Warehouses need to join Lehigh Valley community
They are everywhere along the Lehigh Valley’s main thoroughfares, whether Interstate 78, Interstate 476 or Route 22: low, massive warehouses. Like it or not, in the past decade, the Lehigh Valley has become a major distribution hub for shipments to New York, Philadelphia and points in between.
The advantages for corporations to locate warehouses and distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley are obvious: proximity to major population centers, excellent highways, affordable land and a pool of good workers. They have done so in droves; there are now hundreds of warehouses and distribution centers in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
In addition to their design and abundance, these huge buildings share one other feature: occupant anonymity. They are owned or leased by major national and international corporations, yet the names of those companies are nowhere to be seen. These are very big (in some cases multibillion dollar) companies, yet they are nearly invisible here.
The invisibility of these major companies in the Lehigh Valley extends beyond their buildings. I have attended countless local charity events in recent years, and the business supporters and donors consistently have been from the region’s “old line” companies. Were there business supporters and donors at these events from companies with distribution hubs in the Lehigh Valley? Only a very few and none on a regular basis. These corporations have a giant presence on the landscape but almost no presence in the fabric of our community.
It is time for distribution centers to join our community.
Since we make the corporations behind the warehouses and distribution centers better by sharing our location and our people, it is only fair that these corporations should make the Leigh Valley better by sharing their resources and their talent.
It’s called giving back.
A community is all about people. None of us reside in the Lehigh Valley by accident. We are here because it is a great place to live and to work. Among the elements that make it special is the willingness of neighbors to help neighbors, as they have since the time when the Valley was devoted to agriculture.
There are nearly 300 charitable organizations in the Lehigh Valley. These not-for-profit organizations benefit everyone in our community. Some offer community resources like parks, zoos, libraries and cultural events. Others help specific segments of our community: seniors, women, veterans, families and youth. Still others address specific needs, like food banks, emergency services, animal rescue and homeless shelters. Last but not least, there are those that tackle broad issues such as the environment, education and transportation.
Were someone to contact all these charitable organizations, I am sure every one of them would say they could use more resources, be they financial, professional or volunteer.
When I became the CEO of C.F. Martin & Co. in 1986, the company was struggling. We couldn’t afford to contribute to local charities. But I saw the benefits of community engagement. I started with a few personal donations to local organizations. As C.F. Martin & Co. returned to solid financial footing, the company began working with the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce to promote local tourism and preserve local heritage.
In 1996, C.F. Martin & Co. founded the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation to support nonprofit music, arts, education and environmental action groups. I am proud to say that in 2022 the foundation provided more than $400,000 in grants, primarily to Lehigh Valley organizations, and it will continue to give. In May, the foundation is sponsoring the Allentown Art Museum’s exhibition “Fashion as Experiment: The ’60s,” which captures the spirit of that tumultuous era and showcases the bold fashions that drove social and political change in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
In my view, the benefits of supporting local nonprofits have been priceless to C.F. Martin & Co. We have gained credibility, validated our core values, enhanced our reputation, boosted our employees’ pride in the company and provided our customers with another reason to trust Martin guitars.
I believe those companies with distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley will enjoy similar benefits by getting involved with local charitable organizations. All they need do is shed their invisibility and reach out. They will receive a warm welcome and everyone in the community will benefit.
One last thought. We all have heard billionaire captains of industry — including some whose companies have distribution hubs here in the Lehigh Valley — say they intend to give much of their fortunes to charity when they die. I have a suggestion for each of them: take a portion of what you intend to give to charity when you die and give it to charity now. By doing so you will help a lot of people and you will have the satisfaction of seeing and knowing the impact of your giving.