By Robin Fitzpatrick

I recently went down a rabbit hole.

It all started when I received an email from Dr. Wesley Doll, Superintendent at Upper Adams School District. He asked if I could help him update some data on a PowerPoint he uses every year to orient new district employees.

That was all it took. The word “data” hooks me every time! Down the rabbit hole I went. I logged onto our very own Alliance website, AdamsAlliance.org, and clicked on our Adams Intel button. One thing led to another, and like a detective hot on a trail of clues, I was utterly fascinated and immersed. And it was all Adams County-related!

Dr. Doll needed demographic information about our residents and workforce, Adams County’s median wage and biggest industries. Together, the data paints a picture of our community, where his school district’s employees work and where students may one day form Adams County’s future workforce.

As I gathered the data and got back to Dr. Doll, I thanked him, saying that I very much appreciate the fact that he relies on me for something so important, year after year.

This got me thinking about additional people with whom we work at the Alliance: loan customers, start-up businesses, elected officials getting to know their constituency, and on and on. So many things to learn and apply. So much market research. So much intel!

In terms of start-ups, we’ve heard from people pondering all kinds of businesses in Adams County over the years. Until recently, there wasn’t one comprehensive source for all the data they needed to complete their business plans, in preparation for their meetings with the Small Business Development Center at Shippensburg University—our region’s wonderfully knowledgeable, no-cost small business consultants.

But today, there is indeed a one-stop data shop—not only for start-up market research, but also for our loan customers, elected officials, countless other professionals, even residents or curious folks who want to become Adams County residents or business owners. It’s at the public’s fingertips, and we don’t spend enough time sharing this great news, making sure the public knows there’s a ton of data available for their use.

I am talking about Adams Intel, the magic button I used on our website. It truly leads to a treasure trove of data, arranged in fun, colorful pie charts, graphs, maps and images. This makes the data come to life, beyond the numbers, translating it into data we can visualize.

For example, have you ever wondered if there are markets NEEDED in Adams County?  Great information can be gleaned from a few clicks around fastest-growing industries, underrepresented industries, top clusters and even opportunity clusters. This hits home (no pun intended)! The need most identified for this area is (ding, ding!)… a home center. Furniture retailers followed suit. Conversely, Adams County far exceeds the nation in our number of fuel dealers! Fascinating stuff.

It’s important to note that Adams Intel presents the facts—the many positive attributes of Adams County, along with its weaknesses (read: opportunities).

How do we get the data powering Adams Intel? The Alliance partners with a Canadian-based company, LocalIntel. We are proud to say that the Alliance was the first economic development organization in Pennsylvania to offer this cutting-edge data, beginning in 2018. Since then, co-founder and CEO Dave Parsell has helped hundreds of communities across the globe gather and present their data in similar ways.

Consider this your personal invitation to give Adams Intel a try. Have fun! And check it regularly, because it’s constantly updating, changing and evolving.

And if you do find Adams Intel’s data useful, feel free to email me ([email protected]) and tell me how you used it. Who knows, I may showcase your story, business or organization in a future column, just like Dr. Doll.

However, I do need to share a warning: Adams Intel may lead you down a fascinating rabbit hole of data. In a good way!

Robin Fitzpatrick is President of Adams Economic Alliance, which comprises three organizations: The Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC), the Adams County Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) and the Adams County General Authority (ACGA). Follow us on Instagram (@adamscountypa) Twitter (@AdamsAlliance), Facebook (Facebook.com/AdamsAlliance) and LinkedIn (Adams Economic Alliance).

This column originally published in the Gettysburg Times, October 10, 2024.