Trade and investment representatives met with Lehigh Valley business leaders on Sept. 19 as part of Bringing the World to Pennsylvania, a statewide event organized by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) and the Small Business Development Center at Lehigh University hosted the event.
“Bringing the World to PA provides Lehigh Valley companies with a chance to consult with experts about the potential to expand into new international markets,” Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, LVEDC vice president of business development and attraction, said. “It also provides the state’s global representatives with insight into what makes the Lehigh Valley such an attractive location for international business, so they can share that message as they are recruiting companies to come to Pennsylvania.”
The business leaders met with trade representatives from 13 countries, including Europe and Southeast Asia, to discuss opportunities for global growth. The daylong event included breakfast and meetings between companies and the trade representatives. It also included company tours.
Currently, the Lehigh Valley has more than 100 international companies, according to an article written by Paul Muschick for LVEDC. Those include the U.S. headquarters of Olympus Corporation of the Americas (Japan) and B. Braun Medical (Germany), which announced a $20 million expansion on Sept. 18. It is home to operations of global leaders like Mack Trucks (Sweden), Evonik (Germany), and Air Liquide (France).
Recently, Kervan USA, a Turkish candy maker, broke ground on a $20 million manufacturing and packaging facility.