Small businesses are extremely important to the Lehigh Valley economy and, thankfully, there are a number of local organizations working hard in order to help them succeed. If your small business is in need of assistance, check out one of these local organizations.
Greater Leigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce‘s mission is to help improve the local economy and the quality of life in the Lehigh Valley metro area. The organization has nearly 5,000 members who employ over 200,000 people in the area. This Chamber of Commerce is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and it is in the top seven of chambers of commerce nationwide.
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has over thirty affiliated councils, chambers, and committees, and its offices are located on every main street with well over 1,000 volunteers who help to develop and achieve community goals.
These volunteers work to accomplish their mission through a variety of means:
- Influencing public and government policy at all levels
- Business-to-business networking and marketing
- Offering a large portfolio of benefit options and services to help you save money
The Chamber Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce’s charitable arm, helps provide funding for beautification projects in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Lehigh Valley Business Group
The Lehigh Valley Business Group was started in 2010 by Kevin Cope with the purpose of helping those affected by the recent recession. Cope started organizing networking mixers that helped attract both small-business owners and job seekers.
Shortly thereafter, the Lehigh Valley Business Group started helping the non-profit community, which was also hit hard by the recession. Cope helped connect organizations with volunteers and more.
Today this small organization has grown to about 11,000 registered members, all of whom are volunteers. You can get involved by selecting a committee and emailing the appropriate chairperson. There is a wide range of committees available, including:
- Family Fun Committee
- Business Leaders of Tomorrow Committee
- Military Resources Committee
- Seniors Committee
- Special Needs Committee
- Project Keep Warm
Check the Lehigh Valley Business Group for a full listing of all the committees you can volunteer on.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation has a number of non-profit and public-private partners who assist small businesses in the area. These include a number of important strategic partners:
- Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation
- Allentown Economic Development Corporation
- Manufacturer’s Resource Center
- Small Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Women and Minority Business Opportunity Council
- Young Professionals Council
- Greater Easton Development Partnership
There are other partners who can offer benefits like traditional and non-traditional loans, social meet-up networking, educational resources, and more.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to help market the economic assets of the community and form partnerships that can help lead the recruitment, growth, and retention of employees.
If you’re small business needs assistance or if you want to help other small business owners, reach out to one of these local organizations to see how you can get involved.
“Arts Quest” by Lehigh Valley, PA is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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