While attracting new businesses to the Lehigh Valley tends to get the bigger headlines, 70 percent of new jobs created in the region each year come organically from companies already located here.

That is why the accomplishments recognized by the Lehigh Valley Business (LVB) 2017 Business of the Year awards are so vital to continued success of the regional economy, said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).

“We’re fortunate that 30 percent come in new to the market, but the far majority of our new jobs are being created by all of you,” Cunningham said at the awards ceremony, which was held at DeSales University on Dec. 5. “Thank you LVB for hosting this event, and thank you to all the businesses here for what you do.”

More than 250 people attended the sixth annual Business of the Year awards ceremony, for which LVEDC was a major sponsor.

The winners included Barry Isett & Associates, Inc. (Business of the Year, 100+ employees), Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley (Business of the Year, 25-100 employees), PPL Corporation (Corporate Citizen of the Year), and John Weidenhammer of the Weidenhammer company (Executive of the Year).

“I’m truly humbled to receive this recognition when I think of the many other executives who could be standing before you tonight,” said Weidenhammer, whose firm will celebrate 40 years in business next year. He expressed hope that his legacy will be to turn over his firm to his worthy staff members.

“I hope one of them in the future can stand in front of you as executive of the year,” he said.

The ceremony also honored three new inductees into the Lehigh Valley Business Hall of Fame: C.F. Martin IV of C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.; Robert Oster of Concannon Miller & Co. (retired), and Craig E. Poole of DoubleTree by Hilton.

“This is certainly a great honor for me, and very humbling personally,” Oster said.

“I’m honored,” Martin said. “I’ll keep up the good work.”

See below for a full list of all of the nominees in each category:

Business of the Year (1-24 employees)

Bioscience, Inc
Cohen, Feeley, Altemose and Rambo
JoycePayne Partners
Klunk & Millan Advertising
Luxury Divas
Sagefrog Marketing Group
SWBR
The Anderson Group

Business of the Year (24-100 employees)

Beck Packaging Corp
Concannon Miller
DLP Realty
Embassy Bank For The Lehigh Valley
Jerdon Construction Services LLC
Levan Machine & Truck Equipment
Spark Orthodontics
Suburban Testing Labs

Business of the Year (101+ employees)

Barry Isett & Associates, Inc.
BerkOne, Inc. 
Fraser Advanced Information Systems
Gage Personnel
Nazareth Pallet Co. Inc
Traffic Planning and Design, Inc.

Corporate Citizen of the Year

Ideal Concepts, Inc. 
Liquid Interactive
PPL Corporation

Emerging Business of the Year

Azzur Labs
Fader Plugs, LLC
Good Life Advisors
Ryan Amato Painting
Strunk Media Group

Executive of the Year Award Winner

John Weidenhammer, Weidenhammer