Showing posts with label Business News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business News. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2016

Frederick County's Trailblazing Path for Winemakers, Brewers and Distillers

Photo Credit: Linganore Winecellars
Frederick County is where you can find the area’s best agricultural bounties, from award-winning wines and handcrafted brews fresh from the farm to distilled spirits made from locally harvested grains and fruits. Whether you’re looking for a charming farmhouse-turned taproom where downing a frosty mug of cold beer has never gone out of style, a romantic interlude at a beautiful winery, a brew tour with out of town visitors, or a night out with friends at a downtown distillery, there’s fun brewing in Frederick County.

Photo Credit: Mad Science Brewing
at Thanksgiving Farms
In a County known for its deeply rooted appreciation of fine fermented beverages, there’s a quick history lesson to be told in Frederick’s wineries, breweries and distilleries. In 1920, Maryland stood alone as the only state who refused to enforce the new law prohibiting “the manufacturer, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” Then Governor Albert C. Richie laid out his opposition to national prohibition as an infringement on Marylander’s liberties and bootlegging became big business in the state. As opposition to prohibition spread, and the Twenty-First Amendment was passed, resistance by states led by Maryland, the state became one of the principal factors in the restored legality. Ever since, the state of Maryland has been a desired location for eager winemakers, brewers and distillers of spirits.
Photo Credit: Orchid Cellar
 Meadery & Winery

In 1976 in the countryside of Linganore, grapes were grown that would later become the catalyst for the formation of the Maryland Grape Growers Association. In 2006, Flying Dog Brewery came to town and would quickly become the largest craft beer producer in the State. In 2010, Distillery Lane Ciderworks, the first cidery in Maryland opened. As the farm-to-glass beer movement grew nationwide, the first farm brewery in Maryland opened in 2012 at Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm. Mead, an alcoholic beverage made from honey is believed to have predated all other alcohols and in 2010, the Orchid Cellar Meadery and Winery, the first meadery in opened in Maryland. In 2014, the City of Frederick amended city code to allow small craft distilleries in the downtown area which quickly led to the opening of some of the first distilleries to open in the state since Prohibition.

Whether it's an old ice cream factory, an old opera house, Civil War-era barns, or a 100-year old mechanics garage, visitors to Frederick County can catch a glimpse of the rich history preserved before and after Prohibition times with adaptive new uses to preserve time-honored winery, brewery and distillery traditions.

Photo Credit: McClintock Distillery
The Frederick County Office of Economic Development has partnered with the Tourism Council of Frederick to create a Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries brochure to compliment our www.homegrownfrederick.com website currently under construction. Look for the launch announcement coming soon!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

GROW: Volume 7




This series is part of a monthly blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County or read volumes 1, 2 ,3456.

Patriot Technologies
Patriot Technologies, headquartered in Frederick, was named by Cybersercurity Ventures as one of the World's Hottest Cybersecurity Companies for 2015. The Cybersecurity 500 is a global compilation of leading companies who provide cybersecurity solutions and services. Patriot Technologies was one of 14 Maryland companies who made the list.

Patriot has 70 employees and has been in Frederick since 1997. They support both commercial and government customers worldwide with facilities in South America and Europe. They are a 20-year GSA contract holder and developed the industry's first dual-boot tablet for use in communications infrastructure.

The company reports they are looking to continue to expand their international presence, as well as take security into the world of industrial control systems. They have also recently become a supplier of healthcare systems, and are looking to continue to grow their presence in the healthcare sector.


NaturaLawn of America
Called “too far ahead of its time” in 1987, NaturaLawn of America—an organic-based lawn care company—today has 64 franchise locations in 24 states serving over 70,000 customers and generates annual revenues in excess of $50 million. Their natural lawn care system consists of a proprietary line of organic lawn care products and provides business opportunities to individuals wishing to secure their own franchise. 

In 2011, Inc 5000 ranked them the #4377th fastest growing company in America with a 3-year growth of 21% and revenue of $37.5M. They added 51 jobs in 2011 and have 271 employees nationwide.  With an average gross revenue of over $758,000 per location and the highest reoccurring revenues in the industry, the company was founded in Frederick with 13 people employed today at their headquarters location on Church St.

Clearwater Landscape & Nursery
Established in 1989 in Ijamsville, Clearwater Nursery has served 6,000+ homeowners over the last 10 years with their design build landscape needs. A Frederick favorite, Clearwater has won the Best of Frederick (Landscape Category) since 2007.

