BUCKS BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS ANEW

Hires First Executive Director and Adds New Board Members

Enters 25th year expanding its partnerships and focus countywide

Doylestown, PA (April 8, 2014) – While Bucks Beautiful (BB) programs have enjoyed 24 years of unbridled success coordinated in partnership with the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce and the Bucks Beautiful Board of Directors, in honor of its upcoming 25th year serving the community, the group has recommitted to broadening its horizons by operating independently via expanded partnerships, no longer in association with the CB Chamber of Commerce, and expanding its focus throughout Bucks County.

Bucks Beautiful President Peter Fernandez foresees a combination of annual programs and periodically changing events in Bucks Beautiful’s future.

“Events that are engaging, varying locations for the Springtime Fling, working with the nursery industry and school districts to create educational programs, developing healing gardens, and beautifying public roads are a few ideas our organization would like to continue and further explore,” he said.

To lead this endeavor, BB has announced it has brought to the fold its first Executive Director, Dawn Byers, and four new board members, Susan Sandor, Melissa Eiseman, Carter van Dyke, and Gregory Church. In addition, BB has relocated to an independent office located at 85 East State Street in Doylestown, adopting a stronger presence in the county seat as part of its goal to become more widely known and visible across the entire Bucks County landscape. As conceived over two decades ago, Bucks Beautiful programs are designed to augment the rich history of Bucks County through the creation of gardens in communities, towns, along roadsides, business premises and private homes, visually enhancing the county for the enjoyment of both residents and visitors.

The visual enhancement of Bucks County is only one aspect of the Bucks Beautiful enterprise, explains Byers, who has more than 20 years experience and a record of success working with community organizations throughout Central Bucks County in developing and executing public relations plans, fund-raising initiatives, outreach, and education programs that have positively impacted the community at large.

“We partner with local community members, youth and business owners to adorn community gateways with a bounty of blooming plants. The byproduct is an enriched quality of life that has attracted businesses and encouraged people to locate within Bucks County, while fostering economic development and tourism. Through these partnerships, Bucks County will be celebrated not only for history and the arts, but for its public gardens and beautiful community gateways for many years to come,” she remarked.

Byers’ ability to mobilize support networks within the public and private sectors is well-known in the Central Bucks community, resulting in popular programs including First Night Doylestown, Human Services Communications Coalition, Kids Castle – a large-scale community-built playground in Doylestown, Youth to Community Art Series (Y2C), Boomerang Youth Recognition Awards, Central Bucks Cares Katrina Relief and more. Most recently, she served on the Bucks County Children's Museum Advisory Board, volunteered for Goals Beyond the Net, a non-profit organization which helps children in Haiti, and spearheaded the Kids Castle restoration campaign. 

It is with this same energy Byers brings to all her work she approaches her new venture with Bucks Beautiful, something she believes has already developed into a positive synergy among BB board members. She is particularly excited to discuss the ideas of the newest team members, Sandor, Eiseman, van Dyke, and Church.

Susan Sandor, Creative Director & Founder of the marketing firm, Strenk Sandor Advertising in New Hope in 1983, is also the New Hope Historical Society Garden Tour Marketing & Event Director for the past decade, as well as a former board member and vice president. She provides pro bono marketing services for the Free Library of New Hope & Solebury’s fundraising events and volunteers for the Pamela Minford Charitable Foundation annual event to raise funds for The Cancer Institute of Doylestown Hospital.

Melissa Eiseman, a Bucks County resident for nearly 30 years, settling in New Hope, Lahaska, and currently Doylestown, lives with her husband Phil and a large, blended family of two children and five step-children. She has worked at Eiseman Construction since 2008. Previously, she was a Marriott International Executive for 16 years. She earned her B.A. in 1982 at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. Her hobbies include skiing, participating in triathlons, and being in the outdoors.

Carter van Dyke, (ASLA, AICP) founder of the landscape design firm Carter Van Dyke Associates, Inc., is a landscape architect and planner, bringing the fusion of ideas from the bold to the minute scale. As a planner, he is recognized as a pioneer and leader in performance based zoning, new urbanism, and for setting new standards and trends in transportation planning. As a landscape architect, he was initially trained to become an architect with a background in art history. His training allows an ambitiously broad design range based upon a contextual design philosophy that is shaped by the cultural and ecological determinants of the landscape. He continues to direct a wide range of new and exciting projects. A University of Pennsylvania graduate, with an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, he periodically lectures, writes, and serves as guest juror at various colleges and universities.

Gregory Church, established Church Capital Management as a registered investment advisor, saw the formation of Bainbridge Securities Inc., served as President of the trust company that acquired both Church Capital and Bainbridge, and established a mutual fund, Church Capital Value Trust. As a commentator for regional and national media, his views have been sought by Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes magazines, and Business Week. He serves on the Board of Directors of Hopewell Valley Community Bank and on the Board of Trustees of Rider University where he is a member of the Executive Committee.

Bucks Beautiful, a 501c3 non-profit community organization, celebrates 24 years of programs offered in conjunction with the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce – and looks forward to expanding the Byers’ vision across Bucks County by forming new partnerships and more expansive programs as it approaches its 25th year.

For more information about Bucks Beautiful programs or how to support the BB organization, visit www.bucksbeautiful.org, email: bucksbeautiful@yahoo.com, or call 215.340.3639.