SLCCC Professional Development
Conference 2025
Ticket sales begin on Thurs, 8/14!
Wed, Oct 22nd | 8am-2pm | DoubleTree Resort Lancaster
Join us for a packed day of learning, networking, and professional growth
at our 2nd annual conference in Lancaster, PA!
Designed for small business owners and nonprofits, this event will offer a series of engaging workshops and end with a panel on AI! You’ll gain valuable insights on topics like budgeting, customer experience, sales, and more!
Attendees will choose 3 of 5 workshops to attend! Workshops will last 1 hour, with 15-minute breaks in between each session. A lunch buffet will be provided, which is included with your ticket price!
This event is open to SLCCC members AND community members!
Tickets are on sale from Thursday, 8/14 thru Friday, 10/3. Tickets include a light breakfast & buffet lunch. Buy your tickets here!
SLCCC Members- $50 early bird (ends Mon, 9/1) | $75 standard
Community Member*- $75 early bird (ends Mon, 9/1) | $100 standard
*SAVE UP TO $25 on annual membership if you join by 10/31/25. Join as a business for just $70/year (normally $95) or as a nonprofit for $45/year (normally $60).
8-8:45AM- Check In & Networking
8:45-9AM- Welcome
9-10AM- Session 1
10:15-11:15AM- Session 2
11:30AM-12:30PM- Session 3
12:30-1:15PM- Buffet Lunch
1:15-2PM- AI Panel & Wrap Up
We’re thrilled to have Joe on the Go Coffee Co provide a light breakfast! All attendees will be able to choose 1 craft coffee (or specialty drink) and a pastry of choice!
Lunch will be a buffet! Menu to follow!
This event will take place at DoubleTree Resort Lancaster! We’ll be in the Palm Court downstairs.
Address: 2400 Willow Street Pike
Lancaster, PA 17602
Parking is complimentary and can be found in the lots surrounding the DoubleTree. You may park in the front (near the road) or in the back (near the chapel)!
Entering building from front- walk through the main entrance and head down the spiral staircase to registration. To access the elevator, walk in, make a left, and go to the end of the hallway (past the restaurant.)
Entering building from back- walk through the Palm Court entrance facing the Chapel, and make your way down the hallway to registration
More details coming soon!
5 Workshops to Choose From- You Choose 3! We'll end the event with a panel on AI!
Meet our Speakers
Leslie Wireback, Wireback Works
Avoiding HR Nightmares- Policies Every Business Should Have
Hiring your first employee or scaling a growing team brings excitement—but also risk. Too many small business owners and organization leaders learn the hard way that “not knowing” doesn’t protect them from costly HR missteps. This session unpacks the most common HR mistakes that derail businesses, from employee classification errors to missing policies and documentation gaps. You’ll walk away with a checklist of essential policies and practices every business needs—whether you have one employee or fifty—to protect your people and your bottom line.
Through real-world examples and practical guidance, this session equips you with the foundational HR knowledge to stay compliant, avoid penalties, and lead with clarity and confidence.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the most common HR compliance pitfalls and their business consequences.
2. Understand the legal and financial implications of misclassifying employees vs. independent contractors.
3. Create or update a core set of policies every business should have (including employee handbook essentials).
4. Implement simple HR practices that protect your business and support a positive workplace culture.
Leslie Wireback is on a mission to help people love where they work—and how they work together. Whether she’s on stage, in a boardroom, or coaching one-on-one, Leslie brings energy, insight, and just the right amount of real talk to spark change that sticks.
Kyle Beltle, Proactive CPA
Budgeting for Small Business Owners: Planning for fluctuating income, building budgets, and setting aside funds for taxes, emergencies, and growth
This will be an interactive, hands-on session designed to help business owners and CFOs gain greater peace of mind and financial clarity around fluctuating income and planning for the future.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop or tablet to participate fully. During the first two-thirds of the session, we’ll work through the first four learning objectives with an open, discussion-based format—questions and contributions are welcome throughout to ensure the session feels more like a conversation than a lecture.
In the final third, I’ll provide attendees with a Google Sheets cash flow planning template. I’ll demonstrate how to use it step by step, answer questions, and then give attendees time to begin customizing it for their own businesses with real-time support.
In this session, attendees will learn:
1. Why planning for income (i.e. revenue) and cash-flow is important
2. The 5 most common reasons are for fluctuating revenue & cash-flow
3 The most effective solution for each reason
4. How much they should set aside for themselves, taxes, building their business, and emergencies
5. How to build a simple cash-flow forecast in Google Sheets to help them plan
Kyle Beltle, CPA is the founder of Proactive CPA, based in Lancaster and proudly serving clients across the U.S. He has been in the accounting industry for nearly two decades, both in public accounting & private industry, and has experience serving a broad range of clients & industries from creative agencies to professional coaches to construction companies. He blends deep tax & accounting technical expertise with a client-first approach that strives to provides an exceptional client experience.
Cody Helm, Helm Construction Company
Customer Experience: Deliver 5-Star Service That Keeps People Talking & Sending You Referrals!
In today’s competitive landscape, customer service is no longer just a necessity, it’s a strategic advantage. This session will show you how to move from simply providing good service to crafting a truly exceptional customer experience that makes your customers your biggest advocates.
Objectives:
1. Laying the Foundation for a 5-Star Experience
2. Following through on your promise-even when a mistake was made.
3. Utilizing technology to make your business into a referral machine.
Cody Helm is the Owner of Helm Construction Company and Co-Owner of 24/7 Fire Apparatus Repair, where he has built a reputation for delivering high-quality service through well-designed, customer-focused systems. Launching his first business shortly after graduating high school, Cody quickly learned that long-term success isn’t just about the work—it’s about how you treat people.