In 2009, Inc 5000 named Clearwater Landscape Contractors the #4487th fastest growing company in America with revenue at $7.8M and a 32% 3-year growth rate.  At the time they employed 67 people. Today, they employ 75 and their garden center is open to the public. Clearwater was established by owner Michael Rempe who started out completely on his own, catering to residential builders with small retaining walls and planting services. Over time, Clearwater expanded to a 20-acre facility with a team of professionals including landscape architects, designers, licensed horticulturists and certified technicians and is currently hiring for several positions.

Miscellaneous Metals
Miscellaneous Metals was established in 1977 and this month they more than tripled their existing space in a move from Frederick to Walkersville. Their new location at Monocacy Trading Center is 112,500 square feet compared to 35,000 square feet at their former location on Industry Lane. They signed a 20-year lease for the property earlier this year and the move will assist them in improving efficiency and storage. 

Miscellaneous Metals custom fabricates a variety of steel components including stairs, rails, and light structural. The company, which began in Mount Airy and moved to Frederick in 1982, has 150 employees and has an annual volume of more than $20 million.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Patriot Technologies Named One of the World's Hottest Cybersecurity Companies

Patriot Technologies, headquartered in Frederick, MD, was named by Cybersercurity Ventures as one of the world's Hottest Cybersecurity Companies for 2015. The Cybersecurity 500 is a global compilation of leading companies who provide cybersecurity solutions and services. Patriot Technologies was one of 14 Maryland companies who made the list.

Patriot Technologies offers the ability to integrate multiple platforms to provide a holistic approach to Mobile Device Security Management. They bring their clients mobile device visibility, awareness, compliance, authentication & authorization, mobile application security, and continuous monitoring, and can assist in establishing mobile policy and security architectures.

The selection criteria for the Cybersecurity 500 is subjective and includes some or all of the following when evaluating each company:

• Cybersecurity Sector (market category)
• Problem(s) Solved
• Customer Base
• Feedback from CISOs and Decision Makers
• Feedback from IT Security Evaluators & Recommenders
• Feedback from VARs, SIs and Consultants
• VC Funding
• Company Growth
• Published Product Reviews
• Demos and Presentations at Conferences
• Corporate Marketing and Branding
• Media Coverage
• Notable Implementations
• Founder and Management Pedigree
• Interviews with Senior Management

About Maryland's Cybersecurity Industry
Maryland is home of the U.S. Cyber Command, and at the epicenter of Cybersecurity with 12 major military installations, 50 Federal agencies, Defense Information Systems Agency, National Security Agency, NIST and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. The state of Maryland offers Cybersecurity companies industry specific incentives such as the Cybersecurity Tax Credit, Cybersecurity Funds through the Maryland Venture Fund as well as a Tax Credit for Employer Security Clearances Costs.

The Cybersecurity industry worldwide is growing from $77 billion in 2015 to $170+ billion in 2020, according to consolidated estimates by IT research firms and analysts cited in the Cybersecurity Market Report, published quarterly by Cybersecurity Ventures.  

Friday, September 4, 2015

FITCI to Graduate BioFactura and Poochon Scientific

The Frederick County Office of Economic Development was joined by Maryland State Delegate Kathy Afzali, former U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett and other state and local representatives to tour BioFactura and Poochon Scientific's new manufacturing facility located on Progress Drive in Frederick, MD this week.

Both companies will be graduating from the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc (FITCI) and co-locating to 5500 sf of space located at 8435 Progress Drive with plans to occupy their new space in October 2015. They expect to double their workforce this year to 15 employees and plan to add additional employees next year.

For over 10 years, BioFactura has been advancing life-saving medicines from the research bench to the patient using its innovative drug development and manufacturing technologies. Current and past programs include biodefense drugs against smallpox and Ebola, novel medicines for cancer, and low-cost/high-quality biosimilars for autoimmune and infectious diseases.  In September 2014, the company along with its collaborators was awarded an NIH Partnership grant to develop a drug for Ebola.

Founded by research scientists in 2012, Poochon Scientific is a protein analysis company with expertise in the fields of protein biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics, and are capable of combining these fields together to maximize the power of mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitative proteomics technologies.


About the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc
FITCI is a non‐profit organization created for local entrepreneurs seeking offices, laboratory facilities, and business support services. FITCI’s main goal is to foster entrepreneurship in Frederick County and accelerate the development of commercially viable businesses generating continued job growth.

