforts focused on economic growth, workforce development, and public policy engagement, while leading the Chamber's work to attract and retain member businesses through value-driven engagement and impactful networking opportunities.

Laura oversees the Chamber's $800,000+ budget, revenue streams, and day-to-day operations with a focus on long-term sustainability and organizational excellence. Under her leadership, the Chamber produces 50+ annual events spanning high-profile convenings, leadership programs, and economic initiatives that support business leaders and advance workforce development. Her impact is reflected in the numbers: from 2022 to 2023, event attendance grew 105% and new membership increased 106% — momentum that carried into 2024 with 150 new members welcomed to the organization.

Manion most recently served as a Manager for the Great Lakes Regional Office for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she cultivated legislative, political, media, and grassroots resources throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to further the chamber’s public policy goals.

She also helped lead the chamber’s efforts to strengthen its relationships with members of Congress through member businesses, associations, and local and state chambers of commerce across the region. Her policy portfolio at the U.S. Chamber focused on small business, workforce, and education.

Prior to joining the U.S. Chamber, Manion was the Assistant Director of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Villanova University. She handled all local matters pertaining to the university, working closely with county and township officials and business associations and chambers, as well as the university’s neighbors.

Manion hopes that she can take experience from the different roles in her career to strengthen her connections within the community and further the mission of the chamber.

“The pandemic showed the vital role that chambers of commerce play in their community,” she said. “We are a resource, rich with information and connections to benefit our member businesses. I look forward to working with the chamber’s board, volunteers, staff, and members to continue to grow and expand the organization. As a lifelong Chester County resident, it’s humbling and exciting to be tapped for this position.”

Manion graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 2013 with a degree in Government and holds an MPA from West Chester University.

In 2018, City & State PA presented her with its Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes 25 exceptional women from Pennsylvania for their accomplishments across various sectors, including politics, healthcare, education, and nonprofits.

Gene Millman is a dynamic and forward-thinking business leader with a track record of driving innovation, breaking the status quo, and fostering high-performance cultures. With extensive experience in executive leadership, Gene is known for his ability to transform organizations, align teams around a winning mindset, and create strategies that propel businesses toward sustainable growth. As a C-suite executive, Gene has successfully led companies through complex industry shifts, leveraging his deep expertise in real estate, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. His passion for empowering teams, challenging conventional thinking, and embracing change has made him a respected voice in business thought leadership. Gene thrives in environments that demand bold vision and decisive action. His leadership philosophy centers on building organizations that not only adapt to change but actively shape the future. He is driven by the belief that success comes from a combination of strategic foresight, relentless execution, and a culture that embraces innovation.

Stacey Tank is a 20+ year Fortune 500 veteran and currently Chief Executive Officer for Bespoke Beauty Brands (BBB), owner of high-growth cosmetics brands Jason Wu Beauty and KimChiChic Beauty, which can be found in places like Target, CVS, Walmart, JCPenney, Amazon, the TikTok Shop and beyond. BBB was founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneur Toni Ko who sold her first cosmetics company, NYX, to L’Oreal. Prior to BBB, Tank was based in Amsterdam in the role of Chief Transformation Officer for HEINEKEN (AMS: HEIA) with €29 billion in annual revenues and over 100,000 employees. As a direct report to the CEO and member of the executive committee, Tank co-created and later shepherded the company's growth strategy, "EverGreen," to ensure the organization adapted amidst a rapidly changing environment including a focus on top quartile growth and multi-billion euro cost out. In addition, Tank was responsible for the company's sustainability strategy, Brew a Better World 2030, including the design of its net zero carbon ambition.

Tank formerly led the multi-billion dollar Home Depot Installation Services and Home Depot Measurement Services businesses for The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the world’s largest home improvement retailer with $132 billion in sales and 500,000 employees. During her tenure, Tank led the exit of four unprofitable lines of business and returned the remaining businesses to double-digit growth while strengthening the organization’s culture, talent bench and innovation pipeline.

Dedicated to the intersection of business and positive impact on society, Tank has repeatedly authored large-scale movements across enterprises like General Electric, HEINEKEN and The Home Depot including launching a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar commitment to veteran housing and a $50 million shop class program that is infusing 20,000 skilled tradespeople into the US economy.

Before joining The Home Depot, Tank was a Senior Vice President for HEINEKEN USA @StaceyTank Stacey.M.Tank@gmail.com (AMS: HEIA), the leading importer of upscale beers in the US. Tank reported to thenCEO Dolf van den Brink and as part of the company’s management team, navigated a difficult and successful turnaround period.

Previously, from 2002 to 2011, Tank worked at General Electric (NYSE: GE), where she held a variety of global finance, audit, communications and marketing roles across GE Healthcare, NBC Universal, GE Capital, GE Energy, GE Aviation and GE Corporate (including GE’s Communications Leadership Development Program and Corporate Audit Staff) in countries including Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the UK, France, Canada and the US.

Tank is the founder of Our Happy Place (OurHappy.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit serving children, educators and families navigating childhood mental wellness. She also sits on the board, audit and compliance committees for Blackstone-owned Interior Logic Group, the leading US installer of interior finishes for new home construction.

