Longtime CAN DO partner, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, held its 22nd Annual Business and Community Award Ceremony at Top of the 80’s on Thursday, October 26th.

At the luncheon, CAN DO’s Director of Economic Development, Jocelyn Sterenchock, proudly presented the 2023 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Paul DeAngelo, Jr of Hazleton. This marks the 10th year that the organization’s entrepreneurial arm, the CAN BE Innovation Center, has sponsored the award.

“CAN BE is honored to present this award for the tenth year in a row and recognize the hardworking and innovative entrepreneurs that we have right here in Greater Hazleton. Paul's inspirational journey, fueled by dedication and resilience, embodies the essence of this award.” Sterenchock said.

Paul DeAngelo, Jr is the founder of Mission Autism Clinic, a company designed to provide quality Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy services to underserved markets in Pennsylvania. While DeAngelo always had an interest in entrepreneurship, it wasn’t until he met a company providing center-based autism services that he realized the need for this type of service in Pennsylvania. With family support and mentorship, DeAngelo launched his company two months before the COVID-19 pandemic, in January of 2020. Despite the unprecedented hardships of a global pandemic, Mission Autism Clinic persevered. To date, DeAngelo’s company has opened 14 facilities, grown to 380 employees, and earned $30 million in annual revenue. In addition, Mission Autism Clinic received a 2-year accreditation from the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence in 2022, which is the highest standard award in the industry, and was named in the Pennsylvania City and State Healthcare Power 100 list three years in a row.

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award promotes the development of future business owners and operators within the Greater Hazleton Area. Applicants were judged on staying power, growth strategy and accomplishments, as well as community contribution. Nominees for the Chamber’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award must be between the ages of 13 and 35; reside or attend school in the Greater Hazleton area; attend school, high school or college or have successfully completed high school or be a full-time graduate student; have a for-profit business currently operating within Greater Hazleton that has been in operation for at least three months; and have a client/customer base of three or more.

Paul DeAngelo, Jr joins previous award recipients such as Omar Alcantara, Owner of Tabla Supply, Carolina Polanco, Owner of Carola’s Bakery, Ryan Robinson, Managing Partner of IntelliGreen, Ashley Evert, Founder of Halogen Hair Company, Jeremy Thorne, Owner of ThorneCare Landscape Solutions, and Scott Gottstein, Chief Administrative Officer for The Gottstein Corporation.