Entrepreneur
2005
Winners
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Sam Phillips
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Large
Business
Sam
Phillips
President
of Gardners Candies,
a division of Sarris
Candies, Canonburg,
Pa. near Pittsburgh2600 Adams Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686
The sale of Gardners
to Sarris took place
in 1997 and was “a beneficial move
for all involved.” There are 15 stores
headquartered in Blair County (seven company-owned
and eight franchise operations) nine of
which serve the PBC 16-county area.
814-684-3925
www.gardnerscandies.com
“Sam
is a very hands-on type of manager.
He has a good ear and listens well,
and he’s always very fair
to all involved.”
Joe DeStadio, Controller, Gardner’s
Candies |
The
Sweet Smell of Success
By Sandie
Biddle
“Business is still very good,” says
Sam Phillips of Gardners Candies’ bottom
line over the past six months. “One
of our challenges, like any business,
is to continue growing.”
The Gardners’ factory in Tyrone
has just been outfitted with another
enrobing line. (Enrobing is the process
of coating confection centers with chocolate.)
This will allow them to increase production
of their signature Peanut Butter Meltaways
and other sweet treats. He says store
sales are going well, too, as is the
fundraising division.
One of Gardners’ newer ventures
is rack sales. The company places freestanding
candy racks in convenience stores and
markets, such as UniMarts and Weis Markets,
which the company services on regular
routes. They have more than 300 of these
outlets now.
Phillips is pleased to be chosen for
the 2005 Entrepreneur Award. “I’m
very honored – and humbled,” he
said. “But it’s not me. It’s
the company. It’s the employees
that do such a great job. We all work
hard on name recognition and always strive
for product excellence.”
As an award winner, Phillips will be
presented with a $500 check for his favorite
charity: the State College Little League,
of which he’s president.
“My hobby is youth sports,” he
said. “I’ve
been president for about 10 years, but
involved all my life. Little League is
a great organization that does a lot
for the kids – it keeps them busy
and it was designed to have kids do something
with their fathers.”
Phillips should know. His dad was a Little
League coach. He was a player as a child.
Phillips and his son, now in his 20s,
spent many long afternoons on the Little
League field together years ago. Another
sweet family tradition. |
Education: Phillips earned a B.A. from
Rutgers in 1972. Born and raised in Rutherford,
N.J., he followed in the footsteps of his
parents and grandparents who have been
in the candy business.
Job Responsibility: He
supervises retail sales, wholesale sales,
fundraising; and
the overall business management of making
candy in Tyrone. Factory tours are given
every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – by
appointment only – from Labor Day
to Easter.
Guiding Philosophy: Phillips
stressed that the company is quality-driven,
not price-driven.
Every employee is a quality control expert.
Because the bulk of sales can be attributed
to gift-giving – people visiting
stores to purchase candy to give – only
the highest quality candy is produced and
buyers are proud to give it as a gift.
He also said that Gardners Candies wouldn’t
be where it is today without its exceptional
employees. Rising to No. 1 in quality and
service over the last decade can be attributed
to employee standards in quality control
and customer service.
First Job: His earliest
memories, when 5 or 6 years old, are helping
to pack candies
in his grandmother’s home kitchen.
He worked packing and dipping candies in
the family business throughout high school
in his uncle’s candy factory.
Inspiration: Without a
doubt, it is his father, who now lives
in Florida. Phillips
credits his father with being his mentor
and best friend, who led by example and
aspired to be the best-dressed, best-behaved
and friendliest person in any gathering,
always treating others with respect and
dignity. “You catch more with sugar
than with vinegar,” was one of his
father’s mottos.
Favorite Saying: Phillips
likes to say, “The
best way to eliminate an enemy is to turn
him into a friend.” He believes this
to be a modified version of a Ghandi quote.
Biggest Recent Accomplishment: “I’m
most proud of my family: my wife, Laurene,
daughter, Caroline, and sons, Kevin and
Chris,” Phillips said. “I am
especially proud of all my children, but
aside from that my biggest accomplishment
is serving as president of the State College
Little League.” His key focus for
these children in the 10- to 12-year age
group is instilling the importance of sportsmanship – more
so than winning or losing.
