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Entrepreneurs forming new advocacy group

A Pennsylvania nonprofit, nonpartisan, entrepreneur-driven advocacy group is expected to launch July 1 with the outgoing president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, Matthew J. Brouillette, at its helm.

A Pennsylvania nonprofit, nonpartisan, entrepreneur-driven advocacy group is expected to launch July 1 with the outgoing president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, Matthew J. Brouillette, at its helm.

Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs will consist of entrepreneurs and philanthropists "working in partnership to advance better public policies in Pennsylvania," according to an announcement issued Thursday.

Brouillette's term at the Commonwealth Foundation, a think tank in Harrisburg that advocates fiscally conservative and libertarian public policies, will end June 30.

The new agency he will lead, also to be based in Harrisburg, will work to advance public policies in Pennsylvania, educate the public regarding laws and policies, and advocate for legislation to improve economic and educational opportunities for every resident of the state, according to the statement.

Although it will be nonpartisan, Commonwealth Partners said it will "engage in the political process on behalf of candidates who share this commitment."

"Commonwealth Partners will put political punch behind good public policies for the people of Pennsylvania," said Brouillette, who will serve as the group's chairman and CEO.

The new group's members, he said, "are engaging in the political and policy process because they care about their employees, their communities, their neighbors, and the common good."

The two other founding trustees are David E. Barensfeld, president and CEO of Ellwood Group Inc., in Ellwood City, and Richard E. Harper, principal of the R.E. Harper Group of Companies in Mechanicsburg.

Brouillette has led the Commonwealth Foundation since 2002, growing it from a three-person agency with $350,000 in revenue to one with 18 employees and more than $4 million in revenue.

dmastrull@phillynews.com

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