Crayola, Victaulic CEOs among panel slated to discuss Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing growth
The region’s continuous manufacturing growth will be a main topic in coming weeks when major Lehigh Valley corporations speak out at the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Fall Signature Event.
The sixth annual event is being held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., in Easton. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required. Guests can register here, as well as view the event’s full agenda.
A panel of top executives from some of the region’s largest corporations are invited to speak. These include B. Braun Medical President and CEO Jean-Claude Dubacher; Victaulic President & CEO Rick Bucher; Stuffed Puffs founder and CEO Michael Tierney; Nicole Hurd, president of Lafayette College; and A.P. Deauville President and CEO Frederick Horowitz.
Crayola President and CEO Rich Wuerthele plans to deliver keynote remarks. LVEDC President and CEO Don Cunningham will serve as the event’s moderator.
“The Lehigh Valley commands a strong economic position because of a rich tradition in manufacturing that continues to grow and evolve to deliver the products the next generation demands,” Cunningham told lehighvalleylive.com Tuesday. “Easton, which has undergone its own transformation, is a fitting place to celebrate that.”
The panel plans to share insights on why the Lehigh Valley ranks among the nation’s Top 50 manufacturing markets. The region in 2020 generated $7.9 billion in gross domestic product, which led to the ranking, according to federal data released last year. Another analysis found employment in the region’s manufacturing sector is growing at a faster rate than the nation as a whole within the last five years. This was attributed to popular products being made locally helping to drive the economic recovery during the pandemic, the LVEDC says.
The Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing sector ranked 49th out of the 384 metro regions nationally. With about 700 manufacturers employing about 35,000 people in the region, manufacturing employment in the Lehigh Valley now exceeds what it was before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the LVEDC says.
Other key Lehigh Valley manufacturers include Mack Trucks; Martin Guitar; Lutron Electronics; Ocean Spray; Nestle Purina; Just Born; Freshpet; Bosch Rexroth; and OraSure Technologies. The Lehigh Valley is reachable to a population of 50 million people within 200 miles.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. this past March released its 2021 annual report.
Among its highlights was growth in the population of Lehigh and Northampton counties, up 6.2% to a combined 687,508 in the 2020 Census. That includes growth of 10.7% in the population ages 18-34 over the last decade, making the Lehigh Valley the fastest-growing region for young adults, according to the the LVEDC’s analysis. That analysis was based on the most recent population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
A separate panel discussion, moderated by State Theatre CEO and President Shelley Brown, during the Sept. 20 event will feature the change-makers behind Easton’s dramatic transformation. Think a bustling dining corridor and rising apartment buildings.
Panelists in that discussion will include Mark Mulligan, CEO of VM Development Group; Bill Strickland, editorial director of Hearst Publishing; and Mike Pichetto, owner of Third & Ferry Fish Market.
“Easton has reimagined itself as a trendy, entertainment, arts, and culinary destination and shining example of why the Lehigh Valley is Pennsylvania’s fastest growing destination for young adults,” said Colin McEvoy, LVEDC’s director of communications.
In terms of even more growth in the Lehigh Valley, the LVEDC in the report additionally tracked 50 economic development projects announced, under construction or complete. More than two dozen of those projects recognized by Site Selection magazine ranked the Lehigh Valley tied for eighth in terms of development in metro areas with 200,000 to 1 million residents, the LVEDC said.
According to Site Selection, in the Northeast among communities of any size, the Lehigh Valley’s 26 economic development projects ranked sixth behind New York-Newark-Jersey City (208 projects); Boston-Cambridge-Newton (97); Philadelphia-Camden-Newton (71); Pittsburgh (58); and Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls (29).
The full table listing the 50 projects highlighted by the LVEDC can be found here.