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The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers Resource Center and ESSA Bank presented the 2026 Lehigh Valley Manufacturing Forum on Thursday, October 1 at the ArtsQuest SteelStacks Campus.

Featured Presentations Included:

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• Keynote: Thomas Ripsam, President & CEO, Martin Guitar & Co.
• Welcome to Northampton County: Tara Zrinski, Northampton County Executive
• What You Should Expect from Your Banking Partner: Mike McCarthy, SVP/Commercial Relationship Team Lead, ESSA Bank
• Manufacturing Trends in the Lehigh Valley: Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, VP of Business Development & Attraction, LVEDC
• Workforce Update: Denise Maiatico, VP, Public Policy & Government Affairs and Chamber Liaison to Workforce Board LV

• Legislative Update: U.S. Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-7) 

• Trends in AI for Manufacturing and Beyond: Shawn Furman, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy Manager, Manufacturers Resource Center

• 2026 Manufacturing Tax and Efficiency Insights: Jeffrey Chrin, Principal, CLA

• Managing Shop Floor AI: Chris Rawlings, CEO, BlueCloud Consultants

PLUS: The 2026 Lehigh Valley Manufacturer of the Year was awarded to: 

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Register for the manufacturing forum today!

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Thank you to our sponsors!