Friends in Business talk at Cropwell Meeting

On Sunday, May 1, Cropwell Meeting will offer a program, "Friends in Business," featuring Joseph M. Evans, Jr. Silent worship begins at 10 AM, followed by the talk at 10:45. A community potluck will follow. Cropwell Meeting is located at 810 South Cropwell Road, Marlton, with a second entrance on the Old Marlton Parkway West.
Evans is a retired investment advisor to endowments and foundations, and a private equity investor. He previously served as a director of the PQ Corporation (silicates and glass bead manufacturer), and the Femco Holding Company (machine shops and machinery service). He founded Awbury Partners, L.P. in 2005, a family investment partnership with some 53 current members.
He has served on a number of not-for profit boards including three Philadelphia area private schools, the Friends Council on Education and subsidiaries of the Temple Health Care System. He is a board member of the Library Company of Philadelphia, serves on its Finance and Investment Committee, and was also its Treasurer. He lives in center city Philadelphia with his wife, Carolyn and has three grown children. Evans was an early member of "Friends in Business," which holds networking meetings twice a year for Quakers who work in the for-profit sector.
Through the years, Friends have grounded their business models in values such as integrity, education and religious freedom; many Friends were known for their efforts to build trust with employees. Early Quakers introduced the idea of a fixed price, charging everyone the same fee rather than requiring customers to haggle over prices. These practices led to successful businesses in the chocolate, steel, and other industries in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, and remain relevant today.