This article originally appeared in the May 19, 2022 issue of “LV Connections,” a quarterly newsletter LVEDC distributes to municipal officials in the Lehigh Valley.

The mission of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) is to develop regional economic strategies and to market the Lehigh Valley’s economic assets to support the targeted recruitment, growth, and retention of employers to create jobs for people of all skills and education levels.

As a part of this ongoing mission, LVEDC is committed to a sustained campaign of visitation, connection, and conversation with all 62 municipalities in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The LVEDC Board of Directors recently approved a new 3-year strategic economic development plan for LVEDC based on input from public and private sector leaders in the region, a national consultant’s study, and global economic transformations that have occurred since early 2020.

As part of this process, LVEDC will re-introduce the Priority Projects process to identify brownfield or difficult-to-develop urban properties that could benefit from public-sector support and coordinated efforts to make them economically feasible for redevelopment, primarily as sites for manufacturing or other Lehigh Valley target sectors including life sciences, food and beverage processing, and professional services.

“In the coming weeks, we will be reaching out to local leaders in the Lehigh Valley to discuss their economic development priorities and other initiatives that are crucial to their municipality,” said Andrew Kleiner, LVEDC Director of Regional Partnerships. “We are excited to continue learning more about what projects and initiatives municipalities are focused upon.”

We will also share more information about ongoing initiatives at LVEDC like the Made Possible Lehigh Valley marketing initiative, the LVEDC Education & Talent Supply Council, active research work, and how you can connect your municipality to those initiatives.

As we work to schedule calls across the region, please direct any questions to Andrew Kleiner at 610-266-7619 or akleiner@lehighvalley.org.