The links to the Local Intel tools as they appear on the main page of the LVEDC website.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has unveiled a new set of data visualization tools that will help the organization promote the economic, workforce, and quality-of-life advantages of the region.

The tools were provided by Local Intel, a firm that specializes in providing economic development organizations with interactive visualizations to promote their region’s economic strengths and location advantages in an engaging and visually-appealing way.

Data about Workforce Advantages, one of several sections in the Local Intel tools on the LVEDC website.

These tools, currently on display at the LVEDC website, include a community profile for the Lehigh Valley as well as advantages in such specific areas as target sectors, infrastructure & logistics, quality-of-life, talent pipeline, and workforce.

“LVEDC knows it must be innovative to stay ahead of the competition, and by embedding our webtools throughout their website, they are adopting the latest technology in Location Advantages Marketing,” said Dave Parsell, co-founder & CEO of Local Intel.

“This cutting-edge approach to marketing uses engaging, data-powered visualizations to promote the region’s strengths to businesses around the world more effectively,” Parsell said. “These are the same tools being used by leading economic development marketers across the U.S. and Canada.”

The use of these tools fall directly under the “Knowing Thyself and Seeing the Horizon” initiative of LVEDC’s newly-adopted 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, according to George Lewis, LVEDC Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Research.

That plan states that LVEDC will provide research and data to increase understanding of the Lehigh Valley economy and its competitive position while staying ahead of new developments and economic and social change driving economic opportunities and challenges.

“LVEDC is committed to being the leading source of economic data and market intelligence on the Lehigh Valley economy,” Lewis said. “Research and data tools like this are essential for understanding the regional economy and its competitive position while staying ahead of new developments and economic changes driving new opportunities and challenges.”

Clicking any of the tools on the LVEDC website will lead to a new page with interactive displays containing various economic data points displayed through a variety of charts, graphs, maps, and other visual presentations.

“These tools help users navigate through valuable business and investment information ranging from socio-economic data to market and industry-specific analysis, with additional focus on the regional workforce and quality of life advantages,” said Lee Anderson, Vice President of Customer Success at Local Intel. “Providing all of this in one central location allows users to quickly access the information they need to make better business decisions with the simple click of a button.”

For example, the Community Profile tool shows the Lehigh Valley’s gross domestic product, unemployment rate, median household income, total employment figures, and more.

The Target Sector Advantages tool highlights employment, wages, and other information in the Lehigh Valley’s key industries, which include advanced manufacturing, food & beverage processing, life science research & manufacturing, and professional & creative services.

These tools and others about the region’s workforce advantages and broadband infrastructure will benefit site selectors and corporate executives considering establishing a presence in the Lehigh Valley.

The goal of the tools is to get their attention, spark curiosity, and drive them to your website with marketing material that communicates the Lehigh Valley’s unique selling proposition and why the region is different from competing locations, Lewis said.

The Local Intel tools will also benefit people who already live in the Lehigh Valley or are considering moving here. For example, the Quality of Life Advantages tool includes information about the region’s schools, activities for families, health networks, and resources to help raise a family.

The quality of life tools are also available on the website for Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, a multi-organizational campaign that seeks to highlight the region’s diverse and unique assets that make it a desirable community to visit, work, learn, and live.

Local Intel has provided similar data visualization tools for economic development organizations across the nation, including those of Florida, Texas, Washington DC, and the cities of Cleveland, New Orleans, and Seattle.

The tools are also optimized for mobile devices and can be viewed on any smartphone or tablet device, as well as traditional Internet browsers.