One of the best examples of a Chestertown economic development success story was not the creation of a big box store, nor a big corporation deciding to local a new widget factory here, but the simple experience of having Thad Bench move to Kent County. While hardly noticed when Thad, and his wife, Renee, moved to town in 2003 from the Philadelphia suburbs to start Benchworks out of the barn of their farm near Kennedyville, this small firm has now grown in size to 70 full time employees and over $50 million a year in revenue a year. That is what you call positive economic impact.
In his Spy interview, Benchworks CEO Thad Bench talks about the reasons he located his firm to Kent County, the fact that his company’s rural location is a competitive advantage, the company’s plans for growth, including the recent acquisition of Safe Chain Solutions in Cambridge, and his observations about Chestertown’s potential future. He also takes delight in the company’s approach to employee retention, and and its new, very nontraditional corporate headquarters at Lauretum, the historic property owned by his friend, James Anthony, a mile out of town.
This video is approximately six minutes in length
Marty Stetson says
Excellent interview, he and his company is just what Chestertown and Kent County needs. I will say the most gratifying part was when he said, ” as long as my name is on the company it will be headquartered here in Kent County”.