History of CPI
The Welch family, in response to successful business careers and a spirit of philanthropy, incorporated the Institute in 2003 for the purpose of furthering entrepreneurial education.
However, the heart of the Institute goes back more than 18 years to an effort by Todd Welch to provide hands-on, real-life business experience to youth at his old high school, Warren Hills Regional High School in Washington, NJ. Todd worked with teacher Ralph Fiore to co-found a school-based, student run business named Wings Inc. Wings has grown from an extracurricular club running a school radio station, to include several student-run businesses, including a radio station, a TV station, a school store, a school bistro and a community newsletter. More than 2,000 students have participated in the Wings, which is now a fully accredited course through the Department of Education, State of New Jersey.
The success of Wings; the entrepreneurial creativity of the Welch family; and the enthusiastic community spirit of Charter Partners LLC have motivated the institute members to aspire to the next level of commitment.
Known as Charter Partners Institute, the organization is positioned to reach out to the community with unique programming and facilitation aimed at incorporating 21st Century innovation skills into education within the Greater Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. We are excited and committed to the idea of enhancing the learning experiences of the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders in our community.
The spirit of collaborative innovation and cooperative entrepreneurship within the Institute has roots in Charter Partners LLC, the business started by Welch brothers Todd and Glen. The business has over 1oo member companies who are assisted to work together for everything from joint purchasing to strategic initiatives.
For more information about the Charter Partners LLC, please visit,