The last year has been a period of tremendous change in executive leadership at the Lehigh Valley’s leading companies and largest employers.

There are new names and faces in the C Suites from B Braun USA, to PPL Corp., and BB&T, to Crayola, and nearly a dozen more. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has launched a New Executive Series to introduce the Lehigh Valley to a new cadre of corporate leaders.

Don Cunningham

LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham will conduct 30-minute, one-on-one interviews with the new executives to learn who they are, their thoughts on leadership, the employers they lead and doing business in the Lehigh Valley. The interviews will air on LVEDC social media channels this summer and fall.

“There hasn’t been a time during the last 30 years when there has been this much change in a short period of time in the executive leadership of the Lehigh Valley,” Cunningham said. “A new generation of leaders is shaping the future of these companies, and by extension the broader Lehigh Valley economy.

“In these challenging times when we can’t regularly meet and mingle, this series will introduce the Lehigh Valley to these new leaders.”

Each recorded conversation will be played at a scheduled time on LVEDC’s Facebook page. Afterwards, the video file will be posted on LVEDC’s website, where the entire interview series will be archived and made available for later viewing.

Broadcast dates will be announced this summer. LVEDC will begin advance promotion through its website, weekly e-newsletter, and social media accounts. The series will be free of charge to view.

Sponsorships for the entire series are still available. Contact Stephanie Wean for more information at [email protected].

The first round of interviews will include:

• Arthur Dorn, Lehigh Valley Market President and Travis Rhodes, Regional President Delaware Valley/Lehigh Valley Region at BB&T, now Truist
• Jean-Claude Dubacher, CEO of B Braun Medical Inc.
• Korey Kohl, President of Follett LLC
• Kevin Orfan, President of Sharp Packaging U.S.
• Todd Shamash, President & CEO of Capital Blue Cross
• Vince Sorgi, President & CEO of PPL Corp.
• Michael Spigel, CEO of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network
• Pat Turner, President of FLSmidth
• Rich Wuerthele, CEO of Crayola

Leadership changes also have taken or are taking place at Victaulic, Wind Creek Hospitality, Mack Trucks, and Health Network Laboratories.

“In the aggregate, these employers have tens of thousands of employees in the Lehigh Valley and are responsible for a large part of the region’s economic activity in a variety of sectors,” Cunningham said. “The interviews provide a platform for these new executives to introduce themselves to other leaders and important stakeholders in the community, and to discuss their visions for their companies and the region.”

In addition to introducing these executives to regional audiences, they will provide brokers, developers, site selectors, and other out-of-market contacts an opportunity to hear about Lehigh Valley first-hand from leaders of our business community.

Interviews will be recorded in person by Countess Communications, a Lehigh Valley video and media firm, in either an outdoor location or an indoor space large enough for safe distancing. There will be no audience for the interviews, which will adhere to public health and social distancing standards.