A key member of the team at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. has retired. 

George Lewis stepped down on May 31 after seven years at LVEDC in various roles, most recently as Special Assistant to the President & CEO.

He joined LVEDC in 2017 after a 30-year career in corporate communications at PPL Corp. and its spinoff Talen Energy. With a broad skillset and deep knowledge of the Lehigh Valley, Lewis quickly became an asset for LVEDC and was cherished for his versatility.

Lewis was hired at LVEDC as Director of Research, and later became Vice President of Marketing and Communications before stepping into the Special Assistant role in 2023.

“The term ‘partnership’ can be a buzzword in business, but LVEDC and the companies and organizations that make up its economic development coalition truly embody the concept and make it work. The results are there. I’m proud that I have been able to contribute in some small way to the Lehigh Valley’s amazing economic success story,” Lewis said.

He was involved in all facets of LVEDC’s operations. In 2023, he served as the point man for the Lehigh Valley’s application to become a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub for innovation in semiconductor design and production.

A polished public speaker, Lewis often delivered economic and research presentations at public events on behalf of the LVEDC and fielded interviews with local, national, and international media.

"LVEDC was blessed to have George," President & CEO Don Cunningham said. "George made LVEDC better, which helped to make the Lehigh Valley better. He’s made me better. I think he’s made us all better."

Cunningham had worked with Lewis in the communications department at PPL in the early 1990s. When Lewis retired from Talen, Cunningham asked him to join LVEDC, knowing he would be invaluable.

"George has tremendous skills and experience, but his greatest asset is him. He’s not like other people. The catch phrase – 'What Would George Do?' – developed early in his time here," Cunningham said. "He leads by example. How to be a husband, a father, a colleague, a worker, a good person. Good people make us better. Character matters."

A native of Delaware County, Lewis graduated from Penn State University with a degree in journalism. He worked at a newspaper in central Pennsylvania before joining PPL in 1987.

“My wife, Nancy, and I moved to the Lehigh Valley at the start of our careers in the 1980s. Neither of us grew up here but the Lehigh Valley became our home. We raised our three children here. We have grown to love this community and in retirement, we plan to remain very active in it,” he said.

He is Board President for The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties and serves on the Advisory Board for Penn State Lehigh Valley LaunchBox.

“My seven years at LVEDC have been among the most rewarding of my career. The LVEDC team is a group of true professionals who care deeply about making the Lehigh Valley a better place,” Lewis said.

(Photo: George Lewis, right, is interviewed by Sky News in Bethlehem in April 2024)