LEVDC

What LEVDC does

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC / LEVDC) is a private, nonprofit regional economic development organization founded in 1995 and headquartered at 520 North New Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It serves the Lehigh Valley region (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton) by attracting, retaining, and expanding employer investment, coordinating site selection, negotiating state and local incentives, and aligning workforce development with corporate demand. Its primary customer segments are enterprise manufacturers — particularly in life sciences, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, and professional/creative services — together with international companies seeking North American entry into a market that is home to over 80 international firms from 23 countries.

LVEDC's core service lines are Site Location Assistance (a "Find a Site" property tool), Development Incentives and Financing (including PIDA loans, tax credits, and the Lehigh Valley Lending Network), Talent Strategies (connecting employers to colleges, career/technical schools, internship pipelines, and the Education and Talent Supply Council), and sector-specific support for Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, Professional/Creative Services, and Food and Beverage Manufacturing. Its underlying technology stack is minimal — a website and CRM on Accrisoft Freedom — and there is no proprietary technology product; the organization's competitive value is delivered through human-coordinated stakeholder relationships rather than software.

The business model is that of a publicly-supported nonprofit: LVEDC does not charge fees to corporate clients for attraction or expansion services, and is funded instead through public-private partnerships, county and state government grants, and investor sponsorships from a diversified roster of major regional employers (St. Luke's University Health Network, PPL Corporation, Air Products, B. Braun Medical, Olympus Corporation of America, Lehigh and Northampton counties, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania via PA EDGE). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: LVEDC staff engage enterprise site-selection teams, site selector networks, and broker partners, supplemented by content marketing (annual reports, market data, talent studies), earned media around marquee deals, and an active FDI outreach program. The headline recent validation is the Eli Lilly $3.5B manufacturing facility selection in 2025 — the largest life sciences investment in Pennsylvania history — alongside 49 recognized economic development projects in 2025 and a recovered #1 Site Selection magazine ranking among U.S. mid-sized markets.

Name

LEVDC

Legal name

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://lehighvalley.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) is a nonprofit regional economic development organization, founded 1995 and headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, that attracts enterprise manufacturers, life sciences firms, and international companies to the Lehigh Valley via site selection, incentive negotiation, workforce coordination, and the Lehigh Valley Lending Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business attraction consulting
• Site selection assistance
• Workforce development programs
• Development incentives financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lehigh Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: LVEDC operates as a non-profit economic development corporation funded through public-private partnerships, government grants, and investor sponsorships. They provide business attraction, site location assistance, workforce development coordination, and incentive negotiation services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LEVDC is a regional economic development corporation that promotes economic prosperity by attracting companies to the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. It delivers business attraction and retention services, site location assistance through its Find a Site tool, development incentives and financing connections (including PIDA loans and tax credits), and talent strategies that link employers to local colleges, universities, career and technical schools. The organization also offers sector-specific support for life sciences, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, and professional/creative services companies, alongside entrepreneur support resources.

Product overview

LEVDC operates as a single unified service offering—an economic development organization—rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering combines site location assistance, development incentives and financing programs, talent/workforce strategies, and sector-specific support (Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Professional Services). Key service products include the Lehigh Valley Lending Network for commercial lending connections, the Find a Site property tool, and various workforce development programs. There are no separate technology products, acquired brands, or modular add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Development Services Core economic development consulting services including business attraction, retention, and expansion support for the Lehigh Valley region. Provided at no direct cost to businesses.
• Site Location Assistance Helps businesses find ideal locations for operations within Lehigh and Northampton counties through the Find a Site tool and an experienced consulting team.
• Development Incentives and Financing Connects businesses with economic development incentive programs, low-cost loans, and financing options including PIDA loans and tax credits.
• Talent Strategies Workforce development services connecting employers with colleges, universities, career/technical schools, and internship resources, plus talent market studies.
• Lehigh Valley Lending Network Maximizes economic development incentives while connecting businesses to a network of private commercial lenders.
• Life Sciences Sector Support Specialized support for life sciences companies with accessibility, talent, and affordable space in the region's life sciences supercluster.
• Advanced Manufacturing Sector Support Value-added production support for manufacturing companies in a region renowned for making things.
• Entrepreneur Support Resources and support for launching and scaling businesses in the Lehigh Valley, in partnership with organizations such as Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 mid-sized market in U.S. for economic development (Site Selection magazine)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and strategic.

