Chris Martin, CEO of Martin Guitar, leads United Way’s 2024 fundraising campaign

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania – This year’s United Way fundraising campaign is expected to have a certain rhythm.

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley has announced that Chris Martin, executive chairman and former CEO of guitar manufacturer CF Martin & Co., will serve as chair of the United Way’s 2024 campaign.

The annual campaign actually runs through March 31, 2025, and has some lofty goals to meet. The most recent fundraising campaign in the Lehigh Valley raised a record $25 million.

Chris Martin, who stepped down as CEO of Martin in 2021, is the sixth generation of the Martin family to lead the company in the Nazareth area. Based in Upper Nazareth Township, Martin Guitar is known worldwide for its sound, design and craftsmanship.

“Chris Martin and the team at Martin Guitar are committed to quality and excellence in everything they do,” said Marci Lesko, executive director of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

“They are pillars of the community and we are honored to partner with them to build a better future in the greater Lehigh Valley. Their efforts over the next year will have a lasting impact on the health, safety and education of thousands of our neighbors in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.”

Martin Guitar and the nonprofit organization United Way have a long-standing partnership. CF Martin & Co. President and CEO Thomas Ripsam, who replaced Chris Martin, is a volunteer member of the United Way board of directors.

The latest campaign marked the 14th consecutive year, and the amount raised increased from the previous year, reaching about $175,000 in one way or another, according to United Way.