The following are links and resources you might find helpful while looking into the Lehigh Valley Business Community.
• General Resources
• Financing
• State, Federal and Private Funding Sources
• PA Business Resources
• PA Business Incentives
• Other Local, State and Federal Offices - (taxes, licenses, others)
• International Business/Importing and Exporting
• Marketing Research, Demographics & Statistics
• Important Services/Programs
• Non-Profit Resources
• MBE/WBE Certification and Resources
• Greater Lehigh Valley Information
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
General Resources
Veterans - NaVOBA - National Veteran-Owned Business Association, NaVOBA unites current and future veteran-owned businesses by acting as the national voice for the veteran business movement; or US Small Business Administration (SBA).
Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights - United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Inventions - American Society of Inventors (ASI), ASI is a non-profit organization formed to bring inventors together and to educate them on protecting, developing, and marketing or licensing their invention.
Franchises - Small Business Administration (SBA)
Disaster Preparedness and Relief- SBA or PA Department of Health.
Entrepreneurs and business owners - US Small Business Administration, programs and services to help you start, grow and succeed a small business.
Better Business Bureau
Lehigh University Small Business Development Corporation
US Chamber of Commerce
American Chamber of Commerce Executives
Financing
Pennsylvania Angel Network (PAN) - PAN is a statewide organization designed to offer support to over 2,000 angels in the commonwealth. By increasing individuals' knowledge base through information sharing, PAN provides an opportunity to assist angels in making connections with companies and to make the most of those connections.
Community First Fund (CFF) - CFF creates lasting economic growth for the communities it serves by providing equitable financial services, technical knowledge, and advocacy for its customers.
US Small Business Administration (SBA) - SBA help Americans start, build and grow businesses. The SBA only lends thru other institutions.
Lehigh Valley Financing - Small Business Development Center of Lehigh University
State, Federal and Private Funding Sources
PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) - DCED and the Commonwealth offer business assistance to help organizations fund their projects or start a business, find a location, expand their business, or stay in Pennsylvania.
Grants.gov - is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards.
The Foundation Center- is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grant makers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust.
PA Business Resources
Governors Action Team (GAT) - is a single point of contact for businesses that are considering Pennsylvania as a site for a facility location or expansion.
Team Pennsylvania Foundation - is a system designed to bring buyers together with Pennsylvania suppliers of products and/or services. This service is offered at no cost to you through grants from the State and Federal governments.
PA Business Guide
PA Department of General Services (DGS) - it oversees procurement of goods and services for the state, expands opportunity for minority and women-owned businesses, and is responsible for purchasing or contracting for equipment, supplies and services for the Commonwealth, among other things.
PA Business Incentives
Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) - FTZs were created to neutralize negative U.S. tariff impact on products used by manufactures operating in the United States and to keep U.S. businesses competitive with businesses operating offshore or overseas.
Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) - is providing an opportunity to develop land with greatly reduced state and local taxes.
Other Local, State and Federal Offices - (taxes, licenses, others)
Child Care Licenses - or PA Department of Public Welfare.
Alcohol Licenses - PA Liquor Control Board (PLCB) - the PLCB is responsible for all licensing and retailing, as well providing an educational program on the effects of alcohol.
Zoning Information
Home Improvement Contractor Registration - the law requires that all contractors who perform at least $5,000 worth of home improvements per year register with the Attorney General's Office.
Professional Licensure - PA Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Professional licensing protects the health, safety and welfare of the public from fraudulent and unethical practitioners.
PA Department of Revenue
Internal Revenue Service
PA Department of Labor and Industry
Rural Development - United States Dept. of Agriculture, Rural Development, it is the mission of the USDA Rural Development to provide financial and technical assistance to rural individuals, families, communities, and businesses.
International Business/Importing and Exporting
US Export Assistance Center
PA World Trade Center
Kutztown University Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Marketing Research, Demographics & Statistics
@ResearchInfo.com
BizStats
Bureau of Labor Statistics
FedStats
Pennsylvania State Data Center
Statistical Resources on the Web
U.S. Census Bureau
Important Services/Programs
IRS e-News for Small Businesses
District Attorney: Bad Check Restitution Programs: An effort to combat this problem, the Bad Check Restitution Program has been organized to assist local merchants with bad check losses.
www.checkprogram.com/lehighcountypa
www.checkprogram.com/northamptoncountypa
Non-Profit Resources
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) - PANO is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania.
Lehigh Valley Score
MBE/WBE Certification and Resources
Pennsylvania Department of General Services - Learn about Pennsylvania's Minority & Women Business Enterprise certification program and its requirements and benefits.
Unified Certification Program
8(a) Business Development Program
Greater Lehigh Valley Information
Allentown: www.allentownpa.org
Allen Township: www.allentownship.org
Bethlehem: www.bethlehem-pa.gov and www.bethlehem.info and www.bethlehempaonline.com
Bethlehem Township: www.bethlehemtwp.com
Bushkill Township: www.bushkilltownship.com
Coal Region: www.coalregion.com
Easton: www.easton-pa.com and www.eastonNOW.com
Emmaus Borough: www.borough.emmaus.pa.us
Forks Township: www.forkstownship.org
Hanover Township: www.hanleco.org
Hellertown Borough: http://hellertownborough.org/
Jim Thorpe: www.jimthorpe.net
Lehigh County: www.lehighcounty.org
Lower Saucon Township: www.lowersaucontownship.org
Lower Nazareth Township: www.lowernazareth.com
Northampton County: www.northamptoncounty.org
Palmerton Borough: www.palmertonborough.com
Pen Argyl: www.penargylborough.com
Phillipsburg: www.phillipsburgnj.org
Poconos: www.800poconos.com/things-to-do/ski-snow-activities
Quakertown: www.rosetoborough.org/home.html
Upper Macungie Township: www.uppermac.org
Upper Saucon Township: www.uppersaucon.org
Warren County: www.co.warren.nj.us
Wilson Borough: www.wilsonborough.org
Wind Gap Borough: www.windgap-pa.gov
Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board: www.lvwib.org
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation: www.lehighvalley.org
Allentown Economic Development Corporation www.allentownedc.com
Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation: www.bethlehem-pa.gov/econ_dev
Easton Economic Development Corporation: www.eastonpartnership.org
Allentown Public Library: www.allentownpl.org
Bethlehem Area Public Library: www.bapl.org
Easton Area Public Library: www.eastonpl.org
Phillipsburg Public Library: www.pburglib.com
Ben Franklin Technology Partners: www.nep.benfranklin.org
Lehigh Valley Technology Network: www.lvtechnet.com
PennDOT (Traffic Updates): www.511pa.com/TravelConditions.aspx
Discover Lehigh Valley: www.lehighvalleypa.org
National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/
Pennsylvania Elementary Schools: http://elementaryschools.org/pennsylvania.html
Pennsylvania High Schools: http://high-schools.com/pennsylvania.html
Health Information
Mesothelioma awareness
Mesothelioma awareness