When Karen DelVecchio was a stay-at-home mom in Trumbull looking after her three children, one of the activities she enjoyed was her involvement with the Tashua Elementary School PTA and Madison Middle School. Little did she know that the personal satisfaction she derived from advocating for schoolchildren would play a key role in opening up the door nine years ago to a new and exciting career path that catapulted her to the position of executive vice president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC).
As co-president of Tashua”™s PTA and co-president of the PTA Council, “I learned to work very well with other parent volunteers to achieve the common goal of looking after the best interests of our children, specifically what the effects of potential cuts in the education budget would have on them.”
That experience proved instrumental in 2005 when DelVecchio, who was working as a call center supervisor, learned from a friend that the Trumbull Chamber of Commerce (TCC), an affiliate of the BRBC, was looking for a new executive director. Her visibility in the Trumbull community as a result of her leadership role at the PTA and her people skills helped her to secure the position.
As was the case with the work she did on the school committees, her responsibilities at the TCC called for her to foster excellent collaborative relationships with volunteers, namely the TCC board of directors. “I helped them to carry out their initiatives, from special events and awards to programming and monthly board meetings,” she said.
Along the way, she gained exposure to the leadership and members of the BRBC”™s five other affiliates: Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce, Stratford Chamber of Commerce, Women”™s Leadership Council, Bridgeport Economic Development Corp. and Leadership Greater Bridgeport. More broadly, she worked with the business, government and not-for-profit communities throughout the organization”™s large geographic footprint. The reward for doing the job so well was promotion to her current position in 2008, reporting to Paul Timpanelli, president and CEO.
Under her direction, the BRBC, now in its 139th year, has undergone a strategic analysis of its membership and marketing programs to “help us refine our recruitment and retention programs to fulfill our organization”™s mission of creating an environment for business expansion in the region that will result in new jobs and increased tax base.”
As a result of that study, the 1,000-member organization is enhancing its efforts to help small businesses succeed. “As they are the backbone of our economy, it”™s our job to make small business owners aware of the services that are available to them,” she said.
Along those lines, the new BRBC website, a project that DelVecchio has spearheaded, will launch later this year. Among the site”™s new features is greater visibility for members by giving them opportunities to showcase their businesses. “In addition, partnerships with professional organizations outside BRBC”™s traditional footprint such as in nearby Fairfield, Norwalk and Darien will also be forged to increase opportunities for our members to make business connections,” she said.
To underscore the significance of job creation on the local economy, DelVecchio refers to a graphic slide that was created as part of a presentation at BRBC”™s open houses. It contains seven facts that dramatically quantify the economic impact of 100 new jobs. They are: $110,895,000 in residential home sales; $5,530,000 in new personal income; $2,500,000 in bank deposits; $1,965,750 in new retail sales; $1,540,000 in durable goods sales; and $520,000 in sales tax income and $144,000 in property tax income.
DelVecchio notes that BRBC is engaged in activities “you don”™t often see to help improve the area”™s economic environment.” A case in point is the partnership that the business membership organization entered four years ago with the city of Bridgeport”™s BGreen 2020 plan to promote sustainability throughout the city. It”™s an initiative that has already resulted not only in a city-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but in the arrival of new green businesses moving into Park City, an eco-tech area designated for the development of green industries and green employment.
“I love this job,” DelVecchio noted. “I get to the meet the most successful and hardworking businesspeople across the entire spectrum: presidents, CEOs, entrepreneurs, small business owners, home-based consultants, not-for-profit leaders. I have great respect for their creativity and commitment to their enterprises that keep our region”™s economic engine humming.”
At the end of the day, what gives her the most satisfaction, she said, is when a member thanks her and her staff for helping to facilitate a business connection.
Winners Circle is a regular feature that takes a look at successful women in business and at top attorneys, men and women, in the region. To nominate someone, contact Bill Fallon at bfallon@westfairinc.com.
