Broadcom, a global technology leader that designs, develops, and supplies semiconductors and infrastructure software, is the latest company to join the “Made in Lehigh Valley” billboard campaign, which connects world-class products to the place where they are made. 
A project of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), the digital billboards are located on Interstate 78, just west of Route 412 exit, and Route 22, just west of Airport Road.
The campaign began in November with Crayola, which has been making its iconic crayons here since 1903, and has since featured Freshpet, Mack Trucks, Martin Guitar, and Just Born.
“The Made in Lehigh Valley campaign highlights the fabulous companies known across the globe that make their products right here,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC President & CEO. “We are grateful that they choose to make things in America and can do it successfully in Lehigh Valley.”
Broadcom, headquartered in Silicon Valley, operates a wafer fabrication facility in Upper Macungie Township where employees develop and manufacture indium phosphide semiconductor lasers and detectors for fiber-optic networks and data centers. Those technologies are key to recent developments in artificial intelligence.
“We are proud of our continuing, high tech manufacturing legacy here in the Lehigh Valley which dates back to legendary companies like AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent and LSI, said Doug Dopp, Director of Manufacturing in Broadcom’s Optical Systems Division. “We are expanding our operation here in Breinigsville to support broadband communications and AI with cutting-edge optical technology.”
The digital displays, provided by Adams Outdoor Advertising, are part of a larger effort to raise regional awareness of the Lehigh Valley and what it is today, a key component in LVEDC’s strategic plan. The plan calls for expanding adoption of the regional “Made in Lehigh Valley” branding and quality of place marketing.
LVEDC and Discover Lehigh Valley, which promotes regional visitation, adopted shared branding three years ago to market the region in a unified way.
The billboards complement LVEDC’s campaign that targets site selectors and executives in key industries through digital ads, trade magazines, and at East Coast airports during the peak business travel season. That campaign highlights the high points of the Lehigh Valley’s quality of place and the assets that support its vibrant economy: a labor force of 1.8 million within an hour’s drive, one-third of U.S. consumers within a day’s drive, and the rich educational system of 11 colleges and universities and three career and technical schools.
The Lehigh Valley is America’s No. 1 mid-size market for economic development and among the Northeast’s fastest growing regions. That’s noteworthy for a region with a population under one million people where manufacturing is the largest part of its economy and its authentic urban centers of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton are a growing destination for young professionals and retiring seniors. With manufacturing continuing to play an outsized role, the $56 billion economy is supporting growing career opportunities and is among the nation’s top mid-sized markets for economic development.
The Lehigh Valley is one of the Top 15% of manufacturing markets in the U.S. based on Gross Domestic Product. More than 700 manufacturers collectively produce an output of $9 billion, representing 16% of Lehigh Valley’s GDP. Nationally, manufacturing is 12% of GDP.