WEBVTT 00:00.240 --> 00:05.080 three two one 00:18.400 --> 00:25.279 Thank you for being here today to celebrate this grand opening of the Farm Store a wonderful new addition to our 00:25.279 --> 00:32.800 community here in Pottsville Pennsylvania This is truly a day of celebration not just for this incredible 00:32.800 --> 00:39.600 new business but for all the farmers families and individuals who work hard 00:39.600 --> 00:45.520 every day to make our region thrive It's hard to believe that just a 00:45.520 --> 00:52.559 short time ago the idea of a place like the Farm Store was a dream a dream to 00:52.559 --> 00:58.440 bring fresh healthy local food directly to the heart of downtown 00:58.440 --> 01:07.200 Pottsville eliminating the food desert that many of our neighbors have had to navigate for so long And today that 01:07.200 --> 01:12.240 dream is a reality The Farm Store is so much more 01:12.240 --> 01:18.320 than just a place to shop It is a vital resource that connects our community to 01:18.320 --> 01:27.000 over 30 local farms offering access to fresh meats dairy produce and so much 01:27.000 --> 01:34.079 more This store stands as a testament to the power of local agriculture and the 01:34.079 --> 01:39.600 impact it has on our economy and on our health 01:39.600 --> 01:44.720 The hard work of our farmers and their ability to provide us with the best of 01:44.720 --> 01:50.200 what Skookul County and beyond has to offer is something we should all 01:50.200 --> 01:56.799 celebrate and truly support Together we have shown that when we come together as 01:56.799 --> 02:03.680 a community we can build something truly remarkable What's more this store is a 02:03.680 --> 02:09.759 testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of Skookul County It represents the 02:09.759 --> 02:14.800 dreams the determination and the vision of those who believe in the importance 02:14.800 --> 02:19.840 of local agriculture healthy living and small 02:19.840 --> 02:29.360 familyowned businesses We are truly incredibly proud to support them in this exciting venture 02:29.360 --> 02:35.360 Please join me now in welcoming the owners of the Farm Store Angela and 02:35.360 --> 02:39.239 Josiah Mack 02:40.690 --> 02:47.920 [Laughter] Thank you all for 02:51.879 --> 02:57.120 coming Thank you all for coming I can't tell you how amazing it is We are so 02:57.120 --> 03:02.680 grateful to have you here today Um I'm Angela and this is Josiah 03:02.680 --> 03:08.800 And we we started out with our farm in Honey Brook uh Honey Brook Farm in Sko 03:08.800 --> 03:16.080 Haven And we we started in 2019 We were not sure 03:16.080 --> 03:23.440 what we were going to do with the farm and how we were going to make it profitable And we started to look at 03:23.440 --> 03:29.280 different options And I like to tell people we were on plan C or plan D Um 03:29.280 --> 03:35.280 when we we settled on raising meat and beef pork chicken turkeys doing it from 03:35.280 --> 03:40.640 the farm doing it ourselves um raising everything on pasture and really paying 03:40.640 --> 03:45.680 attention to what we were uh putting in those livestock and then putting in our 03:45.680 --> 03:51.840 foods and then we have always given it a focus on on what our our we wanted our 03:51.840 --> 04:00.040 kids to have You know what what did we want them to have And so we've made a lot of sacrifices just so that we could 04:00.040 --> 04:06.560 prioritize where they live where they are and what they eat Um and that that's 04:06.560 --> 04:13.120 brought us here today It's been a really uh long journey it feels like but if you 04:13.120 --> 04:18.759 think about it I guess we accomplished a lot in in the last six years 04:18.759 --> 04:26.240 So it's it's exciting We we knew how much uh how unique it was that together 04:26.240 --> 04:34.800 we could run the farm and also market our products And the team that we made uh make between the two of us is really 04:34.800 --> 04:40.560 unique And as we talked to other farmers and as we just saw and other farmers uh 04:40.560 --> 04:46.800 have great products but either not be able to market it or have to wait until the next generation to come through to 04:46.800 --> 04:54.400 be able to market that on on the internet um it became ever more pressing that not only could we sell our products 04:54.400 --> 05:03.639 at a store like this we could really help a lot of other farmers as well And so that's that's a little bit about the 05:03.639 --> 05:09.120 background Um I just want to thank um so many of the people that are here today 05:09.120 --> 05:15.199 Uh first of all I have to point out uh Zavis Loathitis back there um the Ignite 05:15.199 --> 05:20.880 program in the chamber uh without their support um their knowledge uh this would 05:20.880 --> 05:29.199 not be possible We started a farm from the ground up and I thought that was hard Um navigating a new business in a 05:29.199 --> 05:36.240 city is something I don't know that I have the strength to do