To learn more about how the Lehigh Valley can help your business, fill out this quick form or email Doug Warfel at dwarfel@lehighvalley.org.
Where Professional Services Companies, Big and Small, Thrive
With worldwide connections and an affordable location, Lehigh Valley, Pa., has the economic assets that drive success in professional and creative services.
The region's 11 colleges and universities produce finance, business, engineering, software development, and other professional expertise businesses desire. The location, in the heart of the Northeast market, puts companies close to major financial centers, but is far enough from the big cities to offer lower costs, affordable talent, and affordable space for headquarters, regional centers and field offices.
A Who's Who of Industry Leaders
You're in Good Company
Air Products, a Fortune 500 company that produces industrial gases, recently opened its new headquarters in the Lehigh Valley, employing 2,000 locally. Its history here stretches back to its founding in the 1940s.
PPL Corp., a Fortune 500 operator of electric and natural gas utilities in several states, has been headquartered in Allentown for more than a century. PPL companies employ 1,200 people locally.
ADP, a global human capital management firm, opened a state-of-the-art campus in 2019 in downtown Allentown, employing more than 1,000 locally.
Shift4, a global leader in payments processing and financial technology that handles over 3.5 billion transactions per year, recently announced that it will be moving to new, larger 75,000 square-foot office space in the Lehigh Valley.
Netizen is among the country's fastest growing cybersecurity companies. Its clients include entities in the defense, health care, education, and aerospace sectors.
Affordable Office Space
The Lehigh Valley offers attractive office space at a price more affordable than more densely populated regions nearby. Here is CBRE's data on rent per square foot in the first quarter in 2024:
$23.91
Lehigh Valley
$33.37
Northern New Jersey
$28.15
Central New Jersey
$30.52
Suburban Philadelphia
Skilled, Affordable Workforce
| Occupation | Lehigh Valley, Pa. | Philadelphia Metro | New York City Metro |
| Software developer | $56.44 | $62.07 | $74.42 |
| Computer systems analyst | $49.18 | $55.05 | $64.62 |
| Accountant/auditor | $42.16 | $45.82 | $59.23 |
| Marketing analyst | $35.05 | $41.15 | $51.06 |
Source: JobsEQ, Q4 2023
Everything You Need, All in the Right Place
The Lehigh Valley Advantage
- We are within 90 minutes of financial and insurance centers, including New York City and Philadelphia
- A strong cluster of shared service and back office facilities already exist here, including such companies as Guardian Life, New York Life, and ADP
- Corporate home of two Fortune 500 companies: PPL Corp. and Air Products
- Growing community of work share spaces in revitalized urban cores, ranging from workspace on demand from Venture X and Velocity IA, to the technology incubator dubbed Pi: Partnership for Innovation
- New hangar accommodating corporate jets, helicopters and small general aviation at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, where commercial carriers offer 13 non-stop destinations, including major hubs such as Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington (Dulles)
- High relative broadband rank, measuring access and capacity
- Availability of diverse and affordable office space, ranging from Class A space in the urban core to picturesque campuses in a suburban setting
- Growing concentration of software developers: 25% increase in five years
- Nearly a fifth of all college-educated residents with business degrees
- Museums, theaters, state-of-the art conference rooms, and other creative spaces for team-building events and business meetings
'Their Work Ethic is Second to None'
“PPL benefits tremendously from the Lehigh Valley: just a great workforce. They’re smart, they’re bright, they’re innovative, and their work ethic is second to none. It’s very compatible with our culture.” — Vincent Sorgi, President and CEO of PPL Corp.
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