Partners for business, community and government.

That is the motto of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, as explained recently to members of the Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce.Jeffrey Box, president and CEO of NEPA, and Tom Pellegrini, vice president, business development services, were on hand for the presentation.Box said NEPA serves the seven counties in northeastern Pennsylvania: Carbon, Schuylkill, Monroe, Luzerne, Wayne, Pike and Lackawanna.The organization is a regional community economic development agency that provides invaluable services in business financing, governmental assistance, nonprofit grant-making activities, and transportation planning, among others, Box said.Among the topics Box discussed were the Partnership for Regional Economic Performance; Business Finance Center Loan Programs; SBA 504 Loans; NEPA Alliance Business Finance Corporation SBA 507 Loan Program; Procurement Technical Assistance Center; International Business Development; Business Development; Community Services; and Transportation Planning Services.Peter Kern, chamber president, said it was good to have NEPA on hand for the presentation."It's a great opportunity," Kern said. "There are challenges that are facing us."