again But Savas was really there every step of the way 05:36.240 --> 05:43.199 answering my text messages at 11 o'clock at night or 6 o'clock in the morning um just a great asset and the chamber was 05:43.199 --> 05:48.400 right there with him supporting us So really thank you so much Sav for 05:48.400 --> 05:53.440 everything Um and then all of you here today this this would not be possible 05:53.440 --> 06:00.800 I'm sorry if I get emotional here Um this wouldn't be possible without our customers without our friends without 06:00.800 --> 06:08.160 our family Um so many of you out there today were here at nine o'clock at night helping me 06:08.160 --> 06:15.120 once or twice or early in the morning or a last minute hey can you help me move nine freezers into a door that doesn't 06:15.120 --> 06:22.560 fit You know you know who you are out there You know who you are out there Yeah But thank you Thank you all Um 06:22.560 --> 06:32.280 because this wouldn't be possible uh without a community without customers and um just thank you so much 06:32.560 --> 06:35.880 Thank you 06:37.759 --> 06:44.639 Well you guys have attended some of our ribbon cutings in the past so today's no different We have an entourage here to 06:44.639 --> 06:49.759 welcome you and to enjoy this ribbon cutting And first and foremost we're 06:49.759 --> 06:57.199 going to begin with a person that happens to be state representative in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 06:57.199 --> 07:02.240 124th legislative district but he also is the chair of the school chamber of 07:02.240 --> 07:07.360 commerce board of directors It's my pleasure to inter introduce to you State 07:07.360 --> 07:13.199 Representative James Barton Jamie [Applause] 07:13.199 --> 07:19.039 thank you Welcome everyone Congratulations Josiah and Angela and and agriculture is the 07:19.039 --> 07:25.759 number one industry in uh in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania And and what what's happening here today what 07:25.759 --> 07:32.080 what this represents is so much of what the agricultural community actually uh 07:32.080 --> 07:38.319 is And that is uh of a community coming together Um Josiah you heard it from 07:38.319 --> 07:44.560 Angel and Josiah's comments but I'd like to share uh uh something that um I think 07:44.560 --> 07:52.160 is a short story that will really help you appreciate what giving folks these people are Um and and and we have uh 07:52.160 --> 07:59.280 Bob's going to introduce Secretary Reading Secretary of Agriculture very shortly This this week uh the FFA 07:59.280 --> 08:05.120 leadership group was down in Harrisburg and and Secretary Reading spent a lot of time with them and I had the pleasure of 08:05.120 --> 08:10.479 spending time with uh the FFA group from Kutztown about two years ago I was at 08:10.479 --> 08:17.360 the Kutztown FFA banquet Kutztown Pennsylvania Burks County and I saw this 08:17.360 --> 08:23.440 lovely couple dragging around three children at the time Uh um and I thought 08:23.440 --> 08:29.080 what are what are people from Skookul County doing down here in Burks County supporting the the the 08:29.080 --> 08:35.120 the Kutztown FFA the Future Farmers of America And what I found out was their 08:35.120 --> 08:40.159 project was to raise a pig and to feed that pig And the students the FFA 08:40.159 --> 08:46.720 students had to figure out what it was what it took to what what that cost behind that pork would actually when 08:46.720 --> 08:53.040 they went to market how much per pound it would be and the significance of doing the business behind the farming 08:53.040 --> 09:00.000 Josiah and Angela donated that pig donated their time to their students This is before any of this um that they 09:00.000 --> 09:05.279 any of this that they did that um and they did it in the name of farming They did it in the name of agriculture They 09:05.279 --> 09:13.200 did it in the name of of teaching others And so that's the type of people we have here before us And this is also a 09:13.200 --> 09:20.160 combination of the the Skookul Chamber of Commerce as Josiah shared also coming together with the community So we are so 09:20.160 --> 09:26.839 delighted to have you So excited for this business and congratulations 09:27.360 --> 09:31.320 Thank you so much Jamie 09:34.480 --> 09:39.920 And now it's a great pleasure to introduce uh a very important person 09:39.920 --> 09:46.080 that took the time to come here today Many of us have met him before He's one of the nicest guys you're ever going to 09:46.080 --> 09:52.880 meet Isn't every farmer isn't every person that uh has been involved with agriculture But a little bit about 09:52.880 --> 09:58.959 Secretary Russell Reading He was uh unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate to serve as 09:58.959 --> 10:04.519 Pennsylvania's 27th Secretary of Agriculture on May 10th 10:04.519 --> 10:10.240 2023 Governor Josh appear nominated Secretary Reading to continue serving as 10:10.240 --> 10:18.640 