The writer is president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation and former mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Some still think that Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania is part of the US rust belt. 

That cringe-inducing term goes back to Billy Joel’s popular song in the early 1980s — Allentown — inspired by our biggest city and nearby Bethlehem. Forty years later, this description couldn’t be further from the truth. 

In Lehigh Valley we proudly embrace our heritage which includes Bethlehem Steel, a symbol of US manufacturing that built the spines of bridges and skyscrapers, and ships and armaments that helped win two world wars. But since the company dissolved in the late 1990s, that tired reputation for rust remains difficult to shake. 

That’s despite the billions of dollars in redevelopment and creation of tens of thousands of new jobs on Bethlehem Steel’s former site, which is now home to industrial parks, apartments, a casino, shops, and a cultural campus dubbed SteelStacks. Today’s Lehigh Valley — a two-county region of nearly 700,000 people that includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — is a 21st century, diversified economy with manufacturing still at its heart.

To support our region’s continuing reinvention, and foster similar revivals in other parts of the country, whoever wins the 2024 election must put collaboration for the good of the nation before party politics.

From steel to semiconductors

Lehigh Valley is a leading US manufacturing centre, with the industry generating 16% of its GDP compared with 12% for the US as a whole. We have more than 700 manufacturers pumping out more than $8bn a year in everything from food and beverages to semiconductor technology and vaccines. Our globally recognised manufacturing brands include Mack Trucks, Crayola and Germany’s B Braun. Just this month, semiconductor developer and manufacturer Infinera announced plans to expand its local operations, with funding from the Chips and Science Act.

These activities pushed Lehigh Valley’s GDP above $50bn for the first time last year, more than the states of Vermont and Wyoming. This has been helped by our position in the middle of the north-east US, within a day’s drive of one-third of US consumers and an hour’s drive of a 1.7 million-strong workforce. 

Lehigh Valley’s revival over the 25 years since the end of Bethlehem Steel has been locally-led. We’ve built the infrastructure to reimagine legacy industries and retool our workforce. But its success has been helped by the federal government. 

More on the US 2024 election:

• Opinion | Where are the US Rust Belt's Harris signs?
• US's shifting FDI ambitions hit the election spotlight
• Opinion | US election puts FDI policies at stake

Hopes for a new White House

Many political pundits predict Pennsylvania voters will determine who wins the White House next week. The candidates are campaigning hard in Lehigh Valley, a swing region in a swing state. One of our counties, Northampton County, is a bellwether for how the country votes, having selected the winner in all but three presidential elections since 1912. 

Lehigh Valley’s growth has occurred as Democratic and Republican presidents have revolved through the White House. That’s been aided by our elected officials — national, state, and local — having long recognised the value of collaboration over party. They’ve worked together, with leaders in business, education, labour and other fields, to accomplish goals that benefit all. That’s why the winning party in the presidential election won’t change what’s happening in Lehigh Valley.

But what we do hope for from the new administration is stability and long-term commitment to the foundations of economic development. That includes infrastructure investment, job training and retraining, global co-operation and predictable tariff and tax rates. 

Dramatic and sudden shifts in policy and regulations based on political whims can be detrimental to economic growth. This is particularly relevant for international companies, including those considering investing in Lehigh Valley. Our region needs public officials to work as a team to identify needs and create solutions. One need is workforce development. That includes expanding apprenticeship opportunities, and career and technical schools, plus aligning school curriculums with skills that employers demand. The countries and regions that produce workers with the skills that the economy needs will win the economic growth battle. 

Efforts to prioritise and incentivise economic growth in particular sectors, such the Chips and Science Act, will help both the US and regions like Lehigh Valley which have the assets to expand the sector. 

While the party in the White House hasn’t mattered when it comes to the Lehigh Valley’s economic prosperity, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a stake in this election. We all do. It is imperative we put aside politics, and focus on the real issues of economic growth.

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