About 2021 Festivities | Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival

June 4, 2022

Thank you for your support. See you next year!

B. Braun Medical Inc

Community engagement is fundamental to the culture of B. Braun Medical Inc. in Bethlehem, a leader in infusion therapy and pain management that develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products to the health care industry.

The company focuses its outreach on programs that champion children, human services, arts, and educational institutions, including Northampton Community College, which benefits from the generosity of B. Braun through its longtime sponsorship of the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival.

Robert Albert, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at B. Braun, who also serves as vice-chair of NCC’s Foundation Board, described the festival as an important community event that raises money for a very worthwhile cause.

“Students are able to receive a quality education at Northampton Community College and explore various career paths, but we know this opportunity isn’t available for everyone because of financial constraints,” Albert said. “The NCC scholarship program, supported by the Food and Wine Festival, offers an avenue for those students to achieve their goals.”

While students benefit from NCC’s scholarship program, the greater Lehigh Valley benefits from well-trained and educated students, according to Albert. “NCC offers a broad range of educational opportunity that not only enriches the lives of the students that graduate from NCC, but also the companies in and around the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos, and beyond,” he said.

The Lehigh Valley is home to a wide range of industries that require skilled employees to support them, particularly at this time. An institution such as NCC, which offers more than 100 programs and majors, graduates students qualified to fill a variety of jobs within those industries.

“NCC is instrumental in providing the skills necessary to support our local businesses,” Albert said. “I would encourage everyone to support the Food & Wine Festival and contribute to a great cause.”

CAPTRUST

When Northampton Community College’s Foundation board learned in 2010 it needed to create a new funding source in order to quality for some grant money, board member Mike Molewski rose to the challenge.

“We discussed it at a Foundation board meeting, and I suggested that we capitalize on Northampton’s excellent culinary program and do a food festival,” Molewski recalled. “It just seemed like a natural fit. And then we added wine and the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine festival was born.”

Molewski, a wealth management financial advisor and principal of CAPTRUST’s Strategic Advisor Group in Allentown, served as co-chairperson of the festival since its inception until this year, when he was named honorary chairperson. CAPTRUST has been a festival sponsor since the start, providing strong support for the event.

“It’s an important event because it raises money for students with needs that would otherwise go unmet,” he said. “Thousands of students have benefited from the festival and we’re glad to be able to support it.” Since its founding the festival has provided more than $2.1 million in scholarships.

Molewski noted a strong partnership between NCC and the Lehigh Valley business community, saying both students and businesses benefit when relationships are formed. “There have been a lot of connections made between the business community and students,” he said.

CAPTRUST, one of the largest registered investment advisors in the country, is intentional about supporting communities in which it’s located.

“We understand how important it is for our offices and our people to serve the needs of the communities we’re in,” Molewski said. “And a lot of our focus in on children and education, so Northampton is a great fit. We feel good about helping to provide opportunities for students who otherwise may not be able to stay in school. That benefits everyone.”

Fulton Financial Advisors

Fulton Bank boasts more than $25 million in assets and operates in five states, but it is very much a community-oriented institution.

“We benefit from the communities we serve, so serving those communities is a key tenet for us,” explained Chris Brown, senior vice president and commercial market executive for Fulton. “Reinvesting in the places we serve is an important part of our culture. We always strive to make our communities better.”

An example of the company’s commitment to the community is Fulton Financial Advisor’s sponsorship of the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine festival, an event that since its founding has raised more than $2.1 million in scholarships for Northampton Community College (NCC) students. Brown, who serves on NCC’s Foundation Board, said the college and its students are valuable assets to the greater Lehigh Valley.

“The college offers an unbelievable array of degree and non-degree programs that benefit the entire area,” he said. “Being able to access a qualified work force is critical for businesses and industries in the region, and NCC helps us be able to do that.”

Brown cited the college’s lineworker trainee program, a 12-week course that prepares students for entry level line work in the electrical or telecommunications industries, as an example.

“There’s a real need for workers in those industries and NCC is preparing students for these jobs,” Brown said. “The college has been a leader in developing customized training solutions to meet the needs of area companies. If we can be a partner in helping raise money for scholarships, we’re happy to do that.”

He is looking forward to this year’s festival, Brown said, and is excited to witness NCC’s continuing growth and success.

“It’s such a tremendous asset with very strong leadership,” Brown said about NCC. “I’m just proud to be a member of the Development Board.”

PSECU

Founded in 1934 by 22 state employees who pooled $90 of their assets to fund the startup, PSECU has always operated under the philosophy of “people helping people,” according to Donna White, community manager of PSECU’s Financial Education Center at Northampton Community College. Sponsoring the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival for the past seven years is just one way the credit union chooses to help.

“Sponsorship of the festival directly assists students at Northampton Community College, giving them the opportunity to further their educations that might otherwise have to be forfeited due to lack of financial resources,” White said. “By assisting students, we hope to help strengthen the well-being of the entire community.”

Harrisburg-based PSECU, which serves more than 480,000 members, operates financial education centers on both NCC’s Bethlehem and Monroe County campuses and offers financial wellness workshops and other resources for students. All NCC students, faculty, and staff are eligible for membership in the credit union, which provides surcharge-free ATMs, free checking, and other benefits.

“We offer financial resources that are vital to the overall development of students in our community,” White said.

NCC’s ability to provide accessible education through in-person and online classes creates opportunities for students who might have a difficult time obtaining post-secondary learning elsewhere.

“NCC makes it possible for students to learn with day, evening and weekend classes,” White said. “The community looks to NCC for opportunities that students and their parents might not otherwise have.”

She noted NCC’s wide array of program offerings and the abilities it provides for students who want to further advance their educations.

“With transfer agreements with more than 100 colleges and universities and more than 100 programs for students to choose from, the college is an important asset to this community,” she said. “PSEC is proud to support it.

Viamedia

Viamedia, an independent cross-media advertising company with locations in more than 70 cities nationwide, including Bethlehem, has evolved tremendously since its founding in 2001, but its commitment to social responsibility at the corporate level has remained steadfast.

“It’s important to Viamedia to be a good community partner, and corporate social responsibility starts at the local level,” said Dan Walsh, Divisional VP, Cross Media. “The Food & Wine Festival is one of Northampton Community College’s largest fundraisers, so it makes perfect sense for us to be an annual sponsor of the event. It’s an opportunity for us to give back to the area we serve.”

Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, Viamedia places more than one million ads – including OTT, digital advertising, mobile, and social – a day for video partners in 28 states across more than 60 markets nationwide. The company works constantly to develop innovative product and service offerings to meet the always-changing advertising needs of its customers, explained Walsh, and needs skilled employees to succeed.

He noted the festival, which since its inception has raised more than $2.2 million to assist NCC students, benefits not only those students but the greater Lehigh Valley. “The scholarships students receive as a result of the festival enable them to obtain educations they may not have access to otherwise,” he said. “Those educations provide students with critical skills that local employers, including Viamedia, seek in employees. A highly trained workforce benefits the entire community.”

Walsh said NCC offers affordability and convenience to both recent high school graduates and adult learners seeking to gain news skills.

“The Lehigh Valley is fortunate to have NCC as part of the community, providing one of the most cost-effective college tuitions in Pennsylvania,” he said. “The college has an outstanding faculty and staff that are committed to helping each student succeed.”