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Lehigh Valley Business - The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated local businesses at its annual meeting at the Wind Creek Event Center Thursday with President and CEO Tony Ianelli singing the song “Celebrate” with dancers from William Allen High School, backup singers and pyrotechnics. According to Laurie Hackett, chair of the chamber board of governors, 2025 has been a good year for the chamber. “We’re the largest chamber in Pennsylvania and among the Top 10 largest chambers in the country,” she told the crowd. She said the chamber is in strong financial shape and has been steadily growing. The chamber currently has 4,000 business members, 68% of which are small businesses and more than 280,000 employee members. In fact, she said the chamber added 400 new members in the past year alone. But she also talked about the future of the chamber, introducing a new investment champaign for community development. The chamber is partnering with 15 founding local corporations, including Air Products, where she serves as director of Corporate and Community Affairs. Over the next three years, the effort will target the region’s smaller communities so that “no community is left behind.” The chamber will work with the Small Cities Lab at Lehigh University on programming projects ranging from downtown beautification to business grants. “They see what’s possible when you work together to build the Lehigh Valley,” Hackett said. “Every Main Street deserves a big future.”
Lehigh Valley Business - The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated local businesses at its annual meeting at the Wind Creek Event Center Thursday with President and CEO Tony Ianelli singing the song “Celebrate” with dancers from William Allen High School, backup singers and pyrotechnics.
According to Laurie Hackett, chair of the chamber board of governors, 2025 has been a good year for the chamber.
“We’re the largest chamber in Pennsylvania and among the Top 10 largest chambers in the country,” she told the crowd.
She said the chamber is in strong financial shape and has been steadily growing.
The chamber currently has 4,000 business members, 68% of which are small businesses and more than 280,000 employee members. In fact, she said the chamber added 400 new members in the past year alone.
But she also talked about the future of the chamber, introducing a new investment champaign for community development.
The chamber is partnering with 15 founding local corporations, including Air Products, where she serves as director of Corporate and Community Affairs.
Over the next three years, the effort will target the region’s smaller communities so that “no community is left behind.”
The chamber will work with the Small Cities Lab at Lehigh University on programming projects ranging from downtown beautification to business grants.
“They see what’s possible when you work together to build the Lehigh Valley,” Hackett said. “Every Main Street deserves a big future.”