Sylvia Wower is the VP of Consulting and Advanced Technology Research at DVIRC, where she manages the organization’s Business Growth Services and Advanced Technology Research Group as well as oversees the Lean/Continuous Improvement practice group. Sylvia also acts as DVIRC’s Government Initiatives liaison.
Considered an expert business strategist and leader in groundbreaking research to support the needs of the DoD, life science, and commercial small to midsized manufacturing sector, Sylvia and her Business Growth team have delivered 160,000 hours of successful project work across the MEP National Network and around the globe.
Having studied and worked in five countries around the world, Sylvia brings a global economic perspective to her market development and economic research work at DVIRC. She has more than 16 years of international experience in market development and business intelligence management. While working at DVIRC, Sylvia has successfully managed the execution of more than 500 market development consulting projects for a variety of sectors in the manufacturing industry.
In 2023, Sylvia Wower was named Innovator of the Year by the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence.
Prior to joining DVIRC, she worked at the Pennsylvania-based television shopping channel, QVC, where she helped grow a division of health and beauty lines from five hundred thousand dollars in sales to over $10 million. Sylvia was influential in building the programs that created a televised market for products by Jessica Simpson and celebrity hairstylist, Jonathan Antin. She was also responsible for the successful launch of the Ojon Hair Care and Mally Beauty Cosmetics lines on QVC. Sylvia’s international work experience includes business development roles in Poland, Germany, and most recently, the United Kingdom, where she managed the marketing efforts for a luxury furniture manufacturer that subsequently experienced year-over-year growth of more than 20 percent.
Sylvia holds an MBA in global business management from Thomas Jefferson University, an MBA in HR management from the University of Management and Banking, a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Management, and business degrees from Saïd Business School at Oxford University, CAE, and European Markets. She also graduated from DVIRC’s Management Development Certification program. Sylvia is a Board Member of the United Nations of Greater Philadelphia, Small Business Executive Board Member for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, an active member of Forte Foundation, Vice President of the Moorestown Neighbors Association, and Elected Republican Chair Woman for Moorestown District 14. She has published Genetic Algorithms in Molecular Design of Novel Fibers, NTC Project: C05-PH01, Philadelphia University, headed by Les Standera, as well as numerous industry analysis reports for DVIRC.