Community Involvement:
• State College Little League
• Youth Basketball
• High School Lacrosse
Charity of Choice: State College Little
League
Recent Award:
•
Citizen of the Year 2003 by State College’s
Town & Gown
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| Matthew Price
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Government/Economic
Development
Matthew
Price
Main Street Manager, Philipsburg Revitalization Corp.
203 N. Front St., Philipsburg, PA 16866
Centre County economic development group
dedicated to downtown growth and renovation
of Philipsburg
814-342-347
www.philipsburgpa.org
“Matthew
Price is a credit to our program
and the economic development community.
He has a dedication to his work
and the good of the area that goes
far
beyond his job description. Where
we ask for 40 hours in a week,
I know he would give that in a
day
if he could. Without his unflinching
service, there would be no Main
Street Program in Philipsburg.”
Lori Dehn, Philipsburg Revitalization
Corp. & The Progress |
Out
of the Ashes
By Sandie Biddle
As if Matt Price’s challenges
weren’t enough, downtown Philipsburg
suffered a major fire Aug. 13, ultimately
ending in the destruction of three
buildings, which housed six businesses
and 12 apartment residences. Even
as he watched part of “his” downtown
go up in flames, the Main Street
manager was already thinking about
what would have to be done to recover
from, the conflagration.
The fire was at the corner of Front
and Presqueisle streets, Philipsburg’s
busiest intersection. “That
same corner was the first phase of
our streetscape program,” Price
said.
The streetscape improvements and
sewer and storm drain replacements
went on as planned, taking place
simultaneously with the demolition
of the fire-ravaged buildings.
One of the displaced businesses,
Bill Sponagle’s barber shop,
reopened Sept. 20 – assuming
a chair in a neighbor’s hairstyling
business. Dollar General, in an adjacent
building which suffered water and
smoke damage, is getting ready to
reopen. It is yet to be seen what
will happen to Carolle’s Kitchen,
Universal Liquidators, Sen. Wozniak’s
office, LifeLine Mercy Mission, C.M.
Sports, and Rachel’s Bakery.
“We lost three buildings with
significant architectural character
in our historic
downtown district,” said Price. “The
revitalization group has worked with
M&T Bank and the Moshannon Valley
Economic Development Partnership
to offer low-interest loan funds
for commercial enterprises to rebuild.”
“We want whatever is built
on that corner to be consistent with
downtown
and its architectural heritage,” Price
said. “We want to keep the
revitalization group going forward.
I keep reminding people that the
cornerstone of our downtown, The
Rowland, was built on the site of
the opera house that burned in 1910.
What comes out of the ashes can be
as good as that which went before.” |
Education:
B.S. in business administration, Clarion
University, business management and marketing
minors.
Job Responsibilities: Day-to-day administration,
coordinate volunteers, and the community
liaison for the organization.
Biggest Recent Accomplishment: “This
is a transition year for the revitalization
group,” he says. “This is our
first year for private funding.”
The Main Street program is funded by the
state for five years. After that, private
funding is needed to continue the program.
His group was proud to have raised the
matching funds needed to receive the full
$60,000 exit allocation from the state.
Matt is the reason the Philipsburg Main
Street program is still in existence today,” says
Lori Dehn of The Progress. “When
the organization faced a financial crunch
last spring, Matt convinced the board to
cut his hours dramatically, saving payroll.
Did that mean he was only working eight
to 12 hours a week? No. He volunteered
his time that was needed to get the job
done above and beyond what we could afford
to pay him.”
Community Involvement:
• Board member, Bucktail Council of the Boy
Scouts
• President-elect, Philipsburg Rotary Club
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Board member, Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors
Bureau
• Board member, Rowland Theatre
• Co-chair, Philipsburg Heritage Days committee
Charity of Choice: The Philipsburg Main
Street program
Recent Awards & Commendations:
Top 100 People & Young & Upcoming
award from Pennsylvania Business Central |
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Gregory
F. Krug
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Small Business
Gregory F. Krug
President and CEO, Lampire
Biological Laboratories
P.O. Box 270, Pipersville, PA 18947
International supplier of custom antisera production services, antibodies,
reagents and animal blood products, with a facility in Bedford County
215-795-2838
www.lampire.com
“…Greg
is truly an entrepreneur and is
always on the forefront of the
leading technologies within his
field. Unique to Greg, is his philosophy
that each person within his company
is a true member of his family … He
is truly a leader and a very well-liked,
charismatic individual. It has
been a true pleasure for me to
know Greg over all these [over
27] years.”
