ABOUT AEDC

Allentown’s Champion for Redevelopment and Manufacturing

SINCE 1979

Founded in 1979, and based in a former Mack Trucks plant, Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that champions manufacturing in the City of Allentown. Throughout our history, we’ve been an early adopter of trends such as business incubation, co-working, and most importantly, a strengthening of urban manufacturing.

AEDC is comprised of Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, Urban Made, and Urban Sites Programs. These three core initiatives allow us to help businesses grow, receive the support they need, and find a home in Allentown.

On the corner of 10th and Harrison Street sits the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center. The incubator facility spans over 64,000 square feet, atop nearly two and a half acres of property dedicated primarily to manufacturing startups! Behind it sits Plant No. 1, a sprawling, 263,000 sq. foot building, which AEDC renovated in the early ’90s. Once a Mack Truck facility, the plant now holds multiple tenants and manufacturers. Across 10th Street is AEDC’s largest project currently undergoing redevelopment, the 20-acre former Allentown Metal Works. All three properties are in close proximity to the 8th Street Bridge, allowing for a prime view of the Queen City’s expanding skyline!

ALLENTOWN’S SOUTH SIDE FROM THE SKY

OUR MISSION

AEDC’s mission is to make Allentown the best place to grow a manufacturing business. We accomplish our mission through a range of activities:

  • Redeveloping vacant and underutilized industrial sites, returning them to productive use

  • Managing rehabilitated industrial properties to house the best employers in the city

  • Incubating businesses and cultivating the entrepreneurial ecosystem

  • Actively engaging with the city’s manufacturing businesses

  • Deploying economic development financing programs to drive business growth and physical improvement of the City’s manufacturing buildings