A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM YCDC - The Rabbit Holes of Economic Development

The Rabbit Holes of Economic Development

Lisa Hurley, Executive Director 
York County Development Corporation

I've been known to go down a rabbit hole or two. Anyone who has worked with me for very long can probably confirm that.

A question comes up in a meeting, I start looking for an answer, and before long we're talking to three other people and looking at something we hadn't planned to tackle that day. Sometimes my staff gets pulled along for the ride.

That may sound a little scattered. Sometimes it probably is. But one thing I've learned is that in economic development, the first question is rarely the whole question.

Take a conversation with a business about hiring. At first, it may seem like a workforce issue. They need more people, or they're having trouble filling a particular position. As we talk, housing comes up. Someone may have found a job here but can't find a place to live at a price they can afford.

Now we're looking at more than housing availability. What does it cost to build? What can people realistically afford to pay in rent or for a home? Do those numbers work for a builder or developer? Before long, we're talking about land, infrastructure, financing, and whether there are tools to help close the gap.

We didn't set out to have a housing and infrastructure conversation. But it's hard to help that employer solve a workforce problem without understanding those other pieces.

The same thing happens with business expansion. A company might have a plan and a location in mind, only for questions about electric capacity, natural gas, water, or construction timelines to change what is possible. Suddenly, we're talking with utilities, engineers, local governments, and other partners.

And then there are the rabbit holes that start with my own curiosity.

One of my recent ones was wondering how York County shows up when someone searches using artificial intelligence. If a company is comparing locations or a family is considering moving here, what will an AI tool tell them about York County? Will the information be accurate? Will we even show up?

That question sent me back to yorkdevco.com, looking at how we describe our industrial sites, workforce, housing, and business resources. What started as a marketing question turned into a conversation about data, website content, and whether the information people need is easy to find and understand.

It wasn't where I expected to spend my time, but it connects directly to how we position York County for opportunity.

There is a reason YCDC works across business development, housing, workforce, infrastructure, and talent. Those aren't separate boxes in the real world. One affects the others, and missing a connection early can make a project much harder later.

Our job isn't to have every answer. It's to ask good questions, know who to call, and help keep things moving.

Of course, not every conversation leads to a project. Some ideas aren't financially feasible. Sometimes the timing isn't right. Occasionally, after a lot of digging, we discover something simply isn't going to work.

That's useful information, too. A conversation can reveal a challenge we hadn't recognized or introduce us to someone who can help with an issue we've been seeing for years.

But there's a balance. YCDC doesn't have unlimited staff, time, or resources. We can't chase every idea just because it's interesting. We have to ask whether it fits York County's priorities, addresses a real need, and whether we're the right organization to take it on. Sometimes our best contribution is connecting someone with a partner who has the expertise or capacity to help.

That's also why strategic planning matters. Clear priorities help us decide which questions deserve more attention, even as new information sometimes pushes us to reconsider what we thought we knew.

Much of this work happens through meetings, phone calls, research, and follow-up. Some of it is confidential. It doesn't always make for an exciting photograph, and there's not always a neat result to report at the end of the month.

So yes, I'll probably continue going down my share of rabbit holes. The goal isn't to follow everyone. It's to recognize which ones might help us understand a problem, uncover an opportunity, or bring the right people to the table for York County.