Secretary after he had already served between 2015 and 2022 under former Governor Tom Wolf He's 10:18.640 --> 10:26.160 the former dean of the school of agriculture and environmental sciences at Delaware Valley University He has a 10:26.160 --> 10:31.600 great extensive experience as a public servants having spent more than 30 years 10:31.600 --> 10:37.279 serving Pennsylvania and Harrisburg and in Washington DC He worked on Capitol 10:37.279 --> 10:42.480 Hill as the a policy adviser to US Senator Harris Walford and served for 10:42.480 --> 10:53.120 nearly 25 years in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture serving as Secretary also from 29 2009 to 2011 10:53.120 --> 10:59.680 under former Governor Ed Randell and from 2015 to 2022 before his current 10:59.680 --> 11:06.720 term with Governor Tom Wolf As I already said he currently serves on the agriculture subcommittee of the USDA's 11:06.720 --> 11:13.040 equity commission It is our sincerest honor to welcome Secretary Reading back 11:13.040 --> 11:18.399 to Skooko County [Applause] Very kind Thank you Thanks Thanks for 11:18.399 --> 11:25.360 the kind introduction Good morning everybody Can Can you move in just a little bit I feel like you're miles away 11:25.360 --> 11:31.600 I just want to say things right like welcome to the as the flowers say a little vase of flowers whoever sent them 11:31.600 --> 11:37.680 very nice idea it said welcome to the neighborhood thank you right and I thought what a beautiful sort of statement like welcome to the 11:37.680 --> 11:43.200 neighborhood it's amazing to be here as secretary the highlight any day uh for 11:43.200 --> 11:50.560 me is a chance to sort of come to a neighborhood right see somebody who is connecting both consumers and producers 11:50.560 --> 11:56.959 finding sort of those relationships that all of us sort of desired to have we Those are challenging to to build and 11:56.959 --> 12:02.000 maintain but you get a chance to really meet the folks who are feeding us We 12:02.000 --> 12:07.120 have a relationship with our minister with our mechanic with our teacher Why 12:07.120 --> 12:12.639 not the person who feeds us And to me that's the real beauty of what we see 12:12.639 --> 12:19.200 here today It's a chance to meet the folks who feed us So to the farmers who are here I know this is part of the 12:19.200 --> 12:24.320 objective is to connect inside this store right The folks in the 12:24.320 --> 12:31.360 neighborhood So a show of hands of those who've got product inside of of the store please Yeah Round of applause to 12:31.360 --> 12:39.399 the farmers as well Thank you We know that um as as they've shared this is a 12:39.399 --> 12:46.079 journey Uh probably not sure when you started that it would end here right 12:46.079 --> 12:51.440 project got a lot bigger as we the project got a lot bigger right And you learn things about the neighborhood you 12:51.440 --> 12:58.240 learn things about Skookul County you you find out what's actually produced here you you learn who these consumers 12:58.240 --> 13:05.240 are And to me the real beauty of this day is that we now have a farm store in 13:05.240 --> 13:12.240 Pottsville Skooko County staffed by folks in this community owned by farmers 13:12.240 --> 13:20.800 and and really folks thinking about how do they support the community Inside that store are items from this county 13:20.800 --> 13:27.680 this town this region And what a beautiful sort of story about agriculture in both the region and how 13:27.680 --> 13:32.720 rich this is A special note of thanks to the Skookul County economic development 13:32.720 --> 13:38.880 community I've been with them many times Amazing very creative very thoughtful 13:38.880 --> 13:44.320 very intentional about how do we sort of take the natural resources in this 13:44.320 --> 13:49.440 community has and share that build that not just for the region but also around 13:49.440 --> 13:55.360 the state of Pennsylvania I want to say thanks to the companies that are here the farmers that are here for what 13:55.360 --> 14:03.040 you're doing Express appreciation certainly to um Desai and Angela for the 14:03.040 --> 14:10.720 journey that they have been on They recognize the roots of this community are are deeper uh but much richer 14:10.720 --> 14:16.320 because of the families that are here that you're with right You're you're really building that out So thank you 14:16.320 --> 14:21.839 for doing that I think it's also a reminder for each of us that as we think 14:21.839 --> 14:29.079 about what it takes to really sustain a community that we sometimes overlook 14:29.079 --> 14:37.040 food But in my life I mean anytime that I've had like a really important conversation uh with folks it's around 14:37.040 --> 14:42.320 food It's over uh it's over the table And that's an important piece But as we 14:42.320 --> 14:49.040 think about this community as a food desert and an area that as prosperous as it is as important as it is to not have 14:49.040 --> 