FITCI’s all-inclusive office space offers the entrepreneur a fully equipped office in conjunction with a complete array of administrative support services. Office spaces range in size from 100 - 220 square feet and currently, office spaces are 90% leased.  Wet lab spaces range from 225 – 525 square feet and are 100% leased at the time.

Since 2013, FITCI has assisted over 35 Frederick-based businesses that have generated:
  • 268 direct jobs
  • $16.6 million in annual payroll
  • 76,500 square feet of leased space in Frederick County
  • $27.6 million in annual revenues
  • Annual direct tax base (real estate and county income tax) contributing over $395,110 annually to Frederick County
  • Multi-million dollar downstream economic impact that includes indirect jobs, sales tax, rent, and local purchases from other businesses for supplies, materials, etc. totaling $74.7 million annually

Monday, August 24, 2015

GROW: Volume 5



This series is part of a blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County or read Volumes 1, 2 ,3 and 4.

Talon Construction
Talon Construction specializes in residential construction services (new homes, additions and major renovations) and has been in Frederick since 2002 when they began with just 7 employees. The three owners all had construction and contracting businesses prior to that in Frederick for well over 2 decades. In 2 years, they doubled their revenue and in 2007, Inc Magazine ranked Talon Construction #1004 on the 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S.

When the construction market slowed down in subsequent years, Talon Construction continued to focus on quality and ethics winning Frederick County Builder Association Awards of Excellence,  Chamber of Commerce Awards and Mid-Maryland Chapter, National Association of the Remodeling Industry awards. In 2008, Talon Construction employed 10 people and had gross revenues of $2.5 million. Today they employ 17 people and are featured as an Angie’s List A rated company.

Talon Construction has won Frederick Magazine’s Best of Frederick for Home Improvement and Remodeling for 8 years in a row.

Welocalize 
Welocalize is a multinational company headquartered in provides language localization services that began in 1995 with 12 employees in Frederick. Welocalize now has over 600 employees worldwide and 13 global offices in the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and China.

The firm has been awarded Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500/5000 Award 10 years in a row (2005–2014), Deloitte and Touche's Technology Maryland Fast 50 award eight years in a row (2001–2008),  Deloitte and Touche's Technology National Fast 500 Award four years in a row (2006–2009).

In 2014, they reported 3 year growth at 96% and revenue of $118.3 million. In 2010, their revenue was $60.3 million. From 2010-2013, Welocalize added 190 jobs all over the world.

In 2015, Welocalize was presented with the World Trade Center Institute’s 2015 Maryland International Business Leadership Award by Governor Hogan.

Woodsboro Bank
In 1899, the Woodsboro Savings Bank was chartered and a three-story commercial building was erected on North Main Street. It was fitted with the latest technology at the time, including innovative fire and burglar-proof vaults.

In 1984, the bank constructed a two-story annex at the rear of the building, and, in 1989, a one-story addition was added with a drive-up window. In 1999, a W. Patrick St location opened and in 2001, another location opened on Guilford Dr. In 2006, the bank bought a 2,800-square-foot location on Carroll Creek Way which houses the bank’s commercial and credit departments. The bank also expanded to branches in Thurmont in 2008 and Frederick.

Now with seven locations and 65 employees, Woodsboro Bank has assets in excess of $240 million and total capital of $19 million. As of March 31, 2015, Bankrate.com states Woodsboro Bank exhibits a sound condition, characterized by lower than normal overall, sustainable profitability, a very high measure of asset quality, below standard capitalization and seemingly ample liquidity.

Engage, Inc
Originally launched as Cashbox, a lockbox company in 2000 with just a few employees and a single client, the company was renamed Engage in 2009 to reflect the company’s growing database marketing, production, and consulting practice.

For much of the past decade, Engage has been listed by Inc. Magazine as one of Washington, D.C.’s “top 100 companies” the nation’s “top 5000 companies,” and formerly as one of the “fastest growing companies” in its early years. With a staff of over 85 employees, Engage specializes in fundraising for nonprofit organizations through direct mail and is headquartered on Highland St, Frederick. In 2012, the company reported sales of $8.4 million and a three-year growth of 292%.

Monday, July 27, 2015

GROW: Volume 4


This series is part of a blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County or read Volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Grove Resource Solutions, Inc (GRSi)
GSRi has more than 200 employees around the globe working on projects, many with the highest national security clearances available. Housed in a former garage at founder Deborah Grove’s Frederick home, the company’s moved its 15 person headquarters to Westview Drive in 2011. THE FBI, NIH and Walter Reed are just a few of their clients.

