From the Lehigh Valley’s notable population growth to a planned semiconductor expansion, news of Lehigh Valley’s growing economy in 2024 was chronicled in approximately 200 original stories published in the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s weekly e-newsletter, the Lehigh Valley Insider.
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The following are a dozen of the most read LVEDC stories of 2024.
No.1: Infinera Plans New Lehigh Valley Semiconductor Facility with $93M in CHIPS Funding
Semiconductor developer and manufacturer Infinera is in line to receive $93 million in federal funding to expand operations, including a new facility in Lehigh Valley that could create hundreds of new jobs.
The project would grow the Lehigh Valley’s legacy of global leadership in technological innovation. The first mass production of transistors, the forerunner to semiconductors, occurred in Allentown in 1951.
“Infinera has been a significant part of the extensive semiconductor sector in the Lehigh Valley that goes back to the development of the transistor by Bell Labs and Western Electric,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC). “Lehigh Valley was the original Silicon Valley, and many of the talented engineers and developers remain here.”
Infinera’s current advanced testing and packaging facility in Upper Macungie Township employs about 300 people. The proposed $93 million in funding, from the CHIPS and Science Act, would support construction of a new advanced testing and packaging facility in Bethlehem and a new fab in California.
No. 2: Lehigh Valley Among Fastest-Growing Markets in Northeast, New Census Data Shows
The Lehigh Valley is among the fastest-growing regions of the Northeast, attracting a net of 11,000 newcomers to the eastern Pennsylvania region since 2020 in a time when the populations of nearby cities are in decline, new Census data shows.
The population of the Lehigh Valley, defined as Lehigh and Northampton counties, climbed to 696,845 in 2023. Bethlehem, Easton, and Upper Macungie Township ranked among the fastest-growing municipalities in Pennsylvania over that time.
Don Cunningham, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC), said population growth is key to the Lehigh Valley ranking as the No. 1 mid-sized market in the country in 2023 for the number of economic development projects. Companies need a talented workforce to grow and thrive, he said.
The population expansion stands out among the entire Northeast region. Of the 218 counties from Pennsylvania to Maine, Northampton County ranks 12th in population growth since 2020, putting it in the top 5.5%. Lehigh County ranks 26th, putting it in the top 12%.
The two counties are among the 10-fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania since 2020. Over that time, 23 of the state’s 67 counties have gained population.
No. 3: Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program Expanding with New Certifications, Employers
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A year after being launched, the Lehigh Valley’s unique, collaborative apprenticeship program that supports manufacturing is growing.
The Industrial Training and Education Consortium of the Lehigh Valley (iTEC) is a partnership of industry, education, government, and community organizations that promotes careers in advanced manufacturing and prepares people for those skilled jobs. Manufacturing is a key driver of the Lehigh Valley’s $55.7 billion economy.
Since launching in Fall 2023, iTEC has added additional apprenticeship programs and several new manufacturers.
State-registered apprenticeship programs are offered in mechatronics technician, industrial manufacturing technician, numerical control machinist, and laboratory tester career paths. New programs continue to be developed based on the needs of member companies.
No. 4: New Lehigh Valley Industrial Park Opens First Building, With More on the Way
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The revitalization of a key property in the Lehigh Valley reached a major milestone with the opening of the first building in the Green Knight Industrial Park.
The site along Route 33 in Northampton County, which encompasses parts of Wind Gap Borough, Plainfield Township, and Bushkill Township, has been reclaimed by the Green Knight Economic Development Corp. after previously being one of the largest tire dumps in Pennsylvania.
“Green Knight recognized that we might be in a unique position to turn this site around and bring new business, create jobs, and boost local tax revenues in the community,” Chairman Robert Cornman said at the July 11 ribbon cutting.
No. 5: Lehigh Valley Locations Ranked High for Livability, Nightlife
The Lehigh Valley’s prime quality of life was highlighted recently when two locations were named among the nation’s best.
Bethlehem was named one of America’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live,” and the West End Theatre District in Allentown was named one of the top underrated locations for nightlife.
The Best Places to Live ranking came from Livability.com, a website that ranks America’s most livable mid-sized cities. Its analysis considers factors such as the economy, housing, cost of living, cultural and leisure amenities, transportation, environment, safety, education, and health. Bethlehem scored 740 of a possible 1,000 points.
Allentown’s West End Theatre District ranked 16th of “America's Most Underrated Nightlife Neighborhoods” by Wealth of Geeks, a website “dedicated to anything we can geek out about.”
No. 6: Looking to Expand, Plastics Company Sticks with Allentown: 'I Love the Lehigh Valley'
Polymer Contours, Inc. of Allentown is a textbook example of how an entrepreneur can grow a business through ingenuity and perseverance.
