Salute to Economic Development & The Cyber Community

When I came into office as Howard County Executive two years ago, my top goals were to make government more transparent and fiscally sound, and to improve the quality of life for all who live and work here.

With a new year upon us, I am very optimistic about Anne Arundel County’s business climate and the continued progress of major economic development projects.

When a person thinks of agriculture, those thoughts are often of cows and horses grazing peacefully in the field or watching crops swaying in the wind; or perhaps a tractor driving across the field harvesting the crop, plowing the field or planting the next season’s bounty.

This is the way the recovery was supposed to work out.

After completing his second term as Howard County executive, but ending up on the losing side in the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial race, Ken Ulman had reached a bit of a crossroads.

There are myths, rumors, gossip, suggestions, etc., that buoy the perception vs. reality argument when it comes to various aspects of the commercial real estate market. Let’s dispel the myths, focus on the reality and look forward into 2017.

Although my tenure as CEO has just begun, I have been fortunate to have worked on a variety of economic development projects in my previous role as Anne Arundel County’s controller.

The effort to raise $1.8 million for expansion and upgrades at the Howard Conservancy (see The Business Monthly, March 2016) is nearly complete and, with a little luck, the Woodstock-based nonprofit will garner the last $100,000 needed by spring, when the nature center is expected to re-open.

The Howard Tech Council (HTC) created the affinity group Women in Technology-Central Maryland (WiT-CM), in the summer of 2014.

This past year was a record-breaking year for BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, which included increased traffic at the airport and continued its expansion plans.