Philadelphia 100 Hall of Fame

On February 1st, I attended the first Philadelphia 100 Hall of Fame Society meeting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Fifty-one entrepreneurs have earned the status of Hall of Fame Members and over 60% attended this first meeting. It was a great experience and the exchange of ideas among this unique group of business leaders was uplifting. The Philadelphia 100 prides itself on spreading the word about the economic vitality in the Philadelphia region, placing a spotlight on the 100 fastest growing companies in the area, and developing the business acumen of the region through precise measurement and discussion. Needless to say, as a seven time winner of the Philadelphia 100 award and as an inaugural member of the Hall of Fame I was very excited to be invited to become a member of the elite Hall of Fame Society.

We discussed many of the issues plaguing the Philadelphia region. We agreed that our group wanted to help shape the future of the Philadelphia 100 and we agreed that we each have a responsibility to give back to the community that has helped make us and our companies successful. Some of the ideas we discussed included: committing to social causes, making our organization a resource to non-profits, being a leadership point in the community, creating a scholarship fund to benefit individuals in the region, and increasing business networking opportunities for members of the Philadelphia 100.

Many members of the Hall of Fame already are serving the community through individual and corporate initiatives. Concorde and I have been involved in civic and non-profit organizations for many years. We have donated time, resources and money to youth baseball, cancer research and free flu inoculations. I have served as president of Taney Youth Baseball Association for the past 14 years and Concorde providers technology, space and resources to the league. Most of our employees support the American Cancer Society by donating each week through payroll deduction and earning the privilege of wearing jeans on Friday. Concorde matches these contributions dollar for dollar. We also support the arts.

In addition, Concorde has created opportunities for area college students to join our team as interns, to learn our business, and to create positions for themselves within our organization. We have hired a significant number of recent local college graduates during the past few years as well as Philadelphia residents returning from college out of town who what to remain in this area. Temple University, Drexel University, Saint Joseph’s University and Muhlenberg College have all produced valuable Concorde associates. This effort keeps local talent in the region. It’s is a commitment that all Philadelphia businesses should make. Concorde’s 25 years as a leader in the drug and alcohol testing and employment screening industry is directly attributed to the local talent we have hired. I am proud to be a member of the Hall of Fame Society and fully support the ideas we discussed. I will keep you posted in future newsletters on our progress and the ways our group begins to implement the ideas we discussed.