Archives For Job Creation

Cupcakes for Literacy

Krissa Hillman of Cupcakes for Literacy is a finalist in Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club’s Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own Business Challenge.

Does the Sage of Omaha have a sweet tooth? An 11-year-old Howard County student is on a mission to find out.

Krissa Hillman, the budding entrepreneur behind Cupcakes for Literacy, is a finalist in Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club’s Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own Business Challenge. She will travel to Omaha, Nebraska this weekend to present her business plan to Buffet and other investors for a chance to win $5,000 in seed funding.

Krissa, a fifth-grader at Bollman Bridge Elementary School, was chosen from among over 4,000 other children with business plans. Cupcakes for Literacy is a spin-off of the website her mother started six years ago that catalogs YouTube videos of Krissa reading books to children. Since February, Krissa and her board of classmates regularly bake and sell cupcakes to raise funds for schools, libraries and literacy, art and music programs.

Armed with a pan of red velvet cupcakes (topped with bright blue frosting and candies), she did a practice run-through of her presentation at Howard County’s Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with Startup Maryland, in Columbia on Friday.

“Everybody loves cupcakes, right? If you don’t love cupcakes, you must be crazy,” Krissa said, drawing laughs from the center’s panel of entrepreneurial advisors.

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Maryland/Washington D.C. District Export Council, Inc.

Maryland/Washington D.C. District Export Council

Over $11.8 billion in merchandise traveled out of Maryland and into markets around the world in 2012.

While Maryland already has a flourishing export market, the Maryland/DC District Export Council is working to build that number even higher. The DEC plans to hold its first-ever Celebration of International Trade in Linthicum Heights on May 21, with a special focus on training businesses in exporting goods and services.

Registration for the Celebration of International Trade has reached 70 percent and will remain open online until the day of the event. Admission, including breakfast and lunch, is free for government employees and $99 for others.

The world market is a “surprisingly small place,” according to Carl Livesay, chairman of the DEC.

“Businesses perceive that there are overwhelming barriers to exporting goods and services, and that’s just not the case. It is confusing and it can be cumbersome, but if you align yourself with businesses and people who have traveled that path before, they will help light the way,” he said.

The region benefits from transportation systems that easily support trade, including the top-ranking Port of Baltimore and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Livesay also described the area as a “hotbed and innovation and technology.”

“There’s no other area in the country that is better suited, better qualified or has access to stronger resources than we do here in Maryland,” he said.

Ultimately, as more companies in Maryland and Washington, D.C. trade internationally, the more the overall economy will grow and the national trade balance will improve. He said, ”We do not seek to help companies import foreign goods or services into the United States. To put it bluntly, this is about creating permanent, sustainable jobs right here in Maryland.”

The event’s main draw is an extensive list of prominent speakers, including Robert Walker, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development; Laszlo Horvath, CEO or Active Media; and Todd Marks, CEO of Mindgrub Technologies.

Dozens of other industry leaders and exhibitors will present training sessions, ranging from mitigating risk in international trade to strategic tax consideration.

Dominick Murray

Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Secretary Dominick Murray

Dominick Murray is Secretary of the Department of Business & Economic Development.

Maryland is a great place to start, run and grow a business. The parade of business friendliness reports published every year sometimes clouds that fact, but it does not change it.

The secret to Maryland’s success is simple — a highly skilled workforce, world-class research facilities, a core of high-tech industries and a growing community of entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of the life sciences, cybersecurity, information technology, green energy and advanced manufacturing. And as a people, we are committed to making the smart, targeted investments to build on our strengths, shore up our weaknesses and make the future even brighter for our children and theirs.

Those investments are already paying off.

Maryland has recovered 97 percent of the jobs that were lost during the recession, compared to only 67 percent for the nation as a whole.  In the first quarter of this year, Maryland created 22,000 jobs at the fastest rate in the region and the fourth-fastest rate in the nation.  Maryland’s dynamic private sector led that job growth, creating more than 92% of our new jobs.  Maryland’s unemployment rate is at a four-year low for the second consecutive month.

Maryland is the unquestioned epicenter of cybersecurity, a distinction reinforced by the recent announcement of partnerships between the state, federal government and industry leaders Intel, Cisco, McAfee, and others in the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. The state is also a hub of life sciences innovation and discovery, home to the 2nd-largest per-capita cluster of bioscience companies in the country.  We created more STEM jobs than all but five other states in the nation over the past decade.

Recently, Chief Executive magazine ranked Maryland No. 41 in its “Best & Worst States for Business Report.” The ranking is disappointing. But, it deserves context.