14:54.959 access to food it's a basic human right and recognizing that we've got an 14:54.959 --> 15:00.480 obligation as producers in a to share that wealth uh and our food and what we 15:00.480 --> 15:06.720 do is part of this community I want to thank this family for also being PA preferred 15:06.720 --> 15:13.600 There's a sign here uh and we heard earlier about what they were doing with the Ktown FFA There also folks who come 15:13.600 --> 15:18.720 to the farm show that come to the PA preferred reception They give their 15:18.720 --> 15:24.560 product to people right We ask a lot of folks to do that Not everybody takes us 15:24.560 --> 15:29.839 up on the ask right These guys do I always appreciate those who give back 15:29.839 --> 15:36.399 you see the larger story and the need right to sort of connect both PA preferred and the pride that's in that 15:36.399 --> 15:41.760 in that brand um and sharing that is is really important and then final point 15:41.760 --> 15:47.040 just as a note of thanks to this community right for being welcoming being thoughtful to the commissioners to 15:47.040 --> 15:54.720 the all those who who make this work uh in different ways while you may not want to go through it twice you're here we 15:54.720 --> 16:01.199 want you to stay here and build and build this community uh and to us the building of that community is done 16:01.199 --> 16:08.079 through the food the relationships and the partnerships that are found uh inside some of the deepest parts of our 16:08.079 --> 16:14.399 city connected to the rural landscape of this county and this state So on behalf of the department thank you for what you 16:14.399 --> 16:19.920 do Thanks for the journey that you're on and we look uh look forward to how it 16:19.920 --> 16:25.639 unfolds and being part of this journey So thank you what you do 16:32.800 --> 16:40.399 Thank you very much Secretary Reading Thank you for being here today It's very very important And I must say my 16:40.399 --> 16:45.839 colleague Samantha and I went to the PA preferred reception this year Was our 16:45.839 --> 16:54.800 first time I can guarantee you we're going to be back It's quite an event We were greeted by Angela by Glenn Whis by 16:54.800 --> 17:02.399 Consumate Farmer Boots Heatherington and others And uh we just had a great time So it was a great event And uh we'll be 17:02.399 --> 17:07.600 back at the Farm Show complex next year We always have an entourage Today's 17:07.600 --> 17:14.558 no different With us today on behalf of our congressman Dan Muser is his South 17:14.559 --> 17:21.280 Regional Field Director Madison Kawako Madison Oh I'm sorry Evelyn Dian 17:21.280 --> 17:29.400 substituting for Madison Kakaco from the uh Skugal County office Thank you 17:29.760 --> 17:36.640 On behalf of Congressman Dan Muer welcome to Pottsville We just want to thank you for bringing your business 17:36.640 --> 17:42.480 here Congressman Muer serves on the small business committee and he understands what it means to take a 17:42.480 --> 17:48.960 business from concept to reality here today and have this celebration And today marks the beginning of a 17:48.960 --> 17:54.880 partnership between your company and our office There's ever anything we can do for you on the federal side please let 17:54.880 --> 18:00.480 us know We are happy to help I know our Pottsville office is very excited because we are just a block down the 18:00.480 --> 18:06.240 street So I think we'll be seeing you very often But thank you for your investment in Pottsville in Scoopal 18:06.240 --> 18:12.120 County and in the ninth congressional district as a whole Thank you 18:13.679 --> 18:20.799 Thank you so much Evelyn another Pottsville native back home uh 18:20.799 --> 18:28.160 working for the congressman We're very excited to have Evelyn back Now it's my great pleasure to introduce on behalf of 18:28.160 --> 18:36.240 State Senator David Argle 29th Senatorial District not only one of his key staff members but a long time board 18:36.240 --> 18:41.860 member of the Skooko Chamber of Commerce Mary Beth Dockerty Mary Beth 18:41.860 --> 18:45.350 [Applause] 18:48.720 --> 18:55.760 Thank you Bob I I remember the day we were out at your farm in pouring rain celebrating 18:55.760 --> 19:01.039 you becoming a chamber member back then And if I remember correctly your 19:01.039 --> 19:09.679 business at the time was in a small room with a couple freezers working out of So to see what you started with then and a 19:09.679 --> 19:17.520 dream and a vision and determination to get you to this point today has just been an amazing journey to watch So 19:17.520 --> 19:24.160 Senator Agel sends his sincere apologies he can't be here He did have another commitment in Hazelton He wanted to be 19:24.160 --> 19:31.440 here to celebrate this accomplishment but on his behalf and on our entire staff We are thrilled that you're here 19:31.440 --> 19:38.320 that you've invested in Pottsville in Skookul County You are an active and vibrant member of