In 2005, company's revenues were less than $8 million. In 2010, they achieved record revenues with well over 100% growth of the company in the prior 3 years.  That has grown to around $20 million today. Their staff retention is 95 percent, virtually unheard of in many government contracting firms.

GRSi is has additional locations in SC and most recently in 2014, opened an office in VA.  Their record success obtaining contracts and resulting operation's growth has led to the Charleston, SC office needing more space and they moved to an expanded location in April 2015.

Inc. magazine ranked GRSi on its annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.  GRSi was ranked #42 in growth for 2012 and the 38th fastest growing private engineering company in the country.  In 2012 they were awarded the Gov’t Contracting Company of the Year by the Tech Council of MD.  David Affeldt, President and CEO said, “As each year is built on the previous one, 2015 is looking bright and strong.”

South Mountain Creamery
After decades of struggles in dairy farming, Randy and Karen Sowers built Maryland’s first on the farm milk processing plant in 2001 at what is now known as South Mountain Creamery. The first home deliveries began in 2001 with only 13 customers and they delivered milk out of their Ford Explorer.

By 2004, they had grown to 1,000 customers all within a 50-mile radius of the farm.  In 2007, South Mountain Creamery was featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post and had 7 milk trucks with 2,200 customers. They remodeled their facility that year and were proud to install new American-made equipment. By 2009, they expanded deliveries into Falls Church and Baltimore, had over 3,000 customers and added ice cream deliveries to their menu. In 2011, they expanded again into the Anne Arundel County and Annapolis markets and jumped to 7,000 customers. In 2013, Animal Planet television installed 11 cameras at the Creamery to feature live streaming video online of their chicks and calves with 100,000 people tuning in to see the project launch.

Today, South Mountain Creamery has 83 employees with 20 delivery trucks and over 8,500 customers. They host 2 large successful events annually which draw thousands of people to the Middletown area.

Southern Research Institute
Southern Research, a 501(c)3 medical research firm of scientists and engineers, is based in Birmingham, Ala., and has at six labs and offices across the country with 453 employees company-wide.

In July 2015, they landed a seven-year contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease with a ground-breaking federal grant worth up to $22 million which will allow researchers to develop assays, or tests, that can identify HIV that remains in the body after anti-HIV drugs. The Frederick lab, has a 24-year history in HIV drug discovery, employs 55 people, and will lead the work on the HIV contract that could develop the cure for HIV, addressing a key barrier towards eradicating HIV.

Southern Research has been around since 1941. They opened up their Frederick doors in 1992. The company states they do not often have positions available because they carefully plan for fluctuations and they have an very low turnover rate.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

GROW: Volume 3


This series is part of a blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County or read Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Regent Education
Regent Education, which is now in the Firehouse Financial Center on West Church Street, will move its 85 employees to 26,000 SF at Union Mills along Carroll Creek early next year and expects to have a total of 130 employees as the company grows.

Regent traces its beginnings to the founding of Computing Options, a student information system provider, in 1984. In 2006, a team of entrepreneurs incorporated Regent to acquire Computing Options as a platform for a financial aid management system and moved in to the Spite House on Church Street. In 2013, the company recorded record growth and in 2014, they added 20 new FT positions.

Today, they are the leading provider of financial aid management and enrollment optimization software solutions for higher education institutions. Regent 8, the eighth version of Regent's financial aid management system is the only one of its kind and their Regent SNAP enables schools to provide estimated awards to prospective students in 15 minutes or less, a process that normally takes days or weeks. The company estimates that over 1 million students use this software.

The Plamondon Companies
The Plamondons have a long history with Roy Rogers dating back to 1968 when Peter Plamondon, Sr. helped create the chain while working for Marriott.   He later became a Roy Rogers franchisee opening his first restaurant in Frederick, MD in 1980.  Plamondon's sons, Jim and Peter, have owned and operated the business since 1998 and bought the franchise rights to the brand in 2002.  Today the company owns 20 corporate and oversees 40 franchise restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic region.  The company is seeking franchisees to continue Roy Rogers expansion throughout the northeast region.

In 1996, the Plamondons entered the hotel business and formed Plamondon Hospitality Partners.  Today, the Plamondon Companies own and operate 6 Marriott branded hotels (Fairfield Inn, Courtyard Inn, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and SpringHill Suites) in Frederick. They are the largest hotelier in Frederick County. They are currently in a growth mode with three hotels under construction, a Home2Suites by Hilton in Groveton, GA and a Fairfield Inn & Suites and TownPlace Suites in Altoona, PA all scheduled to open early 2016. They have been selected as the developer for the Downtown Hotel & Conference Center project.
The Plamondon Companies celebrate 35 years in 2015 with 400 FT employees and 600 PT employees and in 2014, they hired 300 people. Their turnover rate for their industry is well below that national average.

