Lehigh Valley, PA is a collection of 62 communities - some rural, some urban, some big, some small - spread across two counties. 
Locals know what the region collectively has to offer – historical and cultural attractions, great outdoors, world-class dining, funky downtowns, top colleges and universities, and the nation’s No. 1 ranked mid-sized market for economic development.
To introduce the rest of the world to the Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC) and Discover Lehigh Valley® worked together to develop a new regional branding.
A series of videos that underscore the importance of regional branding, and promotes the use of new logos, debuted during LVEDC’s 2024 Annual Meeting on March 19.
Kassie Hilgert, President and CEO of ArtsQuest, and Bree Nidds, Chief Operating Officer at Discover Lehigh Valley®, encouraged the record crowd of about 750 to use the logos on their products and in their marketing.
“A regional identity is part of the missions of LVEDC and Discover, and now we have to make it part of all of our collective missions,” Hilgert said.
For some outsiders, the Lehigh Valley is truly a blank slate, she said.
Lehigh Valley doesn’t have the name recognition to use a logo like the Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches, Nidds said.
“So, our logo is our name. It's easy to read. It's meaningful. The angled letters hint at the physical features of the Lehigh Valley and images of a downtown cityscape. When stacked, the letters fit together, symbolizing our unity,” she said.
The logos were designed by Alisa Lopano, Director of Creative Services at Discover Lehigh Valley®.
The presentation kicked off with the debut of a hype video to promote the use of the logo. Produced by Digital Feast Media, the video makes a strong case for the Lehigh Valley’s quality of life, introduces the logo, and urges the community to use the logo to promote the region.
Nidds and Hilgert also introduced four video testimonials about why regional branding matters for manufacturers and small businesses; for visitor attraction; for colleges and universities; and for talent attraction.
Ed Lozano, CEO at Weyerbacher Brewing Co./Savant Beverages
Kurt Landes, President and General Manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Kathy Harring, President at Muhlenberg College
Drew Lewis, Vice President of Diversity and Talent at ADP
Weyerbacher and County Seat Spirits of Allentown are among the first businesses to incorporate “Made in Lehigh Valley” logos on their products. They provided samples of their products at the Annual Meeting and all attendees received a T-shirt with the new “Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania” logo and cookies made by students at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.
In addition to promoting regional branding, LVEDC’s Annual Meeting featured a panel discussion, “The Next Chapter: Trends & Changes,” about the Lehigh Valley’s economic expansion and how to manage the growing pains that come with it; a “Talent for a 21st Century Economy” panel discussion about career paths for young people; presentations by Ben Kirshner, Pennsylvania’s first Chief Transformation Officer, and Nacho Abia, President of the Lehigh Valley Partnership and an executive at Olympus Corp.; and several other new videos.
The presenting sponsor for LVEDC’s Annual Meeting was Highmark Blue Shield.
Cocktail sponsors were Boyle Construction and Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba.
Gold sponsors were B. Braun Medical, Crayola, First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union, Fulton Bank, J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc., Norris McLaughlin P.A., Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, and WFMZ.
Silver sponsors were Klunk & Millan Advertising, Lehigh University, Lehigh Valley Health Network, MKSD architects, and St. Luke’s University Health Network.
Community sponsors were American Bank, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), EARTHRES, HNL Lab Medicine, OraSure Technologies, Inc., Penn Community Bank, Penn Strategies and Promus Financial.
(Photo by Marco Calderon Photography)