the chamber We love 19:38.320 --> 19:45.000 having you as part of the chamber family So on behalf of our office congratulations and many many years of 19:45.000 --> 19:51.400 success Thank you so much Thank you very much 19:51.400 --> 19:56.480 Mary And next a man that really needs no introduction Everybody knows him He 19:56.480 --> 20:03.360 knows a little bit about food too especially perogis He's the state rep right here in the 123rd Our state 20:03.360 --> 20:10.480 representative Tim [Applause] Torzik Thank you Mr Carl It's a 20:10.480 --> 20:16.760 wonderful to be here in Skookul County and seeing friends Love the 20:16.760 --> 20:23.600 boots I should get a pair of boots like that that I get more respect on the farm But um it's just wonderful to welcome 20:23.600 --> 20:31.679 you to Pottsville uh we've watched your journey the past couple years and from uh your success in the uh challenge here 20:31.679 --> 20:37.200 in Ptosville It was wonderful because we just attended last evening and we saw 20:37.200 --> 20:42.480 four more businesses will hopefully come down here into Pottsville and grow and 20:42.480 --> 20:49.200 Padco's done a great job and you learned a lot from it I believe and that's really why it's so wonderful that we've 20:49.200 --> 20:55.280 got organizations to help but it also you guys have the courage to do this It's not easy being an entrepreneur It's 20:55.280 --> 21:00.960 not easy to go out into the wild and uh take the risk but we really appreciate 21:00.960 --> 21:06.320 and I wish you all the luck and all the success And if there's anything we could do from our office let us know And I do 21:06.320 --> 21:13.600 love to eat so we'll be here Thank you state 21:14.840 --> 21:21.200 rep And now um I think a special day for our county commissioners as well So I'm 21:21.200 --> 21:26.799 going to call them all up at one time Uh our board chair Larry Pedora our 21:26.799 --> 21:32.080 consmate farmer Strawberries and otherwise Baron Boots Hatherington and 21:32.080 --> 21:38.960 Gary H will the commissioners please come up and uh we'll let them say a few words uh on this great agricultural day 21:38.960 --> 21:44.960 in Skooko County Hello everybody I want to say thank you 21:44.960 --> 21:50.640 for doing this in here in Possible which was needed You have a a baker a farmer 21:50.640 --> 21:55.840 and a caterer We know how important farming is We're the users especially 21:55.840 --> 22:03.280 Gary and I of the end products Without you guys our bakery wouldn't have been there 17 137 years at Tomqua So I we 22:03.280 --> 22:09.360 appreciate the farmers We appreciate everything you do from I remember seeing you at at night skookal or night 22:09.360 --> 22:14.720 Pottsville when you were pregnant and then when you you had your your child And it's so great to see you doing this 22:14.720 --> 22:20.559 in in Ptosville There was a food shortage here in downtown Pottsville You were providing something for this 22:20.559 --> 22:25.760 community for Skookul County and also a venue for farmers to sell their products 22:25.760 --> 22:31.039 freshly to the community Having fresh farm products is a huge asset to any 22:31.039 --> 22:38.480 community So I just want to congratulate you We appreciate your participation in the chamber and Josiah was appointed to 22:38.480 --> 22:44.000 one of our boards where he's going to have a great impact there So we just really appreciate everything you do and 22:44.000 --> 22:49.120 with the work that the chamber did with you and everything Save did with the Unite Potottsville it was a great 22:49.120 --> 22:55.200 competition and when he's won that it was amazing So I'll turn it over to my fellow commissioners 22:55.200 --> 23:01.200 Thanks Larry Good morning I'm really really thrilled about being here today I woke up this morning 23:01.200 --> 23:06.480 and looked at my schedule said uh ribbon cutting for the farm table store for 23:06.480 --> 23:13.039 Josiah and Angela and started to deliver a little bit of corn this morning I had a a radiator leak on a truck and I got 23:13.039 --> 23:19.200 it taken care of and I come roaring in that blue pickup about five minutes late I didn't want to miss this 23:19.200 --> 23:25.840 just about But uh bottom line is I've known these two young wonderful people for a long time Uh their kids and my 23:25.840 --> 23:32.880 they went to Penn State together Angela didn't tell you but she's also an engineer by trade a mining engineer And 23:32.880 --> 23:41.360 I I look at these two people I see myself and my wife 40 years ago actually 45 1980 we worked at Proctor and Gamble 23:41.360 --> 23:46.480 I did she worked at Rockwell International We walked away from corporate America a guaranteed paycheck 23:46.480 --> 23:52.880 a guaranteed healthc care package Had this crazy dream about being farmers Okay I was down to their place two years 23:52.880 --> 23:58.480 ago Josiah said that they started a farm No they resurrected a farm Okay Uh it 23:58.480 --> 24:04.799 nothing