LVEDC commissions $100,000 study by site-selection consultants

By Stacy Wescoe

As part of the overall Envision Lehigh Valley project, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. has hired Garner Economics LLC of Atlanta, Ga., to conduct a review of the region's economic development and marketing strategies.

Don Cunningham, president and CEO of LVEDC, said the company is a site selection and economic development company that usually works with large corporations to help them determine which markets they want to locate facilities in.

With this study, Cunningham said Garner will be helping the LVEDC, and other regional leaders, determine what the valley's strengths and weaknesses are from a site selection standpoint so that they can make the region more attractive to the sort of businesses they want to attract.

"There was a time when every community wanted to be the next Silicone Valley," said Cunningham. "But every region has its own assets and needs. We need to develop these and see what we could achieve realistically. A smart strategy doesn't just try to replicate what someone else has done." More here.