Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation

10/14/2026

Last week, CAEDC joined the Team Pennsylvania crew in Cumberland County to shine a light on the manufacturers who make this region work.

Our stop at Advanced Coating Technology (ACT) was a great reminder that manufacturing here isn’t only about the big names. ACT pretreats and powder coats components for industrial and military customers. Small, growing manufacturers like ACT are building products, creating skilled jobs, and strengthening local supply chains every day.

Manufacturing is a big part of the Cumberland County story. The sector supports about 9,000 jobs, roughly 6% of the county’s workforce, with average pay of about $89K per worker, among the highest of any industry in the county. Those numbers include companies of every size, from major employers to small shops with big ambitions.

Thank you to Michael Barlett and the ACT team for opening their doors, and to Team PA for your partnership in strengthening Pennsylvania manufacturing. At CAEDC, we’re glad to support manufacturers at every stage of growth.

10/14/2026

What does it take to land a new investment in Cumberland County, PA?

On November 12, CAEDC hosts Built to Grow: Capital Investment and Business Competitiveness in Cumberland County at the Conference Center at Shippensburg University.

The keynote panel takes attendees inside a site selection decision. Representatives from PPL, FirstEnergy, UGI Utilities, Inc., and Alpha Consulting Engineers, Inc will cover what companies weigh when choosing where to build or expand, including:

- Electric and natural gas capacity
- Land availability
- Infrastructure readiness

Lunch follows, with breakout tracks for Industrial & Manufacturing and Commercial & Hospitality. If your business is considering a capital project, this is your chance to ask the decision-makers directly.

Register:

Learn what it takes to land a new investment in Cumberland County.

10/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table at the CCATO Annual Conference! We loved hearing what’s on your township’s mind, from projects on the horizon to local businesses you’re working to keep and grow. 🌱

As Cumberland County’s Lead Economic Development Organization, CAEDC supports every municipality in the county: helping existing businesses grow, pairing public and private financing to move priority projects forward, and bringing visitors and their dollars to your main streets. The impact looks different in every community, and we’d like to show you what it looks like in yours.

Request a custom economic impact report for your municipality: https://cumberlandbusiness.com/request-economic-impact-report/

10/02/2026

What a day on the green! ⛳ Thank you to everyone who joined us today at Mayapple Golf Course in Carlisle for our annual Found it on the Green Golf Event. It was a great day of perfect weather, good conversation, and connecting with partners who help make our region a great place to live, work, and do business.

A huge thank you to our event sponsors, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and RLS Construction, for their continued support.

We're also grateful to our Hole Sponsors:
🏌️ High Hotels Ltd.
🏌️ BL Companies
🏌️ Lion Country Lodging
🏌️ Frederick, Seibert and Associates, Inc.
🏌️ Mid Penn Bank

To every golfer, volunteer, and partner who came out, thank you for making this year's event a success. We can't wait to see you next year!

10/02/2026

Happy National Manufacturing Day! 🏭

Today we're celebrating the manufacturers that make Cumberland County, PA, a great place to build and grow. Our location in the heart of South Central Pennsylvania gives manufacturers a real advantage:

✅ Access to five major ports, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York
✅ Direct connections via I-81, I-83, I-76, and US 11/15
✅ Within 12 hours of Boston, Washington D.C., Richmond, and Canada
✅ Air and rail access, right across the river from Harrisburg

That's why companies like JLG Industries, Land O'Lakes, Inc., Nestlé Purina, Schreiber Foods, Vitro Architectural Glass, and Reykjavik Creamery call Cumberland County home. From building materials to dairy to pet food, they make products used around the world and create career paths for people right here.

To every manufacturer and team member in our county: thank you for what you build every day!

Interested in growing your business in Cumberland County? Let's talk 🔽
https://cumberlandbusiness.com/about-us/contact/

10/02/2026

The 2026 Found it on the Green Golf Event is underway at Mayapple Golf Course in Carlisle! ⛳️ Good luck golfers!

Thank you to our sponsors Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield RLS Construction

10/01/2026

Last week, CAEDC staff attended the ribbon cutting for the Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Shippensburg University on Friday. 🎉

Kriner Hall has been renovated to house three programs together: the Diller Center, the Mr. and Mrs. Milton K. Morgan III Makerspace, and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The result is a central hub where students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and community members can collaborate and grow new ventures. The Makerspace gives students space and tools to create products and bring them to market. Many students were selling their work at the event.

CAEDC has partnered with Shippensburg University on three grant projects:
▶️ Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP): $1,000,000 awarded in 2024 to renovate Kriner Hall.
▶️2023 Local Share Account (LSA) Statewide: $323,381 to purchase lab equipment for Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Engineering labs.
▶️2025 LSA Statewide: $97,534, awarded September 15, to add Makerspace equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, and prototyping tools, plus supplies for fashion design and artisan work.

10/01/2026

Big news for Cumberland Valley! New data shows visitors spent $1.05 billion here in 2025. Explore the graphic below for more stats from this record year. 🔽🔽🔽

09/30/2026

🗣️ Attention PA Small Businesses! $1 million in grant funding is now available through the 2026 Small Business Advantage Grant Program.

These grants help small businesses cover projects that:
✅ Increase energy efficiency
✅ Reduce pollution
✅ Protect Pennsylvania's natural resources

📅 Applications are open now through March 19, 2027, or until funds run out, so apply early.

Businesses in Environmental Justice areas, or with projects that have a significant environmental impact, may qualify for larger awards.

Program guidelines, a grant calculator, and the online application are available here: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/grants-loans-rebates/small-business-ombudsmans-office/small-business-advantage-grant

Know a business owner who could use this? Share this post with them!

Small Business Advantage Grant

09/29/2026

You're invited to our fall networking event! 🍂 Join CAEDC at Duke's Riverside Bar & Grille for an evening of appetizers, drinks, and conversation with members of the business community.

📅 October 15th
🕔 4:30pm to 6:30pm
📍 Duke's Riverside Bar & Grille

This event is open to all, so bring a colleague and come make some new connections!

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-caedc-partnership-fall-networking-event-tickets-1999112962686?aff=oddtdtcreator