Kutztown, PA…Entrepreneurship Week at Kutztown University will be held this year on the third week of March. On Friday, March 20, 2020, from 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., a Family Business Panel will feature Derek Leibensperger, Leibensperger Funeral Homes, Inc., Hamburg; Missy Wilson, Manager of Setter Ridge Vineyards, Kutztown; Lindsay (Sokol) Szejko, Owner/CEO, Solo Laboratories, Kutztown; and Jamey Maack, President/Co-Owner of Industrial Metal Plating, Reading, PA. Kutztown University College of Business is the Sponsor.
A weeklong series of workshops, presentations, and panels attracts business owners & leaders and business faculty and students. All programs are open to the public, and registration is offered at no cost. Register online here for the Family Business Panel to be held in Room 218 of the McFarland Student Union on the campus of Kutztown University: https://www.northeastberkschamber.com/shop/march-breakfast-member-meeting-2/.
Derek Martin Domer Leibensperger joined the Leibensperger Funeral Homes, Inc. as a licensed funeral director. He joins his sister, Donna, as a third-generation funeral director. He is a 2007 graduate of Hamburg Area High School, and attended Moravian College and Northampton Community College, both in Bethlehem, eventually graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science specializing in Funeral Service in 2010.
Derek is a member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hamburg and is also involved in many different community organizations, the Vaux Masonic Lodge No. 406 F&A.M. Hamburg, and the Hamburg Jaycees where he is an active member of the King Frost Parade committee. Formerly, Derek was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce.
Missy Wilson is a partner in Setter Ridge Vineyards LLC with her four siblings and parents. Growing up in rural Berks County and going to college at Bucknell University in rural Lewisburg led her to move to the Washington DC area after graduation with her BS in Mathematics. After four years working in an accounting department, she moved back to Berks County to help in the daily operation of then-named Blair Vineyards. In the time since, Blair Vineyards had expanded and opened a new tasting room just north of Kutztown. Now growing over 30 acres of grapes, they are working their way to becoming an Estate Grown winery. Blair Vineyards rebranded its wines under a new label of Setter Ridge Vineyards a few years ago. Setter Ridge Vineyards has been a member of the Northeast Berks Chamber since 2010.
Lindsay Sokol Szejko is CEO/Owner of Solo Laboratories in Kutztown. She graduated in 2005 from York College with a BS in Criminal Justice and joined SOLO in 2005 in the area of Customer Service. SOLO was founded by Lindsay’s father, Barry Sokol, in 1983.
From 2005-2016 Lindsay held various positions in the company from Customer Service to Sales and Marketing. In 2012, Lindsay relocated with her family to Austin, TX, to gain business for SOLO and investigate potential for a second location. Three years later, she returned to home base of SOLO in a sales role. In 2017, she was named President and CEO in 2018.
Lindsay works hard to keep the company on track with the same vision and mission since its founding to “serve others, love others.”
Jamey Maack is president and co-owner of Industrial Metal Plating, an aluminum finishing company located in Reading, Pennsylvania. Jamey is a graduate of Elon University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree.
After graduation, Jamey relocated to Reading, where he began learning the family business from the ground up. That eventually led to him to becoming president in August of 2009. He modernized the plant technologically, added new LEAN production processes and implemented the current business practices. Industrial Metal Plating is a successful family business that currently employs 60 people.
A Chamber Student Recognition Program is also part of the agenda for the meeting. For more information about Kutztown University’s Entrepreneurship Week, visit https://www.kutztown.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/business/entrepreneurial-leadership-center/entrepreneurship-week/elc-week-schedule.html.
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