Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Forum 2025: Celebrating Innovation and Economic Growth in the Region
Manufacturers Resource Center
October 2, 2025
The Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Forum 2025, held on October 1 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley, emerged as a signature event recognizing the region’s manufacturing excellence. Co-presented by the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and ESSA Bank & Trust, this forum aligned with Manufacturing Day, drawing an exciting crowd of industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders.
Lehigh Valley’s Manufacturing Renaissance: A Strategic Vision in Action
The Lehigh Valley’s strong economy is the product of purposeful collaboration and the result of savvy leadership across public and private sectors. By aligning workforce development, technological innovation, and strategic economic policies, the region has transformed its manufacturing landscape. This approach was highlighted at the forum, where attendees learned how educational institutions like LCTI and local colleges are creating targeted training pipelines, economic development organizations are attracting diverse manufacturers, and local leaders are proactively addressing workforce challenges. The data tells a compelling story—37,000 manufacturing jobs, a 28.8% job growth since 2010 (three times the national average), and an average manufacturing wage of $84,000. This isn’t just economic growth; it’s a blueprint for sustainable regional development that other manufacturing communities can learn from, demonstrating how strategic collaboration can revitalize an industrial ecosystem.
Workforce Insights, Building a Skilled Future
Nancy Dischinat, Executive Director
Workforce Board Lehigh Valley:
The presentation by Nancy Dischinat. Executive Director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, unveiled a compelling narrative of the Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing workforce, revealing critical insights that challenge and inspire. With precision, she highlighted that manufacturing represents 12% of the region’s total employment—significantly higher than Pennsylvania’s 9.4% average—and has experienced remarkable growth, adding over 6,000 employees between 2014 and 2024, with a total growth rate of 20.6% over 15 years. Her most striking revelation was the workforce demographics: 30% of manufacturing workers are aged 55 and older, signaling an urgent need for workforce renewal. This data point underscores the region’s critical challenge and opportunity—engaging younger workers through innovative training programs, with only 6% of workers currently in the 19-24 age range. Dischinat’s presentation wasn’t just a statistical overview, but a call to action for strategic workforce development, emphasizing the importance of high school workforce centers and targeted recruitment strategies to sustain the Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing momentum.
Tax and Efficiency Strategies
Jeffrey Chrin, CPA, EA.
CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
Jeffrey from CLA provided a comprehensive overview of tax strategies that can significantly benefit manufacturers in 2025. His key insights focused on several critical areas of tax relief and efficiency: Research and Development (R&D) Expensing: The new law permits full expensing in 2025, allowing companies to deduct previously capitalized R&D expenses. This provides manufacturers with substantial tax savings and the flexibility to strategically manage their deductions. Business Interest Expense Deductions: The tax law reverted to pre-2022 rules, allowing businesses to add back depreciation, amortization, and depletion when calculating adjusted taxable income. This change provides more favorable deduction opportunities for leveraged manufacturers. Bonus Depreciation and Section 179 Expensing: The law extends 100% expensing for qualified production property, with Section 179 expensing increased to $2.5 million. This allows manufacturers to immediately expense investments in facilities and equipment, reducing upfront costs and supporting business expansion. Qualified Business Income Deduction: The 20% deduction for pass-through entities was made permanent, with expanded phase-out ranges for higher-income businesses. Jeffrey emphasized that these tax strategies are not just about immediate savings, but about creating long-term financial flexibility for manufacturers to invest in growth, technology, and workforce development.
AI Innovation
Rick Seibert, Global CIO, Senior Vice President
Sharp Packaging Services
Rick Seibert’s presentation on AI innovation offered a pragmatic, nuanced exploration of artificial intelligence’s potential in manufacturing. As a pharmaceutical services executive, he approached AI with a regulated industry’s careful lens, demonstrating that transformative technology must be implemented strategically, not just chased as a trend.
Seibert highlighted three key AI applications at Sharp Packaging Services:
1. Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Streamlining back-office operations like purchase order processing and invoicing
2. Large Language Models (LLM): Assisting in complex investigation processes by mining quality management system data
3. Vision Systems: Using optical character recognition to enhance document inspection and reduce manual review time
His most compelling insight was the importance of a business-led, technology-supported approach. By partnering with the Manufacturers Resource Center for training and adopting a continuous improvement methodology, Seibert’s team demonstrated that AI’s true value lies not in wholesale replacement of human work, but in augmenting human capabilities.
The presentation was a pragmatic guide to AI implementation: acknowledging the technology’s potential while maintaining a critical governance perspective that prioritizes scalability, accuracy, and meaningful business outcomes.
Economic Trends
Don Cunningham, President & CEO
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC)
Don Cunningham’s presentation painted a vivid picture of the Lehigh Valley’s economic transformation, positioning the region as a manufacturing powerhouse that defies national trends. With the region generating over $55 billion in gross domestic product—more than three entire states—Cunningham highlighted a remarkable economic narrative.
Manufacturing stands at the heart of this success, representing 16% of the region’s output compared to the national 12%. The sector has achieved extraordinary growth, with a 28.8% job increase since the Great Recession—three times the national average. This isn’t just statistical success, but a testament to strategic economic development.
Cunningham showcased the region’s diverse manufacturing ecosystem, from Mack Trucks and semiconductor production to food processing and life sciences. Key recent developments include international companies like GFM from Germany establishing their first U.S. facility and the Cary Group bringing food and beverage production to the area.
