ARTICLE
Nearly 20 years after the first regional chambers joined forces to create the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, one of the last remaining independent chambers in the area has decided to partner with the larger group. Tony Ianelli, president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley chamber, said GLVCC is happy to welcome Whitehall on board. “Whitehall is such a vital, economically important part of the Lehigh Valley,” he said this morning. “We’re ecstatic.” Two other business communities, Nazareth and the Slate Belt, continue to run independent chamber operations. GLVCC has its own office in Nazareth. Iannelli said he would be happy to see those areas join the regional chamber as well, but noted that chamber has already grown beyond his expectations. With nearly 5,000 members, the chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania. “I never thought we’d be at the stage we are now,” he said. The Whitehall Chamber of Commerce, which will continue to operate in an office in the Fullerton Building on Third Street in the township, is without an executive director. Ianelli said the chamber is looking to hire someone to manage the Whitehall operation. Read the original article here.