Mid-Maryland Muscoskeletal Institute (MMI)
When Drs Nisenfeld and Chilton began the practice in 1986, they had just five employees. Today, there are a dozen partners and 120 employees.

The Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute offers a full range of services for bone, muscle and joint problems. Growth of the practice required several moves over the years, and eventually the construction of their own 15,000 square foot facility in 2005 on Thomas Johnson Dr. At this time, the MMI division encompasses that main facility and three additional offices on the same block in Frederick, as well as offices in Hagerstown and Urbana.  In 2009, the Urbana office opened and in just 4 years, they doubled their space and expanded services. In conjunction with the Kids First Swim School located in the FSK Mall, MMI now offers Aquatic Exercise Classes. This marks the first endeavor of its kind for the orthopaedic practice as it joins forces with a local sport facility to offer a fast growing and popular exercise option. The practice also provides support for the Keys baseball team, Hood College as well as many local high schools.

An additional 40,000 square feet is anticipated with the construction of an additional facility in Frederick, planned to break ground within the next 2 years.

U.S. Silica
In December 2010, U.S. Silica's Corporate Headquarters moved from its previous location in Berkeley Springs, WV to Frederick. The company stated they moved to Frederick in order to be able to attract new and different talent to operate as a public company.  U.S. Silica, which specializes in glass sand and related products, has 22 locations including Shanghai, China and operates 9 industrial sand production plants and seven oil and gas sand production plants.

In 2013, they had  total revenue of $546 million in 2013, compared with $441.9 million in 2012. In October 2014, Forbes named U.S. Silica Holdings as the best small business of 2014. The honor was based on sales, earnings, equity and stock market performance over the past 12 months and past five years.

The company currently has 102 employees in Frederick and more than 1,000 total in its plants around the U.S. and China. In 2013, they hired 23 employees in Frederick and a total of 148 for all locations. In 2015, they stated they are undergoing unprecedented growth with 253 new hires last year, 32 in Frederick.

The company dates to the late 1800s, when Henry Harrison Hunter mined silica sand in Berkeley Springs and entered a sample in the Chicago World's Fair, winning a blue ribbon and medal of excellence for its quality.


Geo-Technology Associates (GTA)
GTA is celebrating their 30th year in business with 16 offices in the mid-Atlantic region and Carolinas with geotechnical and environmental consulting. Their 285 employees are engineers, geologists, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. They opened their Frederick location in 1995.

In 2014, Geo-Technology Associates (GTA) doubled their manpower and space in Frederick County. Their rapid growth started early 2014 when they had just 8 employees and they now have 16 employees with two more positions available. GTA went from 1,600 square feet to 3,000 square feet when they moved in October 2014. Their previous location on Industry Ln was unfinished industrial space and at their new location on Pegasus Ct, they have additional finished laboratory space.


Current projects that the Frederick office is working on include: Landsdale, a 1100 planned unit development; Clarksburg Village, and several other projects including Linton Farms, and Manors at Ballenger Creek.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

GROW: Volume 2


This series is part of a new blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County or read last month's business stories here.

AstraZeneca (formerly known as MedImmune)
MedImmune was established in Frederick in 1996 with 90,500 SF and then expanded to 150,00 SF in 2001. In October 2005, MedImmune announced a multi-phase expansion of its biologics manufacturing facility a $250M expansion to an existing 225 employee operation and increased the manufacturing floor space to 710,000 SF. In April 2007, AstraZeneca purchased MedImmune for $15B. MedImmune is best known for its production of FluMist, a nasal-spray flu vaccine and Synagis a treatment that prevents RSV in babies, which is manufactured at the Frederick site. In 2006, MedImmune was given a $170M contract from the US Dept of HHS to develop culture-based seasonal and pandemic vaccines and then in 2009, the HHS awarded them a $90M contract for the manufacturing of a vaccine for Influenza A(H1N1).

Most recently in 2014, a 40,000 SF expansion at $200M was announced with 300 additional employees. They currently have 595 employees. AstraZeneca’s Frederick manufacturing center is the largest biologics manufacturing facility within the company’s global network and portfolio of assets, and a worldwide industry leader in cell culture manufacturing.

