The two-page article about the Lehigh Valley featured in Pennsylvania’s Work Smart, Live Happy magazine.

The Lehigh Valley was prominently featured in the latest issue of Pennsylvania’s Work Smart, Live Happy magazine.

This year’s edition of the annual publication includes a two-page feature story dedicated to the Lehigh Valley, as well as an advertisement highlighting the region through the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley marketing initiative.

“Fostering an environment that’s great for both companies and residents is a recipe for success — one the region has excelled at,” the article reads. “Whatever your dreams may be, they’re attainable in the Lehigh Valley.”

The 60-page magazine, released by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, seeks to market the state and its metropolitan areas, promote the state economy for businesses, and help attract and retain top talent in Pennsylvania.

The cover of Pennsylvania’s Work Smart, Live Happy magazine.

A digital version of the magazine can be viewed online, and the standalone Lehigh Valley story can be found here.

The story notes that while Lehigh Valley’s days as a steel hub are past, the region is gaining recognition as a diverse economy with companies across various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, manufacturing, and food and beverage.

“We’ve gone from being about steel for decades to a modern economy,” Don Cunningham, President & CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), said in the story. “We have diverse and multifaceted business services. If one sector is struggling, the others prop up the local economy. It’s a much healthier and diverse model, and one that shows GDP growth year after year.”

LVEDC assisted with the story, and also provided the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley advertisement, which features Janish Kothari, a cardiology fellow at St. Luke’s University Health Network as well as a fashion blogger and social media influencer known as “DoctaJayyy” on Instagram.

The story also prominently features Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, a campaign that highlights the region’s diverse and unique assets that make it a desirable community to visit, work, learn, and live.

The multi-organizational initiative is championed by LVEDC, Discover Lehigh Valley, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, and others.

The magazine story highlighted several recent business projects or expansions in the Lehigh Valley, including an $84 million expansion by Mack Trucks, and a new 200,000-square-foot distribution facility by Martin Guitar.

The story also features Crayola and its CEO Rich Wuerthele, who notes that the company employs about 1,300 people in the Lehigh Valley region.

“Our main manufacturing facility makes 13 million crayons a day — that’s 90 percent of the crayons that are used around the world annually,” Wuerthele said in the story. “So we’re really committed to the Lehigh Valley, and they’re committed to us.”

Published by Livability, the magazine highlights Pennsylvania’s top industries, entrepreneurial opportunities, educational institutions, outdoor attractions and quality-of-life offerings, and more.

“The area offers ample opportunities for remote and co-working office space, affordable real estate and is home to 15,000 businesses,” the magazine states about the Lehigh Valley, “With both small businesses and corporations, it’s the people who work there that build the local community.”