Have you ever walked along the Southside streets of Bethlehem and wondered why none of the businesses are empty or how they attracted huge businesses like the Bethlehem Sands Casino? Or how community gatherings like Allentowns Blues, Brews and Barbecue continue to attract sweeping business partnerships each year? If you ask the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, they will tell you that developing main streets make communities thrive and attract new businesses. But these main streets dont stay so beautiful on their own.
Thats why the Lehigh Valley Chamber Foundation, which serves as the charitable arm of the Chamber of Commerce, just issued its third community improvement grant this week. The grant, which will go towards improvements and business retention efforts, furthers the Lehigh Valley Chambers stated commitment to building communities around vibrant main street corridors.
These projects will enhance our main streets in the cities and in the boroughs, says the Chambers Assistant to the President Lorie Reinert. Our employees work with local business owners on anything to make these communities more attractive to business owners. From new benches and lampposts to farmers market banners to studies on parking.
The grant framework states that recipients must have a proposal revolving around a few key premises. Applicants must develop or improve existing civic, cultural, recreational, or industrial activities; assist in business retention, expansion, creation or attraction; promote the creation of jobs and employment opportunities; or enhance the health, welfare and quality of life of Lehigh Valley citizens. In the past, the Chamber Foundation have hung their hats proudly on such efforts and hope this grant will continue their success.
Our Borough Business Revitalization Program had 136 new businesses, 128 new jobs, 71 renovated facades, says Reinert. So even though these grants are often relatively small amounts of money, we can use them to leverage more money, like providing a 50-percent match to county governments or business owners to make these projects happen.
Source: Lorie Reinert, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
Writer: John Steele