A remarkable lineup of industry leaders behind some of America’s most iconic manufacturers will share the stage on Nov. 11 at Archer Music Hall in downtown Allentown for this year’s Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) Fall Signature Event, “Lehigh Valley: Making Products & Making Places.” 
Top executives from Crayola, Lutron Electronics, Mack Defense, C.F. Martin & Co., and Olympus Corporation of the Americas will share how their companies have embraced innovation, built lasting legacies, and helped make the Lehigh Valley among the nation’s leading manufacturing markets.
“The story of the Lehigh Valley is the story of people who make things: products, careers, and communities that make this region such an incredible place to live,” LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham said. “Our innovation and private sector leaders have helped shape this region’s character for generations, and they continue to drive its future.”
There is no charge to attend the Fall Signature Event, but registration is required. To register, click here.
The centerpiece of the evening will be a panel discussion of company leaders talking about what drew their companies to the Lehigh Valley, what keeps them here, and how they have innovated to make products and places recognized around the world.
The panelists are:
- Peter Ruggiero, President & CEO, Crayola
- Brian Donlon, Vice President and General Manager of Sales Operations, Lutron
- David Hartzell, Sr., President & CEO, Mack Defense
- Thomas Ripsam, President & CEO, C.F. Martin & Co.
- Richard Reynolds, President, Medical Systems Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas and member of LVEDC’s Board of Directors
The panel discussion will be moderated by Cunningham.
In addition, J.B. Reilly, President and Co-founder of City Center Group, will deliver special remarks. City Center Group has been a driving force behind the $1 billion revival of downtown Allentown and is the developer of Archer Music Hall.
Archer, the new Live Nation-operated performing arts facility, located in the award-winning Downtown West neighborhood, is among the attractions driving the downtown revival of Pennsylvania’s third-largest city.
Guests at the Fall Signature Event will have the opportunity to experience the new venue, explore product displays by the featured companies, and enjoy special giveaways, musical performances, and surprises that connect the products to the place.
Adding to the evening’s fun, Grover Silcox, five-time Emmy award winner, WLVT PBS39, will host a Lehigh Valley trivia contest, testing guests’ knowledge of the Lehigh Valley’s economy and iconic companies.
Highmark Blue Shield is the presenting sponsor, and City Center Group is the venue sponsor.
“Making Products & Making Places” will also amplify the Made in Lehigh Valley branding campaign, which highlights the Lehigh Valley as one of America’s top manufacturing centers and most transformed metropolitan regions.
The Lehigh Valley is one of America’s fastest growing mid-size markets in both population and economy, a rare region with a population under one million people where manufacturing is the largest part of its economy and its authentic urban centers of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton are a growing destination for young professionals and retiring seniors. With manufacturing continuing to play an outsized role, the $56 billion economy is supporting growing career opportunities and is among the nation’s top mid-sized markets for economic development.
The Lehigh Valley is one of the Top 15% of manufacturing markets in the U.S. based on Gross Domestic Product. More than 700 manufacturers collectively produce an output of $9 billion, representing 16% of Lehigh Valley’s GDP. Nationally, manufacturing is 12% of GDP.
A hotspot for population growth in the Northeast, more amenities like Archer Music Hall have landed in the Lehigh Valley, making it an attractive place to live and work.
In addition to Highmark Blue Shield and City Center Group, sponsors of LVEDC’s Fall Signature Event are:
Platinum Sponsors: Crayola and Freshpet.
Cocktail Sponsor: Klunk & Millan Advertising.
Gold Sponsors: Alvernia University, B. Braun, J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc., Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, and St. Luke's University Health Network.
Silver Sponsors: Archer Music Hall, BMI Mergers & Acquisitions, Boyle Construction, BSI Corporate Benefits, Comcast, Julabo USA, Lutron, Marshall Industrial Technologies, NJM, Olympus Corporation of the Americas, OraSure Technologies, Inc., QNB Corporation, SERVPRO Team Davis, and TWG Security.
For more sponsorship opportunities, please contact Annie Hollands Lanscek, LVEDC Marketing Administrator, at alanscek@lehighvalley.org.
(Photo courtesy of Alive Coverage for Live Nation®)