not to be uh nasty or mean but there wasn't much there For two generations that farm sat idle So you 24:04.799 --> 24:10.640 get to their place at North Man Township and it's down off the road It's off the beat down off the road So you got to 24:10.640 --> 24:16.880 drive down in there Uh there's not a lot of parking space It's a little bit wet and muddy Uh but that that didn't slow 24:16.880 --> 24:23.840 them down They raised some great products Problem was they have a tough place to get to No way to market it So 24:23.840 --> 24:30.480 the next step was let's let's even crazier yet and we'll do a buy a sword So I I I admire them I know what it felt 24:30.480 --> 24:35.919 like to walk away from a guaranteed paycheck and try to raise kids You know we we took all money we had in the world 24:35.919 --> 24:42.000 bought a farm lived in a rented house was full of mice and and all kind of crazy stuff So I I look at them I see 24:42.000 --> 24:47.919 myself 45 years ago and I I'm so thankful so happy Uh we do raise strawberries but for us to come to 24:47.919 --> 24:52.960 Potottsville for three weeks of the year have one product doesn't work out They've already asked us to provide 24:52.960 --> 24:59.039 strawberry My daughter and son-in-law Morgan and Kevin uh put up an acre of raspberry last year and they're planning 24:59.039 --> 25:05.120 on contracting with with Joan Angela So I say I I can't be more excited more happy and proud to be here today So 25:05.120 --> 25:09.980 thank you for what you're [Applause] 25:11.000 --> 25:18.480 doing Again like my colleagues have said congratulations on your journey And what a journey it has been from where you 25:18.480 --> 25:25.520 started your farm to now here in the city And also you don't realize on some things that you've made an asset here in 25:25.520 --> 25:32.320 the community in the city of Pottsville First of all as you know right down the street we lost a grocery store which 25:32.320 --> 25:37.440 closed up and also turned into an asset which is Alveria right now And then 25:37.440 --> 25:44.320 naturally needed food in this area and people where to shop and especially fresh items from right from the farm 25:44.320 --> 25:51.120 right to the table You put this here which is fulfilling a need of people that need to buy groceries and food for 25:51.120 --> 25:56.400 their families which is outstanding Also like Secretary Reading said I'm in the 25:56.400 --> 26:03.080 catering business and everybody else that just grows goes to the grocery store You forget how it got on those 26:03.080 --> 26:10.039 shelves It's these folks and other farmers out there that help put that on the table That's how important 26:10.039 --> 26:15.279 agriculture is to all of our lives And also one other factor that I always 26:15.279 --> 26:23.039 remember a program the pots of Kuanas ran for many many years and it was the farm that this the farm the table I 26:23.039 --> 26:29.200 think it was called farm city week Farm city week Thank you And what they did is they invited people from all the 26:29.200 --> 26:37.120 industries and so forth on the other side other than agriculture and also the agriculture family What a better way now 26:37.120 --> 26:43.120 not just one time a year but now here it sits for forever So congratulations 26:43.120 --> 26:50.640 continued luck and many successes afterwards Thank you Thank you 26:50.760 --> 26:57.120 commissioners And now we go to someone that's got to be really happy today because if you're in charge of the city 26:57.120 --> 27:03.520 of Pottsville you want days like this So now it's my great pleasure to introduce the mayor of the great city of 27:03.520 --> 27:10.589 Pottsville Mayor Mark Atinson [Applause] 27:13.120 --> 27:18.480 Thank you Bob Mr Secretary welcome to Botsville to Skookul County To all of 27:18.480 --> 27:26.240 our guests here welcome To those of you who have product inside this store thank you very much It's greatly appreciated 27:26.240 --> 27:32.799 And to Josiah and Angela thank you for having confidence in the city and coming here and filling a very very vital role 27:32.799 --> 27:38.559 I know it's not been an easy track Um we're working on making that better But 27:38.559 --> 27:43.760 uh really we we cannot be more thrilled to have you guys here and opening up 27:43.760 --> 27:49.919 shop and selling local product It's a it's a huge huge lift to us And as Bob 27:49.919 --> 27:56.279 said yes couldn't be more proud Thank you all Thank you Thank you 27:56.279 --> 28:02.080 mayor Also want to point out that our new I'll add one thing I didn't say it 28:02.080 --> 28:09.120 earlier but the city um the city of Pottsville we reached out to early on and um the redevelopment authority 28:09.120 --> 28:15.440 pointed us to this building and they said "It has a parking lot We think it'll be really great for your idea." And if it wouldn't have been for their 28:15.440 --> 28:23.360 support and their financial support in purchasing the building we wouldn't be here