Just a week earlier, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a mouthpiece for Democratic administrations, released its annual “Enterprising States” report ranking Maryland #1 for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the second year in a row.  The Chamber has also ranked Maryland in the Top Ten for Growth and Economic Performance every year since they began publishing the study. The Milken Institute ranks our State #1 in research and development per capita and #2 for science and technology assets.  The nonpartisan group The States Project says we’re #2 for economic opportunity and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation ranks us among the five states best positioned to succeed in the new economy.

While taxes are a frequent point of comparison between states, Marylanders have the 3rd-lowest state and local tax burden, adjusted for income, according to the non-partisan Federal Funds Information for States. The Council on State Taxation’s 2012 report found state and local business tax revenue was just 3.8 percent of private sector gross state product, the sixth-lowest rate in the country. And Maryland has still managed to make record investments in education, infrastructure and entrepreneurs. Our schools have been ranked No. 1 in the country for five years running by Education Week and we have done more than any other state in the nation to hold down the cost of college tuition according to The College Board.  Maryland boasts a high quality of life and we are making new investments in our highways, bridges, trains, buses, port and airport so people spend less time on the road and more time where they actually want to be.

Last year, the State embarked on the largest venture capital initiative in its history. Through the innovative InvestMaryland program, Maryland raised a record $84 million to invest in promising, young companies. These are the companies developing the next generation of products and services that will cement Maryland’s place as an economic force, and a leader in innovation, discovery and prosperity.  This Legislative Session, under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, we chose to expand our biotechnology and R & D tax credits, create a new cyber tax credit and streamline our public-private partnership process to encourage private investment in Maryland’s infrastructure.

Maryland is committed to making this State both the best place to live, and for businesses large and small to thrive. Together with our community of hard-working and innovative business owners, we can make that a reality. And as groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Fast Company and the Milken Institute recognize, we are well on our way.

Marylanders celebrated the new super post-Panamax 400-foot cranes at the Port of Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Marylanders celebrated the new super post-Panamax 400-foot cranes at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Soaring above the Baltimore skyline, four new 400-foot cranes stand ready to move containers from some of the world’s largest ships.

A widened Panama Canal, expected to be completed by 2015, will allow super post-Panamax ships to travel through Central America. The recent crane installation at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal makes it one of just two East Coast ports able to accept and load these container ships, capable of carrying at least 8,000 20-foot containers, at a width of 22 containers or more.

Super post-Panamax ships are already widely used throughout Asia, although access to the East Coast has been stifled by the Panama Canal’s current restrictive width and a scarcity of updated crane and port systems. Improvements in both Panama and American ports are expected to lead to a boom in international trade.

Baltimore’s new cranes are the result of a public-private partnership between the Maryland Port Administration and Highstar Capital’s Ports America Chesapeake. Over the next 50 years, the partnership is projected to generate up to $1.8 billion in total investment and revenue for the state of Maryland and to create a total of 5,700 jobs.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined private investment partner Christopher Lee, chairman of Ports America Chesapeake and founder and manager of Highstar Capital, and others during a celebration of the cranes on Wednesday morning.

The governor focused on the port’s role as a job creator.

“When it comes to job creation, Maryland is a net winner in trade and that’s why we make this investment. That’s why we crow about the fact that these men and women smoke the competition at 37 lifts an hour. We had the best year on record last year in the Port of Baltimore. More cars, farm machinery and construction equipment came through the Port of Baltimore than any other port in our country, thanks to these men and women. And more imported sugar, aluminum and forest products arrived here than any other port. And out of the 60 ports across the country, we were No. 2 in terms of the amount of coal and iron ore that came through our port. These rankings are important for one reason, and one reason only, and that is jobs—jobs, jobs, jobs,” O’Malley said.

Find video of a portion of the governor’s speech below.

The use of a public-private partnership to facilitate port expansion is historically uncommon, but Baltimore will likely become an example to other states and cities, Lee said.

“This success occurred because this governor didn’t just talk about it. He didn’t just wail and moan and lament the lack of public money. He mobilized the public sector to partner with the government to provide the investment dollars to open this great port to more ships, more economic development and most importantly, more jobs. It was a win for workers, a win for investors and a win for the tax payers and citizens of Maryland,” he said.

Lee said his firm was attracted to investment in the port because it represents long-term stability. ”A port, by definition, is a key strategic asset. We’re the principal port to Washington, D.C., so the revenues here are pretty stable. We also have a 50-year concession from the state, so it’s perfect for what our investors are looking for,” he said.

His interest in the project is personal, as well. Lee, a longtime Baltimore resident and community activist, spoke extensively about the port’s historical significance. He also dedicated one of the cranes to his wife, Susan Ginkel.

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Caroline Technology Park

The Caroline Technology Park’s expansion is part of the county’s economic push.

