In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Meeting this month will feature an exhibition showcasing the products and ideas that have helped pave the way for Lehigh Valley’s economic renaissance.
The “Made in Lehigh Valley” exhibition will include product displays from iconic companies, such as Crayola and Olympus Corporation of the Americas, and innovative startups, such as Soltech Solutions. About 20 brands will be showcased.
“As part of LVEDC’s 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting, we’ll celebrate by featuring some of the companies and products like Crayola that are part of the region’s identity,” LVEDC President and CEO Don Cunningham said. “We’re proud of what is made in the Lehigh Valley and of all the companies that choose to call the region home for some or all of their operations.”
LVEDC’s Annual Meeting, March 18 at ArtsQuest at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, will explore where the Lehigh Valley was in 1995 when LVEDC was incorporated, how far it has come today, and how it is primed for more growth in the years ahead. Capital Blue Cross is Presenting Sponsor of the Annual Meeting. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register here.
Crayola, among the Lehigh Valley’s longest-tenured manufacturers, is the 30th Anniversary sponsor of the Annual Meeting. As part of the celebration, Crayola plans to provide special edition products branded with Lehigh Valley.
“Crayola was founded in the Lehigh Valley more than a century ago, and we have watched with pride as our home has flourished into one of America’s top economic markets,” said Stephen Hoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Crayola and Vice Chair of LVEDC’s Board of Directors. “LVEDC has played a leading role in developing strategies and building partnerships to position Lehigh Valley for its success.”
Crayola has been headquartered in Lehigh Valley since the early 1900s. The company began when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin's father's pigment business in 1885. Early products included red oxide pigment used as barn paint and carbon black used in car tires. After noticing a need for safe, high quality, affordable wax crayons, in 1903, Crayola produced the first box of eight crayons and sold them for 5 cents.
The company carried the name of its founders, Binney & Smith, until 2007 when it changed to Crayola to reflect its top brand. Crayola’s major manufacturing facilities are in Forks Township and Bethlehem. Crayola also produces Silly Putty, creates entertainment through Crayola Studios and Crayola Experience attractions, and supports fundraising for a variety of non-profit agencies through Crayola Flowers.
Crayola has been an LVEDC partner since LVEDC’s beginning.
LVEDC was founded with the support of business leaders and elected officials as the region was at a crossroads.
Like the rest of America, it was facing shifting economic times. The future required moving away from reliance on a few titans of industry, such as Bethlehem Steel, and attracting a diversity of employers of all sizes. The region also had to begin acting regionally, marketing itself as one community.
LVEDC was created to rebuild, revitalize, and reposition the Lehigh Valley to compete in the rapidly changing global economy and build opportunity for the people living here.
Thirty years later, Lehigh Valley is thriving with a balanced and diverse economy, driven by manufacturing. GDP has reached a record of $55.7 billion. Median household income has risen to $81,709 and grown by $17,000 over five years, outpacing inflation.
A driving force of that success has been the talented individuals who power the region's innovative companies, including those whose work will be on display in the "Made in Lehigh Valley" exhibition. At the Annual Meeting, a panel discussion will feature talented individuals who have moved to the Lehigh Valley and explore the exceptional quality of life that keeps them here.
Other scheduled speakers include Rick Siger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Jay Garner, an Atlanta-based site selection consultant who has done extensive work in the Lehigh Valley and who wrote the book, Economic Development is [Still] Not for Amateurs.
Registration begins at 2:30 p.m., the formal program at 3:30 p.m., and a networking reception begins at 5 p.m. The “Made in Lehigh Valley” exhibition will take place during the reception portion of the event.
Other sponsors in addition to Presenting Sponsor Capital Blue Cross and 30th Anniversary Sponsor Crayola are:
Cocktail Sponsors: Boyle Construction and Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba. Gold Sponsors: First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union; Freshpet; Fulton Bank; Lehigh University; Norris McLaughlin; WFMZ; and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley. Silver Sponsors: B. Braun; Klunk & Millan Advertising; Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health; MKSD architects; Olympus; Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development; Promus Financial; St. Luke's University Health Network. Community Sponsors: American Bank, Barry Isett & Associates; Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania; CLA; EARTHRES, a division of RESPEC; HNL Lab Medicine; J.G. Petrucci Co., Inc.; Lehigh Carbon Community College Center for Innovation and Learning; OraSure Technologies, Inc.; and Penn Community Bank.
Sponsorships remain available. Contact Annie Hollands Lanscek, LVEDC Marketing Administrator, at alanscek@lehighvalley.org for sponsorship information.
Last year’s Annual Meeting was attended by about 750 people. Watch last year’s Annual Meeting here.