The latest issue of the Lehigh Valley Commercial Real Estate Report highlights the newest additions to the marketplace, including the opening of a development that has been years in the making.

The cover article, “Food & Beverage Manufacturers Savor the Lehigh Valley,” explores how the Lehigh Valley has become a major center for the production of food and beverages, for people and pets. 

“If you’re in the Northeastern United States and swigging a Samuel Adams beer, munching on Stuffed Puffs, or pouring preservative-free Freshpet into your dog’s bowl, you and Rover are experiencing a taste of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC).

Producers include iconic brands such as Coca-Cola, Boston Beer, and Ocean Spray in the drink-making space. Just Born, Bimbo Bakeries, Bakerly/Norac Foods, and Stuffed Puffs churn out snacks, pastries, and breads, while Freshpet, Spot & Tango, and Nestle Purina fill the bowls of cats and dogs. Nearly half of all dog and cat food production jobs in Pennsylvania are in the Lehigh Valley.

An abundance of fresh water and natural resources, infrastructure to support manufacturing, and a key location amid interstate highways, ports, and airports make the Lehigh Valley an attractive location for those manufacturers.

Published each quarter by LVEDC, the Lehigh Valley Commercial Real Estate Report provides a detailed overview of industrial and office market activity, notable real estate transactions, and population and labor force trends. The newest edition covers data from the third quarter of 2023.

The digital version of the new issue can be downloaded here, and hard copies are available upon request.

Key additions to the commercial real estate landscape include:

• Six Fifteen Waterfront, a 109,620-square-foot office and retail building that is the first building completed at The Waterfront, what will be a $425 million complex of office, retail, and residential properties along the Lehigh River in Allentown.
• Carroll Engineering, a large consulting, engineering, planning, and surveying firm in the Philadelphia region, expanded into the Lehigh Valley with an office in Easton.
• Deibel Laboratories, an international firm that provides food safety testing and training for manufacturers, acquired a property for a new testing facility in Bethlehem Township.

You can read the Lehigh Valley Commercial Real Estate Report for the second quarter of 2023 here and for the first quarter of 2023 here.