The premier black tie gala benefiting The Chamber’s Main Street Lehigh Valley Foundation! (See PG. 4 for more information)
President & CEO
Tony Iannelli........................................610-739-1513
President & Chief Executive Officer tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org
Assistant to the President, Chamber Foundation, Nonprofit & Business Partners Council
Lorie Reinert........................................610-739-1597
Executive Director, Chamber Foundation and Nonprofit & Business Partners Council Liaison lorier@lehighvalleychamber.org
Member Relations, Marketing & Sales
Frank Facchiano...................................610-739-1515
Chief Operations Officer, EVP, Member Relations frankf@lehighvalleychamber.org
Gina Martens.......................................610-739-1511
Senior VP, Member Relations ginam@lehighvalleychamber.org
Alison Pickel........................................610-739-1512
Senior VP, Member Relations, Veterans & Military Council alisonp@lehighvalleychamber.org
Paige Nicholas ....................................610-737-0565 VP, Major Events & Small Business Council Liaison paigen@lehighvalleychamber.org
Ellie Andino..........................................610-739-1000 Director, Communications & Design elliea@lehighvalleychamber.org
Bailey Muhl.........................................610-349-9776 Member Relations Manager baileym@lehighvalleychamber.org
Sofia Groves ........................................610-802-2380 Coordinator, Member Relations sofiag@lehighvalleychamber.org
Joseph Groves......................................610-349-8226 benefits@thechamberhealthmarketplace.com
Government Affairs & Business Matters
Leo Rooney...........................................610-739-1642
Vice President, Government & External Affairs and Producer, Business Matters leor@lehighvalleychamber.org
Isabelle Jabbour..................................610-810-6412
Assistant Manager, Government & External Affairs isabellej@lehighvalleychamber.org
Diversity Councils
African American Business Leaders Council, Hispanic Chamber, LGBTQ Business Council, Women’s Business Council, Young Professionals Council
Danielle Joseph...................................484-226-0128 Executive VP, Diversity Councils daniellej@lehighvalleychamber.org
Brittany Keal.......................................610-295-9824 Vice President, Diversity Councils brittanyk@lehighvalleychamber.org
Hannah Stott........................................484-668-0390 Manager, Diversity Councils hannahs@lehighvalleychamber.org
Sabrina Olivo.......................................484-547-8970 Manager, Diversity Councils sabrinao@lehighvalleychamber.org
Chambers of Commerce
Allentown Area Chamber & Downtown Allentown Business Alliance
Brittney Ciardi ....................................484-828-9765
Senior VP, Allentown Initiatives brittneyc@lehighvalleychamber.org
Vaughan Bryant...................................484-226-6323 Manager, Allentown Initiatives vaughanb@lehighvalleychamber.org
Liz Martin ............................................484-834-9693 Allentown Chamber Associate lizm@lehighvalleychamber.org
Bethlehem Chamber & Downtown Bethlehem Association
Tammy Wendling................................610-739-1775
Senior VP, Bethlehem Initiatives tammyw@lehighvalleychamber.org
Claire Boucher.....................................610-349-2180 Manager, Bethlehem Initiatives claireb@lehighvalleychamber.org
Ty Versocki............................................610-739-3385
Manager, Downtown Bethlehem Association tyv@lehighvalleychamber.org
Evelyn Caron........................................610-810-7841
Assistant Manager, Downtown Bethlehem Association evelync@lehighvalleychamber.org
Easton Area Chamber, Phillipsburg Area Chamber, Forks Business Association
Caitlin Hamlin......................................610-739-1520
Manager, Easton & Phillipsburg Area Initiatives caitlinh@lehighvalleychamber.org
Erin Laubach.........................................484-264-6630
Assistant Manager, Easton & Phillipsburg Area Initiatives erinl@lehighvalleychamber.org