• Pennsylvania (State Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPennsylvania state government, including Governor Josh Shapiro's administration, provides $100 million in economic development incentives (PA EDGE tax credits, grants) and streamlined permitting processes to attract businesses to Lehigh Valley. The Shapiro administration framed the Eli Lilly announcement as validation of Pennsylvania's revamped economic development strategy.
• Lehigh CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLehigh County partners with LVEDC on regional economic development initiatives, with Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong praising LVEDC's collaborative approach with economic partners.
• Northampton CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthampton County collaborates with LVEDC on regional economic development and is listed as an investor/sponsor of the organization.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 375coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBEW Local Union 375 is actively engaged with LVEDC, particularly through the Education and Talent Supply Council, collaborating with various partners to develop a skilled workforce.
• Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBen Franklin Technology Partners works with LVEDC to help entrepreneurs launch and scale businesses and boost manufacturers' efforts to compete globally.
• Workforce Board Lehigh ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce Board Lehigh Valley partners with LVEDC on workforce development initiatives and is listed as an investor/sponsor.
• Eli Lilly and CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEli Lilly selected Lehigh Valley for a $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility - the largest life sciences investment in Pennsylvania's history. The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation had been courting Eli Lilly since summer 2024, offering workforce training pathways and leveraging the region's manufacturing legacy and existing life sciences infrastructure.
• Intel CorporationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntel worked with LVEDC as part of the Regional Technology Consortium for the CHIPS ACT Tech Hub Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) response. LVEDC coordinated Intel with multinational tech corporations, startups, research universities, and investment firms to create a Technology Vision for the region.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Metro Atlanta Chamber (Economic Development Division): Atlanta's regional chamber runs an aggressive EDO function that markets the region to corporate site selectors using comparable branding, data publishing, and incentive coordination. Similar GTM and customer segments to LVEDC.
• Detroit Regional Partnership: A regional EDO focused on marketing a 11-county Southeast Michigan region to corporate site selectors, with similar GTM motion (site selection assistance, workforce data, incentive coordination) targeting advanced manufacturing and life sciences.
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Combines a metro chamber with economic development function, attracting corporate relocations/expansions to Middle Tennessee. Similar in organizational form (private nonprofit, investor-funded), customer segments, and stated mission to LVEDC.
• Greater Houston Partnership: A regional chamber of commerce with a robust economic development arm that recruits corporate relocations and expansions to the Houston region. Comparable investor/sponsor model and target corporate segments to LVEDC.
• MassEcon (Massachusetts Economic Development Foundation): A Massachusetts-based nonprofit economic development organization that markets the state to corporate site selectors with similar business-attraction, site-selection, and workforce-development services comparable in mission and funding model to LVEDC.
• Indy Chamber (Economic Development): The Indianapolis chamber's economic development arm, marketing the region to corporate site selectors with comparable workforce-data, site-finder tools, and incentive coordination offerings — competing for similar midsized-market corporate expansions to LVEDC.
• JobsOhio: A statewide, privately-funded economic development corporation that markets Ohio to corporate site selectors using similar playbook of incentive packaging, workforce partnerships, and mega-deal attraction. Direct functional peer to LVEDC at larger geographic scale.
• Choose New Jersey: A state-level private nonprofit economic development marketing organization that attracts businesses to New Jersey through competitive incentive packages and site selection services. Comparable in mission, funding model (public-private), and target customer segments to LVEDC.
• Pittsburgh Regional Alliance: A Pennsylvania-based regional economic development organization that markets its metropolitan area to corporate site selectors, coordinates workforce development, and competes with Lehigh Valley for the same kinds of life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and headquarters investments. Most comparable PA peer.
• Greater Cleveland Partnership: A Cleveland-area regional chamber/EDO with comparable business attraction, retention, and workforce development functions. Similar organizational scale and revenue model mix of investor dues, government grants, and program fees to LVEDC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LVEDC
• Facebookfacebook.com/lvedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lehigh-valley-economic-development-corp.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEVDC