The Lehigh Valley’s dynamic workforce is the engine behind its economic success. At the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Meeting this month, discover why talent is drawn to the region — and why they stay. 
The “Making Lehigh Valley Home” panel will feature four inspiring individuals who moved to the Valley over the past 30 years, sharing how the region’s exceptional quality of life keeps them thriving.
Th panel includes:
- Karianne Gelinas, Vice President of Regional Partnerships & Talent Strategies, LVEDC.
- Shahnaz Hanna, Co-owner, Union and Finch restaurant in Allentown.
- Paul Hodges, Co-founder, Soltech Solutions in Bethlehem.
- Orville Trout, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Crayola in Forks Township.
The discussion will be moderated by Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO of ArtsQuest.
The panel is part of a 90-minute program that will also include a celebration of LVEDC’s 30th Anniversary and a “Made in Lehigh Valley” display of the products and ideas that have helped pave the way for Lehigh Valley’s economic renaissance.
More than 700 people have registered for the Annual Meeting, March 18 at ArtsQuest at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Capital Blue Cross is Presenting Sponsor of the Annual Meeting. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register here.
LVEDC was formed in 1995 during trying economic times to rebuild, revitalize, and reposition the Lehigh Valley to compete in the rapidly changing global economy and build opportunity for the people living here.
The Annual Meeting will explore where the Lehigh Valley was in 1995, how far it has come today, and how it is primed for a bright future.
Like the rest of America, Lehigh Valley was facing shifting economic times when LVEDC was formed. The future required moving away from reliance on a few titans of industry, such as Bethlehem Steel, and attracting a diversity of employers of all sizes. The region also had to begin acting regionally, marketing itself as one community.
Thirty years later, Lehigh Valley is thriving with a balanced and diverse economy, driven by manufacturing. GDP has reached a record of $55.7 billion. Median household income has risen to $81,709 and grown by $17,000 over five years, outpacing inflation.
The economy is powered by a growing workforce of 1.7 million people who live within an hour’s drive of the Lehigh Valley. They are drawn here by our quality of life and the personal and professional opportunities it provides.
Other scheduled speakers at the Annual Meeting include Rick Siger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Jay Garner, an Atlanta-based site selection consultant who has done extensive work in the Lehigh Valley and who wrote the book, Economic Development is [Still] Not for Amateurs.
Registration begins at 2:30 p.m., the formal program at 3:30 p.m., and a networking reception begins at 5 p.m. The “Made in Lehigh Valley” exhibition will take place during the reception portion of the event.
WFMZ-69 will be livestreaming the Annual Meeting on its website, wfmz.com. LVEDC will be posting live about the event on its X handle, @LVEDC, and using the hashtag #lvedc30th. Join the conversation.
Other sponsors in addition to Presenting Sponsor Capital Blue Cross are:
30th Anniversary Sponsor Crayola. Cocktail Sponsors: Boyle Construction and Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba. Gold Sponsors: First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union; Freshpet; Fulton Bank; Lehigh University; Norris McLaughlin; WFMZ; and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley. Silver Sponsors: B. Braun; Klunk & Millan Advertising; Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health; MKSD architects; Olympus; Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development; Promus Financial; St. Luke's University Health Network. Community Sponsors: American Bank, Barry Isett & Associates; Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania; CLA; EARTHRES, a division of RESPEC; HNL Lab Medicine; J.G. Petrucci Co., Inc.; Lehigh Carbon Community College Center for Innovation and Learning; OraSure Technologies, Inc.; and Penn Community Bank.
Sponsorships remain available. Contact Annie Hollands Lanscek, LVEDC Marketing Administrator, at alanscek@lehighvalley.org for sponsorship information.
Last year’s Annual Meeting was attended by about 750 people. Watch last year’s Annual Meeting here.