As Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation prepares to celebrate the arrival and growth of new manufacturers at its 2026 Fall Signature Event in November, last year's event is being recognized with a top international honor.
“Making Products & Making Places,” which drew a record audience of about 450 last November at Archer Music Hall in Allentown, was recognized with a Gold Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). It's the second Gold Award for the event in the past three years.
The evening put the spotlight on iconic companies that have anchored the Lehigh Valley’s economy for decades and even centuries, exploring how they landed here and how they helped shape the region.
It featured a panel discussion among top executives from Crayola, Lutron Electronics, Mack Defense, Martin Guitar, and Olympus Corporation of the Americas along with special remarks by J.B. Reilly, whose City Center Group built Archer and is the driving force behind Allentown’s $1 billion downtown transformation over the last decade.
Contest judges praised the turnout of top executives from the companies and well-researched marketing collateral, including a display that chronicled Lehigh Valley’s industrial history, stretching back to before the country was founded.
“This was a great opportunity to recognize business and the community alike, which can contribute to retention and growth,” one judge wrote. “This event is also very transferable and scalable for other communities.”
Guests competed for prizes in a fast-paced trivia contest about the region’s iconic products and places, and networked at reception that included interactive display tables hosted by those companies. "Making Products & Making Places" served as a launch pad for a “Made in Lehigh Valley’ billboard campaign, creating both name recognition and a sense of pride between iconic products made here to the Lehigh Valley.
The Gold Award for the 2025 Fall Signature Event was one of three LVEDC won this year from IEDC. LVEDC also received the Gold Award for its 2025 Annual Report and Bronze Award for Economic Development Organization of the Year.
IEDC 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.
Each year, IEDC recognizes organizations that demonstrate consistent, exemplary performance in the economic development profession through projects that have a significant impact on revitalizing communities and improving the practice of economic development.
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.
In 2024, LVEDC also won a Gold Award for its Fall Signature Event “Lehigh Valley’s Technology Sector: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” at Lehigh University. The centerpiece of the event was a panel discussion of industry leaders from Broadcom, Infinera (now Nokia), and iDEAL Semiconductor Devices.
IEDC will celebrate the 2026 Excellence Awards winners at its upcoming Annual Conference in New Orleans on Oct. 25-28.