Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, growth in the e-commerce, logistics and transportation industries, which were already booming in the Lehigh Valley, has gone full tilt.

In charge of the agency that transports more than 8,000 people to work each day, and another 8,000 to schools, shops and doctor appointments, Owen O’Neil, executive director of the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority is keeping his eye on the road ahead.

The redevelopment of the old Crane Iron Works site in Catasauqua is one of 27 projects that will be receiving part of $30.2 million in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

Trans-Bridge Lines of Bethlehem said it will resume bus service on a limited basis starting Monday, June 8.

The trucking industry was already facing labor shortages, now the global pandemic is creating new challenges for drivers trying to keep supply chains open.

FedEx is looking to hire 400 workers for its Lehigh Valley hub in Allen Township. The company said it needs to meet a critical demand for service because of COVID-19.

E.T. Browne Drug Co., manufacturer of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula and Coconut Oil Formula skin and hair care products, said its East Stroudsburg-based manufacturing facility, Hayward Laboratories, has started producing sanitizer for immediate distribution, to address widespread supply shortages in the wake of COVID-19.

A Dallas-based developer bought a former restaurant supply store in Allentown for $1.5 million and plans to renovate it into an auto body repair and paint shop.

As companies look to the Lehigh Valley to move or expand headquarters and manufacturing operations, a key part of their decision-making is the question of workforce. If the workforce exists, that’s where they will go, and it’s a top reason many major companies recently announced plans to build in the region.

The auto industry has seen a lot of changes in technology as vehicles become more advanced, safer, and fuel-efficient. And it’s an industry that’s not without its challenges – from finding new skilled mechanics to adapting to changing consumer tastes, such as ride-share services and the nascent model of consumers buying cars from online businesses.