Our Mission
Market the economic assets of the Lehigh Valley and to create partnerships to support the recruitment, growth and retention of employers and the creation of jobs for people of all skill and education levels.
Our 3-Year Strategic Plan
Lehigh Valley, Pa., is positioned well for continued growth in traditional and emerging sectors of the economy. Our strategic plan directs LVEDC's work in meeting regional needs, goals, and opportunities. We encourage you to read the plan.
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"LVEDC Board brings together a diverse combination of leadership from the private and public sectors. Their collective insights provide crucial, real-time intelligence used in developing strategies for the Lehigh Valley to compete against other markets and propel the Lehigh Valley forward in a rapidly changing environment."
- Stephen Hoff, LVEDC Board of Directors Chair
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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LVEDC is not a company, it's a coalition of private employers, municipal governments, educational institutions, and every entity that has a stake in the economic growth and prosperity of the Lehigh Valley. Our goal is to ensure that Lehigh Valley employers can prosper and that everyone who lives here can find good jobs that meet their skill and education level. That goal is difficult to meet. That's why it's necessary to keep working, planning, and preparing as a region to decide what we will become.
-- Don Cunningham, LVEDC President and Chief Executive Officer
Our Vision
A diverse Lehigh Valley economy that provides economic growth and opportunity for people of all skills and education levels and strengthens all our cities, boroughs, and townships.
LVEDC Initiatives
Telling Our Story
Tell the story of the Lehigh Valley's quality of place and assets to improve understanding of the region to support recruitment of talent, visitation, and new employers.
Targeted Recruitment
Market the high-quality assets of the Lehigh Valley to attract and retain employers in four high-value target sectors:
- Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals
- Professional and Creative Services
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Food and Beverage Products
Talent Strategies Development
Continue the partnership between the education, training, and workforce community with employers of all sectors and sizes to understand the region's skills gaps and workforce needs and to help match talent supply and demand.
Knowing Thyself and Seeing the Horizon
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.
Focusing on the Hard-to-Do
Advocate for the support more challenging economic development work in the areas of entrepreneurship and startups, urban asset growth and brownfield reuse, and planning and zoning tools to balance e-commerce and distribution with much-needed facilities for manufacturing or life sciences through zoning, tax abatements, or set-aside requirements.
Our Priorities
- Market the economic assets of the Lehigh Valley
- Recruit companies in targeted economic sectors
- Support the growth and retention of new and existing employers
- Promote and help to coordinate a skilled and prepared workforce
- Provide intelligence and data on the Lehigh Valley economy
- Expand public and private LVEDC investment and build partnerships for economic growth
Organizations applying for grants that require a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to be filed with their application may request a copy of Lehigh Valley's CEDS alternative document from LVEDC at lvedc@lehighvalley.org.