Richard B. Rudy, Inc
Founded in 1938 by Mr. Richard B. Rudy, the company began using a single truck and stainless steel cans to provide milk transportation services to dairies for local area farms in Frederick County. They incorporated in 1960 and remained in the dairy industry until 2002. Diversification into liquid sugars and finished food-grade items came along in the mid 1970’s. In the mid 1980’s, they moved from their Linden Ave location and bought 11-1/2 acres and now their office complex includes a five bay, full service shop, an automated tank wash facility with three pull-through bays, as well as dry storage and cold storage warehousing. Now 73 plus years and three generations later, they employ 80 people and hire new people each year. Today they serve the food industry throughout the east coast to the mid west and beyond and have had many major clients such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Hershey Chocolates, Domino Sugar and Thomas English Muffins for over 40 years.

Morgan-Keller
Launched as a residential home builder in 1955 by Ralph Morgan and Lawrence Keller in Wolfsville, MD privately held Morgan-Keller Construction Co. is the area’s largest commercial construction company with some 185 employees.

In the early days, Morgan-Keller was responsible for the residential construction of College Estates in Frederick and Woodlea and Woodmere in Middletown. By 1965, Morgan-Keller had started performing commercial work, including pre-engineered metal buildings. In the mid-1970’s, Morgan-Keller began building retirement communities like Homewood in Williamsport, MD. In 1980, they decided to move away from custom residential construction and focus on commercial, industrial, management and multi-family. About 9 years ago, they opened a satellite office in Columbia as they expanded their reach in MD.

The company touts a range of deliveries including Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Center at the Riverside Business Center, Carroll Creek Linear Park, the Frederick Memorial Hospital renovation and the Frederick National Cancer Laboratory as examples of its work. Their portfolio of projects is throughout MD, PA, VA and WV. The company reports they are in a hiring upswing and currently hiring for the field.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is the nation's largest mortgage lender and the County’s 5th largest employer.

In 1989, Prudential Home Mortgage moved to 270 Technology Park and in 1996 was acquired by Norwest Mortgage. In 2000, Wells Fargo acquired Norwest and moved into the location, expanding to five buildings. The company had as many as 1,900 employees during the refinance boom of 2003 to 2004 where they stated at the time that 80% of their business then was refinancing. When that died down, the staff level fell to about 1,200. In 2007, employees were back up to about 1,700 when they moved into a brand new $30 million dollar 310,000 SF facility. Prior to moving into the building at 8480 Stagecoach Cir off Monocacy Blvd, operations were scattered throughout six buildings.

In 2013, Wells Fargo added 60K SF to their operations in Frederick and today, they employ nearly 1,900 people in Frederick County.

Orases
Orases, an information technology company, was established in Frederick County in 2002 with 3 employees. Since that time, they have grown to 14 employees and gone from 750 SF in the City to 3000 of space in Frederick County. They are a recipient of the Best Places to Work in Frederick County last year and have major national clients such as: National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball and Johns Hopkins.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

GROW: Volume 1



This series is part of a new blog series about Frederick County businesses that grow and expand. It is a snapshot of Frederick County business success stories. Check back each month for more businesses that grow in Frederick County.


Costco Distribution Center 
Costco Distribution Center in New Market announced a 600K SF expansion last year, tripling their current size and  adding 200 new employees.  The warehouse distribution center currently employs 400 people. Initially when Costco announced their plans to come to Frederick in 2007, they planned for 300 jobs and a 525K SF building. The average salary of the distribution center in 2007 was 42,000, well above the state and local average at the time. They have a promote from within training program that allows employees with little skills to earn higher than average wages through length of time employed and skill sets learned.

Stulz Air Technology Systems, Inc
In 2008, Stulz Air Technology had 280 employees. The company hired about 80 employees at the end of 2010, bringing its staff to more than 385, and expanded to 37,000 additional square feet. In 2014, announced a $5 million expansion. Stulz Air bought a 41,000-square-foot building adjacent to its existing 140,000-square-foot building and plans to hire 25 permanent new employees. “The combination of physical expansion, emphasis on employee training and innovative products has helped Stulz to grow its market share more easily than the competition”, said  Thorsten Weiss, the company's chief financial officer.

Flying Dog Brewery
After acquiring Frederick Brewing Co. (which produced Wild Goose Beers) in 2006 for about $1.8 million, Aspen, Colorado’s Flying Dog Brewery said the sale was expected to add 8 jobs initially to the existing 20 employee operation and had the potential to add 70 new jobs. In 2012, they purchased new equipment that increased their production capacity by 15%.  In 2014, Flying Dog bought the 46,000 SF building they had been occupying for a decade on Wedgewood Blvd. In 2015, they announced an expansion just over the MD line into Lucketts, VA with a new, smaller brewery under a different name and with a different focus. They now employ 100 people in Frederick. 

