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Eli Lilly and Company announces largest single economic development project in region\u2019s history<\/p>\n
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\u00a0A $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing investment by Eli Lilly and Company opens a new chapter in Lehigh Valley\u2019s long manufacturing story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The investment is the largest single economic development project in Lehigh Valley history, and the largest life sciences project in Pennsylvania history.<\/p>\n
Lilly<\/a>, a Fortune 100 company that produces breakthrough weight loss medications, will build 925,000 square feet over multiple buildings and create 850 new jobs at the Fogelsville Corporate Center near Interstate 78 in Upper Macungie Township.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, Eli Lilly and Company write the first page of a new chapter \u2013 the era of life sciences \u2013 in the Lehigh Valley\u2019s proud history of making things in America,\u201d Don Cunningham, President & CEO of\u00a0Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation<\/a>\u00a0(LVEDC), said at Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, where the record investment was announced by Lilly CEO David Ricks and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro before a crowd of about 200 local and regional government, company, education, and community leaders.<\/p>\n Lehigh Valley competed with more than 300 other locations across the country for Lilly\u2019s investment.<\/p>\n \u201cEli Lilly and Company is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the entire world, and they are a pride of this nation. They can choose to invest anywhere in this country and across the globe. They chose to plant their flag right here in Pennsylvania \u2026 right here in the Lehigh Valley,\u201d Shapiro said.<\/p>\n LVEDC played a leading role in Lilly\u2019s competitive site selection process, coordinating with state officials and convening local and regional partners to put together a plan to meet the company\u2019s infrastructure, utility, and workforce needs and ensure that the project can be completed on time.<\/p>\n The Governor thanked the local leaders, particularly Cunningham, for pulling together the key stakeholders.<\/p>\n \u201cDon, you did an outstanding job of bringing the folks from Upper Mac and everywhere else together to make this happen,\u201d Shapiro said.<\/p>\n Lilly chose Lehigh Valley because of the region\u2019s location, within a day\u2019s drive of one-third of the U.S. population; infrastructure, including utilities and direct access to Interstate 78; skilled workforce, 1.8 million people within an hours\u2019 drive; higher education system that can deliver a pipeline of future talent; favorable zoning and incentives; and a commitment by local, regional, and state officials to support the project, company leaders said.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone was committed to the same thing we were, which is building a high-quality facility, doing it the right way, providing great jobs for people in the region, and being involved in a growing industry in life sciences and life sciences manufacturing,\u201d Ricks said. \u201cAdditionally, the commitment to rapid permitting, availability of land, logistics and the ecosystem around us that really supports what we do, were really defining points in making this decision.\u201d\u00a0 Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania committed more than $100 million to the project: $50 million in tax credits, $25 million through a PA SITES grant for site development, and a $25 million Pennsylvania First grant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additional state funding will be provided to\u00a0Lehigh Carbon Community College<\/a>, which will play a key role in helping Lilly to build a talent pipeline by creating and expanding academic and workforce training programs in life sciences.\u00a0This includes updating science programs customized for biotechnology and advanced manufacturing careers and adding specialized equipment utilized in pharmaceutical operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis partnership is such a life-changing opportunity for our students. There are opportunities to earn family-sustaining wages. They will have careers they can spend a lifetime at. It\u2019s really changing our community residents\u2019 lives now and future generations,\u201d said College President Ann Bieber, who is a member of LVEDC\u2019s Board of Directors.<\/p>\n \u201cLilly\u2019s commitment to the Lehigh Valley and to Pennsylvania will bring billions of dollars of investment and hundreds of good-paying jobs, solidifying our position as a leader in the growing life sciences industry,\u201d Shapiro said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ricks said Lilly\u2019s mission starts with patients and delivering medicines they need.\u00a0The Lehigh Valley location will produce injectable medications used for weight-loss medications. Work on the campus could begin later this year and is expected to take several years to complete.<\/p>\n In December, Lilly became the first drugmaker to reach $1 trillion in market value, buoyed by sales of weight loss and diabetes medications including Mounjaro and Zepbound. The company\u2019s expansion here is part of its plan to grow manufacturing in the U.S., with\u00a0new facilities<\/a>\u00a0also planned in Virginia, Texas, and Alabama.\u00a0Since 2020, the company has committed to investing $50 billion in expanding its domestic production network.<\/p>\n Cunningham thanked Shapiro and his team for their leadership and understanding of what it takes to grow a state\u2019s economy \u2013 for the hard work, smart investment, and attention to detail it takes to compete and win high-value companies like Lilly.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly the state could deliver it. And Josh Shapiro and his excellent team did just that,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cThank you, Governor, for your leadership, commitment and partnership and thank you, Mr. Ricks, for your innovative company, amazing pharmaceuticals, and your confidence and investment in our corner of the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n New Era in Lehigh Valley\u2019s Manufacturing Heritage\u00a0<\/p>\n From the Moravians who established America\u2019s first industrial parks to Bethlehem Steel, once the world\u2019s No. 2 steelmaker, the Lehigh Valley\u2019s manufacturing legacy is entering the next industrial age where the life sciences play a critical role.<\/p>\n Lehigh Valley touts a growing concentration of life sciences companies, including the U.S. headquarters of\u00a0B. Braun<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Olympus<\/a>, and operations of\u00a0ThermoFisher Scientific<\/a>,\u00a0Sharp<\/a>,\u00a0Piramal Critical Care<\/a>, and\u00a0OraSure Technologies<\/a>, among others.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are more than\u00a0180 life sciences business establishments in the Lehigh Valley<\/a>\u00a0– manufacturing facilities, labs, research centers, offices, and distribution centers – that employ about 5,800 people. Employment in Lehigh Valley\u2019s life sciences companies has grown by about 35% over the last decade.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a growing part of the region\u2019s balanced, $56 billion economy where manufacturing leads the way.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s 700 manufacturers pump out $9 billion a year in Gross Domestic Product, making a diverse array of products including semiconductors, candy, and guitars. Pennsylvania\u2019s third largest market, Lehigh Valley manufacturing is a\u00a0Top 15% production center<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. based on GDP.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe punch above our weight class,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cToday that punch got stronger. We add major pharmaceutical production to our growing life sciences sector in the region.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Lilly_Announcement_Shapiro_and_Ricks_med.jpg\"\/)
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Ricks said Lilly\u2019s mission starts with patients and delivering medicines they need.\u00a0The Lehigh Valley location will produce injectable medications used for weight-loss medications. Work on the campus could begin later this year and is expected to take several years to complete.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Lilly_Announcement_Don_med.jpg\"\/)
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