State College native looks to expand business in Centre County

Some kids pretend to be a teacher, their favorite athlete, maybe even a doctor.

Others are simply hard-wired to be what they are.

Chloe Alpert, an entrepreneur since she was 5, fits in nicely with the latter description. The first sign that Alpert would be an entrepreneur was about 20 years ago when she sold paw prints at Penn State games.

From small beginnings she became the state president of Pennsylvania TSA, representing 20,000 Pennsylvania technology students, in high school. She also founded Teaman and Co., an online colored gemstone jewelry business. She was also named to the Women 2.0 Founders to Watch list in 2015.

The 24-year old hopes to have a manufacturing facility in Centre County for her latest startup, Savonbox, which creates and sells about 300 luxury bath and spa products. The company’s business model is subscription-based.

The company was launched Dec. 1, and early results prompted Alpert to want to scale business in her hometown.

“Ideally, we find a warehouse in a situation where we could outfit the interior of it,” she said.

Alpert was specific, however, in how she wants the company to grow.

Based in San Francisco, Alpert said she has had conversations with Silicon Valley investors interested in the company. She won’t take an investment, however, if the people behind it aren’t aligned with her vision.

“Some entrepreneurs think in terms of ‘what is the minimum amount of effort I can give to get funding,’ and that’s not the best way to run a business,” Alpert said. “I’m not interested in just cash. I also want investors to understand the vision of the company and to be behind me in moving the company forward.”

She hopes her company will provide people, particularly women and veterans, about 10 to 20 job opportunities to start.

“Let’s bring manufacturing jobs back into the U.S. and create the infrastructure we need for these types of businesses,” she added. “... I think we are seeing those come back into our small towns, and we can be a part of that in Centre County.”

She wants to have another manufacturing facility on the West Coast.

Alpert is a self-described social entrepreneur, someone who innovates solutions for social problems through their business.

Beyond creating jobs, she solved her own problem, sensitive skin, through her products.

“The actual story goes way back to when I was 5,” she said. “I got soap making kits, and it was a coincidence my mom and I had sensitive skin. I’ve spent a lifetime developing these products.”

She also lamented $25 soaps found in stores that are no better than $1 Dove soap.

Alpert hopes to separate her company from the market with unique products that create an experience for consumers.

“Scent is one of the strongest ties to memory, and we’re tapping into this ability with carefully formulated fragrances to evoke memory and experience,” she said. “... Savonbox is raising the bar for luxury soap and injecting experience and meaning into every single one of our products.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "State College native looks to expand business in Centre County."