By Kaycee Kemper – This column was originally published in the Gettysburg Times, May 10, 2018
My colleague Robin Fitzpatrick and I could not have been prouder: At the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association’s (PEDA) biannual conference in April, Adams County was in the spotlight for one of the keynote sessions! We will be even more excited when local, regional and national contacts can begin using the tools that were highlighted at the conference!
With the debut of our new website earlier this year, we decided to further expand our online resources. We are partnering with LocalIntel, a company that offers a catalog of online economic development tools that are built a-la-carte based upon an area’s (Adams County’s, in our case) needs and data. The Alliance’s LocalIntel tools will soon function as a microsite within our website.
As a preview at the PEDA conference, LocalIntel co-founder and CEO Dave Parsell demonstrated how our microsite showcases Adams County’s stats. We are the first county in Pennsylvania to offer these cutting-edge tools, in six areas:
- Story Map – providing Adams County’s story and advantages
- Business Climate – offering statistics, taxes, incentives and trends
- Industry Trends – providing research and performance
- Customers – with demographics, location and numbers
- Competition – analyzing location, size and employees
- Workforce – evaluating occupation, education and location
- Properties – searching those for sale or lease
- Additional Resources – including further assistance and contact information
We know that Adams County’s top three industries remain agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. Additionally, we have identified growth industries: health care, services, retail and plastics (within manufacturing). The LocalIntel tools will help contacts from these industries and others, compare the advantages and strengths of Adams County’s market with other sites. The tools bring together location and market data, GIS technology, powerful analytics and advanced-user experience.
Parsell, who has 15 years of experience in economic development and local government, has mastered how to identify and present information critical to business expansion and relocation decisions. Since launching, LocalIntel has partnered with 22 municipalities and two regions in North America, ranging in size from 5,000 people to 1.3 million including Seattle and Calgary.
Last May, the Smart Cities Council honored two start-ups, one of which was LocalIntel, for their commitment to providing solutions that help municipalities connect more effectively with the business community to spur economic development and innovation during Smart Cities Week in Silicon Valley.
Look for our announcement, coming soon, and get ready to explore the LocalIntel tools! We are so excited to unveil them and provide additional support to Adams County’s current and future business community.
