Description

DATE: October 8, 2025

TIME: 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Bent Creek Country Club

COST: $45 Member

$60 Future Member

Excellence Exchange: The Future of Lancaster’s Workforce

Lancaster’s long-term competitiveness depends on the strength of its workforce - our ability to attract, retain, and grow the people who fuel our businesses. Join fellow executives to examine Lancaster’s workforce landscape and engage in a candid conversation on how we can collectively build a sustainable pipeline of talent to secure our region’s future.

PLUS: we’ll showcase and explore how Land in Lancaster is positioning our region as a destination of choice for talent and how your business can leverage it to strengthen recruitment, retention, and long-term growth.

Why attend?

• Understand the landscape of talent attraction: why it matters for your business and how Lancaster competes nationally.
• Explore Land in Lancaster as a shared language for telling our region’s story—and a tool to strengthen your recruitment and retention efforts.
• Connect with fellow executives to identify shared solutions to a shared challenge.
  
  

Meet the Speakers!

Christian Recknagel: Chief Culture Officer at TAIT Towers Manufacturing

Christian spent the first 20 years of his career as a consultant supporting leadership at all levels of organizations by driving high performance cultures through individual coaching and team dynamics. Since joining the TAIT team in July 2019 Christian has worked to build a culture of learning through championing leadership principles, guiding initiatives that drive high performance throughout the business, and embedding core purpose and beliefs throughout the organization. He is responsible for company culture, inclusion, and sustainability functions with the support of global and local leaders on each team. He lives in Lancaster, PA with his wife Danene and his daughter Lia and loves cycling in the rolling hills of southcentral PA.

Laurie Grove: Director of Career Services at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

For over 20 years, I have been leading the Career Services department at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. We help students figure out what they’re great at and connect them with high-paying, in-demand careers. At the same time, we work with employers to find team members who aren’t just skilled, but incredibly coachable and ready to grow. It’s all about building real relationships—between students, schools, and businesses—to make those win-win connections happen. Collaborating with faculty and employers, we prepare students for in-field work experiences and graduates for meaningful, full-time employment. 

Before joining the college, I worked for Marriott International for nearly 15 years, first as a Director of Sales for extended stay hotels, and then as a National Sales Training Consultant, traveling across the US to provide sales and presentation coaching to new sales managers. I hold a BS in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and I have certifications in MBTI and Communispond Facilitation Training. A connector, I am passionate about networking, mentoring, training, and volunteering with organizations and committees that support the development and diversity of students and professionals in the Central Pennsylvania region.

Heather Valudes, CCE: President & CEO of The Lancaster Chamber

Heather Valudes is President & CEO of the Lancaster Chamber, leading efforts to support 1,300+ business members and the broader Lancaster County community. Since joining the Chamber in 2011, she has advanced key legislative initiatives, represented business interests, and helped earn four-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Heather holds both a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from West Chester University, and in 2021 earned the Certified Chamber Executive designation. She has been recognized as a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Central Penn Business Journal and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

A lifelong Lancaster County resident, she lives in West Lampeter with her husband, Kevin, and their twin daughters, and serves on the board for CHI St. Joseph’s Health, Prima Theatre, and the Paradise Township Lions Club

What is the Excellence Exchange?

Excellence Exchange cultivates a space for you to hear innovative, noteworthy business practices and participate in small group discussions with other leaders in the community. You will gain insight into the successes and challenges facing organizations across a range of industries and discuss practical strategies for applying the lessons learned within your own workplace.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Gold:

Silver:

Bronze: