Job Training

The reason that a community invests in economic development is to create job opportunities for its citizens. Companies that wish to operate in Allentown do so because they believe that they can employ people with the skills required to do the jobs. We will partner with regional organizations like the Workforce Board Lehigh Valley to ensure that all people of Allentown can access training and acquire the skills they need to compete for jobs across the region. That means lowering barriers to deliver training, assisting with citizen engagement, and fighting to bring new resources to the effort.

Entrepreneurial Development

Entrepreneurs need many things to get their idea launched, and one of the most significant is a friendly government supporting their plans. Starting a business in Allentown should be easy, and our administration will dedicate resources to ensuring that ideas don't die by bureaucracy. Within the Department of Community and Economic Development, job descriptions will include neighborhood entrepreneurial development, and we will bring regional partners like Community Action Development Corporation, Allentown Economic Development Corporation, and Lehigh University's Small Business Development Center to the task.

Business Retention & Expansion

Existing Allentown businesses deserve recognition and credit for investing in Allentown and its residents. Economic Development 101 calls for a robust Business Retention & Expansion program, in which economic development officials make regular calls to local businesses to understand the challenges that they face. Many of the businesses in Allentown have never gotten a visit from the leader of the City, but Matt will make it a priority to visit businesses across Allentown to understand impediments to growth. These visits will help resolve the issues, allowing businesses to grow and hire Allentonians.

Business Attraction

Lehigh Valley has become an important economic development region in the United States, in part due to the work that Matt and the team at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation has done. Matt will leverage the relationships that he has developed over 12 years in the industry to make Allentown a key piece of the region's narrative. Key partners like LVEDC will have a ready, willing and able partner in the City of Allentown.

Real Estate Development

There are numerous opportunities across Allentown to redevelop former industrial sites, rehabilitate existing manufacturing facilities for new opportunities, and build for the city's modern economy. A mayor with an understanding of the real estate development process and who can work to bring resources to bear is critical to the continued revitalization of Allentown. Our administration will work to improve permit processing time, attract state and federal resources to the city, and improve the fundamentals to make Allentown an attractive place to invest.