BEDCO requests $20,000 from Northampton County GPA to sustain South Bethlehem KIZ program

At the May 6, 2025 meeting of the Northampton County General Purpose Authority, Sean Ziller and Alex Miller of the Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO) presented an update on the South Bethlehem Knowledge Industry Zone and requested $20,000 in primary-partner funding from the Authority’s budget.

Sean Ziller, deputy director of economic development for the City of Bethlehem and executive director of BEDCO, and Alex Miller, economic development coordinator, described the KIZ as a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED) program created to spur entrepreneurship and commercialization around urban centers with nearby colleges. They said the zone supports start-ups younger than eight years in targeted industries such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences and software, and that an advisory board of public, private and educational stakeholders helps prioritize grants and services.

Miller said the zone’s current programming includes tech-transfer grants for product development and marketing, an internship reimbursement program that places students from local institutions, access to a fab lab at Northampton Community College for prototyping, and state-administered tax credits based on year-over-year revenue growth. He noted KIZ companies may be eligible for up to $100,000 in state tax credits in a year and said seven companies applied and were granted awards on April 30. Miller said BEDCO has funded about 200 internships, awarded approximately $1.5 million in tech-transfer grants since 2004, and helped enroll roughly 120 businesses; the KIZ tax-credit program has supported more than $9,000,000 in awards (state-administered) over time.

Miller told the Authority, "We're requesting 20,000 in primary partner funding." He explained that in prior years the County had provided $40,000 during the pandemic period and that the current request of $20,000 is intended to maintain a reserve to support companies emerging from local colleges and universities amid uncertain funding from other primary partners.

Northampton County was represented on the KIZ advisory board by a county member (Marek) who participates in advisory funding decisions, the presenters said. Pam (board member) asked Treasurer Ron whether the requested funds would come from the GPA budget; Ron confirmed they would, and Charles (board member) suggested the Authority formally take up the request at the June meeting so the full Authority could consider it with the budget context. Several members expressed agreement with that approach and the chair concluded there was consensus to place the request on the next meeting agenda.

No formal vote was taken at the May 6 meeting on the $20,000 request. BEDCO representatives emphasized that the funds are primarily to sustain access to internships, small grants and shared maker space services that help early-stage companies move toward revenue and larger state-administered supports. The presenters also described local success stories—Mesomatic, Lord and Lily, Soltech and a new enrollee, Seagal Technologies—where KIZ support helped companies secure partnerships, awards or leases in the PIE incubator. BEDCO said it plans to consider a small inventory-financing revolving fund as a new program to address borrowing constraints for small product companies.

Authority members asked that the $20,000 request be added to the June 3, 2025 agenda with the Treasurer’s confirmation of the requested appropriation line; staff will present the request formally at that meeting for consideration.