With a hands-on leadership style, Cody has developed scalable processes that ensure clear communication, consistent follow-through, and lasting client relationships. Whether serving homeowners, contractors, or emergency service providers, his approach prioritizes reliability, responsiveness, and respect.
When he’s not leading his teams, Cody enjoys time with his wife and two daughters, who inspire his commitment to building businesses that serve with purpose.
Sheila Jones, Whicked Results
Decode & Deliver: Selling to Every Personality Style With Confidence
There are four major personality styles. Being able to assess a personality style and “SPEAK TO It, SELL TO IT, and DECODE” the personality style quickly is the key to sales success.
D is for Dominant
I is for Influencing
S is for Steady
C is for Compliant
Learn key behaviors, word choice, and preferences so you can craft your message with precision for selling.
Let’s be honest, there are millions of words in the dictionary, pick the ones that resonate with your audience.
Sheila has 30+ years in business. Her expertise spans small, medium, and large businesses. She has worked in executive positions with Nestle, Campbell Soup, Walmart, and Savencia Fromage and Dairy. She has built, renovated, and rescued businesses. She is CEO of Whicked Results and is a John Maxwell Coach, Speaker, and Trainer.
Matt Musser, Rooted Growth Strategies
Step Back to Move Forward: Planning with Clarity & Intent
Many small business and nonprofit leaders pour their time and energy into daily operations and problem solving, leaving little time to strategically shape their future. This reactive posture leads to scattered decisions, missed opportunities, and team misalignment.
In this session, you will engage in a hands-on exercise from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great. Known as the Hedgehog Concept, this clarity exercise will help you step away from working IN your business and instead work ON your business. It will bring your most impactful opportunities into focus by identifying your organization’s core passion, greatest strengths, and the drivers of your economic engine. You’ll leave with a practical one-page guide assisting you to plan your organization’s future with greater clarity and purpose. This tool will empower you to make proactive decisions about where to invest your limited resources for maximum impact.
Matt Musser is a business coach and the founder of Rooted Growth Strategies, a local practice that partners with small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Using the System & Soul business operating framework, Matt helps organizations move from chaos to clarity—aligning their leadership, strengthening their culture, and focusing their efforts for greater impact. With over 25 years of leadership experience across technology, operations, and sales, he brings practical wisdom and a grounded perspective to every coaching engagement.
Meet our AI Panelists
Jonathan Bentz, Direct Online Marketing
I’ve been doing SEO and content marketing work since 2004. That experience has now transitioned into me also doing optimization work for companies that want their content to be discovered and displayed as answers to prompts for AI. I’ll share a few tips on how to put this experience to work for businesses who want to be found when their target customers are using AI tools to find products and services.
Jonathan Bentz is a Growth Strategist at Direct Online Marketing, a top rated digital marketing agency in Pittsburgh. He has over 20-years of SEO experience and helps companies in manufacturing, mental health, and B2B SaaS grow confidently online. He grew up in Millersville, serves as an advisor to Inc. 5000 companies, and volunteers as a tech and media ministry leader for his church.
Mike Lewis, The Factory Ministries
In this panel, I’ll explore how AI—especially tools like ChatGPT—can be used to create custom, shareable “experts” that support both personal and professional life. Whether it’s organizing data, improving communication, brainstorming ideas, or building task-specific tools, AI has the power to minimize weaknesses and boost productivity. I’ll also discuss how creating your own GPTs allows you to develop tools that are tailored to your unique needs and workflows. My hope is that participants walk away with a realistic and inspiring understanding of how AI can reduce stress, bring clarity, increase productivity, and streamline work.
Mike Lewis is the Director of Workforce Advocacy at The Factory Ministries, where he leads an innovative program that places advocates directly into local businesses. Through a relational approach, advocates walk alongside employees to connect them to resources, support goal setting, and encourage future planning. Mike brings nine years of experience in public education, where he taught kindergarten, fifth, and sixth grade and led professional development in educational technology. He earned his Master of Divinity in 2021, joined The Factory Ministries the same year, stepped into the director role in 2022, and launched a personal development coaching business in 2023.
Wil Mangual, Taktical Tek
Coming from a cybersecurity perspective, I look forward to sharing insight on security concerns with AI. I’ll also cover AI best practices and free AI tools for businesses and nonprofits!
As the Virtual Chief Security Officer at Taktical Tek, Wil has distinguished himsel as a knowledgeable figure in IT and cybersecurity. With over two decades of experience under his belt, his experience provides important insights for professionals and businesses navigating the tech landscape.
Ticket Pricing
SLCCC Member
*EARLY BIRD*EARLY BIRD PRICE ENDS MON, 9/1
(Standard Price is $75)
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Includes craft coffee/drink & pastry
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Includes buffet lunch
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Choose 3 sessions to attend
Community
Member
*EARLY BIRD*
EARLY BIRD PRICE ENDS MON, 9/1
(Standard Price is $100)
-
Includes craft coffee/drink & pastry
-
Includes buffet lunch
-
Choose 3 sessions to attend
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SAVE $25 on annual membership if you join by 10/31/25
Special Guest: Joe on the Go Coffee Co!
We’re thrilled to have Joe on the Go Coffee Co provide a light breakfast!
All attendees will be able to choose 1 craft coffee (or specialty drink) and a pastry of choice! Pastry options include scones, muffins, and gluten-free/dairy-free coffee cake!
View a preview of the drink options to the left!