BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Growth and progress were the themes of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) annual meeting Tuesday.
The 90-minute program included speeches and panel discussions on economic trends and challenges. About 750 business leaders and community stakeholders from across the region attended.
In his speech, LVEDC President Don Cunningham cited the Lehigh Valley’s recent top ranking for economic development projects as a sign of success, as well as the growing population of young people, reduction of poverty and growing wages.
“But with progress and growth comes change and challenge,” Cunningham said.
“Emerging trends, changes in office work, limited availability of industrial manufacturing space, public sentiment toward development, higher costs, and access to affordable housing for our growing population make clear that we are now at an inflection point.
“Sustaining success and adapting to change will be the focus of our new 2024 plan.”
Every audience member received a copy of the LVEDC’s annual report, which is also available online.
Industrial development top of mind
A panel called “Trends & Changes: The Next Chapter” focused a lot of its time on a hot topic in the region: industrial development and warehousing.
President of J.G. Petrucci Co. Jim Petrucci said while some residents are concerned about the impacts of warehousing, not all warehouses have the same impact on the community.
“I get concerned about the ‘no warehouse’ movement because our manufacturing clients all need warehouse space,” Petrucci said.
“And it's somewhat self-defeating. If they've got to move their warehouses down to say, [Route] 309, maybe that's considered a win, but the reality of it is you're gonna put a lot more trucks on the road, they're gonna be doing a lot more miles.”
National Director of Industrial Market Analytics Adrian Ponsen said there is not much more available space for industrial development in the Lehigh Valley.
“What little available space there is now is going to get absorbed relatively quickly,” Ponsen said.
"There has been a lot of dehumanization and us versus them. We've got to tone that down.”Chair of the Hanover Township Supervisors Susan Lawless
Hanover Township Supervisors' Chairwoman Susan Lawless said her constituents understand their land is in demand, and because of that, they want the local government to push for warehouse developers to give more concessions.
“But the only way we're going to be able to do things like get bigger buffers, better buffers, maybe some meaningful real green technology is cooperatively,” Lawless said.
“We can't make developers really do a lot of this stuff. But together we can. If they really want that parcel that's close to 78 and 22, they'll work with us, but we also have to be willing to work with them.
“And there has been a lot of dehumanization and us versus them. We've got to tone that down.”
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley said in an interview that many local municipalities do work collaboratively with developers. She said she thinks involving local community members in those discussions is essential.
“Just having that two-way dialogue is helpful in building an understanding … It really does help make it a proactive dialogue instead of just arguing, because in the arguing, you can't necessarily get to an answer,” Bradley said.
Cunningham said after the event that he felt it was important to address concerns about industrial development in the forum because it has been the center of a lot of local discussion.
“It's kind of like, if we didn't address it, we would be burying our heads in the sand,” Cunningham said.
Rebranding the Valley
ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert and COO of Discover Lehigh Valley Bree Nids gave a joint presentation about the new Lehigh Valley logo.
The two spoke about the importance of the region’s branding efforts. Hilgert said growing up in the Lehigh Valley, the region was not seen as a place to make a career.
“Like many of my very young generation, we felt the need to explore other places when we were starting our careers,” Hilgert said. “But I soon realized that there was no place like home. And our home keeps getting better.”
Nids said continuing to change that perception is important for all companies to attract employees.
“People are choosing more than where they want to work. They're choosing where they want to live,” Nids said. “Employers know how to market their companies. Where they need help is marketing the community. If we send a unified message, we all win.”
They encouraged companies who make products in the region to add a “Made in Lehigh Valley” sticker to their packaging to reach more people.
