Forward Frederick Announces Comprehensive Study of Frederick County Business Climate

Public-private consortium, led by Frederick County Business Development and Retention Department, to benchmark perceptions of business leaders and residents

(February 24, 2014 Frederick, MD): Forward Frederick is proud to announce the launch of a comprehensive new study of Frederick County business conditions and government services, as perceived by business leaders and residents.

Forward Frederick is a public-private coalition supported by the Frederick County Business Development and Retention Department and the City of Frederick Department of Economic Development as well as other civic organizations and local businesses.

The study will be conducted in two parts, beginning in February. The first, a survey of local business leaders, will examine attitudes about the local business climate and the role and performance of various government agencies. The second will be a survey of local residents, gauging their perceptions about Frederick County as a place to live and work. Businesses interested in participating can join a mailing list at www.ForwardFrederick.com.

“The survey will benchmark where we are and where and how we need to move to retain the vitality of Frederick as a business community. By measuring both business and residents, we can understand the business environment, the workforce and the needs of county residents,” said Helen Propheter, the manager of the Frederick County Business Development and Retention Department.

“The City and County work together seamlessly on Economic Development – so we jumped at the chance to be involved in the effort” stated Richard Griffin, Director of City of Frederick Department of Economic Development. The City has strongly advocated local research efforts, which included their own comprehensive Aspire Frederick surveys conducted to residents in 2001. As a business member of the Forward Frederick consortium, The Frederick News-Post will publish findings from the research in spring. “All of us – businesses, government and residents – benefit from better information about where we stand as a county. We are pleased to be part of the Forward Frederick coalition, and we look forward to sharing the results with the community,' said Geordie Wilson, publisher of The News-Post. In addition to Frederick News-Post, local business sponsors include the Frederick County Bank and the WLR Automotive Group.

In addition to the County and the City, the Maryland Small Business Technology Development
Center (SBTDC) and Frederick County Chamber of Commerce have also joined the consortium to
promote it to their combined databases. “As the voice of many businesses in Frederick, the
Chamber believes it’s essential to understand the needs of all local businesses” stated Paul Frey,
Acting Director at the Chamber of Commerce. The Frederick Chamber and the SBTDC will be a key
in driving the survey out to small businesses in the County.

The survey will have specific, detailed sections focusing on industry segment that the County has
identified as critical, including Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Information Technology
and Small Business.

The survey and the consortium were developed by Glenn Braverman, Principal at Brave New
World Consulting, Inc. (BNWC) a Frederick-based strategy and research firm servicing regional and
national clients. BNWC has developed research efforts for both public and private-sector entities,
including the first annual Business Performance survey for the Downtown Frederick Partnership in
2013 and follow on efforts in 2014. It was that survey efforts, results and learnings that were the
genesis for the countywide effort.

For more information- please visit the Frederick County Business Development Retention
Department at www.DiscoverFrederickCountyMD.com or call the office at 301-600-1058.