When the leaders of these three Berks-based companies say they feel like a million bucks, it’s not just a metaphor. Though offering very different products and services, East Penn Manufacturing Co., American Barber and Beauty Academy and Solve IT Solutions all have top-notch bottom lines.
Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
Solve IT Solutions
The thousands of satisfied clients assisted by Solve IT Solutions have a 900-year-old fictional movie character to thank.
“Do or do not, there is no try,” the legendary Jedi Master Yoda opines in the 1980 movie, The Empire Strikes Back.
It’s a favorite quote of Troy Kantner, the founder, president and CEO of Solve IT Solutions.
“Yoda's quote resonates with my approach to life and business,” the Muhlenberg High School and Albright College grad says. “It's about commitment, determination and the belief that we can achieve our goals through action and perseverance.”
In 2000, Kantner decided to do, harnessing his passion for technology and problemsolving to establish the Wyomissing company.
“I saw a need for tailored IT services that could adapt to the unique challenges businesses face, and I wanted to create a company that could deliver that,” he says.
"It's about commitment, determination and the belief that we can achieve our goals through action and perseverance.”
Technology may be prominent in the company’s name, but the business is more concerned with the other side of the keyboard.
As Solve IT states on its website: “We don’t serve technology; we serve the people who rely on it.”
“What sets us apart is our ability to truly listen to our clients and understand their needs,” Kantner says. “This enables us to deliver personalized services that are not just effective but also forward-thinking.”
Those offerings include managed services, data hosting, cyber security, network solutions and Microsoft 365 services.
Its workforce is 24 strong, a team that has grown significantly since its inception, especially over the past five years. That growth and an expansion in services caused Solve IT to move eight times in 12 years before finally landing at its current location on North Park Road.
“Running Solve IT today is vastly different from the early days,” Kanter says. “The scale, complexity and pace have increased, but so has our ability to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing IT landscape.”
That landscape has recently been rocked by an innovation with the potential to change nearly every aspect of our lives in ways society still grapples to comprehend: artificial intelligence.
Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
“AI is a game changer for the industry, offering unprecedented opportunities for efficiency and innovation,” he says. “For Solve IT, it means staying ahead of the curve, embracing new technologies and integrating them into our solutions to better serve our clients.”
Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
American Barber and Beauty Academy
George Ortiz was cut out to cut hair.
His hairstylist mother established a beauty salon in their house during his childhood, helping him develop an interest and a passion for barbering at a young age, which evolved into an interest in business and entrepreneurship.
"The success we've achieved is a testament to everyone's hard work and commitment to excellence.”
It was something he wanted to pass along.
“I achieved a great deal of success early on as a professional barber and realized that the principles and practices that led to my success could benefit others,” he says. “I wanted to share this recipe for success, which fundamentally revolves around being a true professional, something I felt was lacking in our industry and still stands as one of our core values.”
That led Ortiz to found American Barber and Beauty Academy in 2012. Originally just a barber program, the nationally accredited career college provides comprehensive education and hands-on experience to its students. The discounted services it offers to the community allow its students to practice their skills in a realworld setting.
“Many of our clients appreciate the mutual benefit of this arrangement, where they receive quality services at a great price while also supporting our students in their education,” says Ortiz, whose academy features a fourperson administrative team and 14-strong education team.
Its success allowed the academy to move to its current location along Lancaster Avenue, Reading, in 2020. Conceived by renowned salon designer Michele Pelafas, the 10,000-square-foot site is nearly five times the size of its original location. That allowed the academy to broaden its program offerings to include cosmetology, esthetics and nail technician training.
Its student capacity also greatly increased to 120 from 24. Ortiz says he keeps in touch with some of the more than 1,000 students who have graduated from the school's programs, especially the early-stage students he trained.
Though his institution’s first expansion was successful, Ortiz says there are no immediate plans to branch out further. He aims to continue growing from within by strengthening the academy’s client base and maintaining full classes.
“I aspire for our school to become a destination institution, attracting people from increasingly distant locations who are eager to be part of our exceptional programs,” he says. “It’s been a long and hard journey to get to where we are today. It's incredibly rewarding to see how far we've come, and I'm deeply grateful for the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our students and the support of the community. The success we've achieved is a testament to everyone's hard work and commitment to excellence.”
Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
East Penn Manufacturing Co.
East Penn Manufacturing’s beginnings couldn’t have been more humble. Following World War II, Air Force veteran DeLight Breidegam, Jr. and his father founded the company in a one-room creamery, rebuilding old batteries.
Quite a bit has changed in the ensuing eight decades. The Lyon Station-based company now tops the list of largest employers in Berks, employing more than 7,300 in the county and thousands elsewhere. Its nearly 500-acre main campus is the world’s largest single-site lead battery manufacturing facility. East Penn also has facilities in Iowa and Texas, a distribution network that includes 77 warehouses and 4 distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada and numerous subsidiary companies.
But it remains humble, never forgetting its roots despite sprouting across the globe.
“East Penn is deeply rooted in Berks County,” says Chairman Dan Breidegam. “My father and grandfather founded the company in the tiny town of Bowers in 1946 and would work day and night with the goal of producing 100 batteries a day. Today, we serve customers around the world with over 515 different types of batteries.”
The family-owned business remains a family affair. Dan Breidegam, DeLight Breidegam, Jr.’s son, joined East Penn in 1974, becoming chairman in 2015. Three of the founder’s grandchildren also have roles with the firm.
East Penn has sustained its success by focusing on sustainability. The company’s business decisions are driven by its mission to power a circular economy, a representative from East Penn says, something it spotlights with its Power2Recycle educational campaign.
Its business model allows the company to conserve natural resources and create value from waste. East Penn reuses most of the materials that result from producing new products, then closes the loop with a distribution system that recycles used batteries when it delivers new products. The company is also planning a decarbonization program.
A beloved local business leader, DeLight Breidegam, Jr. fostered a reputation of being a man of the people, frequently conversing with employees to get their feedback. Dan Breidegam has continued many of the traditions started by his father.
East Penn has been honored as one of the Best Places to Work in PA for many years since that list’s inception in 2000. Employee-focused events include dollar lunches, an annual picnic at Dorney Park and “Appreciation Week” in October.
"...At East Penn, we’re used to change, and we remain dedicated to growing and innovating through these challenges."
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The focus has paid off. There are more than 600 members in East Penn’s Century Club, which honors employees who have reached 100 years of combined service and age — for example, a 60-year-old employee who has worked for the company for 40 years.
Nearly 80 years on, East Penn shows no sign of slowing down. It’s primed to benefit from many advances, including the further electrification of vehicles and carbon reduction initiatives, which will require a significant storage assist from batteries.
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“There’s no question about it, we’re living in a world that is rapidly changing,” says CEO and President Chris Pruitt. “New and advancing technologies being introduced to the market today are demanding more energy than ever before, which can create some challenges. But at East Penn, we’re used to change, and we remain dedicated to growing and innovating through these challenges as we continue to provide energy storage solutions for the world’s expanding needs. However, we know that one thing simply cannot change, and that is our unique culture that empowers our employees so that together we can help make lives better, one battery at a time.”
