More than 25 manufacturers attended a Lunch, Learn and Tour series event held at the Frederick News Post (FNP). Frederick County manufacturers were invited to learn more about the future of newspaper manufacturing, take a tour of the premier FNP facility and network with one another.
Shawn Wolf, Chairman of the Frederick County Manufacturers Roundtable (FCMR) and President of Wright Manufacturing spoke briefly about the FCMR organization. “We are an informal yet diverse group of manufacturers who get together to share ideas and experiences with one another and tour facilities from Frederick County’s manufacturing community.”
FCMR is a membership organization comprised of representatives from local manufacturing companies who meet to network and discuss ways to improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in Frederick County.
There was a short presentation followed by a tour of the Frederick News Post. Myron Randall, FNP’s President and Owner, gave remarks on the history of the company while Ted Gregory, FNP’s Chief Operating and Financial Officer, spoke about their 144,000 square foot facility and manufacturing process. Terry Headlee, FNP’s Managing Editor, gave information regarding the newspaper publishing industry.
According to Linda Norris of Canam Steel Corporation, “This program is a great way to tour Frederick County’s manufacturing facilities and see first-hand the manufacturing practices that each company implements within their organization.”
Sponsors of the event included the Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) and Elk Run Winery.
For more information on the Frederick County’s manufacturing industry, visit OED’s website at
http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/IndustryFocus/manufacturing.htm
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Travel Improvements for Rt.85/355
A new study funded by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is designed to explore options for improving transit, bicycle and pedestrian movement in the Rt. 355/Rt. 85 corridor in Frederick. A well-attended public outreach meeting was held yesterday at Winchester Hall. The forum was covered by the Frederick News-Post: http://tinyurl.com/yz286bu
View the project website: www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/tlc
View the project website: www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/tlc
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Frederick Chamber to Hold 2nd Social Media Conference
Speakers and presenters are being sought by the Frederick Chamber for a "New Media and Technology Conference" to be held in February, 2010. This event comes on the heels of a very successful social media forum held last June. The new conference, which will include interactive seminars, is for everyone from beginners to advanced users of Twitter, Facebook, etc.
For more information, please visit the Chamber's website (link to event is highlighted here): http://tinyurl.com/yawj626
For more information, please visit the Chamber's website (link to event is highlighted here): http://tinyurl.com/yawj626
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Support Local Retailers
Frederick County is blessed with a superb business community; during theupcoming holiday season we encourage you to support our local retail establishments and buy locally. By doing so you help preserve and grow our diverse economy. Frederick County businesses offer a broad range of gifts including home décor items, antiques, jewelry, electronics, recreational and sporting goods, great foods and clothing, along with many other specialized and unique offerings.
For local gift-giving ideas, we encourage you to visit the Frederick County Office of Economic Development’s Web site at www.discoverfrederickmd.com. Our “Homegrown Here” and “Buy Local, Buy Fresh” campaigns are exciting and consumer-friendly. The Virtual Farmers’ Market link is designed for Frederick County agricultural producers to sell and promote their products online. Additionally, you may want to visit the Tourism Council of Frederick County’s website at www.fredericktourism.org for shopping and dining suggestions and to find out about festive holiday events.
After an exhilarating day of shopping at some of the hundreds of retailers in downtown Frederick, and from Brunswick to Emmitsburg and Mount Airy to Myersville, we encourage you to dine at some of the many outstanding restaurants throughout Frederick County.
Thank you for supporting our local economy; we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!
Laurie M. Boyer, CEcD
Executive Director
Frederick County Office of Economic Development
For local gift-giving ideas, we encourage you to visit the Frederick County Office of Economic Development’s Web site at www.discoverfrederickmd.com. Our “Homegrown Here” and “Buy Local, Buy Fresh” campaigns are exciting and consumer-friendly. The Virtual Farmers’ Market link is designed for Frederick County agricultural producers to sell and promote their products online. Additionally, you may want to visit the Tourism Council of Frederick County’s website at www.fredericktourism.org for shopping and dining suggestions and to find out about festive holiday events.
After an exhilarating day of shopping at some of the hundreds of retailers in downtown Frederick, and from Brunswick to Emmitsburg and Mount Airy to Myersville, we encourage you to dine at some of the many outstanding restaurants throughout Frederick County.
Thank you for supporting our local economy; we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!
