The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has received an award in recognition of its 2017 Annual Report from the world’s largest and most prestigious organization serving economic developers.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has bestowed an Excellence in Economic Development Silver Medal for Best Annual Report (Population Greater Than 500,000) upon LVEDC in recognition of the 32-page report the organization released earlier this year.

LVEDC competed in the largest population range for the award, and was selected ahead of much larger regions with far more resources available to them. Last year’s winners of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, respectively, were Kansas City, Tampa, and Calgary.

“With our annual report, we sought not just to show what our organization has done this past year, but to tell the broader economic success story of the Lehigh Valley itself,” said LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham. “We are truly honored to receive this recognition from IEDC, which is a wonderful validation of the effectiveness of our marketing efforts.”

“This year our judges reviewed some extraordinary projects that advanced both communities and businesses,” said Craig Richard, 2018 IEDC Board Chair and President and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.

“We congratulate all the award winners, and thank everyone who nominated their projects for sharing their success with fellow IEDC members,” Richard said. “What we learn from each other helps us to grow and advance as a profession.”

First released on March 14, a digital version of the 2017 Annual Report can be downloaded here and browsed above. Hard copies can also be made available upon request.

The report provides an overview of last year’s major economic accomplishments in the Lehigh Valley economy, including the region’s record-high GDP, its manufacturing sector growth, the expansion of many existing regional companies, LVEDC’s focus on international investment, the region leading the state in post-Recession job growth, and much more.

The report was designed by Michelle Chrin, who has designed the organization’s annual report for the last three years, as well as its Commercial Real Estate Reports, Investment Opportunities brochure, and other marketing materials.

The IEDC award was announced at the organization’s 2018 Annual Conference on Oct. 2 in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 1,500 people attended this year’s conference, the theme of which was “Inclusive Economic Development: Fulfilling Dreams.”

This is not the first time LVEDC has been honored by IEDC. In 2016, LVEDC won a Silver Award for Best Video/Multimedia Promotion, in recognition of a video it released about the Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing industry, part of a series of six videos highlighting target sectors of the regional economy.

Additionally, in 2013, LVEDC’s redevelopment program, the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative (LVLRI), received the IEDC’s Gold Award for a Multi-Year Economic Development Program in 2013.

Since 2010, LVEDC has been a recognized accredited economic development organization by the IEDC, and is one of only 58 economic development organizations in the world accredited by IEDC.