Affiliated Chambers (East Penn, Emmaus Main Street Partners, Hellertown-Lower Saucon, Greater Northern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh, Western Lehigh, Whitehall, Nazareth Area, Greater Northampton Area)
Jessica O’Donnell-Gower....................610-573-4010
Executive VP, Affiliated Chambers, Northern Tier and Easton & Phillipsburg Initiatives jessicao@lehighvalleychamber.org
Elyse Cuttic...........................................484-834-7868
Assistant Manager, Affiliated Chambers (GNACC, HLSC, NACC & WACC) elysec@lehighvalleychamber.org
Hayden Rinde .....................................484-828-9777
AVP, Affiliated Chambers (EMSP, EPCC, SLCC & WLCC) haydenr@lehighvalleychamber.org
Emily Brosky .......................................610-739-1273
Coordinator, Affiliated Chambers (EMSP, EPCC, SLCC & WLCC) emilyb@lehighvalleychamber.org
Northern Tier (Carbon County and Pocono Area)
Kylie Adams-Weiss .............................484-548-4090
SVP, Carbon Chamber & Economic Development kyliea@lehighvalleychamber.org
Sarah Wallace.......................................484-547-8551
Director, Pocono Chamber sarahw@lehighvalleychamber.org
Sierra LeFurgy......................................610-295-9047
Assistant Manager, Pocono Chamber sierral@lehighvalleychamber.org
Lindsey Dedics.....................................484-280-3024 Coordinator, Pocono Chamber lindseyd@lehighvalleychamber.org
Accounting & Billing Department
Dawn Werkheiser................................610-751-4980
Chief Financial Officer dawnw@lehighvalleychamber.org
Tina Marte............................................610-739-5422
VP, Finance & Quality Processes tinam@lehighvalleychamber.org
Rose Caras............................................610-739-1612
Finance & Database Manager rosec@lehighvalleychamber.org
CHAMBER BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Tom Groves, Equinox Benefits Consulting Chair, The Chamber
It’s been a frigid winter so far but we are about a month away from Spring! We can look forward to winter holidays like Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, the start of Lent, St. Patrick’s Day, and a return to Daylight Savings Time. And between now and Spring we have a bunch of Chamber activities and events to keep us busy like The Chamber’s Snow Ball on Saturday, February 22, and a Women’s business Council Wellness Expo Tuesday, February 18, The Young Professionals Council Leadership Summit on Friday, February 21, The International Women’s Day Celebration on Friday, March 7, The Bethlehem State of the Schools Update on Wednesday, March 26, The Easton Mayor’s Breakfast on Tuesday, March 18 and the incredible Lehigh Valley Mayors / Municipal Officials Reception on Thursday, March 27. Information on all of these and many more events is available at LehighValleyChamber.org. Please check out the online calendar
and select an event or two to attend. When you get there, connect with your network of Chamber friends, or look for a staff member or Ambassador, who will happily guide you. Chamber Ambassadors serve as volunteers at events and are some of our most outgoing members. And events are just a part of what we do. The Chamber offers volunteer opportunities, other network building opportunities, advertising and marketing opportunities and so much more. If that’s not enough, being a Chamber member is also a great way to make a difference in the development of your community through engagement with your local chamber or valley wide business council board. Your Chamber has many ways to get involved as a member or an employee of a member. Stay warm, be careful driving in the snow, and don’t overdo it while shoveling. For you winter loving, snow crazy, lovers of skiing: have a blast!
Chair, Tom Groves, Equinox Benefits Consulting
Tony Iannelli, The Chamber, President & CEO
Vice Chair, Laurie Hackett, Air Products
Treasurer, Jeff Berdahl, RLB Accountants
Secretary, Bret Ludlow, Liquid
Counsel, Buddy Lesavoy, Lesavoy Butz & Seitz LLC
Imm. Past Chair, Mary Lisicky, Morgan Stanley
Danielle Adams-Wiltshire, QueenSuite
Paul Anthony, IBEW 375
Krista Berardelli, Agentis Plumbing
Michael Butz, Alvin H. Butz, Inc.
