About LEA

The health of Easton, PA and Lafayette College depend on each other. Like other town and gown relationships across the country, unique challenges and opportunities exist. School or town administrators tend to lead efforts to bridge the town-gown gaps. What if college students stepped up and applied innovative, entrepreneurial ideas and action? Might students help build the capacity of local businesses to thrive, while also building the capacity of their peers to “buy local”?

Easton’s many small businesses confronted a new era of e-commerce and social media - even before Covid-19. Business owners struggled to keep up with new ways to connect with thousands of students-especially digital marketing. Many business owners asked, “What do students want and need? How do we connect?”

At the same time, students wondered, “Where can we find the goods, services and experiences we seek?”

When the pandemic hit, these questions amplified.

The Lafayette Easton Alliance, a student-led team, in partnership with the Dyer Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, formed in the fall of 2020 to explore these challenges and make a difference.

-The LEA Team