Alan J. McNally, Ph.D. |
Pursuing
excellence, serving mankind
By Brian E. Bassett
“
We’re getting good reviews
on our culture bag,” said Greg
Krug, president and CEO of Lampire
Biological Laboratories, “and
they are now being used for three new
types of cells: stem, hybridoma and
cancer/tumor cells.”
The cell culture bag can be used in
a CO2 incubator ‘as it stands’ without
rotation or rocking due to the permeable
nature of its resin – and can
be used from cell culture and monoclonal
antibodies to stem-cell research. It
can compete with other devices in the
market place without requiring any
additional, specialized equipment.
Lampire is planning to renovate a former
textile factory and expand its operation
by turning the additional 15,000 square
feet into a new bio-tech laboratory.
Krug chose Junior Achievement of Bedford
County to receive Pennsylvania Business
Central’s $500 donation. He said, “I’d
like to put it back to the kids. Junior
Achievement sometimes gets lost in
the shuffle and this organization doesn’t
always get the attention it needs to
help young entrepreneurs.”
“It knocked my socks off to have received
this award,” Krug said, “because
all the other finalists were really
good people. It’s not about me,
it’s about our organization – and
I feel that family, friends and staff
are responsible for our success. Our
organization’s motto is, ‘family
first.’ Lampire strives to help
the community through support and research.
Please thank all who made this award
possible; and sponsors for their support.” |
Education: Krug has a B.S. in animal science from Delaware Valley College of Science
and Agriculture.
Job Responsibilities: He oversees administrative duties, and assists
in customer relations, accounts and product development.
Guiding Philosophy: Krug values the poem, IF, by Rudyard Kipling.
Books or Inspiration: Krug’s parents were entrepreneurs. They and
other mentors were critical to his success. His father said “follow
your dreams,” his fifth grade teacher, Helen Owen, “put him
on the straight and narrow,” and Louie Roth “got him going
with a good taste of farm-lifestyle.” Once before sunrise when
Craig Tarler and Greg were drawing blood from sheep, a farmer remarked, “You
guys aren’t vampires, you’re lampires!” John Emerson,
a veterinarian still with Lampire, taught him to understand animals and “keep
the faith,” and Ken Kupits, an early client, imbued considerable
industrial training.
Biggest Recent Accomplishment: The development and production of the Cell Culture Bag which requires
no specialized equipment. It functions
in a CO2 incubator ‘as it stands’ without rotation or rocking
due to the permeable nature of its resin. This bag can be used from cell
culture and monoclonal antibodies to stem-cell research.
“Since 1989 we’ve drawn blood - only - from animals under
strictly, environmentally controlled conditions. We can trace way back
to show
no impurities in blood.” More than 400 acres in Bedford County
support “multiple campuses for housing domestic farm animals to
produce diagnostic and pharmaceutical materials used in detecting and
treating human and animal diseases.”
Community Involvement:
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Family
comes first – Wife, Diane, and four boys.
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President and member, Plumsteadville
Lions Club
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Member, Arby Dobb Farm
Polo Team
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BOD member, Bedford
Economic Development Association
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Planning boards,
Agricultural/Biological Curriculum
Technology Center in Bedford County
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Volunteer
and sponsor bus to take students
from three local high schools
to “Bio-2005” International
Bio-Tech Show
Charity of Choice: Junior Achievement
of Bedford County
Recent Award: Delaware Valley College Alumni
Association Achievement Award in Animal
Science
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| Steven
P. Johnson |
Non-Profit
Steven P. Johnson
President and CEO of Susquehanna Health
System
777 Rural Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701
A north-central Pennsylvania health care
system headquartered in Lycoming County
(570) 321-2146, www.shscares.org
“Steve
has a service-sort of mentality.
