As the chamber program season winds down, the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce continues to attract attendance with engaging speakers like Sallie Weaver, former owner of Elite Sportswear, Ltd. and now President of It’s a Gift/the Woman’s Exchange, a nonprofit retail store in West Reading. Weaver has been announced as the keynote speaker for April 15.
Hosted by East Penn Manufacturing at its Lyons Conference Center, the Breakfast Sponsor is the Kutztown Folk Festival, and the Speaker is cosponsored by Interlace Communications, Shoemakersville, and SCORE, Reading and Schuylkill Chapters.
The Chamber’s second Student Recognition Program of the year will present five students – one each from Brandywine Heights, Fleetwood, Hamburg, Kutztown and Oley – with certificates and rewards underwritten by Kutztown University Foundation and Kutztown University. Led by Katherine Metrick, Kutztown Area School District Superintendent, the April Students Recognition Program will honor a sophomore from each district who has excelled in business courses at BCTC, business courses in the school district or leadership in FBLA.
Although not native to Berks, Sallie Weaver has been a resident for many years. Today, Weaver is the President of the Board of Directors of It’s a Gift/the Woman’s Exchange in West Reading. Yet, Weaver first made her mark in business at age 22 as a manager in a chain store that was a precursor to Walmart and Kmart models. In the 1970s, she helped to manage a chain of fitness centers and was one of the first franchises, most of which began as start-ups, while the others she rescued from distress situations and transformed into profitable businesses.
In 1981, Weaver purchased a small manufacturing plant from bankruptcy. Weaver renamed the company Elite Sportswear, Ltd. and grew from 35 employees to 300 over a period of 20 plus years. In fact, the company was recognized as the worldwide leader in gymnastics apparel, outfitting Olympians from around the globe.
After retiring in 2010, Weaver remained busy as a community volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital where she developed a visitor program for patients at what was then known as The Woman’s Exchange. She became President of It’s a Gift/the Woman’s Exchange in 2013, and the nonprofit merchant has seen double-digit increases in sales and profits under her leadership. Each year, It’s a Gift identifies a Berks County nonprofit as the beneficiary of its annual proceeds.
This fiscal year, Breast Cancer Support Services will be the recipient of the donation. This year also marks the 50th Anniversary of It’s a Gift/the Woman’s Exchange. For more information about the mission and unique product lines of It’s a Gift, visit www.itsagift.org.
Register securely online for all chamber programs at www.northeastberkschamber.com. Advance registration for members is discounted, and there is payment at the door for non-member guests as well.
The mission of the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce is to be a resource and a voice for its members (and those who are not yet members) in Northeast Berks County.
For more information about membership, marketing or speaking opportunities at the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce, contact Lori B. Donofrio-Galley, Executive Director, at 610-683-8860 or at ldg@northeastberkschamber.com.
