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Manufacturing
Sketches Its Profile
Old and New Make For Mixed Bag of Solutions
Baltimore-D.C.-Annapolis Triad
Learning the Way
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MARYLAND SPOTLIGHT
The Shape of Things to Come
New Lines of Work Take Hold in the
Old Line State
Old Line State
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any U.S. states have instant brand recognition because of their distinctive shapes. Maryland isn't one of them. Instead, this diverse and meandering jurisdiction has stamped its impression into the minds of corporate site selectors through a unique blend of geographical variety, work-force development and new economy leadership.
The state's political leadership is in the midst of a change, as Republican Gov. John Ehrlich takes the helm under an aggressive economic development banner that has pledged to redevelop abandoned industrial sites, evaluate the regulatory review process from top to bottom, eliminate the state's capital gains tax and make the state "the biotech capital of the world."
In January, Gov. Ehrlich - the first Republican governor in Maryland since Spiro T. Agnew in 1966 - tabbed longtime Westinghouse executive and venture capitalist Aris Melissaratos of Baltimore as his director for economic development. But even before that, the new-sheriff-in-town feeling came through loud and clear, as various transition team officials intimated that the "smart growth" agenda of the previous administration might have parts that weren't so smart. "Economic development can be complicated or simple," said James T. Brady, the transition team chief who used to serve as the state's secretary of business and economic development, at a January meeting of MIDAS, the state's economic development association. "Companies want to be in a place where they feel their presence is valued, where they can grow and prosper in collaboration with the government."
Indeed, government is not only a valued corporate partner in Maryland, but an economic driver all its own, with some 45 federal facilities throughout the state having served to help stabilize the state's economy as others have foundered. Even the northern part of the state, battered by the IT letdown, is faring substantially better than other IT clusters around the country. Now Brady says that progress will be built on a three-legged stool: balanced regulations, work-force development and keeping costs competitive. In thinly veiled jab, Brady said, "You deal with customers differently than you do with victims."
The state's political leadership is in the midst of a change, as Republican Gov. John Ehrlich takes the helm under an aggressive economic development banner that has pledged to redevelop abandoned industrial sites, evaluate the regulatory review process from top to bottom, eliminate the state's capital gains tax and make the state "the biotech capital of the world."
In January, Gov. Ehrlich - the first Republican governor in Maryland since Spiro T. Agnew in 1966 - tabbed longtime Westinghouse executive and venture capitalist Aris Melissaratos of Baltimore as his director for economic development. But even before that, the new-sheriff-in-town feeling came through loud and clear, as various transition team officials intimated that the "smart growth" agenda of the previous administration might have parts that weren't so smart. "Economic development can be complicated or simple," said James T. Brady, the transition team chief who used to serve as the state's secretary of business and economic development, at a January meeting of MIDAS, the state's economic development association. "Companies want to be in a place where they feel their presence is valued, where they can grow and prosper in collaboration with the government."
Indeed, government is not only a valued corporate partner in Maryland, but an economic driver all its own, with some 45 federal facilities throughout the state having served to help stabilize the state's economy as others have foundered. Even the northern part of the state, battered by the IT letdown, is faring substantially better than other IT clusters around the country. Now Brady says that progress will be built on a three-legged stool: balanced regulations, work-force development and keeping costs competitive. In thinly veiled jab, Brady said, "You deal with customers differently than you do with victims."