Jane Long (center), chair of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, accepts the LVB award on behalf of LVEDC. (photo by Diane Richter Photography)

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) was named a 2019 Nonprofit Organization of the Year during an evening that recognized some of the most dynamic companies and business leaders in the region.

More than 300 people attended the Lehigh Valley Business (LVB) 2019 Business of the Year Awards ceremony, held Dec. 4 at DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township, which recognized regional businesses and executives in a number of categories.

“We are here tonight to celebrate great achievement; the achievement of doing something meaningful and full of purpose so the end result is one of economic growth,” said Cathy Hirko, LVB Associate Publisher and Editorial Director. “We’re in a room full of people who measure success not only through profit margins but through employee satisfaction and community service.”

LVEDC has been honored in the Nonprofit Organization of the Year (Small) category, which recognizes organizations with 1-74 employees.

LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham said the recognition is a reflection of the organization’s partnership with various regional partners and stakeholders, particularly with the recent launch of the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley campaign.

The winners of the 2019 Lehigh Valley Business of the Year awards. (photo by Diane Richter Photography)

“We are truly honored to receive this recognition from Lehigh Valley Business, which is a wonderful validation of the exciting new Made Possible initiative,” Cunningham said. “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. That means that we need to tell a story of place: of our people, our cities, our communities, and our quality of life. That’s what Made Possible in Lehigh Valley is all about.”

A full list of other honorees can be found here, which includes Business of the Year categories at micro, small, medium, and large levels, as well as Emerging Business of the Year, Executive of the Year, Woman-Owned Business of the Year, and Veteran-Owned Business of the Year.

This is the most recent of several recognitions LVEDC has received in recent months. Eariler this year, LVEDC was also named one of the Top 20 economic development corporations in the United States by Site Selection magazine.

The organization received two awards last month from the International Economic Development Council, the world’s largest and most prestigious organization serving economic developers. They included an award for LVEDC’s 2018 Annual Report, and a Silver Award for its Made Possible in Lehigh Valley video.

The LVB Business of the Year awards seek to recognize the Greater Lehigh Valley’s most dynamic businesses and business leaders who share a commitment to professional excellence, business growth, and the community, according to LVB Managing Editor Garry Lenton.

“These businesspeople create jobs, provide employees the means to support their families, carry the nonprofit community through charitable donations, and they even pay taxes,” Lenton said. “Rarely do the women and men behind this great game of business get the recognition they deserve; recognition for being the backbone of the community and this country.”

See below for a full list of the nominees and winners (in bold) in each category:

Business of the Year (micro)

AW Driving School & Test Center

BIOSCIENCE INC

Micro-Innovation, LLC

Pentemo Group Inc

The Gallagher Search Group Inc

VIP Vacations Inc

Business of the Year (small)

Altitude Marketing

Equinox Benefits Consulting

Forge3, Ltd.

Klunk & Millan Advertising

One Financial Services

TWG Security

Business of the Year (medium)

Good Life Companies

HMK Insurance

KDG

Levan Machine & Truck Equipment

Netizen Corporation

Vistacom, Inc.

Business of the Year (large)

Fraser Advanced Information Systems

Historic Hotel Bethlehem

Lehigh Valley International Airport

Nazareth Pallet Co. Inc

Trans-Bridge Lines Inc.

Emerging Business of the Year

Alloy5

ESQuisite Marketing

HomeSpot Media

Nonprofit Organization of the Year (small)

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation

Nonprofit Organization of the Year (large)

Person Directed Supports, Inc.

Executive of the Year

Andrew Stanten, Altitude Marketing

Veteran-Owned Business of the Year

Jerdon Construction Services LLC

Woman-Owned Business of the Year

MKSD architects, LLC