Karen Holt, Harford County's director of economic development, briefed the council on business wins, workforce and tourism initiatives during the FY26 budget hearing.

Holt said Harford companies captured six state Industry 4.0 manufacturing grants (about 22 percent of the statewide allocation for that program), including awards to firms working on low-temperature fast-charge batteries, 3-D printing and automated material handling. She said the awards represent more than $1 million in state support to local companies and highlighted the county's focus on higher-skilled manufacturing rather than only logistics.

Holt discussed Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) as the county's largest employer and said the county is monitoring Department of Defense workforce planning and contingency tools such as early-retirement and deferred-resignation programs to reduce the likelihood of a local reduction-in-force. "We are cautiously optimistic," Holt said, while noting the county is coordinating closely with APG leadership and the Susquehanna Workforce Network to respond to any local impacts.

On agriculture, Holt described an ongoing feasibility study and design work funded in the Economic Development budget to evaluate local meat-processing capacity. The study is intended to assess supply from area farmers and to recommend whether a private, public-private or cooperative processing model would best serve county producers.

Holt also summarized tourism work: a rebrand and digital platform (HelloHarford) launched to target visitors and give event organizers and hotels shared access to marketing data. She said the office reallocated funds to digital marketing and purchased analytics tools (Placer.ai mentioned as a line-item increase) so partners can see who attended events, origin markets and spending patterns. The office plans an official HelloHarford launch and a marketing push in spring and early summer.

Holt described other business supports: an expanded reimbursable workforce training grant program, a small business loan program that has executed three loans this fiscal year (total $325,000) and a Fast Track program to prioritize job-creating projects. She said county staff now track 41 projects in a business navigation program to streamline permitting and interdepartmental coordination.

Why it matters: The county is attempting to translate state grant momentum and APG-related demand into locally retained jobs and investment, while the tourism platform aims to convert events into overnight stays. Council members requested follow-up materials and statistical summaries on job counts, capital investment and projected tax impacts.