MIDDLETOWN — There’s more than a photo collage on Timothy DeHart’s desk to remind him of Peru.

DeHart, president and CEO of Franklin’s AAA Wastewater spent six years there — from 2003 to 2009. And his company operates under a Peruvian mind set.

“Peru is definitely a relationship-based society,” he said. “There is a tremendous movement of Corporate Social Responsibility — that’s really big in Peru and Europe.”

Corporate Social Responsibility — a business practice that promotes company-wide employee, community and environmental involvement — will be among the topics discussed during Middfest International’s Ambassador’s Lunch Sept. 30. Held at the Wingate by Wyndham on Tyler’s Place Boulevard in West Chester Twp., the lunch will feature Harold Forsyth, ambassador of Peru to the United States.

DeHart, 42, has worked to instill a sense of accountability he observed in Peruvian companies within his business. His employees undergo regular technical and financial training. He is working to become fully financially transparent and is in the process of developing a wellness program.

They are practices larger companies typically subscribe to, and even though AAA Wastewater only boasts a workforce of 13, DeHart said he sees the merit.

“I’m absolutely applying those principals,” DeHart said.

Peru — the country of interest at this year’s Middfest — saw its Gross Domestic Product expand by 8.8 percent in the first quarter this year, compared with the same period last year. In 2010, growth was 7.8 percent due to expanded exports, giving Peru a country comparison to the world in real growth rate of 13.

“I think it’s important for our business community to learn as much about the world as they can,” said Virginia Ritan, Middfest’s executive director. “Each country brings something of interest to our business community. Sometimes we get so focused on what’s in our community without knowing about the broader world ... that’s natural because people are very busy. But if you can get this snapshot in a compact way, it’s a good thing to take advantage of it.”

While working with Scotiabank, the third-largest bank in Peru, DeHart once saw the company launch a new banking service by sending a group of clowns into the bank. People laughed, he recalled, and the daily tension of work was broken.

“Not everything is about the bottom line,” he said. “People’s lives are at stake. As an American business(man), I think we need to pay attention to (working) with a purpose.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or andrew.sedlak@coxinc.com.