The “Made in Lehigh Valley” campaign symbolizes more than marketing—it’s a declaration of the region’s industrial identity. By highlighting manufacturers like Crayola, Martin Guitars, and emerging tech companies, Cunningham demonstrated how targeted collaboration between businesses, educational institutions, and economic development organizations can create a robust, innovative manufacturing landscape.
Energy Investments
Jason Hunt, Manager of Business and Economic Development
PPL Corporation
Jason Hunt’s presentation illuminated the critical intersection of energy infrastructure and manufacturing growth, revealing the complex challenges and strategic investments shaping the region’s power landscape.
Highlighting a surge in electricity demand driven by technological advancements—from AI systems to electric vehicles and automation—Hunt underscored a pivotal moment for industrial energy consumption. The PJM capacity market’s dramatic price increases (eight-fold from 2024-2025) signal a transformative period in energy economics. (PJM is a regional transmission organization that operates the wholesale electricity market)
PPL’s strategic response is multifaceted: a $7 billion grid investment through 2028, implementing smart grid technologies that have already prevented over 3 million outages, and advocating for legislative solutions to ensure long-term energy reliability. Hunt’s key message was proactive collaboration–urging manufacturers to engage early about expansion plans and explore energy efficiency opportunities.
The presentation went beyond technical details, positioning energy infrastructure as a critical economic development tool. By streamlining interconnection processes, offering rapid feasibility assessments, and providing rebates for energy-efficient upgrades, PPL is positioning itself as a strategic partner in manufacturing growth.
Hunt’s core insight: reliable, affordable power is not just a utility service, but a fundamental competitive advantage for Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector.
Legislative Support
Congressman Ryan Mackenzie
Congressman Ryan Mackenzie’s legislative update offered a targeted approach to supporting manufacturing through strategic policy interventions. Focusing on tax relief, workforce development, and regulatory reform, he outlined concrete legislative actions designed to empower manufacturers.
Key legislative achievements included full expensing for domestic R&D, 100% bonus depreciation for qualified production property, and increased Section 179 expensing limits to $2.5 million. These measures provide immediate financial relief and incentivize capital investments in manufacturing infrastructure.
Mackenzie emphasized workforce development as a critical priority, highlighting the expansion of Pell grants to cover technical education—a transformative move recognizing the value of career and technical training. This approach directly addresses the skills gap by making technical education more accessible and financially viable for young workers.
His presentation underscored his understanding of manufacturing’s challenges: reducing tax burdens, clearing regulatory obstacles, and creating pathways for skill development. By advocating for policies that support both businesses and workers, Mackenzie positioned legislative support as a strategic tool for maintaining the Lehigh Valley’s manufacturing competitiveness.
The congressman’s message was clear: targeted legislative support can be a powerful catalyst for sustaining and growing the manufacturing sector’s economic vitality.
Manufacturer of the Year Award – Precision Roll Grinders
Rich Hobbs, President & CEO, Manufacturers Resource Center
Ed Gumina, President & CEO, Precision Roll Grinders
The Manufacturer of the Year Award segment transcended a simple recognition, embodying the Lehigh Valley’s commitment to manufacturing excellence and innovation. Rich Hobbs’ presentation of the award to Ed Gumina of Precision Roll Grinders was a powerful narrative of precision, resilience, and regional industrial prowess.
Precision Roll Grinders emerged as a hidden champion of manufacturing, capable of grinding rolls up to 50 feet long and 140 tons, with tolerances as precise as 20 millionths of an inch—200 times thinner than a human hair. This level of precision touches industries ranging from paper and food production to energy and batteries, illustrating how specialized manufacturing drives global production.
Hobbs’ personal connection—noting that PRG was once a supplier of his prior manufacturing company—added a deeply personal dimension to the award. This full-circle moment symbolized the interconnected nature of the region’s manufacturing ecosystem and the generational knowledge transfer that sustains industrial innovation.
The award celebrated more than technical capability; it recognized Precision Roll Grinders’ commitment to community, workforce development, and continuous improvement. By highlighting a company that combines technical mastery with social responsibility, the award underscored the Lehigh Valley’s holistic approach to manufacturing success.
Ed Gumina Keynote: Leadership and Culture Excellence
Ed Gumina’s keynote was a blend of humility and strategic vision, positioning Precision Roll Grinders as the Lehigh Valley’s “best-kept secret” with global impact. He reframed the company’s narrative from a technical manufacturer to a critical enabler of global production, emphasizing that their precisely ground rolls literally “shape the materials that shape our world.”
Gumina’s leadership philosophy centered on three key elements:
1. Continuous Investment: Recognizing the owners and shareholders who consistently invest in the company’s vision and growth
2. Team Dedication: Highlighting the team as the “heart of the business”
3. Community Collaboration: Acknowledging the critical support from local resources like the Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturing Resource Center, and educational institutions
His presentation transcended a typical corporate speech by connecting the company’s technical precision to broader economic and social impact. By showcasing how their rolls touch industries from chocolate and cereal production to batteries and turbines, Gumina illustrated how specialized manufacturing drives global innovation.
The keynote was less about celebrating an award and more about demonstrating how strategic leadership, technical excellence, and community engagement can transform a local manufacturer into a global force. Gumina effectively communicated that Precision Roll Grinders’ success is not just about grinding rolls, but about precision, commitment, and continuous improvement.
A Signature Event!
The 2025 Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Forum was more than an event—it was a powerful testament to the region’s strategic economic vision. By bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, educators, and innovators, the forum illuminated meaningful insights and valuable connections — further establishing itself as a must-attend event for the region’s industrial base.
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