He’ll listen and
take things to heart. He doesn’t
have a particular agenda or do things
so he can be put on a pedestal. It’s
so the right thing can be done.”
Stephen Weber, president, medical staff,
SHS Williamsport |
Guardian
of a sacred trust
By Brian E. Bassett
Steve Johnson, of Susquehanna Health
Systems, Williamsport, is pleased
with SHS’s continued progress.
He said, “We’re working
on decisions for the long-range future
of hospital facilities, rebuilding
the existing facilities in the city
of Williamsport and investigating
five Greenfield Sites for possible
relocation. At the end of October
2005, SHS will decide whether to
stay or go. The second decision will
be to choose a site or sites for
relocation; and develop accordingly.”
Johnson chose the Lycoming County
United Way to receive the $500 donation
from Pennsylvania Business Central
for two reasons. “Because the
majority of funds donated, over 90
percent I believe, stays in the area;
and because they support over 45
agencies, providing a tremendous
amount of services to those who need
them in Lycoming County. You get
the most ‘bang’ for your
contribution dollar.”
Very important to Johnson is the
reaffirmation of the faith-based
initiative at SHS. “We just
completed our 10th year anniversary
report to the community. All services
provided to the county are free of
charge,” he said.
SHS accepts its role as “a
steward of the public trust.” The
10-year anniversary report states
SHS’s mission “to improve
the health status of the communities
we serve through high quality, compassionate,
accessible and cost-effective care;” its
vision “to become the acknowledged
leader in the provision of health
services and the ‘provider
of choice’ in north central
Pennsylvania;” and the importance
of valuing “those who receive
our care and those who provide our
care and leadership rooted in responsibility,
partnership, dedication, service,
quality and stewardship.”
Johnson was honored and pleasantly
surprised to have been chosen to
receive the 2005 Entrepreneur award.
He said that there was “stiff
competition and all entrepreneurs
considered for this award were fine
business men and women.” |
Education:
Johnson holds a master’s
in public administration from Marywood
University, in Scranton. He attended Command
and General Staff College, U.S. Army and
is a fellow in the American College of
Health Care Executives.
Job Responsibilities: Johnson strives to
ensure delivery of high quality clinical
services to patients and residents across
north-central Pennsylvania and follow the
SHS’s mission statement: “To
assure delivery of high quality, cost effective,
accessible and compassionate health care.”
" It is an honor to serve a nationally recognized
health system co-sponsored by the Sisters
of Christian Charity and a community non-profit
parent organization,” he says. “The
mission of these parent organizations is
to extend the healing ministry of God and
to set high quality patient care above
all other priorities, and I cannot think
of better missions to commit to than these.”
Guiding Philosophy: This
mirrors the system’s mission
statement, “My personal passion is
to extend the healing ministry of Christ
through the SHS mission statement and to
promote and follow the faith-based aspect
of the services we provide.”
Biggest Recent Accomplishment: “Employer
of Choice” certification. Definition: “An
employer of any size in the public, private,
or not-for-profit sector that has met the
high standards established by Employer
of Choice Inc., earning the coveted certification
mark. Employers that have successfully
completed the rigorous evaluation process
are recognized for their leadership, culture,
and best practices that attract, optimize,
and hold top talent, achieving corporate
objectives.”
Community Involvement:
• Campaign Chairman 2004, Lycoming County
United Way
• BOD member, Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber
of Commerce
• BOD member, West Branch Manufacturers Association
• Lay-leader, First United Methodist Church,
Williamsport
Charity of Choice: Lycoming County United
Way
Recent Awards: He cites the “Employer
of Choice” certification. “Not
many health systems receive this distinction,” he
says.
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The
Grand Prize
Winners in each
category will receive
a plaque and Pennsylvania
Business Central will
donate $500 to the
charity of their
choice for a toal
of $2,000 in donations.
Pennsylvania
Business Central is pleased to
make four $500 donations in the names
of our four 2004 Entrepreneur award
winners.
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