Laurie M. Boyer, CEcD
Executive Director
Frederick County Office of Economic Development
Friday, November 13, 2009
Frederick County Tourism Brief Facts and Figures
The following is an excerpt from The Tourism Council of Frederick County, Maryland's 2009 Annual Report:Despite the current economic climate, figures show Frederick County tourism is fairly steady. Hotel demand, or hotel room used by overnight visitors to the county, was up 3.3% compared to FY08. Hotel revenue was up 3.3%, however the average room rate was $82.93, a slight 1.9% decrease from FY08 showing the impact the softening economy has had on rates.
Inquiries are up, showing people are planning their future visits to the area. The Church Street Visitors Center welcomed its 1,000,000th visitor in FY09. It also greeteed 24,145 individual visitors, remaining steady compared to FY08 with less than a 1% difference in unique visits.
With strong partners and solid planning, the Tourism Council of Frederick County is ready to welcome these new visitors to Frederick County.
For additional information, visit http://www.fredericktourism.org/.
Monday, November 9, 2009
OED Wins "TOP 5" Award of Excellence
Expansion Solutions Magazine, a national business site-selection publication, has announced its Third Annual “Top Five” Awards of Excellence. The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) has been honored for what the magazine calls ‘exceptional progress and potential in the field – by successfully recruiting, retaining and assisting growing businesses’.
Awards were given out in six industries: automotive, biotechnology, high technology, logistics, ports and warehouse distribution. Frederick County won in the field of biotechnology. To read about the awards in the latest edition of Expansion Solutions Magazine, visit their website: www.ExpansionSolutionsMagazine.com.
“We are excited about giving national recognition to these organizations as it further demonstrates their leadership role in major commercial activities,” said Kimberly Merkel, Editor of Expansion Solutions Magazine. “Not only does it showcase each area for their success in recruiting and retaining businesses, it also is a source of pride for each city, county, state and their economic development department.”
“We are honored to be recognized,” said Laurie Boyer, CEcD, Executive Director of OED. “Biotechnology has been a target industry for Frederick County since 2001, and the industry has grown from fewer than 20 companies to over 60 in that time.”
For more information about Frederick County and OED please visit our website: www.discoverfrederickmd.com.
Awards were given out in six industries: automotive, biotechnology, high technology, logistics, ports and warehouse distribution. Frederick County won in the field of biotechnology. To read about the awards in the latest edition of Expansion Solutions Magazine, visit their website: www.ExpansionSolutionsMagazine.com.
“We are excited about giving national recognition to these organizations as it further demonstrates their leadership role in major commercial activities,” said Kimberly Merkel, Editor of Expansion Solutions Magazine. “Not only does it showcase each area for their success in recruiting and retaining businesses, it also is a source of pride for each city, county, state and their economic development department.”
“We are honored to be recognized,” said Laurie Boyer, CEcD, Executive Director of OED. “Biotechnology has been a target industry for Frederick County since 2001, and the industry has grown from fewer than 20 companies to over 60 in that time.”
For more information about Frederick County and OED please visit our website: www.discoverfrederickmd.com.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Visitation Academy: A Local, Historic Treasure
The Visitation Academy in downtown Frederick recently hosted a business visit and tour for the Office of Economic Development. The school, located on East Second Street, is for girls from
pre-K to eighth grade and is primarily made up of children from the Catholic faith, but all religions are welcomed.
The school employs 25 full time teachers. Class sizes are small, the average has 15 students; the school’s enrollment is about 125 but administrators would like to boost that to 150. Subjects taught at the Visitation Academy include: grammar, public speaking, math, science, computers, music, art and physical education.
The Visitation Academy encompasses an entire city block and includes several buildings, some outdoor play areas and a garden. The facility is one of the oldest buildings in Frederick to be used as originally planned; it was built in 1824 and established as a school by the Sisters of the Visitation in 1846. It played a role in the Civil War as a makeshift hospital housing wounded soldiers.
For more information on the school, visit their website: http://www.visitationacademy.org/
pre-K to eighth grade and is primarily made up of children from the Catholic faith, but all religions are welcomed.
The school employs 25 full time teachers. Class sizes are small, the average has 15 students; the school’s enrollment is about 125 but administrators would like to boost that to 150. Subjects taught at the Visitation Academy include: grammar, public speaking, math, science, computers, music, art and physical education.
