Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Report won a Gold Award from the International Economic Development Council, the ninth year in a row that the publication has been recognized. 

The 2025 Annual Report documents LVEDC’s activities last year working with our partners to attract new businesses, to help existing businesses expand, to develop a skilled workforce for employers, to support entrepreneurship, and to promote the Lehigh Valley, ranked by Site Selection magazine as the No. 1 mid-sized market for economic development. The report informs LVEDC’s investors, stakeholders, and the broader community about the region’s economic development progress, how public and private resources are used, and the partnerships that make it possible. 

The report includes a four-page section detailing the impact of Eli Lilly and Company’s $3.5 billion investment, which will create 2,000 construction jobs, 850 permanent jobs, and drive a projected $14 billion in related spending into the regional economy.

Members of the IEDC judging panel described the Annual Report as “visually attractive,” “impactful,” and “flows nicely and is easy to read.”

“Not only did the organization publish a report but they tracked its impact, which is valuable as EDOs evaluate where to spend time and resources in the future,” one judge remarked.

The report is produced by LVEDC staff and designed by Michelle Chrin.

Highlighted in the Annual Report are the Lehigh Valley’s advantages that are driving economic expansion – including a skilled and ample workforce and a convenient, accessible location. The report shares stories of key new additions to the business community, new venues that are reshaping the region’s downtowns into vibrant destinations, and the strategies such as apprenticeships that have helped to grow and train the region’s workforce.

The Gold Award for the Annual Report was one of three Excellence in Economic Development Awards that LVEDC won in this year’s competition. LVEDC also won a Gold Award for the 2025 Fall Signature Event, “Lehigh Valley: Making Products & Making Places,” and a Bronze Award for Economic Development Organization of the Year.

The International Economic Development Council is the largest economic development association in the world, with more than 4,500 members globally. LVEDC is one of only 97 organizations to meet the council’s rigorous accreditation standards.

LVEDC competed against the largest economic development organizations in the world (those in regions of at least 500,000 people), many of which have bigger budgets and more staff.