Articles

Conservation - whether you’re preserving historic character, community soul, or the natural world—can be at the heart of real estate development. It’s the key to local developer John Noble’s philosophy, and his newest project on Bethlehem’s South Side—the redevelopment of the Masonic Temple and historic Wilbur Mansion property on Wyandotte Street—is a beautiful example.

Stephan S. Tang, PHD has been the president and CEO of OraSure Technologies since 2018, though he joined the board in 2011—and has watched the company grow since he was a graduate student at Lehigh University in the 1980s. After he received his PhD in chemical engineering, he was manager of Lehigh’s biotechnology research center, where OraSure’s predecessor was in residence.

At Fig, we believe in the power of a community that works together to identify needs and find solutions —one that creates connections and is passionate about helping its neighbors. Each year, Fig partners with a nonprofit organization working to transform the community. Our 2021 Social Mission Partner is the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem. Please join us in supporting them.

“It's a combination of everything,” says Darin Carpenter, CEO of Justice Cannabis Co. (formerly known as Justice Grown), the parent company bringing cannabis dispensary Bloc Dispensary to Bethlehem. He’s talking about the philosophy that drives the business: creating dispensaries as inclusive community cornerstones. And operating with a culture of integrity and accountability, investing in communities, sustainable agriculture, and legal aid—expunging or sealing minor drug records—for those disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

“I had no building, no students, no faculty, no money, and here I was: the principal of a school” says John Petruzzelli, principal of Kolbe Academy. Still, Petruzzelli calls it “an easy decision” to assume the helm of the first faith-based recovery high school in the nation.

At Fig, we’ve taken a moment to look back, too pondering milestones in our lives that have defined who we are as individuals. We’ve selected objects that represent our own origin stories, and have featured some of them on the cover of this issue.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Olga Negron watched her mother and father, dedicated Rotarians, collect and distribute supplies to those in need of hurricane relief. Passionate community advocates, they raised money for neighbors in need. “Today I am who I am because of my parents,” she says. “They taught me service before self.”

The spirit of the holiday season is a spirit of generosity. We give gifts. We gather together (if only virtually) to share the bounty of our holiday tables. And in the Lehigh Valley, we band together to support those in need.

After a long career in emerging technologies, traveling the country in sales and marketing roles for Verizon, Microsoft, Palm, and various startups, Freedom High School graduate Amy came home to the Lehigh Valley to pursue a dream of creating a business that would help others

Foe Winston Alozie , CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem, it’s all about the kids. He knows from experience: he was a kid, 13 and new to Bethlehem from Shreveport, Louisiana in 2001.

Skip the big-box stores this year! Click over to a few of the businesses on this list a few things you love. Share the link with friends. Then visit safely in person or shop online this holiday season. However you do it, there's no better time to show the local businesses of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley that you care.

The spirit of the holiday season spurs us toward generosity. We give gifts. We gather together (if only virtually) to share the bounty of our holiday tables. And in our community, we band together to support those in need.