The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has announced a staff restructuring and new assignments in 2020 to enhance its effort to market the Lehigh Valley economy and to attract new employers and talent to the region.

Current marketing director Michael Keller has been named to the new position of Marketing Manager for Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, coordinating an alliance of regional organizations around the region-wide Made Possible in Lehigh Valley marketing initiative.

George Lewis (left) will be LVEDC Vice President of Marketing & Communications, while Michael Keller (right) will be the Marketing Manager for Made Possible in Lehigh Valley.

In addition, the position of Vice President of Development and Marketing held by Matthew Tuerk has been broken into two roles. Tuerk will be Vice President of Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion and focus specifically on business attraction, retention and expansion. George Lewis, LVEDC’s current director of research and analysis, will be Vice President of Marketing & Communications.

“We are fortunate to have a talented staff with a lot of experience in the Lehigh Valley,” said LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham. “As the competition for talent and attracting and retaining high quality employers increases, we need to make sure the Lehigh Valley is winning across the board. This gives our team a more specialized and focused approach to both critical areas.”

The new Made Possible position is part of a new alliance between LVEDC, Discover Lehigh Valley, and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Keller will be housed at LVEDC and work for the Alliance to execute and expand the regional marketing initiative, Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, launched last year. The campaign seeks to increase outside awareness of the positive attributes Lehigh Valley has to offer, develop a positive image of the region, and market it as an attractive place to live, visit and locate a business.

“Mike’s passion for the Made Possible brand has been one of the keys to its success in its inaugural year and he’ll do an excellent job continuing that momentum into the future,” said Discover Lehigh Valley President & CEO Alex Michaels. “Mike has a long history of excellent collaboration with Discover Lehigh Valley, and he’ll transition seamlessly into this new role.”

Chamber President & CEO Tony Iannelli added: “This new position is an excellent first step in this new alliance between our three organizations regarding the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley campaign. The combined strengths of our three organizations will allow us to truly let the rest of the world know the amazing things that are made possible here.”

Keller began with LVEDC in 2014, starting as Director of External Affairs before transitioning into Director of Marketing. Prior to his time with LVEDC, he held various positions with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, including Director of Media Communications and Technology, and Administrator of Government Affairs.

Lewis began at LVEDC in 2017 as Director of Research and Analysis. Before that, he had three decades of strategic planning and corporate communications experience at PPL Corp. and Talen Energy. He worked in the PPL communications department from 1987 to 2015, starting as a communication specialist and rose to the position of Director of Corporate Communications, until becoming the first Director of Corporate Communications at PPL spin-off Talen Energy, from which he retired in 2017.

Tuerk has been at LVEDC since 2013 serving in various capacities including research, administration, budget, information technology, marketing and development. Prior to LVEDC, Tuerk worked for the Allentown Economic Development Corp. for five years.

“I’m very excited to take on this new role and continue the important work LVEDC has been doing in marketing of the Lehigh Valley as an attractive destination for growing businesses and talented individuals,” Lewis said. “I’m looking forward to working with our talented team and expanding partnerships with groups like Discover Lehigh Valley and the Chamber to tell our region’s story.”