Luis Campos, City of Easton
Dorota Gasienica-Kozak, The KingSpry Law Firm
Lou Fromm, Fromm
Murtaza Jaffer, EBC Printing & Signs
Marilyn Kelly-Cavotta, PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
Andrew Lawler, Barry Isett & Associates
Buddy Lesavoy, Lesavoy Butz & Seitz, LLC
Donna LoStocco, First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union
Thursday, February 6
4-5pm - Maximize Your Membership - A Member Benefits Review! (Free Event)
5-7pm - Networking Social at B Social (Free Event)
February 8
12-5pm - Historic Downtown Bethlehem Chocolate Trail
12-4pm - Emmaus Soup Crawl
February 10
5:30-7:30pm - Galentine's Day presented by the Women's Business Council
10am-3pm - Chamber Member Headshot Day
11:30am-1pm - "Time is Money" - A TwoPart Small Business Financial Planning Event Part 1
February 13
5:30-7:30pm - Somos Latinas Galentine's Day hosted by the Hispanic Chamber
, February 15
10:30am-12pm - Nowhere Coffee Co. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Free Event)
February 18
11am-1pm - Healthy Mind, Healthy Life: Finding Balance in Every Space presented by the Women's Business Council
8:30-10am - Sure-Fix Remodeling Open House & Breakfast (Free Event)
4-6pm - The State of Lehigh County Address with Executive Phillips Armstrong (Free Event)
February 21
7:30am-12pm - Leadership Summit presented by the Young Professionals Council Sunday, February 23 -
March 1
Penn Restaurant Week
February 22
6-10pm - The Chamber Snow Ball 2025 Thursday, February 27
11:30am-1pm - Sharp Manufacturing Luncheon Tour
5-7pm - Economic Empowerment Series Part V presented by African American Business Leaders Council
Greater Northampton Area Restaurant Week
March 5
4-8pm - Dine & Donate at McDonald's for Southern Lehigh Chamber Scholarship
Friday, March 7
11am-1pm - International Women's Day presented by the African American Business Leaders Council, Hispanic Chamber and Women's Business Council
Monday, March 10
10-11:30am - Legislative Roundtable: Enhancing Pennsylvania's Business Competitveness
Wednesday, March 12
11:30am-12:45pm - "Time is Money" - A Two-Part Small Business Financial Planning Event Part 2
Sunday, March 16
2-5pm - Lucky Bucks Bingo presented by Emmaus Main Street Partners and The Emmaus Historical Society
March 17 - Tuesday, March 18
8am-4pm - The Chamber's Inagural Simulator Golf Tournament at Art of Flight Bethlehem
Tuesday, March 18
7-9am - Easton State of the City & Breakfast with Mayor Sal Panto Wednesday, March 19
5:30-7:30pm - Headshot Happy Hour at Galen Glen Winery
Thursday, March 20
7:30-9:30am - Southern Lehigh Municipal Update
9am-12pm - New Manager Academy Virtual Training Begins
March 27 5-7:30pm - Mayors and Municipal Officials Reception
2 0 2 5 m h l e h e m ,
LEHIGH VALLEY ECONOMIC REPORT
Dr. Kamran Afshar, Chamber Chief Economist
The Chamber’s Finance Committee 610-691-3272 • ka@kaa-inc.com
Are we burdening future generations with a $35 trillion—and growing— national debt?
The national debt has soared to $361 trillion, at almost 121% of the nation's GDP. While this figure is staggering, it remains slightly below the record high of 133% reached during the second quarter of 2020 amidst the COVID-19 crisis. That emergency, significant as it was, pales in comparison to the extraordinary demands of World War II, during which the national debt never exceeded 121% of GDP. In 1980, the debt level was 31% of the GDP, and the interest on the debt was 1.84% of the GDP. By 1991, debt levels rose to 59% of the GDP, and its carrying cost rose to 3.16%, the highest percentage in the last 70 years. Between 1994 and 2001, the debt as a percentage of GDP declined to 51% before beginning to rise again in 2002. Projections for interest payments in 2025 surpass 3% of GDP. In the 21st century, national debt as a percentage of the GDP soared to 70% by 2008.
And then, the Great Recession happened, punching up the debt to 104% of the GDP by 2016. Debt as a percent of GDP continued to rise slowly until the COVID pandemic of 2020, which exploded the debt up to 133% in the 1st quarter of 2020. Could we go bankrupt due to the large size of our debt, which almost happened to the Greek economy during the Great Recession? The answer is unless it is self-inflicted, it is impossible. Our debt is in US dollars, and as the Germans proved in the 1920s, as long as you can print, bankruptcy in your own currency is not the issue. The issue, as was also discovered by the Germans, was the subsequent hyperinflation of billions of percent. Greece was looking at possible bankruptcy because their debt was in Euro, and they couldn’t print as much as they used to in decades past when their debt and national currency were in Drachma2.
Even absent the German-type hyperinflation, there is still a huge danger of high inflation when printing money for any reason other than accommodating economic growth, as many of our South American neighbors discovered in the last century. Let's examine the process behind accumulating national debt: the government borrows money by issuing IOUs in the form of bonds, notes, and bills. Consequently, those who lent the government money now possess those
IOUs. Who are these people? Foreign entities own a quarter of the national debt, and the rest is owned by US public and US government agencies3.
So, while it is true that we are passing a massive debt to future generations, we are also leaving them interest-earning, government-issued, AAA-rated assets that could prove invaluable if repayment ever becomes an issue!
Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
First Generation Communications
Janine Birch
410 Allentown Drive Allentown, PA 18109 610-437-4300 www.firstgencom.com
Artists, Studios & Galleries
Children's Art Classes
Peter Nation Orefield, PA 18069 610-546-0250 www.childrensartclasses. com
Hawaii Fluid Art Lehigh Valley
Virginia Ellen 3325 Hamilton Boulevard Allentown, PA 18103 484-623-5230 www.hawaiifluidart.com
Assisted Living, Indepen-
dent Living, Nursing Homes, Memory Care, Personal Care
Country Meadows of Bethlehem Kaleena Poyer 4035 Green Pond Road Bethlehem, PA 18020 610-865-5580 www.countrymeadows.com
Millbrook HomeCare
Terry Weber 47 West Water Street Hellertown, PA 18055 610-838-1700 www.millbrookhomecare.com
Rittenhouse Village At Lehigh Valley
Jennifer Swinsburg 1263 South Cedar Crest Boulevard Allentown, PA 18103 610-628-2093 www.RittenhousevillageAtLehighValley.com
Banks, Credit Unions & Loans
Chase Easton
Rebecca Hofsaess 1510 Sullivan Trail Easton, PA 18040 610-295-0542 www.chase.com
Carpentry
Eastern Atlantic States
Regional Council of Carpenters
Kevin Lewis 1803 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 267-618-3416 www.EASRCC.org
Chiropractors
C.A.R.E. Chiropractic Center
Judith Ackerman 3621 Eberhart Road Whitehall, PA 18052 610-264-2222
Coffee and Tea, Coffee Roasters, and Coffee shops
Let's Go Coffee Company
Mandy Siess 358 Main Street, Unit B Emmaus, PA 18049 610-392-8423 www.letsgocoffeeco.com
Attorneys, Judges & Legal Services
Miller Thielen, P.C.
Amy Miller 101 South Richmond Street Suite B Fleetwood, PA 19522 610-944-1959 www.omtlawfirm.com
Automobile Repairs, Services & Detailing
Allied Automotive
Adam Rath 5580 Quince Road Allentown, PA 18106 610-351-0020 www.alliedautomotiveservice.com
Consignment & Thrift Stores
Style Encore
Julie Simmons 1898 Catasauqua Road, #1 Allentown, PA 18109 610-419-3890 www.Style-EncoreAllentown.com
Construction Management & General Contractors
Veteran Grains
WIlliam Brader 4915 Lower Macungie Road Macungie, PA 18062 610-618-6063 www.veterangrains.com
Consulting Services & Training
CDR Consultants LLC
Brenda Robinson 306 South New Street Bethlehem, PA 18015 484-937-2569 www.brendarobinson.info
Counseling and Therapy
Move Forward Counseling, LLC
Charlotte Leckow 100 Keystone Avenue, Suite 1 Emmaus, PA 18049 717-462-7003
www.moveforwardpa.com
Dentists, Oral Surgeons & Orthodontists
Century Dental Associates
Laura LaSavage 17 South 6th Street Stroudsburg, PA 18360 570-420-9332 www.centurydentalsmiles.com
Extraordinary Smiles
Sandip Ladani 4955 PA-873 PO Box 74 Schnecksville , PA 18078 610-799-0600 www.extraordinarysmiles.net
Early Childhood Education
Learning Blossoms Academy LLC
Daisy Polanco 10 North 11th Street Allentown, PA 18101 484-350-3553
Employment Services, Screening & Staffing
Goodwill Keystone Area
John McHenry 2151 Linglestown Road, Suite 300 Harrisburg, PA 17110 717-232-1831 www.yourgoodwill.org
JobConnection Services
Ted Denman 512 W Hamilton Street, Suite 102 Allentown, PA 18101 610-597-5304 www.jcsfamily.com
Fitness, Gyms & Personal Training
Club Pilates Allentown
Michelle Craciun 917 Airport Center Road Allentown, PA 18109 610-203-4500
www.clubpilates.com
Food Products, Services & Supplies
Enescorp International
Dan Sharif 175 Cesanek Road Northampton, PA 18067 908-963-8111 www.enescorp.org
Foundations
Every Ribbon Counts
Susan Mattes Bostian Nazareth, PA 18064 610-417-2448 www.everyribboncounts.com
Grocery, Convenience & Meat Stores
Costco Wholesale
Eddie Honrado 791 North Krocks Road Allentown, PA 18106 484-273-7064 www.costco.com
Health & Wellness Products and Services
Blue Zones ProjectAllentown
Brooke Griffiths 520 Hamilton Street, Suite 170 Allentown, PA 18101 610-248-7845 www.bluezonesprojectlehighvalley.com
Pennsylvania Integrative Clinical Services
Deborah Harris 41 Community Drive Easton, PA 18045 610-438-5827 www.lehighvalleyadultservices.com
Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House
Anthony Stover 3925 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-387-8406 www.philarmh.org
Ribbons of C.A.R.E.