The custom plastic injection molding company outgrew its space at one of the Lehigh Valley’s business incubators and purchased a facility across town that is 10 times as large and offers plenty of room for continued growth.
“It’s been a pretty cool journey,” President and CEO Tyson Daniels said.
As a full-service injection molding company, Polymer Contours specializes in production focused on custom plastic part design/engineering and full mold design/build capability. The company offers several value-add services such as insert molding, heat staking, pad printing, prototyping, custom packaging, and assembly.
Polymer Contours manufactures components that are used in medical devices, electronics, boats, consumer goods, and adhesives, among others. It services a diverse range of markets including medical, consumer enclosures, construction, industrial, and marine.
The company is part of the Lehigh Valley’s thriving advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Manufacturing makes up 16% of the region’s record $55.7 billion Gross Domestic Product. More than 700 companies produced a collective output of $9 billion in 2023, the most-recent data available.
No. 7: Gov. Shapiro Chooses Lehigh Valley to Tout Pennsylvania’s New Investments in Economic Development
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who frequently heralds the Lehigh Valley as a model for economic development, selected Bethlehem as the location to explain how the new state budget will make Pennsylvania more attractive for business and spur job creation.
The $47.6 billion budget signed on July 11 increases spending on economic development by more than $500 million, while also lowering corporate taxes, reforming the tax code, and expediting permitting.
During a ceremonial signing of a bill on July 16 to create the PA SITES program that will invest in making sites shovel ready for development, held in front of a former Bethlehem Steel office building, Shapiro said the bipartisan effort will get sites primed for investment and position Pennsylvania to be more competitive when it comes to economic development.
“Everybody understands the important role that economic development plays in creating a safer, healthier environment where more people can put food on the table and provide for their families.” Shapiro said. “That's what real freedom looks like, and that's what real opportunity is all about. You're doing it here in the Lehigh Valley.”
After signing the bill, Shapiro presented it to Don Cunningham, President and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).
No. 8: Recharging the ‘Original Silicon Valley’
In anticipation of receiving a $93 million federal grant to expand operations, global semiconductor developer Infinera has plenty of options for where to build. It selected Lehigh Valley, PA, for one of two new facilities.
Why? Infinera already has a track record of success in Lehigh Valley. It has confidence in the skilled workforce. It values the location, within a day’s drive of one-third of U.S. consumers, in the heart of the Northeast tech corridor running from Philadelphia to Boston.
Building on that success, Infinera announced in early October plans for a new advanced testing and packaging facility in the Lehigh Valley that could employ hundreds.
Infinera, which is being acquired by Nokia, has operated in the Lehigh Valley since 2002. It has grown operations incrementally and now employs about 300 scientists, engineers, and technicians in Upper Macungie Township, near Allentown.
The company’s expansion would grow the Lehigh Valley’s legacy of global leadership in technological innovation. The first mass production of transistors, the forerunner to semiconductors, occurred at Western Electric in Allentown in 1951.
“Lehigh Valley was the original Silicon Valley, and many of the talented engineers and developers remain here,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). “Infinera has been a significant part of the extensive semiconductor sector in the Lehigh Valley that goes back to the development of the transistor by Bell Labs and Western Electric.”
Infinera said it plans to construct a new facility in Bethlehem, and a new production fab in California. Combined, those new facilities are estimated to create 500 manufacturing jobs and 1,200 construction jobs, and to increase Infinera’s domestic manufacturing capacity by an estimated factor of 10.
The funding would come from the federal CHIPS and Science Act. Passed two years ago, the legislation seeks to grow the domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and other technology. Coherent, a leader in optoelectronic devices and technology that has a location in Palmer Township, signed a preliminary agreement in December to receive up to $33 million in CHIPS funding to modernize and expand a facility in Texas. The company previously received $15 million in CHIPS funding to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation wide- and ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors.
While most semiconductor companies are based in the U.S., most manufacturing occurs in Asia. The goal is to spur domestic production and limit economic, national security, and supply chain risks.
No. 9: Lehigh Valley’s Plastics Industry is Breaking the Mold
In the Lehigh Valley’s storied Slate Belt, once the world’s largest producer of slate, a cutting-edge manufacturer is making a very different type of material that is propelling the 21st century economy: plastics.
Ultra-Poly Corporation, a 50-year-old family-owned company that is now among North America’s five largest asset-based plastic recyclers, recycles up to 320 million pounds of plastics – the weight of about 97,000 Mack Truck sleeper cabs – each year.
