Regional partnerships pay off
Recognizing the tremendous value of regional approaches to shared challenges, Governor O'Malley and I participated in a number of initiatives these past few weeks to advance regional and international trade, expand economic development opportunities, and promote a greener future for the mid-Atlantic region.
On Monday, DBED staffers joined their counterparts from Virginia and Washington, D.C. at the third annual EXPAND conference, a day-long event designed to help regional companies tap into a growing number of international procurement opportunities. In 2007, Maryland exports topped nearly $9 billion. That total is expected to climb even higher this year, with exports already up 36 percent from January to June.
A few days earlier, Governor O'Malley participated in the 2008 Regional Summit in Silver Spring, where he discussed a host of regional transportation and safety issues with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. The three leaders also met at the Greater Washington Board of Trade's 2008 Potomac Conference last week where they each shared their visions for making Greater Washington a center for environmentally-conscious growth.
I look forward to working closely with our friends in Virginia and D.C. as we create new approaches to attract new jobs and economic opportunities to the region. |
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Milken report puts Maryland workforce atop national list
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One of Maryland's most important competitive advantages has always been our highly educated workforce, which has been key to attracting hundreds of companies and jobs to the state.
So it didn't surprise me when the 2008 Milken Institute State Technology and Science Index was released and I learned that Maryland had pushed past three states to take the lead in the study's Human Capital Investment Composite Index. The Index is considered one of the most comprehensive measurements of a state's ability to sustain employment in the science and technology fields.
Essential to claiming the top spot, the study revealed, is Maryland's highly educated workforce, along with a high number of graduate students in science and engineering. The study also credits the state's exceptional university system, which attracts and confers a large number of advanced and doctoral degrees. Maryland also improved in several areas, including percentage of bachelor's degrees granted in science and engineering, as well as the magnitude of change in state appropriations for higher education.
In an upcoming issue of The Edge, look for more great news from the Milken report, including the role our research, development and innovation played in boosting our national ranking.
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| Maryland by the numbers... |
According to a recent study on business taxes by Ernst & Young, Maryland businesses pay the lowest share of state and local taxes among the states. Maryland business taxes account for 32.2 percent of total taxes collected in the state, compared with 44.1 percent for the national average.
Source: Ernst & Young, prepared in conjunction with the Council on State Taxation.
Six Maryland counties are ranked in the top ten in the Center for Digital Government's 2008 Digital Counties Survey. The survey examines how county governments are applying information technology to effectively deliver services to their citizens. Anne Arundel County ranks second, Montgomery County eighth and Prince George's ninth among jurisdictions with a population of 500,000 or more. Howard County ranks fourth among counties with a population between 250,000 and 499,999, and Frederick ranks first for counties with a population between 150,000 and 249,999. Charles County ranks first among the smallest counties with populations less than 150,000, maintaining its leadership from the last five rankings.
Source: 2008 Digital Counties Survey, Center for Digital Government.
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(The Gazette; September 18)
(The Gazette; September 4)
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Governor O'Malley announces up to 100 new biotech jobs
On Tuesday, I joined Montgomery County officials to celebrate the opening of OpGen Technologies' new headquarters in Gaithersburg. The company, which does incredible things with molecule DNA analysis technology, moved its base of operations here from Madison, Wisconsin and recently graduated from  Montgomery County's Business Incubation Network.
Like many other technology-based businesses, Opgen chose Maryland for its outstanding workforce, proximity to federal and university labs and high concentration of bio-related companies. OpGen has already hired 15 employees in the area and has plans to grow its ranks to more than 100 over the next 36 months.
DBED provided OpGen with a $200,000 conditional State loan and Montgomery County provided a 10 percent match. These funds will help defray the cost of outfitting their new 15,000 square-foot headquarters.
OpGen's relocation and expansion in Maryland reinforces the importance of Governor O'Malley's BIO 2020 initiative, an innovative 10-year plan designed to make Maryland a national leader in life sciences and related fields. |
New tourism Web site promotes Maryland's assets
When you have a free moment, I encourage you to check out VisitMaryland.org, Maryland's newly redesigned tourism Web site. The new site offers consumers more appealing imagery, sharper graphics and enhanced search capabilities, designed to drive travelers to the site and keep them there. And that's important these days. Research from the highly respected YPB&R/Yankelovich National Travel Monitor shows that 66 percent of all travelers use the Internet to plan some aspect of their trip.
During the design phase, focus groups from the key feeder markets of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore helped focus the new site's design and layout. During 2006, the latest data available, the Maryland tourism industry generated more than $895 million in state and local taxes and provided more than 116,000 jobs to Maryland residents.
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| Smart Growth 'listening sessions' foster public input on growth |
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The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) and the Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development in Maryland are hosting a series of public forums across the State, where residents are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas for future growth in Maryland.
Smart Growth Listening Sessions, which started this week, will continue through next week from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Topics include sustainability, the environment, regional development, historic preservation, transportation and education. Moderated by community leaders, these sessions are designed like town hall meetings with open discussion on these important matters. Come out and make your voice heard. For more information and a complete listing of sessions, click here. |
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Lt. Governor announces Workforce ONE Maryland BRAC project awards
One of the most important challenges we face today is preparing a skilled workforce to fill as many as 60,000 new jobs coming to Maryland as a result of BRAC. In response to that challenge, Lt. Anthony Governor Brown is leading Maryland's aggressive efforts to partner with the public and private sector in the development of a sustainable workforce pipeline. And one particular readiness initiative is paying off already, literally.
Earlier this week, Lt. Governor Brown delivered checks to six smiling Workforce ONE Maryland project grantees during a press conference at Baltimore City Community College's Liberty Heights campus. Workforce ONE grants are funded as part of a $4 million grant to DLLR from the U.S. Department of Labor to assist Maryland's BRAC workforce initiatives.
Grants include: $93,634 to Baltimore City Community College to create a new Center for Construction Technologies; $99,250 to Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind to establish a workforce development program for visually-impaired and blind veterans in BRAC-impact regions; $100,000 to Lockheed Martin for a BRAC employee training and development program; $100,000 to Monster Government Solutions to create a website portal for Maryland military families; $100,000 to Towson University's Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences to design and implement an elementary engineering program in Harford County Public Schools; and $100,000 to Associated Builders and Contractors to provide training to minority-owned businesses that will connect more Maryland businesses with BRAC opportunities.
Maryland's military installations welcome new commanders
Maryland has been fortunate to have its military installations led by men and women who have reached out to the communities surrounding the bases, interacted with the State's congressional delegation, and partnered with DBED's Office of Military and Federal Affairs. A new slate of officers is poised to carry on that tradition at five of Maryland's military installations.
Please join me in welcoming Colonel Daniel L. Thomas at Fort Meade, Colonel Judith D. Robinson at Fort Detrick, Rear Admiral Matthew Nathan at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Colonel Steven M. Shepro at Andrews Air Force Base, and Vice Admiral Dave Venlet at Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. For a complete report on this new slate of officers, click here.
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The Edge is published by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. For a complete archive, visit our