The Visitation Academy encompasses an entire city block and includes several buildings, some outdoor play areas and a garden. The facility is one of the oldest buildings in Frederick to be used as originally planned; it was built in 1824 and established as a school by the Sisters of the Visitation in 1846. It played a role in the Civil War as a makeshift hospital housing wounded soldiers.
For more information on the school, visit their website: http://www.visitationacademy.org/
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Black Ankle takes Green Tourism Award at MD Tourism & Travel Summit
Today, Black Ankle Vineyards was presented the "Green" Tourism Award during the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit in Ocean City, Maryland.
Black Ankle Vineyards has taken "Green" Agriculture to the next level. Their wine making philosophy is to grow locally. They have taken that same philosophy into the construction of their tasting room, by building it to the highest of the Green Standards.
To learn more about Black Ankle Vineyards and their LEED Certified tasting room visit them at: http://www.blackankle.com/tasting_room.php
Black Ankle Vineyards has taken "Green" Agriculture to the next level. Their wine making philosophy is to grow locally. They have taken that same philosophy into the construction of their tasting room, by building it to the highest of the Green Standards.
To learn more about Black Ankle Vineyards and their LEED Certified tasting room visit them at: http://www.blackankle.com/tasting_room.php
Business Visit to Cintas Corporation
Cintas Corporation hosted a business visit by Frederick County representatives on November 2, 2009. The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) coordinates monthly business visits throughout the year to tour and learn more about the County’s business community.Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, Cintas operates 400 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, including eight distribution centers that employ more than 32,000 people. Cintas provides uniforms and apparel, restroom supplies, promotional products, document management, fire protection and first aid safety services for more than 800,000 businesses.
The Frederick branch, located at the Stanford Industrial Park, is a distribution facility and employs 60 people. Chad Moran, Branch Manager and Kevin Bussard, Market Sales Manager, gave the group a company overview and provided a tour of their 15,000 square foot facility. The Frederick facility services over 2,500 customers and has 23 routes. Cintas is the largest company in the uniform rental market and continually receives recognition for their quality work. Fortune Magazine cited Cintas among “America’s” most admired companies for the 9th straight year.
For more information on Cintas, visit their website at http://www.cintas.com/ or call their main number at 301-874-8352.
Pictured left to right: Laurie Boyer, Frederick County Office of Economic Development; Kevin Bussard and Chad Moran, Cintas Corporation and Dr. Carol Eaton, Frederick County Business Development Advisory Council and Frederick Community College.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Prove It!
Managing a profitable organization begins with hiring the right people. It is critical to properly assess candidates to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job. An interview process and reference checks, however extensive, do not tell the whole story about a candidate’s abilities.
How, then, can a hiring manager be sure that a candidate is truly able to execute the tasks that are required for success on the job? Answer: Pre-employment Assessment Technology.
Frederick County Workforce Services recently acquired the rights to administer an award-winning assessment system called Prove It!, which includes over 1,000 validated skills and behavioral assessments for positions including but not limited to financial, legal, clerical, technical, customer service, medical, industrial and more.
Developed by Kenexa, a leading provider of Human Capital Management, the Prove It! system helps organizations to make better hiring decisions, ultimately saving employers time and money.
To speak to a Frederick County Workforce Services business representative about how your organization can use Prove It! to identify and select candidates that match your position requirements, please call (301) 600-1867.
How, then, can a hiring manager be sure that a candidate is truly able to execute the tasks that are required for success on the job? Answer: Pre-employment Assessment Technology.
Frederick County Workforce Services recently acquired the rights to administer an award-winning assessment system called Prove It!, which includes over 1,000 validated skills and behavioral assessments for positions including but not limited to financial, legal, clerical, technical, customer service, medical, industrial and more.
Developed by Kenexa, a leading provider of Human Capital Management, the Prove It! system helps organizations to make better hiring decisions, ultimately saving employers time and money.
To speak to a Frederick County Workforce Services business representative about how your organization can use Prove It! to identify and select candidates that match your position requirements, please call (301) 600-1867.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Get it Downtown - Shop Frederick
Don't miss out on Get it Downtown Challenge Week going on now!
During the week of November 2 through November 7, shop downtown Frederick and make eight purchases (no minimum purchase required) at participating downtown businesses to have your punch card entered into a drawing for a $250 Downtown Frederick gift card. Punch cards can be picked up at any of the participating businesses as well.
For a list of participating merchants and more information, visit http://www.downtownfrederick.org/.