Big news for BBRP Program: National Accreditation

The Borough Business Revitalization Program received another honor last week, as it received full accreditation as a National Main Street Program by the National Trust Main Street Center.  This is quite an honor - less than half of all Main Street Program's nationwide are awarded this designation.

The news also comes fresh on the heels of the announcement that the BBRP was the top performing regional Main Street program in Pennsylvania.  Additionally, it is our pleasure to welcome the Borough of Pen Argyl into the BBRP!  Pen Argyl just entered the program and is a perfect fit - we are absolutely thrilled to have them on board.

Rather than copy the whole press release, I pulled the quotes from Tony Iannelli (President & CEO of the Chamber), Don Cunningham (Lehigh County Executive) and John Stoffa (Northampton County Executive) because I think they really say it all.

From Tony:   “The BBRP one of the most critical components of our overall efforts to revitalize Main Street.  We believe that the private sector must play a role in urban redevelopment and are proud to have put over $100,000 on the street for the BBRP and other related projects.   We are committed to assisting our urban cores, both large and small, and the accreditation of the BBRP shows that urban revitalization is working in the Lehigh Valley.”

From County Executive Stoffa:  “This recognition speaks volumes about the commitment of the volunteers.  The program provides the tools, but it succeeds because of the vision and hard work of the community members.”    

From County Executive Cunningham:  "The Borough Business Revitalization Program has been a core component of Lehigh County's community development policy.  Although bigger projects often get more attention, it's the slow and steady improvement and revitalization of our smaller downtowns that create a sense of community and economic advancement throughout the entire Lehigh Valley.  Having the state’s and now recognition at the national level for the Lehigh Valley program's successes reinforces the fact that we have moved in the right direction."