Allentown, PA – Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger joined local leaders to continue the Shapiro Administration’s statewide “Main Street Matters” tour and highlight Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed investments in our Main Streets, small businesses, and local communities. As part of the Governor’s proposed 2024-25 budget that puts forth a bold vision to create economic opportunity all across Pennsylvania, Secretary Siger visited small businesses in downtown Allentown’s business district.

Governor Shapiro and Secretary Siger are visiting with small business owners across the Commonwealth to hear their stories and learn about what they need from their state government to be successful. The Governor and his Administration worked to address the most pressing challenges small business owners face during his first year in office and continue to build on this progress with his Main Street Matters proposal.

“Main Streets Matter – and if we want to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania, support entrepreneurs, and create good paying jobs, then we’ve got to make sure our communities have healthy, vibrant Main Streets lined with shops and small businesses,” said Secretary Siger. “Governor Shapiro’s $25 million investment into the Main Street Matters program will give Pennsylvania communities a much-needed resource to make their main streets better places to live, visit, and work.”

Governor Shapiro’s proposed Main Street Matters program will be administered through DCED and will build on the existing successes of the current Keystone Communities Program in supporting downtowns, main streets, and surrounding neighborhoods. It will provide for a refresh of the current structure to address a wide variety of needs throughout communities and invest in their revitalization and future prosperity.

During his visit to downtown Allentown, Secretary Siger and local leaders met with the owners of Zahra, a restaurant specializing in Middle-Eastern cuisine, the DaVinci Science Center, the Allentown Vision Center and Sterner’s Stems.

“The Main Street Matters program is a commitment to the revitalization underway across Pennsylvania’s diverse communities, including our own Hamilton Street in Allentown,” said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk. “As one of the Commonwealth’s signature downtowns, we are grateful for Governor Shapiro’s support and his understanding that the vitality of our center cities is central to Pennsylvania’s innovation economy.”

“Our area is growing rapidly because of the investments that have been made by the Governor Shapiro Administration in our small businesses on Main Streets all over Lehigh County,” said Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong.

The Main Street Matters tour builds upon Governor Shapiro’s commitment to create a stronger economy across Pennsylvania. Since day one, Governor Shapiro and his Administration have been working aggressively to make Pennsylvania a leader in innovation and economic development and create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians. Last month, Governor Shapiro and DCED Secretary Rick Siger launched the Commonwealth’s first Economic Development Strategy in nearly two decades — building on the Shapiro Administration’s work to make Pennsylvania a leader in innovation and economic development and to create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.

The Governor’s 2024-25 budget calls for significant investments directly tied back to this ten-year strategy and issues a strong call to action for partners across all sectors to join in with their support.

In addition to the $25 million for the Main Street Matters program, other proposed economic development investments in the Governor’s budget include: $500 million in PA SITES funding to bring more commercial and industrial sites to Pennsylvania; $20 million to support large-scale innovation and leverage Pennsylvania’s best-in-class research and development assets; and $3.5 million to create and launch the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Competitiveness Challenge to incentivize regional growth.

Read Pennsylvania’s first economic development strategy in 20 years here. For more information on how the Governor’s proposed budget will create opportunity for all Pennsylvanians, visit Governor Josh Shapiro’s Budget wesbite.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Penny Ickes, dcedpress@pa.gov

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