by Amy Unger, Bo Koltnow WFMZ69
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company is building a manufacturing campus in the Lehigh Valley, a multi-billion-dollar project that promises to create hundreds of new jobs.
Eli Lilly Chair and Chief Executive Officer David Ricks was joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and several state and Lehigh County leaders in making the announcement Friday morning at the Da Vinci Science Center in downtown Allentown.
Lilly is purchasing a site on Main Street (Old U.S. 22) in the Fogelsville section of Upper Macungie Township to build what will be its first manufacturing center in Pennsylvania. The property, known as the Fogelsville Corporate Center near Adams Rd. and I-78, is currently undeveloped agricultural land owned by David Jaindl.
Plans call for 925,000 square feet of manufacturing space across multiple buildings. The project is expected to create 850 jobs over the next five years.
According to the governor's office, Eli Lilly's $3.5 billion investment is the largest by a life sciences company in state history. It's also the largest single economic development project in Lehigh Valley history, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) said.
"I meant what I said, the fact that this is a company on the leadership of Dave Ricks, where they could place this facility anywhere in the globe, and yet they made a commitment to investing in the United States of America through these four sites," Shapiro said.
The company was wooed to the area thanks in part to a $100 million funding proposal from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
The DCED pledged up to $50 million in tax credits through the PA Edge Tax Credit Program, a $25 million grant through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites (PA SITES) Program, and a $25 million Pennsylvania First grant.
The state has also committed to providing a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) award of up to $5 million to Lehigh Carbon Community College to help create a workforce development training program that would serve as a talent pipeline for the company in the Lehigh Valley.
In addition, Lilly is receiving an assist from the PA Permit Fast Track Program, which was created by Gov. Shapiro in November 2024 to streamline the permitting process for economic development and infrastructure projects that are deemed priorities.
“Before I took office, Pennsylvania wasn’t even in the conversation for major investments like this, but thanks to our work to cut red tape, invest in site development, and expand our workforce, our Commonwealth is now competing – and winning – on a national scale," said Shapiro. "Lilly’s 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.”
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