Field NotesStatewide Conference
The mentorship behind every Eastern PA storefront
Inside the one-on-one consulting relationships quietly turning business plans into open doors on Main Streets from Allentown to Stroudsburg.
Grow Eastern PA · Powered by Lehigh University SBDC and NEPA Alliance
Helping Eastern PAstart businesses, find funding, win customers, build brands, grow revenue, create jobs, adopt AI, and grow.
Grow your ideas. Grow your business. Grow your community.
Grow Eastern PA is the community's front door to business support across 18 counties across Eastern Pennsylvania — free, sustained, place-based consulting for every stage, powered by over 100 combined years of expertise with the Lehigh University SBDC and NEPA Alliance.
Free · Every stage · In your community · Walk-ins welcome
This Project was financed by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
01 / The Front Door
Your Entry Point to the Ecosystem
Anyone building something in Eastern PA belongs here. We connect you to the right partners across the region — lenders, chambers, municipalities, universities.
02 / Place-Based Presence
In Your Community, In Your Language
Physically present across 18 counties and accessible in multiple languages by design. Walk in, call, or meet us where you already work.
03 / Your Anchor
Sustained, Relationship-Based Consulting
Longer engagements. A consistent consultant. Your pace. We stay in the relationship as your business grows through every stage.
What stage are you?
Take the 5-min assessment →Find Your Community
Look for your town.
See who's in your corner.
From Allentown to Stroudsburg, Reading to Jim Thorpe — Grow Eastern PA has a partner in your neighborhood. Search your town, borough, or township below to see the SBDC team already working in your community.
127+ communities served · 18 counties · 4 partners
Communities we serve
Click a community or county to see who serves it
Who serves your area
Lehigh
County seat · Allentown
Communities in this county
AllentownBethlehemEmmausMacungieFountain HillCoopersburgSlatingtonWhitehallCatasauqua
Your local partner
Lehigh University SBDC
Free, confidential business consulting for entrepreneurs and small businesses across Lehigh County — walk-ins welcome at outreach locations, virtual meetings available anywhere.
Don't see your town? The network still serves you — reach out and we'll connect you to the closest advisor.
127+
Communities
18
Counties
1
Region
Meet the Directors
Four leaders.
One regional mission.
The Grow Eastern PA network unites four Small Business Development Centers — Lehigh, Wilkes, Scranton, and Kutztown — with experienced directors working directly with entrepreneurs across all 18 counties.
Center DirectorBrett SmithLehigh University SBDC
Center DirectorDorothy LaneWilkes University SBDC
Center DirectorLisa Hall ZielinskiUniversity of Scranton SBDC
Center DirectorJacqueline EscobarKutztown University SBDC
Free
Always, for every client
Every Stage
Idea to expansion
18 Counties
Berks · Lehigh · Northampton · Carbon · Monroe · Schuylkill · Luzerne · Lackawanna · Lycoming · and more
45 Years
Lehigh University SBDC expertise
Regional Dispatches
View Archive
WorkshopSummer Series
What's changing for founders this year
From shifting AI search to new funding programs — the working sessions where regional operators meet the consultants who know the playbook.
Let's grow, together.
Whether you're testing an idea, opening the doors, or planning what's next — a consultant is ready to sit down with you. Free, in your community, at your pace.
Free · Every stage · In your community · Walk-ins welcome