Since beginning operations in Frederick in 2006, the local brewery has made a name for itself in the craft beer industry, including being named the Mid-Size Craft Brewery of the Year at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, and its American Pale Ale received a No. 1 ranking in the U.S. by The New York Times.

Lonza
In 2009, Lonza Bioscience in Walkersville employed 400 people and announced an expansion of their facility adding 44,000 SF and 80 new jobs with a $26 million dollar capital investment. Today, they employ 524.  The Biggs Ford Road site was initially opened as BioWhittaker, but was later acquired by Cambrex. Lonza acquired Cambrex's division in 2007. The facility provides approximately 3000 products and services to the biotechnology, clinical, pharmaceutical and research communities. One of the key ingredients for the diagnostic kits made at the Walkersville facility is blood from horseshoe crabs. Each spring, a crew travels to the shore to gather small amounts of blood from the crabs. The diagnostic kits test for pyrogens, a naturally occurring bacterium that can cause shock, fever and even death in patients if not screened out of products.  Lonza, based in Basel, Switzerland, is one of the world's largest suppliers to the pharmaceutical, health care and life sciences industries.

U.S. Veteran's Administration Center for Acquisition Innovation
In 2008, the Veteran’s Administration named Frederick as their new location for their VA Center for Acquisition Innovation. Initially they brought 150 jobs but today employ 207 people in 40,500 SF where Wells Fargo used to be on New Horizon Way before they built their new facility.  They initially looked at Fredericksburg, VA, St. Louis and Pittsburgh before deciding on Frederick. This facility trains VA employees in purchasing in a 3-year program before they are sent to VA offices all over the Country.

Canam Steel
Point of Rocks steel joist manufacturer Canam Steel expanded in 1999 with an $8M capital investment and 80 new jobs. Canam suffered when commercial construction declined in 2007. Yet, finding a new niche in bridgework in 2008 and 2009 allowed the company to add 100 jobs to the plant after layoffs. Now, Canam managers say they have the flexibility to respond to the market cycles that hit at different markets at different times. In 2011, Canam expanded with a $5M investment and 25,000 additional SF. They now employ 300 people.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Meet Donald B. Rice Tire Company


                                               Six Questions with Chris Chase, President/CEO


                                                                    909 N. East Street
                                                                    Frederick, Maryland  21701
                                                                    301-662-0166
                                                                    www.ricetire.com

What does your business do?
Tire sales and mechanical service

How long have you been in business?
Incorporated in Frederick in 1959

How many employees do you have?
175

Why do you believe you will be successful in Frederick County?
We have quality people, a long history here and a very supportive community.

If your company is involved in community outreach, please share with us your involvement.
Carroll Creek Rotary is our main involvement. We support lots of other causes with various donations.

What are you most proud of? 
The quality of my employees. 


                                                   

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The State offers Financial Help to Businesses

The state is working to help buisnesses that may not qualify for traditional bank financing.
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is encouraging businesses to look at four available programs, which will receive a total of $23 million in federal funds through the Small Business Jobs Act.
The four programs are:
 The Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, which provides credit guarantees to small firms that may not meet established credit criteria.
 Maryland Industrial Development Financing Authority, which provides loan guarantees.
 Maryland Venture Fund, which invests in early stage businesses to help with the cost of bringing new products to the market.
 Neighborhood Business Works, which provides gap financing to new or expanding small businesses and nonprofits in sustainable communities.

Information on all programs is available at ChooseMaryland.org.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Frederick County Diabetes Coalition Announces Restaurant Challenge Winner


The Frederick County Diabetes Coalition is pleased to announce that La Paz Mexican Restaurant is the winner of this year’s Frederick Restaurant Challenge. The Challenge was coordinated by the Frederick County Diabetes Coalition and held in November to coincide with American Diabetes Month. The Challenge featured ten restaurants who agreed to offer a healthy meal option for people with diabetes (or for anyone wishing to eat healthier). During the month of November, nearly 250 diners chose and rated the healthy meal offered by these restaurants. An average rating was calculated for each restaurant who received at least 15 votes. La Paz edged out the competition and received a plaque, donated by Trophies Unlimited, to recognize their achievement.

