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Vance Kershner | PHOTO COURTESY OF DEL-MAR-VA COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA[/caption]
The
Del-Mar-Va Council, Boy Scouts of America is honoring
Vance Kershner, President & Chief Executive Officer of
Labware, Inc., as the recipient of the 2021 Citizen of the Year Award, the BSA’s highest community honor and flagship fundraising event on Delmarva. The event is chaired by Vaughn Hardin, Special Operations Director for LabWare. Kershner will be honored on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, in a celebration at Oberod Estate near Wilmington, DE. This will be the first ever Citizen of the Year event outdoors! The event will feature an evening of fine foods prepared by Chef Tom Hannum, live music, and all in a clear tent under the stars at beautiful Oberod. There will also be a live auction featuring a 6 night African safari for 8 in the 15,000 acre Madikwe game reserve, South Africa.
Kershner will be presented the Citizen of the Year Award in recognition of his extraordinary community leadership and service as an exemplary role model for our community’s youth. This awards ceremony, in its 17
th year, has honored many notable community leaders including Dr. Janice Nevin, Chip Rossi, Paul McConnell, Gary Stockbridge, Rob Buccini, Brian DiSabatino, Alan Levin, Fred Sears, Connie Bond Stuart, and many others.
Kershner was born in 1955 and grew up in Huntingdon Valley, a suburb of Philadelphia. He moved to Delaware to attend the University of Delaware, and graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering in 1978, as a member of Tau Beta Pi. DuPont recruited him directly from the university to work in their Engineering Department. Kershner worked for DuPont for thirteen years, and then left to form his own company, LabWare.
LabWare develops and implements LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Software) for automating laboratory operations to streamline workflow and automate and track laboratory processes. LabWare is a global company with over 500 employees, offices in 15 countries, employees in over 40 countries, and customers in about 130 countries. LabWare is privately held, with its’ Worldwide HQ in Wilmington Delaware. LabWare operates in a niche market with about 50 competitors and enjoys about a 20% market share. Health care represents the largest opportunity for growth and has been a focus for several years.
Kershner expresses his engineering and artistic sides via special construction projects. He lives in a 100-year-old home on Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, which has been painstakingly renovated. Kentmere is also the home of Kershner’s extensive art collection.
Some of Kershner’s other interesting projects include restoring the Oberod Estate; operating a 15,000-acre game farm in South Africa (complete with a botanical garden in the bush); and is a partner in Scrub Island – the largest resort project ever undertaken in the British Virgin Islands. Vance also owns
Buckley’s Tavern and Goober’s Diner. More information can be found at
www.dmvc.org/coy
Funds raised by this event support a variety of Scouting programs including workforce development, programs for low-income youth, STEM, and conservation programs, and much more. All funds raised by this event will help to further the mission of the Boy Scouts of America - to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. To reserve a spot to attend, learn about sponsorship opportunities, or purchase an advertisement in the program, please visit
www.dmvc.org/coy or contact Ray Teat, Director of Finance,
rteat@dmvc.org at 302-622-3300.
