2002-2003 Strategic Planning Process

Economic Development Company of Lancaster County
EDC Finance Corporation

The Need for Strategic Planning

    Since EDC’s last full strategic planning effort more than a decade ago, the landscape of economic development in Lancaster County has changed dramatically. Organizations with more narrowly-focused missions have been founded to address specific issues or the needs of defined geographic areas. The list of organizations that participate in the economic and community development process in Lancaster County includes more than 50 entities (not including all of the boroughs and townships). While not all of these organizations were created in the last ten years, few of them listed “economic development” as part of their mission in 1990.

    With the increase in the number of organizations and a greater appreciation for other organizations’ roles in economic development, no entity has attempted to bring this collection of efforts together in addressing larger economic development needs and goals within the context of overall community development. Strategic thinking tends to begin and end with each organization’s own mission or geographic boundaries.

    A recent study by the National Development Council on behalf of the Lancaster County Planning Commission includes some of the following comments about economic development in the County:

“Operationally, the system was described as fragmented and as reactive.”

“However, there were opportunities to make the system work better.”

“The first area of opportunity would be to enhance coordination among the system’s players.”

“The preference was to have a proactive system that operates with consensus and clear direction.”

“The lack of a lead player was seen as the main obstacle to achieving the optimal delivery of economic development services.”

    The EDC Strategic Planning Steering Committee worked throughout 2002 to determine what issues should be addressed by an EDC strategic plan and how to go about addressing them. Visits to other economic development organizations offered examples of similar entities that are undertaking much broader programs of work and attempting to provide leadership within their communities

    Questionnaires mailed to Lancaster business and community leaders and interviews with several such leaders helped to define leadership and coordination of economic development efforts as a key issue and development of a strategic plan for economic development as a key opportunity. The Steering Committee believes that EDC must involve local economic development, community development, and municipal organizations in a process that defines a long-range strategy for economic development in Lancaster County and outlines how it will be led.


Findings and Recommendations

    Within this context, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee offers the following recommendations for defining EDC’s role in the future of economic development in Lancaster County.

1. There is a need for an organization to provide direction and coordination of economic development efforts undertaken in Lancaster County.

2. EDC’s role should be that of “Leading through Coordination.”

3. The community and EDC would be well served by having a long-range strategy for economic development. The development of an economic development strategy for the community will need to be a process that includes the EDC Board, various community development groups, and municipal leaders.

4. During 2003, EDC should define the long-range economic development strategy it will follow and the internal organizational structure to support that strategy. The organization should meet with other community development groups and municipal leaders to determine if and how EDC should promote coordination of economic development in the community, what major issues are facing each group, and what successful economic development would look like in the future.
   The economic development strategy should not recreate the County Comprehensive Plan, rather it should be framed within the context of the County’s Plan. At the end of 2003, EDC will have refined a strategy for successful community-wide economic development and what changes to the organization are required.

5. During the planning process outlined for 2003, EDC should continue to pursue its current program of work.

6. EDC would benefit from a broader constituency of supporters and partners, including public sector entities and other economic development-related organizations. Shifting toward broader community representation in the economic development process likely will result in significant changes to the makeup of the EDC Board of Directors.

7. EDC Finance Corporation is an under-utilized asset that could become more active in undertaking needed economic and community development projects throughout Lancaster County. It also would benefit from a broader constituency and community function.

The Process

    Development of a community-wide economic development strategy and defining EDC’s role in that strategy will require the input and buy-in of many organizations. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee recommends the following process for completion of the planning phase and initiation of the implementation phase.

1. Approve the hiring of an economic development planning consultant to help direct EDC through this effort. The consultant will be a key partner, though not the designated leader, and help EDC define a process for developing a community-wide economic development strategy.

2. In developing a community-wide economic development strategy that also serves as EDC’s own strategic plan, EDC and the consultant will:

• Ask other economic and community development groups to help EDC define what successful economic development would look like in the future.
• Approach other economic and community development entities in Lancaster County to determine what major issues they are facing and how those issues can relate to a larger vision for the entire County.
• Ask those same organizations for their input on whether EDC should serve in a coordinator role (“leadership through coordination”) that would help to bring together various development interests across the County toward some set of common goals.
• Ask them for input on a draft economic development strategy that will be developed as a starting point and refined throughout the strategy development process. Major items to be addressed by the plan will include:

• Leadership and coordination
• Vision and planning
• Community involvement and inclusion
• Potential goals and objectives
• Advocacy
• Implementation — EDC role and structure

3. Throughout the process gradually build support for the community-wide strategy for economic development, as well as EDC’s role within that strategy. Ultimately, the community economic development strategy and EDC’s own strategic plan will merge into one document and strategy.

4. As the strategy and EDC’s role are being developed, define the organizational structure that EDC will need to put in place in order to implement the plans. This step would include defining funding needs and sources, staffing requirements, and Board structure.

5. At the end of this process, EDC and EDC Finance Corporation would reorganize, as appropriate, to become the organizations outlined in the plan and implementation would begin. At that point, EDC would become an advocate for the plan and its goals.

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