Alecia Fegley 4901 Churchview Road Zionsville, PA 18092 484-904-6048 www.ribbonsofcare.org
Home Healthcare
Kellez Care Providers LLC
Tisheena Kelly P.O. Box 873 East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 804-721-3582 www.kellez.com
Hotels, Lodging, Bed & Breakfasts
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & SuitesAllentown Dorneyville
Harshila Patel 3620 Hamilton Boulevard Allentown, PA 18103 610-437-9255 www.hiexpress.com
Information Services Technology & Cyber Security
Odocam Ziba Ebrahimian 1010 Hamilton Avenue Suite 420 Allentown, PA 18101 310-654-0394 www.odocam.com
Insurance
Optavise
Edwin Aquino P. O. Box 44 Whitehall, PA 18052 866-675-5210 www.optavise.com
Landscape Architects, Contractors, Designers & Supplies
LandCare
John Mraz 1820 North Dauphin Street Allentown, PA 18109 610-842-5934 www.landcare.com
Land-Tech Enterprises, Inc.
Jackie LaCross 3084 B. Bristol Road Warrington, PA 18976 215-491-1470 www.landtechenterprises.com
Lighting Controls & Supplies
Lehigh Valley Holiday
Lighting
Brian Thompson 7366 Lone Lane Coopersburg, PA 18036 610-467-7995 www.lehighvalleyholidaylighting.com
Manufacturers
TCI Mobility, LLC
Steven Hoffman 230 Bossardsville Road Sciota, PA 18354
954-788-7111 www.tcimobility.net
Moving Services & Self Storage
Stowaway Self Storage IV
Kris Kline 1095 Route 22 West P.O. Box 66 Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
908-859-4660 www.stowawayselfstorage.com
Network Security
NEPA Business Technologies
James Becker 1192 West Main Street Suite 201 Stroudsburg, PA18360 272-201-6201 www.nepabiztech.com
Pet Sitting & Training Services
Beyond Behavior Dog Training
Tatem Forsberg Allentown, PA 18103 805-857-1401 www.beyondbehaviordogtraining.com
Promotional Products
PromoShop
Lisa Folts
Easton , PA 18042
424-394-0526 www.promoshopinc.com
Real Estate Agents, Brokers and Other Services
Weichert RealtorsEaston
Carrie Perrucci 3010 William Penn Highway Easton, PA 18045 610-252-6666 www.weichert.com
Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy
Industry Health Solutions
Alex Mateo 840 Harleysville Pike, Suite 4 Harleysville, PA 19438 267-389-9218 www.ihspts.com
Tails of Valor Paws of Honor, Inc.
Heather Lloyd P. O. Box 127 Coopersburg, PA 18036 267-733-7294 www.tailsofvalor.org
Restaurants, Bars & Cafes
3pc Chicken & Oa Donuts
James Jones 3690 Lehigh Street Whitehall, PA 18052 484-588-9446
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
Sara Madsen 750 North Krocks Road Suite 208 Allentown, PA 18106 610-366-9701 www.acfp.com
Old School Sandwich Company
Michael Geary 7535 Windsor Drive, # 106 Allentown, PA 18016 610-481-9184 www.oldschoolsandwichcompany.com
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
David Desai
2411 Schoenersville Road Bethlehem, PA 18017 484-282-2020 www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com
Roofing, Siding & Gutters
Valley Peak Roofing
Gunnar Smith
3005 Broadhead Road Suite 105
Bethlehem, PA 18020 484-602-6863 www.valleypeakroof.com
Safety & Protective Equipment Distributors
Delta Defense l USCCA
Will Hoffert 6720 Stone Drive Germansville, PA 18053 610-663-7523 www.usconcealedcarry.com
Salons, Spas, Makeup & Massage Services
Cindy's Hair Designs
Gracinda M. DaSilva 220 Main Street Hellertown, PA 18055 610-838-8330
