Grace in the Heartland: Investing in Knowledge to Strengthen York County’s Future

A week-long training experience brings new insight, stronger strategy, and long-term value back to York Count

“This past month, I had the opportunity to attend the Heartland Introduction to Economic Development Course, an intensive, week-long training from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. that covered the full scope of modern economic development. The curriculum included business retention and expansion (BRE), workforce and talent development, entrepreneurship, finance, real estate and RFIs, site selection, housing strategies, community development, ethics, and disaster preparedness and response.

One of the most valuable takeaways for me was gaining a deeper understanding of BRE as a core driver of economic growth. This experience reinforced that our regular visits and conversations with York County businesses are not just relationship building efforts, they are strategic. By actively listening to manufacturers, small businesses, childcare providers, healthcare leaders, and entrepreneurs, we are able to identify gaps, anticipate challenges, and align resources to support retention, expansion, and long term community competitiveness.

The course also strengthened my understanding of site selection and development, including how developers evaluate communities, respond to RFIs, and analyze project feasibility. This gave me a clearer perspective on the work YCDC is already doing and how we can better position York County when competing for new business investment. Sessions on workforce, housing, and entrepreneurship also showed how connected everything is and how important it is to approach economic development as a full ecosystem.

From an ROI perspective, this training directly strengthens our ability to make data informed decisions, build stronger relationships with businesses, and proactively support growth across multiple sectors. It also helps ensure that our strategies align with regional and national best practices, making York County more competitive for both talent and business attraction.

Beyond the content, I had the opportunity to connect with economic development professionals from across the region, building relationships that will continue to add value to our work. I am very grateful to Lisa, the YCDC team, and the Executive Committee for the opportunity to invest in this experience and bring that knowledge back to support York County.

Grace Staehr”