In the first four months of 2026, Lehigh Valley’s economic growth and the strategies supporting it were highlighted for audiences around the world.

Publications including Forbes and The Financial Times recognized the innovation occurring in the Lehigh Valley, ranked as the No. 1 mid-sized market for economic development, by publishing articles about some of the driving forces that are reshaping the region’s economy and communities.

Adaptive Reuse

In February, Forbes published an article illustrating how the Lehigh Valley is creatively reimagining former industrial properties into spaces that are creating jobs, homes, and visitation.

The article highlighted the most-recent adaptive reuse of the former Bethlehem Steel property, where ArtsQuest is renovating the former Turn & Grind Shop into a location for arts programming, exhibitions, private events, and festivals including Musikfest.

Forbes also noted how the former Lehigh Structural Steel property in Allentown is becoming The Waterfront, a live-work-play destination with housing and office space along the Lehigh River. And how downtown Easton is blooming with new mixed-use spaces including The Marquis, erected on the site of a former parking garage.

Technology Growth

In April, The Financial Times profiled Lehigh Valley’s growing semiconductor sector, noting that “one undeniable strength is the local talent.”

The article shared the region’s heritage in technological innovation, starting in 1951 at the world’s first facility for mass producing transistors, Bell Labs’ Western Electric operation in Allentown. 

The article highlighted the companies operating innovating in the Lehigh Valley today, including Infinera, Coherent, and Broadcom, whose chipmaking center in Upper Macungie Township has tripled its output in the past four years.

Food and Beverage Hub

In January, Industry Today published an article written by Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, LVEDC’s Vice President of Business Development & Attraction, spotlighting Lehigh Valley’s growing influence as a food and beverage manufacturing hub.

The article, “Why Food & Beverage Manufacturers Savor the Lehigh Valley,” analyzed why the Lehigh Valley has become home to global food and beverage brands such as Coca-Cola, Ocean Spray, Boston Beer Co., Nestle Purina, Freshpet, Bimbo Bakeries, Bakerly/Norac, and Just Born Quality Confections, maker of the iconic Peeps marshmallow candies.

“That growth is driven by strategic advantages of location, workforce, and heritage,” Cahayla-Hoffman wrote.

Talent Strategies for Manufacturing

In April, The Manufacturer, a publication in the United Kingdom that covers manufacturing news, insights, and best practices, published an article by Karianne Gelinas, LVEDC’s Vice President of Talent Strategies.

Titled “Lehigh Valley’s workforce strategy drives manufacturing growth beyond national trends,” the article explored how employment in manufacturing in the Lehigh Valley has grown three times as fast as the U.S. as a whole since 2010.

“How is this possible?” Gelinas wrote. “In short, leaders have deliberately focused on developing the manufacturing workforce to continue the region’s proud history of making things in America by meeting the evolving needs of today’s manufacturers.”

Eli Lilly and Company’s Record Investment

In April, Expansion Solutions magazine published an article describing Eli Lilly and Company’s planned $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing campus as “the most significant example of Pennsylvania’s leadership in life sciences.”

Lilly plans to break ground on the campus in Upper Macungie Township later this year. It is the largest economic development project ever in the Lehigh Valley and the largest life sciences investment in Pennsylvania.

“The project is a massive economic boon for the region, creating 850 new jobs over five years,” Expansion Solutions wrote. 

(Photos by The Waterfront Development Co., Donna Fisher Photography, Rick Kintzel, Eli Lilly and Company).