The company handles difficult materials like large plastic sheets, broom bristles, and large streams of post-consumer film essential to the building supply, consumer packaging, and home goods industries. Ultra-Poly’s innovative processes have produced award winning initiatives, including turning old car bumpers into plastic pellets and selling them back to automakers.
Now, Ultra-Poly, which operates in five locations across Pennsylvania, is planning its third recycling facility in the Lehigh Valley, adding another 50 jobs and bringing its Lehigh Valley workforce to 200.
“We are seeing an increased demand that is ultimately driven by the general public which has an increased interest in environmental issues and recycled materials,” Ultra-Poly President David La Fiura said. “That has resonated with companies that deliver products in plastic packaging. They are calling on us to increase recycled content.”
Ultra-Poly is among a growing niche of plastic producers in the Lehigh Valley, helping to propel Pennsylvania as the sixth largest plastics producer in the nation. The Lehigh Valley is home to 46 plastics product manufacturing establishments, including Fuling and Alpla. Recent arrivals include Axium Packaging, Pianca Packaging, Panda International, SR Packaging, and Schless Bottles.
Collectively, the industry employs 2,500 people here, about twice the employment concentration as the typical U.S. region. Plastics jobs are growing at an annualized rate of 1.8%, about 2.5 times as fast as other employment in the Lehigh Valley’s growing economy.
The demand for plastic is very closely tied to manufacturing, a leading driver of the Lehigh Valley's $55.7 billion economy. Plastics are needed for the production of parts, and packaging and shipping. With recent U.S. policies encouraging manufacturing to ramp up, the industry is poised for expansion.
No. 10: Lehigh Valley International Airport One of the Best in the U.S.
Lehigh Valley International Airport was voted one of the best small airports in the country in Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
The airport, also known as Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (ABE) airport, finished second in the voting among the 15 nominees. Results were announced May 30.
Here’s what Newsweek said about the airport, which has been expanding operations and setting records for both passenger traffic and cargo movement.
“The fourth busiest airport in Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) gets high marks for its friendly service, easy parking, and clean and relaxing environment. The airport helps foster that vibe with special programs like Music in the Airport, which features live entertainment from local musicians, and C.O.P.E., which brings therapy dogs into the terminal to help soothe travel stress (and the handlers can provide airport info too).”
Lehigh Valley International Airport thanked the employees, volunteers, passengers, airport stakeholders, government leaders, and community partners who supported it during the public online voting.
“It’s truly an honor for ABE to receive this national recognition, and we’re appreciative of everyone who voted to support their neighborhood airport,” said Tom Stoudt, Executive Director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which oversees the airport. “ABE remains focused on ensuring that passengers enjoy the highest level of service throughout the entire travel experience, and this Newsweek Readers’ Choice Award helps to affirm that the efforts of our dedicated staff and stakeholders rank among the best in the country.”
No. 11: Lehigh Valley Ranked #1 Mid-Sized Market in U.S. for Economic Development
The Lehigh Valley logged more economic development projects in 2023 than any market of its size in the nation, according to Site Selection magazine. The region also ranked fourth among communities of all sizes in the Northeast.
Fifty projects in the Lehigh Valley qualified under the criteria for the magazine’s prestigious Governor's Cup Awards, which consider projects that have been completed or announced of at least 20,000 square feet, an investment of at least $1 million, or the creation of at least 20 new jobs.
The Lehigh Valley competed against regions with populations of between 200,000 and 1 million. Last year, the Lehigh Valley ranked No. 2.
“The No. 1 ranking is a remarkable achievement, considering the Lehigh Valley competes against the hottest markets in high-growth regions of the South and Southwest,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC). “Our economic growth, which creates opportunities for people of all education and skill levels, is the result of partnership and collaboration, with the entire region working toward common goals with a unified voice.”
The Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product now exceeds $55 billion. As that productivity has increased, so has the outlook for the families who live and work here. Median household income has risen and now exceeds the state and national medians. Poverty has decreased to rates lower than the state and nation.
No. 12: Fall Signature Event to be at New Da Vinci Science Center and Focus on Tech Talent
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The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.’s Fall Signature Event will be at the new Da Vinci Science Center in downtown Allentown and focus on developing talent to grow the region’s technology economy.
The event, “Tech & Talent for Tomorrow's Lehigh Valley,” will be held Thursday, Oct. 10, at 4:30 p.m. There is no charge to attend but registration is required. It will feature a panel discussion with leaders from Lehigh Valley-based technology and life science companies along with tours of the first floor of the new science center. The presenting sponsor was Lehigh Valley Health Network, now proudly part of Jefferson Health.
(Photography by Donna Fisher Photography, City Center Allentown, Polymer Contours, B. Braun Medical, Lehigh Valley International Airport)