Caroline County doesn’t let its size get in the way of economic expansion. Just ask David Whaley, president of the Caroline Economic Development Commission.

“We’ve had some forward thinking people who have attracted some great businesses to our county. We were always known for agriculture, but we now have four industrial parks. We’ve been very successful,” Whaley said.

In recent decades, the county on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with a population just under 33,000, has attracted major manufacturers like Solo Cup CompanyMaryland PlasticsHanover Foods, Pillsbury and Tri-Gas & Oil. Several privately owned flower farms have been incorporated into Bell Nursery’s network of growers, which supplies Home Depot stores. The number of smaller technology start-ups is also expected to grow within the expanding Caroline Technology Park. The county’s roughly 710 businesses employ 7,310 workers, according to county government reports.

The Caroline Economic Development Commission, a non-profit organization closely associated with county and state government, is currently seeking a qualified individual to continue its legacy of growth. The Director of Economic Development position recently opened and will remain active until June 7. Caroline County government is conducting the hiring process that is scheduled to be completed by July 15.

The job description emphasizes the ability to forge partnerships. It states:

The successful candidate must have the ability to market Caroline County, promote its strengths, and identify weaknesses through the development of a strategic economic development planning process. The ideal candidate must be able to develop and establish partnerships with municipal, county, regional, state, and federal organizations to identify and achieve goals and to collaborate with the Caroline County Chamber of Commerce, the MidShore Regional Council, and the Caroline County Association of Municipalities.

The position also includes assisting businesses, whether they be small businesses or major corporations, through the process of procuring tax incentives. These incentives have played a major role in preventing businesses from migrating to Virginia and North Carolina, according to Whaley.

Find the full job listing and application through the Caroline Economic Development Commission.  

Governor Martin O’Malley announced that Media Rights Capital started filming the second season of the Netflix series House of Cards in Maryland.

“We are pleased that House of Cards, a critically-acclaimed and ground-breaking series has returned to Maryland,” said Governor O’Malley. “Season One had an economic impact of more than $140 million and provided jobs for more than 2,200 Marylanders. Together with our leaders in the General Assembly, we’ve expanded the Film Production Tax Credit, and as we welcome the cast and crew back, we also look forward to more job creation and economic opportunity to come.”

Find more information from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development here.

Learn more about the economic impact of the Film Production Tax Credit here.

Wind turbines are expanding in Maryland.

Wind turbines are expanding in Maryland.

A wind energy project, approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission, could bring up to 24 wind turbines to a mountainous area in Frostburg, the Associated Press reports.

Fourmile Wind Energy LLC, of Annapolis-based Synergics, is leading the project, which is planned for Fourmile Ridge and the western slope of Big Savage Mountain, according to the article.

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BioMaryland 2013

BioMaryland appeared at the 2013 Bio International Convention in Chicago.

Between world-renowned institutions like Johns Hopkins University and innovative medical research start-ups like GrayBug—it’s no surprise that Maryland is a major player in the life sciences field.

The BioMaryland Center, an office within the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development, brought together several of the state’s premiere companies and institutions in the life sciences industry during the 2013 Bio International Convention this week in Chicago.

Brian Castleberry, who works within DBED to promote and build partnerships with Maryland health and science companies, explained what he calls the “Maryland brand.”

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mlop_sidebarLooking for an innovative state to grow your business?

Fast Company magazine recently ranked Maryland third in innovation, based on a combination of labor statistics, entrepreneurial activity, the health and growth rate of Startup America Partnership members and other indicators.

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National Golden Tissue is based in Hagerstown.

National Golden Tissue is based in Hagerstown.

Paper towels, napkins and toilet paper could create hundreds of new jobs for Marylanders.

Planned expansion of Hagerstown-based National Golden Tissue is slated to create 341 new jobs, the Herald-Mail reports.

According to the article, the processed paper company is planning to open an expanded manufacturing plant and retail outlet that will only sell American-made products.

President and CEO Randy Suliga states in the article:

“We’ve reached out to a tremendous amount of local manufacturers and the idea is to supply businesses … The intent is to open this so the front of the store would be a small club store with a tremendous amount of local product offerings and at a lower price than the Wal-Marts, the club stores.”

Find the full article here.

Staq, Baltimore

Staq is a Baltimore-based advertising management system.

Staq, an InvestMaryland Challenge finalist and incubator-grown startup, recently raised $1 million in seed funding from The Hive, a California-based investment firm, the Baltimore Business Journal reported.

Staq was founded in 2012 and developed at the Betamore incubator by CEO and co-founder James Curran.

In a recent question and answer with MDBIZ News, Curran compared his product to Mint.com, except instead of aggregating all of a user’s bank account and loan information, Staq aggregates all of a company’s advertising accounts.

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