Tank previously sat on the boards of the Heineken Africa Foundation, American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands, Woodruff Arts Center (nominating and governance chair), Serenbe Playhouse, Ad Council, Home Depot Foundation (former president), Homer Fund, Bright Pink (executive board), Academy for Systems Change (finance committee), Arthur W. Page Society (digital committee), Westchester Business Council, Beer Institute, Institute for Public Relations and Subrosa (sold in late 2017). She is the former vice chairwoman of the National Association of Beverage Importers and the former chairwoman of the Heineken Good Government Fund.

Tank is a 2020 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (YGL), a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a 2014 Academy for Systems Change Fellow.

She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and Whitman School of Management where she was recognized as a University Scholar, the university’s highest academic honor. Tank has been married for nearly 20 years and has three sons, two human and one canine.

Jeff Taylor is the general manager and past president of Crafts Technology, part of the Precision Solutions Group of Viperion Materials and Technology. Crafts specializes in converting powdered-metallurgy products into finished, high-precision, high-performance engineering tooling and wear solutions. Jeff's 40-year professional career includes working in a variety of roles, including as a toolmaker and then a manufacturing manager at New England Carbide, and in sales leadership roles at AW Chesterton.

Jeff's tenure as CEO at Crafts Technology includes forming an ESOP to purchase crafts from private ownership. Jeff's education includes an A.S. in manufacturing engineering technology and a Bachelor of Manufacturing Management from the University of Minnesota. He's now working on his master's degree.

Jeff is the father of two wonderful daughters, both of whom are now attending college. His hobbies include traveling, skiing, rollerblading, mountain biking, running, and he's a PADI-certified rescue diver.

Emeric is the co-founder and CEO of Agorapulse, a leading social media management platform he grew to $20 million in revenue without external funding. Under his leadership, Agorapulse has distinguished itself in the competitive landscape by ranking #1 across top software review sites like G2, GetApp, Capterra, Appvizer (France), and OMR (Germany). Emeric’s strategic vision and commitment to innovation have set industry benchmarks, including the first-ever social media inbox in 2014 and pioneering ROI tracking and analytics features for social media—patented innovations that help marketers prove the value of their investments.

Cory Sherman, Founder of Safety Systems Management (SSM), is a pioneering entrepreneur and safety management professional based in Newnan, Georgia. Cory has over 13 years in the construction and safety management industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Science in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University. Additionally, Cory is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) as well as a Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Cory established Safety Systems Management in 2016 while working full-time for top General Contactors. Despite humble beginnings of working on prototypes out of his garage, Cory's relentless commitment to innovation saw him develop and patent the Mobile Communications Tower, showcasing his ingenuity and dedication to construction safety technology. Transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship in 2023, Cory has steered SSM to become a leading provider of safety solutions. With unwavering dedication to excellence, Safety Systems Management has a reputation for delivering comprehensive safety services, safeguarding lives, and driving organizational success.

FranBridge is led by its Founder, Jon Ostenson, a top 1% Franchise Consultant in the US, and a frequent contributor on franchising across a variety of outlets and publications. Jon is a multi-brand franchisee himself, and along with his business partners, he has great operators leading these ventures. As a result, he is able to commit over 90% of his time to helping others achieve their own dreams of freedom and wealth generation through business ownership.

Prior to FranBridge, Jon was the President of ShelfGenie, a national franchise system with 200 locations. Before he began his franchising career with ShelfGenie, Jon spent 15 years in the corporate world, most recently as the Vice President of Sales for Carter’s Inc., responsible for over $350M in annual sales. Jon began his career as a Consultant with Accenture, often working internationally on behalf of clients. Jon serves on the Board of the Entrepreneurs Organization and is active in supporting charitable organizations, including Growing Leaders and Hope International. Jon has BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Georgia and lives in Atlanta, where he and his wife, Jenny, have 3 children and are very active in the community.

Patrick was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. He grew up hanging out with his dad at work on Saturdays and has spent 30 years working here at Fullerton. As a kid, he'd caddy for his dad and Dick Terry during Fullerton's golf league. In 1989, Patrick started working at Fullerton in the steel department doing piece work and eventually moved to engineering (where there may still be a few of Patrick's auto cad tool drawings in the system). Throughout time, Patrick moved to the estimating department, became the office manager, and in 2002 moved into sales and became Vice President for Fullerton. In 2006, he became involved in international sales, and in 2008 he became President. Patrick truly loves this industry and manufacturing; he serves on several State and National boards that focus on manufacturing and local economic development.

Patrick went to Central Michigan University, graduating in 1993 with a BSBA in Industrial Engineering. While there, he met the love of his life Jenny in a business fraternity and the two have been married for the past 26 years. They have three children, Greyson (24), Aidan (22), and Isabella (13). They also have a silver lab named River and a tabby cat named Royal. They attend St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hemlock, Michigan. Patrick also enjoys attending a men’s Bible study group with a few co-workers and local business associates. Patrick also is a major sports fanatic thanks to his dad's influence and is a huge outdoorsman absolutely loving to fish, hunt, golf - especially with family and friends.