The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce selected Nicholas DeBenedictis to receive the 2005 William Penn Award presented by Wachovia, the highest honor bestowed upon a businessperson in the Greater Philadelphia business community.
Recipients are chosen for their outstanding contributions toward the betterment of the region, their professional accomplishments and their commitment to charity and the community.
DeBenedictis is chairman and CEO of Aqua America Inc. Under his leadership, Aqua America has grown to provide water and wastewater services to approximately 2.5 million residents in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 11 other states. It expanded its national footprint with a company record of 30 acquisitions in 2005.
Hugh Long, state CEO for Wachovia Bank for Pennsylvania and Delaware says, “One of the things that has impressed me most since I arrived in Greater Philadelphia has been the driven leaders like Nick, who put tremendous time and effort in making this a better region. Nick DeBenedictis certainly is a prime example of everything a concerned businessman and a civic ambassador should be.”
DeBenedictis is also chairman of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s board of directors, and he chaired Mayor John Street’s 21st Century Review Forum Regional Cooperation Committee.
“It is a great honor to be selected as the recipient of the distinguished William Penn Award,” DeBenedictis says. “My life is devoted to my family, my community and my work, all in Greater Philadelphia, and I am inspired by this region. I am proud to be a part of Greater Philadelphia’s triumph as a growing, prosperous area.”
DeBenedictis will be honored at the William Penn Award Gala on April 21.
J&B SOFTWARE INC.
J&B Software Inc promoted Robert W. Bartlett to president and chief operating officer.
He has more than 30 years of experience in operations and financial management of companies ranging from Fortune 500 and global organizations to Internet start-ups. He previously worked as executive vice president and chief financial officer of J&B and was appointed COO of J&B’s subsidiary, Convergent Payment Processing Services Inc., in 2005.
COMCAST CABLE
Comcast Cable hired John D. Schanz as executive vice president, national engineering and technical operations.
Schanz has more than 20 years of experience. He most recently worked as executive vice president of network and data center operations for America Online. He previously held senior management, operations and engineering positions with leading technology and communications companies, including Sprint, GE Information Services and Transaction Network Services.
ENDO PHARMACEUTICALS HOLDINGS INC.
Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. appointed John J. Delucca to its board of directors. He will also be a member of Endo’s audit committee.
Delucca was executive vice president and chief financial officer of the REL Consultancy Group until his retirement in 2004. Prior to that, he worked as chief financial officer and executive vice president, finance and administration, of Coty Inc. from 1999 to 2002.
CHARMING SHOPPES INC.
Charming Shoppes Inc. promoted James G. Bloise to executive vice president.
He joined the company in 2002 as senior vice president. Prior to that, he had more than 20 years of experience in apparel manufacturing and held executive and management positions at Designer Holdings Ltd., The Leslie Fay Cos., Federated Department Stores/Allied Department Stores and Mast Industries.
GSI COMMERCE INC.
GSI Commerce Inc. named Michael R. Conn chief financial officer. He previously worked as the company’s senior vice president of corporate development. He has worked for the company since 1999 in various roles, including senior vice president of business development and senior vice president of strategic development.
Also at GSI, Jordan M. Copland was named executive vice president, strategic development. He had worked as the company’s CFO since 2000.
SYNOVA HEALTHCARE INC.
Synova Healthcare Inc. hired Ron Sprangler as chief scientific officer. He is responsible for orchestrating all product development at Synova, including the development of a noninvasive fetal monitor.
Previously, Spangler was managing director of investment banking at Keystone Equities Group. He has also worked for The Procter & Gamble Co. and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.
INVESTORFORCE INC.
InvestorForce Inc. named Patrick Farrell director of enterprise operations. Most recently, he was manager of core products implementation for Financial Models Co. Ltd.
Christopher Frank was named director of business applications. He most recently worked as operations leaders and senior SQL server Web/database architect for Wyeth.
Deborah Kovacs joins the company as vice president and senior product director. She was previously director of product development for i3Archive Inc.
And Patricia Turner was named manager of enterprise implementations. She most recently worked as a business analyst/project manager for national accounts with Unisource Worldwide Inc.
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