The Shippensburg Area Chamber of Commerce (SACC) hosted the second annual Leadership Conference in the Tuscarora Room at Shippensburg University on Feb. 11. Vince Papale, former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, spoke at the event.

According to Scott Brown, the president of SACC, he invited Papale to be the keynote speaker because he represented the qualities needed for leadership development. Brown said he hopes people will “take a little piece of leadership and bring it back to their personal lives and businesses.”

“I’ll take any opportunity I get to talk to kids at a college campus,” Papale said.

The purpose of the event, which had more than 200 attendees, including approximately 80 students, was to inspire members of the local community to be leaders in their businesses and encourage commercial development.

The $25 admission fee included a buffet dinner, a copy of the movie “Invincible” and a chance to meet Papale.

“Our mission is to help small businesses grow and prosper,” Michael Unruh, director of Small Business Development, said at the conference.

Robert Ziegenfuss, interim director of Grace. B. Luhrs Elementary School, said he and his wife, Lynn Ziegenfuss, attended the event to stay connected to the local community and see if they could learn something. Ziegenfuss recalled watching the Eagles play on Sunday afternoons when he was growing up and said it was nice to see a former player speak in person.

Papale gave an enthusiastic presentation about the qualities of being a leader, using anecdotal stories from his life to explain how leaders were crucial in achieving his own life’s goals.

Clips from the movie “Invincible,” which is about the journey Papale took to become an Eagle, were played to compliment his speech.

“He had a dream, and he made it a reality,” said Dominic Biacchi, a junior who went to the conference, adding that he was interested most in hearing Papale tell his story about going from a high school teacher and football coach, to a National Football League star.

Papale’s youth faced challenging elements that included coping with a mentally unstable mother and a father who was away at work, most of the time. Papale noted it was a school coach that encouraged him and got him through difficult times.

“Leaders give other people the opportunity to fulfill their potential,” he said. “To be a leader, you have to be invincible.”

According to Papale, it takes many qualities to be a good leader. A person needs to be able to visualize, make impacts, stay refreshed, know their fundamentals, take risks, have a good attitude, persevere, be resilient, take responsibility, set realistic goals and surround himself or herself with good people.

“You have to think, ‘What am I going to do, and how am I going to do it?’” Papale said. “You have the potential to be a leader, even if you are not one right now.”

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