Meet Our Team
Assistant Secretary for Marketing & Business Development
Please join me in welcoming Frances Reaves, who joined DBED's senior management team this week as our Assistant Secretary for Marketing & Business Development.
Frances is an accomplished executive who has been recognized for her innovative ideas and marketing initiatives. An attorney by training, she is skilled at maximizing existing resources and creating strategic partnerships, skills that will be crucial to DBED's success as our department continues to navigate an unstable financial and budgetary climate.
Frances previously served DBED as Manager/Team Leader of the Division of Business Development's Industrial Team, and as a senior business development executive focused on marketing and marketing strategy.
Most recently, Frances served as Business Development Director for ADP Business Incentive Consulting Services, where she worked with major clients including Lockheed Martin, Allegheny Technologies, Sherwin Williams, Mellon Bank and Heinz Corporation.
I look forward to working with Frances to enhance DBED's marketing and business development efforts. She can be reached at freaves@choosemaryland.org.
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First Maryland Stem Cell Research Symposium brings big news
Maryland's reputation as a life sciences leader is on the rise this week. On Wednesday, more than 250 individuals attended the First Annual Maryland Stem Cell Research Symposium, jointly hosted by Governor Martin O'Malley and the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission. During the opening remarks, Governor O'Malley announced that Maryland has been selected to host the 2009 World Stem Cell Summit, which will come to Baltimore September 21 through 23. The summit brings together nearly 1,500 stem cell stakeholders from across the globe to discuss critical issues in stem cell research.
The symposium, held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, featured presentations from Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund awardees and poster presentations from over 60 Maryland-supported stem cell scientists. Governor O'Malley included additional stem cell funding as a priority in the BIO 2020 Initiative announced last summer.
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 Governor strengthens ties with India
On November 20, Governor O'Malley delivered the keynote address at the 4th Annual Maryland-India Business Roundtable Gala and Awards Ceremony, an event held at Martins Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland. Governor O'Malley's remarks focused on strengthening the ties between Maryland and India, the importance of being a part of the global economy, and developing new opportunities in the life sciences and information technology fields. With a population of over 1.2 billion and a 300 million-member middle class, India represents an enormous opportunity for Maryland both in terms of foreign direct investment and trade promotion.
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Maryland Business Roundtable for Education enhances MD's workforce
Assistant Secretary Dominick Murray and I had the pleasure of attending the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education's (MBRT) Annual Meeting on Monday. This is an exciting time for MBRT, which released a three-year, $4.5 million strategic plan to accelerate student achievement and workforce  preparedness in Maryland over the next few years.
Founded in 1992, MBRT is a group of more than 100 leading employers that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland. The group plans to take its Maryland Scholar program statewide and double the number of students that graduate as Maryland Scholars.
Best wishes to Executive Director June Streckfus and her organization as they help to strengthen Maryland's already highly educated workforce and prepare our students for the important science and technology jobs of tomorrow.
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Press Room
(Baltimore Business Journal; November 18)
(The Gazette; December 4)
(Cumberland Times; November 25)
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Maryland's Monthly Economic Indicators
 Click to view the monthly tables.
Maryland ranks among the best US "New Economy" States
When it comes to technology rankings, Maryland continues to come out on top of every report. On the heels of being ranked second nationally for science and technology assets by the Milken Institute, Maryland recently ranked third overall in the 2008 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States.
 The index was released in November by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a non-partisan research and educational institute. More than 29 indicators were used to answer the question: To what degree does the structure of state economies match the ideal structure of the New Economy? Maryland passed with flying colors, ranking in the top five in workforce education; non-industry investments into R&D; managerial, professional, and technical jobs; migration of US knowledge workers; and fastest growing firms and IT professionals.
This recent report is a validation of Maryland's science and technology assets and further evidence that our economy is well-suited to weather any economic downturns and support the jobs of tomorrow's knowledge economy. To learn more about the rankings, click here. |
Doing Business in MD guide hits the streets
 This year's edition of Doing Business in Maryland is hot off the press and ready to assist your business. A comprehensive resource guide for businesses and economic development professionals, the publication is co-produced by DBED and The Daily Record and includes features on building and growing your business, county profiles, small business resources and just about any Maryland statistic a business could use.
To download Doing Business in Maryland, click here. |
Exciting news at the Port
Yesterday, Governor Martin O'Malley announced that Finland-based paper manufacturer UPM has signed a new, 10-year contract that guarantees the shipment of UPM paper products through the Port of Baltimore for the next decade. As part of the agreement, UPM will ship at least 3.2 million tons of cargo through the Port of Baltimore over the lifetime of the deal. The new contract will result in 120 direct jobs; $26 million in wages and salaries; and $2.7 million in State and local taxes. For the complete release, click here.
In other Port news, I recently had the opportunity to tour the Port of Baltimore with Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary John Porcari and Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Jim White as they hosted an Irish delegation. The tour gave us an opportunity to exchange ideas about innovations in freight logistics and explore trade opportunities with Noel Dempsey T.D., Minister of Transport for Ireland, and a delegation of officials from the government of Ireland and the Irish Embassy.
The day included a visit to the World Trade Center for a panoramic view of Baltimore's maritime facilities, a water tour by boat of the Port of Baltimore and a luncheon in Annapolis with Governor O'Malley. This tour was a great example of the strong working relationship that exists today between DBED and the Maryland Department of Transportation. I look forward to leveraging our excellent partnership with MDOT to advance economic development in Maryland. |
New small and minority BRAC study released
Recently, Lt. Governor Brown released the Maryland BRAC Small and Minority Business Opportunities Study. The study, commissioned by the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs and DBED's Division of Small Business, identified the current level of procurement opportunities available in Maryland's federal and military installations, and projected procurement increases associated with BRAC.
Maryland businesses have received $36.9 billion in federal procurement dollars of which 27.6 percent went to small businesses, and out of the 27.6 percent, 18 percent went to women-owned and only 4.8 percent went to minority firms. A full copy of the study is available on the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs' Web site.
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County Corner
Cecil County
With an easy commute via the I-95 corridor and MARC line, Cecil County's 200-plus miles of shoreline, multitude of boat slips and more than 6,000 acres of preserved park land, horse country, and historic towns entice visitors year round. For this reason, Cecil County is now officially recognized as part of DBED's Greater Baltimore Region.
"Cecil County is the well-kept secret getaway for Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the Baltimore and Capital Regions of Maryland," said Cecil County Economic Development Director Vernon Thompson. "These visitors are taking another look at Cecil as an ideal place to do business, relocate, grow or expand facilities, with a prime location that is midway between Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore and Washington."
W.L. Gore & Associates, one of Maryland's top 25 manufacturing employers, chose Cecil early, recently celebrating their 50th anniversary. They are consistently ranked in the top 10 by Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. In fact, 15.4 percent of Cecil's employment is in manufacturing.
Companies such as Terumo Medical & Cardiovascular, ATK (rockets), Burris Logistics, GE, PTFE Compounds, Perryville Cold Storage, and General Resonance have also located in Cecil to take advantage of the superior mid-Atlantic location, skilled workforce, available land, buildings and business parks and incentives. Cecil's major business parks offer Enterprise Zone, Job Creation, Research & Development Tax Credits, a Revolving Loan Fund, and resources such as Cecil Business Resource Partners, Susquehanna Workforce Network, Cecil College, and Chamber of Commerce, among others.
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The Edge is published by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. For a complete archive, visit our Publications page.