today So I really I I wanted to say 28:23.360 --> 28:27.960 that and I wanted to make sure that got in here 28:28.559 --> 28:34.640 Thank you very much Also want to point out the new city administrator Ian Mayhal's in the back Ian raise your hand 28:34.640 --> 28:41.240 And there's some other members of council city controller Please raise your hands Thank you very much for being 28:41.240 --> 28:46.480 here So we talked a little bit earlier Secretary Rading pointed out the 28:46.480 --> 28:51.840 importance of the Skooko Economic Development Corporation You don't have to tell the school chamber of commerce 28:51.840 --> 28:56.960 because we work with them every day We're literally side by side every day 28:56.960 --> 29:03.440 And I've watched for decades after decades long before I was at the chamber the leadership of Frank Zukas the work 29:03.440 --> 29:09.440 of Leticia and now we have a new member of that team Uh I also want to say that 29:09.440 --> 29:16.559 when you hear Savas in a few minutes talk a little bit more about the Ignite program The Ignite program could have 29:16.559 --> 29:21.919 never happened without the support of obviously the Chamber Foundation but 29:21.919 --> 29:28.960 then gratuitous donations from Sko Economic Development Corporation Senator 29:28.960 --> 29:35.440 Argo and the state legislators offices uh Bill Metsinger and many many others 29:35.440 --> 29:41.279 I'll miss them if I keep going on but large donations that helped us create 29:41.279 --> 29:48.720 the $100,000 pool that ultimately the farm store won uh back in August a year 29:48.720 --> 29:54.159 ago So it's now my pleasure to introduce today speaking on behalf of the Skooko 29:54.159 --> 29:59.679 Economic Development Corporation their economic development manager Mark Minnik 29:59.679 --> 30:06.399 Mark [Applause] thank you 30:07.720 --> 30:13.919 Hello Good afternoon everybody On behalf of the Sedco staff and our board of directors we just want to congratulate 30:13.919 --> 30:21.200 Angela Joia and your whole family for all your hard work and getting the farm store open Since Sedco's inception in 30:21.200 --> 30:27.000 1952 we remain committed to supporting and addressing the needs in our 30:27.000 --> 30:32.880 communities And we just again want to congratulate you guys and just let you know that we're here to support you with 30:32.880 --> 30:38.840 whatever you need moving forward Congratulations again 30:39.039 --> 30:44.720 Thank you Mark I also want to mention that there's a lot of board members from the Skooko Economic Development 30:44.720 --> 30:50.720 Corporation here today Thank you Including one of their board members that served as a judge for the Ignite 30:50.720 --> 30:57.440 Skook program Consant Banker Dave Snyder So thank you all for being 30:57.960 --> 31:04.559 here And now he was mentioned a long time ago but we're going to call him up He is the executive director of the 31:04.559 --> 31:09.880 potel area development corporation He is the vice chair of the chamber board of 31:09.880 --> 31:17.080 directors As importantly he has partnered with the skookal chamber foundation with his company Wiseowl 31:17.080 --> 31:22.399 Consulting And we're very proud that we've created the Ignite Skookul program 31:22.399 --> 31:27.919 The Farm Store being the adult recipient now underway in a student program 31:27.919 --> 31:33.200 creating entrepreneurial successes across the greater Skookul County region 31:33.200 --> 31:38.240 It's my pleasure to introduce Mr Savas Logathitis 31:38.240 --> 31:44.320 Thank you Thank you Bob As always you and your team do a tremendous job in 31:44.320 --> 31:50.960 setting these events up getting people to these events and it's so important for our community to bring visibility to 31:50.960 --> 31:57.720 small business especially businesses that have the impact like the farm store already has had 31:57.720 --> 32:02.799 Um not only is it having an impact downtown it's having an impact in you 32:02.799 --> 32:08.320 know my kitchen at home as well right So these ribe eyes where I'm cooking them 32:08.320 --> 32:15.200 in my cast iron pan and then I'm literally able to cut them with a butter knife are the best I've ever had So 32:15.200 --> 32:22.480 thank you for that The actual impact of the farm store goes far beyond just this building just this 32:22.480 --> 32:28.559 business As Bob touched on and I wanted to reiterate it because I think it's important 32:28.559 --> 32:33.760 It impacts 30 to 35 different additional farmers from Skookul County and the 32:33.760 --> 32:38.880 surrounding area That's 30 to 35 different small businesses different 32:38.880 --> 32:45.360 families their employees The impact goes far and wide and we appreciate that 32:45.360 --> 32:51.080 truly And that is really what's important about the Ignite School 32:51.080 --> 32:58.720 program It reaches the entire county It's not just Potzville It's not possible without partnership SECO is an 32:58.720 --> 33:06.000 amazing partner The