Case Study: Enhancing Economic Development with Syntaxia

The Client

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) promotes economic growth in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, by marketing the region's assets, forming strategic partnerships, and supporting business recruitment, growth, and retention. Their services include connecting regional businesses with financing programs, site selection assistance, workforce development in collaboration with local universities, market intelligence, and technical assistance in strategic planning and operational efficiency. Despite its small team of just 15 professionals, LVEDC is widely recognized as a leader among mid-sized EDOs, consistently delivering high-impact results in recruitment, retention, and regional marketing.

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The Challenge

LVEDC's success in driving regional economic growth had begun to strain its operational capacity. Despite a skilled and experienced team, there was growing recognition that current tools and processes might be limiting their ability to fully capitalize on emerging growth opportunities.  Recognizing the potential of technology and AI to enhance strategic execution, CEO Don Cunningham engaged Syntaxia to conduct an independent assessment and identify areas for improvement.

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The Discovery Process

Syntaxia conducted hours of extensive interviews with leadership, cross-departmental staff and external service providers to deeply understand LVEDC’s workflows, pain points, and aspirations. This process not only brought previously unrecognized challenges to light but also quantified the productivity costs of inefficiencies, providing a clearer understanding of their impact. Key examples include:

• Disjointed Systems: LVEDC staff were utilizing a fragmented technology landscape, with disparate systems for CRM, digital marketing, website analytics, event management, data analysis, and project management. This siloed environment resulted in inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and hindered the smooth flow of information.
• Data Silos: Accessing, integrating, and analyzing data from multiple sources was cumbersome, delaying critical insights and hindering informed decision-making.
• Manual and Time-Consuming Processes: Routine tasks, such as reporting and lead management, were consuming valuable staff time and increasing the risk of errors.
• Untapped Potential: Staff lacked full awareness of how modern tools, automation, and AI could transform their operations.

Through this collaborative discovery process, Syntaxia not only clarified these challenges but also helped LVEDC’s leadership recognize that meaningful improvements were within reach.

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The Solution

Based on their findings, Syntaxia developed a tailored strategy centered on ten key recommendations to address LVEDC’s inefficiencies and enable smarter, more productive operations. Examples include:

• Leveraging Generative AI to Automate Repetitive Tasks: Syntaxia identified opportunities to streamline processes such as content creation, reporting, and data validation, enabling staff to focus on higher-value initiatives.
• Designating Systems of Record: By clearly defining which tools would serve as the authoritative source for critical data, LVEDC could eliminate redundancies and maintain consistent, accurate information across platforms.
• Integrating Core Systems: Enhancements to CRM integrations and data workflows were proposed to improve information sharing, reduce manual efforts, and make systems more user-friendly.
• Centralizing Analytics: Syntaxia suggested adopting automated reporting tools to consolidate campaign performance data, enabling real-time insights and more effective decision-making.
• Modernizing Platforms: Transitioning to an industry-standard website platform was recommended to improve usability, lower hosting costs, and simplify updates, providing LVEDC with greater control over their digital operations.
• Improving Team Capacity: Targeted training programs were proposed to equip staff with the skills needed to maximize productivity and fully utilize available technologies

Syntaxia also provided a phased implementation roadmap that prioritized high-impact initiatives while balancing cost and feasibility, ensuring meaningful progress without disrupting LVEDC’s day-to-day operations.

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The Results

Syntaxia’s engagement provided LVEDC with a clear and actionable plan to transform their operations. By quantifying the productivity impact of inefficiencies and recommending targeted solutions, Syntaxia demonstrated how LVEDC could save a significant amount of person hours—effectively gaining the capacity of an additional full-time hire. This newfound efficiency enables the team to focus on higher-priority activities and deliver even greater value to the Lehigh Valley.

Key benefits include:

• Clarity and Direction: LVEDC gained a deeper understanding of their operational challenges and a practical roadmap to address them effectively.
• Efficiency Gains: Optimized workflows and the introduction of automation tools promise substantial time savings, reducing manual effort and allowing the team to redirect resources to more impactful activities.
• Expanded Capacity for Mission Delivery: The recommended tools and strategies equip LVEDC to more efficiently perform core functions, ultimately enhancing their ability to attract businesses and talent to the region and reinforcing their mission of fostering economic growth and opportunity for the community.

Syntaxia’s work empowers LVEDC to optimize its resources and enhance its impact without increasing headcount, reinforcing their position as a leading economic development organization.

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Conclusion

Syntaxia’s partnership with LVEDC demonstrates the power of thoughtful discovery, tailored solutions, and actionable insights. By identifying and quantifying the impact of hidden inefficiencies, and delivering a practical roadmap for improvement, Syntaxia has empowered LVEDC’s small but capable team to reallocate resources more effectively and continue delivering exceptional results for the Lehigh Valley.

CEO Don Cunningham highlighted the impact of Syntaxia’s work, stating:
“Syntaxia delivered exactly what we needed—a clear roadmap for enhancing our data and AI capabilities that’s already improving our day-to-day operations. Their insights are saving us valuable staff time, and we’re now better positioned to focus on serving our region instead of managing data. Working with Syntaxia has been a worthwhile investment, and we look forward to continuing our partnership.”

Ready to unlock new efficiencies and amplify your organization’s impact? Contact Syntaxia to discover how the strategic use of AI and the right technology choices can drive productivity and success for your team.

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Cover Photo: https://www.lehighvalley.org/lvedc-partners-with-new-local-news-website-on-survey-assessing-life-in-the-lehigh-valley/

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