A rendering of a billboard advertisement featuring one of the new ads from the “Made Possible in Lehigh Valley” marketing campaign.

Those of us who live and work in Lehigh Valley every day already know what a special place it is. Now, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) is making sure the rest of the world knows as well.

During its 2019 Annual Meeting on March 19, LVEDC publicly unveiled a new marketing campaign unlike anything the organization has ever done before, one that will tell the stories of Lehigh Valley companies and people alike, increase outside awareness of our region, and let everyone know the amazing things made possible here.

It’s all anchored by the phrase “Made Possible in Lehigh Valley,” and LVEDC has encouraged the stakeholders of Lehigh Valley’s economy – the region’s cities and municipalities, its employers and institutions, its organizations and residents – to adopt it and use it themselves, and to tell their own stories through this campaign.

“Today’s business leaders and decision-makers are telling us they will come to where the talent is, or where they can recruit in competition with other markets,” said LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham. “That means that we need to tell a story of place: of our people, our cities, our communities, and our quality of life. Our story.”

Made Possible in Lehigh Valley

LVEDC worked closely with its stakeholders and regional companies in crafting the “Made Possible in Lehigh Valley” campaign, holding focus groups and detailed conversations with expert consultants, HR professionals, government partners, employers, and local talent to express a common vision of Lehigh Valley and what makes it a special place.

“By sharing our stories, we will showcase a positive image of our region, attract people and employers, and let everyone know this is a community rich with opportunity and driven by hard work, resourcefulness, and reinvention,” said Matthew Tuerk, LVEDC Vice President of Economic Development and Marketing.

Visit lvmadepossible.com for more information about the campaign.

More than 700 people registered to attend the LVEDC 2019 Annual Meeting, a record number for the event, which was held this year at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

In addition to the marketing campaign, LVEDC highlighted multiple stories about the economic growth Lehigh Valley has experienced over the past year.

Economic Success Stories

Lehigh Valley was been named one of the top five fastest-growing regions with under a million people in the United States, and the fastest-growing region of its size in the Northeast U.S. for a third consecutive year.

That ranking come as part of Site Selection magazine’s annual Governor’s Cup Awards, which ranks states and metropolitan regions based solely on number of development projects, amount of economic investment, and job creation during the previous year.

“Most importantly, ours is not a story of one sector, one industry one city or one county. It’s a story of balance and diversity,” Cunningham said. “Jobs are being created in offices on manufacturing floors and industrial centers. The overall 5-year job growth rate is 5.4 percent.”

Cunningham also highlighted Lehigh Valley’s growing gross domestic product (GDP), which surpassed the $40 billion mark for the first time in regional history last year. That’s more economic output than the entire states of Vermont ($27.4 billion GDP) and Wyoming ($34 billion GDP), as well as 112 other countries in the world.

Much of that regional economic growth is driven by manufacturing, which at $7.4 billion in output is the second-largest sector of the Lehigh Valley economy. There are more than 680 manufacturing companies in the Lehigh Valley, employing nearly 34,000 workers and making us the 51st largest manufacturing center in the United States.

Major Projects and Expansions

Cunningham also highlighted success stories from the 33 major Lehigh Valley business attraction, expansion, and retention projects tracked by LVEDC in 2018, which resulted in the creation of 4,419 new jobs and the retention of 3,006 more.

Among those projects are ADP’s new office in downtown Allentown, the new global headquarters announced by Fortune 500 company Air Products, the long-awaited Lehigh Valley distribution hub by FedEx Ground, and major expansion projects by Air Liquide, B. Braun Medical, Evonik Corporation, and Freshpet, among others.

Details about all of these projects, as well as other economic stories in the Lehigh Valley from the past year, can be found in the LVEDC 2018 Annual Report, which was released for the first time during the Annual Meeting. Digital copies can be downloaded at here, and hard copies can be made available upon request.