Measuring progress often means statistics. And don’t get me wrong—I love statistics as much as any economic development professional. But progress also means touching and impacting real lives—the very souls of our Adams County residents. And dare I say—economic development’s got soul, as well. As [...]
Fewer people believe in the American dream. The belief that anyone, from any background, can work hard and be successful in business, in life, in home ownership—including that proverbial white picket fence… it’s vanishing. Only 36% of voters believe in this rags-to-riches scenario, according to [...]
Community ties are a good thing, right? The New Year is always a natural time to reflect on our goals and lives, so I’m going to get a little philosophical with this column—but applied to Adams County of course! I was reflecting on the word [...]
There’s a lot to be said about women empowering women. It’s something we’ve always put into practice here at the Alliance, for the 24 years that Kaycee Kemper and I have had the privilege of working together! Kaycee has served as Alliance Vice President [...]
As we approach Veterans Day, there’s a lot to celebrate. Certainly, our veterans themselves are worthy of our recognition and gratitude. And in Adams County, there’s a growing grassroots movement known as VAN that is acting upon their gratitude and making real strides to help [...]
It’s not often—and that’s an understatement—that you ask a question, and everyone agrees on the answer. In this day and age, is anything “unanimous” anymore? Yes—apparently, we have found a unicorn! Findings from the Adams County Broadband Task Force were recently released, and 100% [...]
How often do you use the word “prep?” I’m prepping for a meeting. I need my prep time. We’re prepping for a great school year. To get prepped is a good thing. It means we’re preparing. But we’re so busy, we can’t take the [...]
What do you think of, when you hear the word “alliance?” I enjoy turning to the dictionary on occasion, to refresh or reset my understanding of words. Today, I decided to look up the definition of our organization’s one-word name, “the alliance.” Here’s what [...]
There it was, front page, top of the fold. What placement! Gleaming gold shovels and the requisite hard hat photograph. Big smiles from everyone. I wonder what they’re building… I intend to find out! But, here’s “the dirt.” By the time you see shovels [...]
Back in February, our column announced that plans were underway to launch a revolving loan fund to help Adams County’s small businesses get back on their feet following the pandemic. And now those plans are becoming a reality! Introducing the Spark Loan Program, designed [...]
