Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. is actively marketing Lehigh Valley as a strong location for international business and a center for food and beverage production.
LVEDC marketed those strengths at the SelectUSA Investment Summit near Washington, D.C., hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, June 23-26.
LVEDC said in its newsletter the summit is the federal government’s highest profile event dedicated to promoting international business investment in the United States. This year’s event was the largest ever, with more than 5,000 participants, including more than 2,500 international delegates, the organization said.
The summit has a track record for getting results, generating more than $110 billion in new investment projects supporting over 85,000 jobs across the United States and its territories.
“The SelectUSA Summit is an excellent opportunity for the Lehigh Valley to partner with the state to advance opportunities for foreign direct investment in the region,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC President and CEO. “There were company representatives from 96 countries of the world. We spent time talking to many of them about the benefits of locating key operations in Lehigh and Northampton counties and throughout Pennsylvania.”
LVEDC participated with officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Cunningham attended the forum and did meetings in the Pennsylvania pavilion along with state Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and Deputy Secretary for the Office of International Business Development David Briel.
The Pennsylvania pavilion also was visited by international dignitaries including Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba, and U.S. Ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen, LVEDC said.
Lehigh Valley is home to businesses from at least 23 countries, according to LVEDC. They are drawn by the Lehigh Valley’s skilled workforce and its location, within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population and close to multiple ports and international airports.
In 2023, nine companies headquartered outside the U.S. announced or completed 1.2 million square feet of projects in the Lehigh Valley. They include Amcor (Australia), Midea (China), Skako (Denmark), SR Packaging (Taiwan), and Evonik, Linde Engineering, Aldi, Hawe Hydraulik, and Ledvance (Germany).
At SelectUSA, LVEDC said staff spoke with businesses from countries including Italy, Germany, Australia, Israel, Oman, Jordan, United Kingdom, Poland, Dubai, Romania, India, Mexico, and Turkey.
Cunningham said he was interviewed by several international publications about the Lehigh Valley’s recent economic success, which includes being named the No. 1 mid-sized market in the U.S. for economic development .
Food and Beverage Hub
The Lehigh Valley’s location, its manufacturing workforce, and its natural assets make the region a hub for food and beverage manufacturing .
LVEDC said it attended the Fancy Food Show, hosted by the Specialty Food Association, in New York City from June 23-25, to meet with a variety of food and beverage companies. The event attracts thousands of diverse makers, buyers, brokers, distributors, and industry professionals from across the world
About a fifth of the companies that have been in touch with LVEDC in recent months about potentially locating in the Lehigh Valley are in the food and beverage industry, the organization said.
The region is home to brands including Coca-Cola, Boston Beer, Ocean Spray, Keurig Dr Pepper, Bimbo Bakeries, Nestle Purina, Bowery Farming, Freshpet, Bakerly/Norac Foods, and Spot & Tango.
They are joined by many regional and local producers including Keystone Foods, a manufacturer of snack foods including party mix, onion rings, veggie sticks, and hot crunchies; and Just Born candies, which produces the famous Peeps that fill Easter baskets.
Employment in food and beverage production has increased by about 40% in the last decade, to about 6,800 people. More than 44% of all dog and cat food production jobs in Pennsylvania are in the Lehigh Valley.
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