The Oley Valley Business Association (OVBA) is a membership organization based in Oley, Pennsylvania, serving business owners throughout the Oley Valley and surrounding communities in Berks County. Founded in 1990, the association was created to promote local commerce and to give area business owners a regular forum for exchanging information on economic, civic, industrial, commercial and educational matters affecting the region.
The association operates as a connective body rather than a service provider in the conventional sense. Its work centers on three broad areas: helping members find and support one another, promoting member businesses to the wider community, and returning resources to the Oley Valley through sponsorships, donations and student scholarships. Current officers are Jim Loshnowsky, President; Alicia Johnson, Vice President; and Ed Peifer, Secretary/Treasurer.
Membership
Membership is open to anyone doing business in Oley and the surrounding townships, and the association has deliberately kept the barrier to entry low. The flat rate applies regardless of the size of the business, which means a sole proprietor working from home pays the same as an established firm with a storefront and staff.
The benefits attached to membership include:
- A listing in the OVBA directory, published both online and in print
- Access to monthly membership meetings and networking mixers
- Representation at the Oley Valley Community Fair in September and the Oley Fire Company Peach Festival in August
- Discounted or free advertising when advertising within an OVBA group ad
- The ability to share posts to the OVBA Facebook page, either about a member's own business or about local events
- Inclusion in spring and fall business promotions and the Oley Fair business promotion
Business Directory and Advertising
The OVBA directory functions as a practical reference for residents looking for local providers. Listings are organized by category, covering fields such as attorneys, banks, contractors, farms, insurance and real estate, among others. Because the directory appears in both digital and printed form, it reaches households that may not search online as well as those who do.
Cooperative advertising is one of the more tangible financial benefits the association offers. By purchasing space within a shared OVBA group advertisement, individual members gain exposure at a cost well below what they would pay independently. In addition, one member business is featured each month, rotating visibility across the membership over the course of the year. The association also produces a printed community map and services guide for the Oley Valley area, highlighting member businesses alongside local services, which is useful to newcomers and visitors as well as longtime residents.
Monthly Meetings and Networking
Members gather monthly, and the format varies. Some meetings are devoted to discussion of economic, civic, industrial, commercial and educational topics of shared concern. Others feature a guest speaker or put the focus on a Spotlighted Member, giving one business an extended opportunity to explain what it does and how it works.
Networking mixers supplement the regular meetings and are open to owners at every stage of operation, from people who have just registered a business name to operators with decades behind them. The association describes what it offers as a network of professional and emotional support, an acknowledgment that running a small business in a rural area can be isolating and that the value of the group is not limited to referrals and leads.
Scholarships
The awards are available to students planning to attend a four-year college or university as well as those enrolling in a two-year technical or trade school, a distinction that broadens eligibility beyond the traditional academic track. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic performance, financial need and community service. One of the three awards is the continual Lloyd and Phoebe Hopkins Scholarship, a named award carried forward year after year.
Community Sponsorship and Events
The association is a regular sponsor and supporter of events and institutions across the valley.
Beyond direct financial support, the OVBA maintains a presence at two of the area's largest annual gatherings: the Oley Fire Company's Peach Festival in August and the Oley Valley Community Fair in September. Member businesses receive representation at both, which gives even very small operations visibility at events that draw substantial regional crowds.
The association also participates in student career day events at local schools, sending member businesses to talk with students about the work they do and the paths available to them. For a rural district, this kind of direct contact between employers and students has practical value on both sides, introducing young people to careers they may not have considered and connecting area employers with the next generation of workers.
Location and Contact
The Oley Valley Business Association is based in Oley, Pennsylvania, in eastern Berks County, and serves the Oley Valley along with surrounding townships. Correspondence and membership applications may be sent to PO Box 25, Oley PA 19547.
For business owners in the area, the association represents a modest annual investment with a broad set of returns: directory placement, shared advertising, monthly contact with peers and a share in the visibility that comes from the group's presence at major community events. For residents, the OVBA directory and printed community guide serve as a straightforward way to identify local providers across a wide range of trades and professions.