Chamber Foundation has put their money where their mouth is to impact small business The legislators 33:06.000 --> 33:12.799 the city redevelopment authority What we're doing here is entrepreneurial economic development And 33:12.799 --> 33:19.679 we're doing it at a very high level right now If you were in attendance last night at the launch Psville event those 33:19.679 --> 33:25.440 are four more businesses that we think will be opening in Pottsville The impact over the last few years that this 33:25.440 --> 33:30.919 model's had has been significant and I couldn't be happier with the 33:30.919 --> 33:38.880 results Entrepreneurship entrepreneurship isn't easy Um you know and the results aren't the 33:38.880 --> 33:44.960 only successful part of opening a business You also gain a network You 33:44.960 --> 33:51.120 gain friendships throughout this process And you know I'm here to say lastly that 33:51.120 --> 33:56.880 I couldn't be more proud of my of my friends the mechs who you know we've 33:56.880 --> 34:03.679 gone through this process together and it's been amazing Um so on behalf of the Padco board of directors PZO Development 34:03.679 --> 34:12.440 Corporation we're so happy to have you in POTS So thank you Thank you Sus 34:14.720 --> 34:22.000 You know I mentioned a lot of people because we go through a list you're always going to miss some but one that's on the agenda today that we want to call 34:22.000 --> 34:27.118 up because they were a big supporter of our entrepreneurial endeavors uh big 34:27.119 --> 34:34.839 supporter of the chamber which we greatly appreciate It's my pleasure at this time to call up the CEO of Explore 34:34.839 --> 34:43.179 Skook Gina Gargano Gina [Applause] 34:46.560 --> 34:53.000 Hi everybody I am going to be very short and very sweet I'm just going to say 34:53.000 --> 35:01.599 that we are so happy to be able to support this project this business this 35:01.599 --> 35:09.520 whole thing uh agriculture is the number one industry and uh agurism is very very 35:09.520 --> 35:17.040 big and it's not just big in Pennsylvania although Pennsylvania is leading the charge It really really is 35:17.040 --> 35:24.400 And this is another thing that benefits the citizens of Skoal County 35:24.400 --> 35:29.720 brings the county together and also gives us an opportunity to showcase the 35:29.720 --> 35:34.960 agriculture of Skoo County in a town for the visitors that come to the town as 35:34.960 --> 35:41.280 well as the people And I just I could not be happier uh also with the emphasis 35:41.280 --> 35:48.079 on the entrepreneurship development piece of economic development because it's very 35:48.079 --> 35:54.000 it's very very important It's the meat and potatoes as we all know and I'm not going to lecture with statistics about 35:54.000 --> 35:59.119 small businesses and all that other stuff but we know that they're the heart of America We know that they are the 35:59.119 --> 36:06.079 heart of our region and I'm just so thrilled that our organization was able to support you and 36:06.079 --> 36:11.440 on behalf of our organization and our board of directors shout out president 36:11.440 --> 36:17.599 of our board of directors Troy Shockham's farmer oatmeal farm products 36:17.599 --> 36:22.720 inside the store here And I just want to say I'm I'm just very proud and very 36:22.720 --> 36:28.480 happy and very excited for you Very very excited Thanks everybody 36:28.480 --> 36:34.800 Thank you Gina Thank you Explorer Skook As we close today I want to make 36:34.800 --> 36:41.680 sure that I thank the Skook Chamber of Commerce board of directors uh our officers uh all the people that always 36:41.680 --> 36:48.000 come out to these ribbon cutings Thank you so very much I want to thank my staff I want to thank our executive vice 36:48.000 --> 36:54.000 president Samantha Shioinsky today on site uh Tony and Sierra two of our 36:54.000 --> 37:01.119 greatest new employees doing a great job for the chamber We've got great things ahead and uh a lot of it is because we 37:01.119 --> 37:06.320 keep bringing in great talent and uh we very much appreciate them being on our 37:06.320 --> 37:11.839 staff So as we close today today is a day of new beginnings A day when we not 37:11.839 --> 37:17.040 only celebrate the opening of the store but again recognize the great power of 37:17.040 --> 37:25.359 community and the hope that by supporting local businesses like the farm store we can build a stronger 37:25.359 --> 37:32.320 healthier future for all of us So let's gather today in that spirit Let's support our local farmers Let's 37:32.320 --> 37:37.599 celebrate the hard work of the team behind the farm store and continue to 37:37.599 --> 37:42.800 build a community that values entrepreneurship sustainability and the 37:42.800 --> 37:49.599 importance of healthy living Let's make sure we shout it from the mountaintops and have people come to this store and 37:49.599 --> 37:55.838 support the mechs as they are committed to support our