What Lawrence County Economic Development does

Lawrence County Economic Development, operating as Forward Lawrence (Chamber & Economic Alliance), is a Pennsylvania-incorporated non-profit organization formed in 2016 through the alliance of the Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation. The organization serves as the unified chamber of commerce and primary economic development entity for Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and serves businesses across the county's 26 municipalities and a trade area of approximately 1 million residents, with a regional labor pool draw of roughly 504,400 spanning six counties across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Its core operations include business membership services, an online business directory that recorded over 97,000 lookups in the current year, site selection and economic development assistance, workforce development coordination, and community leadership programs.

The organization's product portfolio spans a business directory and membership platform, an Available Sites and Facilities database (hosted via LocationOne), the Leadership Lawrence County program delivered with Westminster College (participants earn 2 college credits), Forward Lawrence Young Professionals (FLY), the Forward Lawrence Energy Program (exclusive partnership with Green Climate Energy Consulting), brownfields assessment grants (EPA-funded), business financing facilitation (PIDA, USDA, SSBCI), advocacy services at state and federal levels, and signature events including Impact Awards and an annual golf outing. The underlying technology stack is a Wix-based website, a Yiftee-powered digital gift card program for the Shop Local Shop Lawrence initiative, social media presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and a Constant Contact newsletter distributed on the first and third Thursday of each month. No proprietary technology or AI capabilities are evident.

Forward Lawrence's revenue model rests on three streams: recurring membership dues across multiple investor-level tiers (annual billing, pricing not publicly disclosed), event sponsorship revenue from signature events (Impact Awards, golf outings, ribbon cuttings), and an affiliate referral revenue share from the Green Climate Energy Consulting partnership, which is reinvested into the Leadership Lawrence County program. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on member recruitment, ribbon cuttings, networking events, and the leadership pipelines (Leadership Lawrence County, FLY) to onboard and retain businesses. In 2025, economic development efforts attributed to the organization helped attract $44 million in private investment.

Name

Lawrence County Economic Development

Legal name

Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://lawrencecounty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1849

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lawrence County Economic Development, operating as Forward Lawrence, is a non-profit Chamber and Economic Development Corporation alliance serving businesses and 26 municipalities across Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, delivering membership services, site selection, workforce development, and leadership programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC), Retailer Joint Business Planning (JBP) & Customer Marketing (MPAAAJAJ)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Chamber of commerce
• Business advocacy
• Workforce development
• Site selection

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

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. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for businesses to join the chamber and access networking, directory listing, and member benefits
2. Event Sponsorships: Revenue from businesses sponsoring signature events, ribbon cuttings, Impact Awards, and annual golf outings
3. Energy Program Partnership: Revenue share from exclusive partnership with Green Climate Energy Consulting for energy cost reduction services for members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Forward Lawrence is the unified organization of the Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation. It sells annual business memberships, event sponsorships, and site/financing facilitation services to businesses, property developers, and municipalities across Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Offerings include a business directory, available-sites database, leadership and young-professionals programs, business advocacy, brownfields assessment, and an energy cost-reduction program.

Product overview

Lawrence County Economic Development (Forward Lawrence) is a unified organization combining the Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation. It offers a portfolio of interconnected services including a business directory/membership platform, available sites and facilities database, leadership development programs (Leadership Lawrence County in partnership with Westminster College), young professionals networking (Forward Lawrence Young Professionals), business financing assistance, brownfields redevelopment support, and energy cost reduction programs. The organization acts as the primary business advocate and economic development entity for Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, connecting businesses to workforce resources, financing programs, and community development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leadership Lawrence County: Annual leadership development program in partnership with Westminster College that prepares emerging leaders for business, government, and civic positions.
• Forward Lawrence Young Professionals (FLY)
• Forward Lawrence Energy Program
• High 5 a Hero Program

Products and services

• Lawrence County Business Directory / Membership Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• $44 million in private investment attracted in 2025 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Green Climate Energy ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership providing energy cost reduction services to Lawrence County businesses through competitive electric and natural gas supply options. Program revenue reinvested into Leadership Lawrence County.
• Westminster CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Leadership Lawrence County program offering Westminster College leadership curriculum and professional development modules. Participants earn 2 college credits through the program.
• U.S. Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational chamber membership providing advocacy, resources, and connections for Lawrence County businesses at the federal level.
• Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and IndustrycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide chamber membership providing advocacy, resources, and connections for Lawrence County businesses at the state level. Staff regularly travels to Harrisburg for advocacy trips.
• Duquesne University Small Business Development Center (SBDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing business planning tools and resources for small businesses in Lawrence County.
• Lawrence County Learning CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner providing employment and training services.
• West Central Job PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional workforce development partner for job training and employment services.
• CareerLinkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce services partner providing employment connection and job search resources.
• UPMC JamesonminorOthersFull-service community hospital providing healthcare services to Lawrence County residents; Leadership Lawrence County sponsor.
• Catalyst ConnectionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing and technology assistance partner providing consulting and training services.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pittsburgh Regional Alliance: Eleven-county regional economic development marketing organization in western PA; Lawrence County is within its reach, making it a higher-tier peer for site-selection and FDI marketing.
• Allegheny Conference on Community Development: Regional economic development and civic organization for the Pittsburgh metro; comparable as a multi-county EDO/chamber hybrid but operates at a much larger scale than Forward Lawrence.
• Greater Cleveland Partnership: Regional chamber + EDO hybrid serving a multi-county northeastern Ohio market; comparable unified chamber-EDC structure and membership model but at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry: Pennsylvania county chamber providing advocacy, networking, and member services; comparable mission and product mix, though operating in a larger and more economically diverse county.
• Butler County Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring Pennsylvania county chamber sharing the same regional labor pool draw area; directly comparable membership, advocacy, and event-based programming structure.
• Chester County Economic Development Council: County-level Pennsylvania economic development organization combining business attraction, workforce development, and site selection; structurally analogous to the Forward Lawrence alliance model.

Regional players

• Erie County Gaming & Economic Development / Erie County Industrial Development Authority: Pennsylvania county-level economic development authority supporting site selection and business attraction in another western PA-adjacent region; comparable role and small-team resource base.
• Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation: Pennsylvania regional EDO supporting business retention, attraction, and workforce development; comparable function but multi-county footprint versus Forward Lawrence's single county.
• Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development: Neighboring western Pennsylvania county EDO operating in the same regional labor pool as Lawrence County; comparable scope, scale, and industrial heritage base.

Others

• Younger Associates / Young Professionals Network (YPW) chapter model: Network supporting young professional groups like Forward Lawrence's FLY program; relevant only as an ecosystem partner for the young-professionals sub-brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMVvK86X43n8mkzT3VvEzAA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForwardLawrence
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-lawrence/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/forwardlawrence
• TikToktiktok.com/@forwardlawrence?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Lawrence County Economic Development