The second annual StartUp Lehigh Valley event, which was held virtually this year on Nov. 18, brought together local business leaders, angel investors, industry experts, merchants, higher education representatives, students, community members and entrepreneurs.

Proceeds from the sale of the collectible diecast truck model will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation, which builds comfort houses near military and Veterans Administration hospitals where military and veteran’s families can stay for free while a loved one is in the hospital.

The virtual event, hosted by Hobbs and Jim Gerlach, president and CEO of GRCA, was attended by manufacturers, members of the business community, educators and others to discuss challenges and opportunities confronting the manufacturing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bethlehem’s OraSure has gotten the approval it needs for its saliva-based sample collection device.

Starting a new micro-brewery in the current competitive market would be a challenge for anyone, but throw in a global pandemic and there’s a whole host of obstacles to overcome. Those challenges aren’t dissuading Matt Andersen from his longtime dream of launching his own beer.

Mack Trucks said it has been awarded a contract with a cooperative purchasing agency for public and government agencies.

Saladax Biomedical, a company that makes drug monitoring tests, has announced its growing. The company, located in the Ben Franklin TechVentures in Bethlehem has hired eight new staffers to help it ramp up its production of a test used to monitor medication treatment for patients with schizophrenia.

“Neither of us have a background in the beverage industry,” she said. Lauden has a degree in psychology and Aemisegeo worked in pharmaceuticals. Couple that with the fact that they were perceived as “mompreneurs” they had difficulty getting any bottlers to take their calls. “Sometimes we’d have to have one of our husbands call so we’d get a call back,” she said.

A-Treat soda has had some unusual flavors during its more than 100-year history, with flavors ranging from grapefruit to blue. But its latest flavor isn’t a dig into its past, but a whole new treat.

Continuing to build on its development of its LR Electric refuse truck, Mack Trucks said it has delivered a pre-model of the truck to Republic Services to begin in-service trials.