On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, we celebrated a milestone years in the making: the official launch of the Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership (the Partnership).
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia (the Chamber) is proud to play a central role in fueling this effort, which is directly aligned with our strategic plan and vision to make Greater Philadelphia a top global destination for business and a leader in inclusive growth. The Chamber will provide staff support and contribute $4 million in annual activity currently allocated to its economic competitiveness programs to fuel the Partnership’s work.
This new regional, business-led initiative brings together economic and workforce development leaders across all five Southeastern Pennsylvania counties to address two core challenges facing our region: sluggish job growth and declining economic mobility for residents.
The Partnership will do this by expanding capacity to grow quality jobs at scale, establishing a shared focus on opportunity industries, and aligning employer workforce needs with talent pipelines.
The launch of the Partnership has been highlighted in the media across the region, including:
The Philadelphia Inquirer covered the launch extensively, highlighting how the Partnership is bringing together regional companies including Wawa, Essential Utilities, Jefferson, and Independence Blue Cross behind a shared goal of creating more middle-class jobs — and noted Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens’ observation that the Partnership “brings together groups that, frankly, have competed at times, for jobs, for business, for funding. But this is different. It asks all of us to move together.” Inquirer Editorial Board member Daniel Pearson also referenced the Partnership in his Shackamaxon column, noting its focus on reversing regional stagnation by growing middle‑class jobs in key industries.
The Philadelphia Business Journal reported on the formation of the Partnership and the coordinated regional growth strategy backing it, underscoring what makes this effort distinctive: for the first time, the business community, philanthropy, workforce systems, and public sector are aligned around a shared playbook.
WHYY called the Partnership “a new regional business coalition launched to help reverse years of slow job growth and make the Philadelphia area more nationally competitive,” and noted Partnership Executive Director Claire Marrazzo Greenwood’s commitment to action: “We’ve spent several years doing the data-driven planning and strategy development work to get this right. So now we have to put it into action.”
Through Mainline Media News, local publications including The Pottstown Mercury, The Daily Times, The Reporter, The Times Herald, and The Daily Local News brought the story directly to communities across the five-county region. Delaware County Council Chair Richard Womack captured the spirit of the moment: “This partnership recognizes that our counties are interconnected and stronger when we move forward together.”
Technical.ly covered the Partnership’s launch and founding investments as part of its ‘Money Moves’ series, noting it has already “secured $5.4 million to support the first three years of building up programming.”
Learn more at www.greaterphlgrowth.com, and follow the Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership on LinkedIn for updates.