New this year, a prize was also awarded to the participating restaurant who sold the greatest number of healthy meals. The winner for this category is Acacia; they had 84 diners order and submit a vote for their healthy meal. Acacia received a gift certificate for a massage donated by the YMCA of Frederick County.

Angela Blair, Chairperson for the coalition states, “On behalf of the coalition, I wish to commend all ten restaurants for participating and for demonstrating that healthy meals taste delicious! We also want to recognize the restaurant patrons who tried the healthy meals and voted. Their positive feedback and interest creates the demand for restaurants to offer healthy meal options as part of their standard menu. This is the ultimate goal of the Challenge.”

Ten restaurants elected to participate in this year’s event: Acacia, Asian Bistro, Brewer’s Alley, Firestone’s Culinary Tavern, La Paz, Mariachi Restaurant, Mexicali Cantina, Subway (69 S. Market St.), Subway (913 W. 7th St.), and Wegmans.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Focus on Green Business Practices

Dear Frederick County Business:
The Frederick County Department of Solid Waste Management is putting local businesses in the spotlight this fall with two programs that focus on local commercial recycling and waste reduction activities.
· For businesses interested in starting or expanding a recycling program, a free seminar will be held October 5, 2011. http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/index.aspx?NID=4736
· For businesses already leading the way in reducing, reusing and/or recycling their waste, an awards program is now accepting nominations. http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/index.aspx?nid=3928

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Rita's Italian Ice Honored By BOCC

The Rita's Ice in Frederick was among the top 10 fundraisers among 550 stores in the company for Alex's Lemonade Stand. In a worksession this morning, the Frederick County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) recognized their efforts.

The Frederick location raised more than $10,700 in June, when guests were asked to purchase a paper lemon for $1.

Alex's Lemonade Stand raises funds for childhood cancer research. More than $545,00 was donated to the charity by 550 Rita's Ice locations.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

We Want to Appreciate Our Frederick County Businesses!

Dear Frederick County Business:

Are you looking for a fantastic, free way to get the message out about your company's superior products or services? Sign up for Frederick County's Business Appreciation Week and spread the news!

The Frederick County Office of Economic Development is hosting its 11th Annual Business Appreciation Week. We want to hear about your business, thank you for being here, identify any concerns or potential issues you might have, and this year's event has a marketing twist--we also want to help market how fantastic your company is!

A small group of local ambassadors will make short visits lasting about 30-45 minutes to companies like yours all week long. Once Business Appreciation Week is over, the Office of Economic Development promotes your company using multiple media outlets and you're invited to attend our Annual Business Reception in November, the biggest Frederick County business networking event of the year.

Sign up today for three possible dates and times and we'll contact you in August with the exact date and time of your visit. Slots fill fast so please sign up by August 5th. We are looking forward to seeing you in September!

Register here:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e48ujjgeca244df8&llr=7huirfdab

Friday, March 25, 2011

County Works to Improve Business Climate

With the goal of improving the "business friendly" environment, staff with direction from the Frederick County Board of County Commissioners, have begun to review and revise the rules and regs that affect the local business community.

Check out the Business Friendly Action Item List and status here.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

CONTRACT CONNECTIONS FOR WOMEN

CONTRACT CONNECTIONS FOR WOMEN
Connecting Maryland Women-Owned Small Businesses to Federal Contracting Opportunities
Date: April 11, 2011
Location: BWI Marriott
1743 West Nursery Road
Linthicum, MD 21090
Learn how new WOSB rules can connect you to federal contracting opportunities.
Cost: $55.00
Who Should Attend?
Women Business Owners seeking to expand their market to the federal sector
Women Business Owners that have federal contracting experience and want to expand their sales
Prime Contractors
Federal and Military Agencies
How will you benefit?
Learn about the new SBA Contracting Program for Women-Owned Small Business
Learn how to do business with federal agencies and what they buy
Meet with prime contractors looking for subcontractors
Meet with federal agencies that want to add more WOSB's to their contracting portfolio
MARYLAND OF OPPORTUNITY
Department of Business & Economic Development
Martin O'Malley, Governor • Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor
REGISTER


---------------------------
Helga Weschke, Director of Federal Business Relations
Office of Military & Federal Affairs
Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development
World Trade Center Baltimore 401 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
O 410.767.0862 M 410.206.8870 E hweschke@ChooseMaryland.org

Monday, January 10, 2011

The First Two Cycles of FY 2011 Export MD Grants Were Awarded

The Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) has funded the first two cycles of FY 2011 Export MD grants. From Frederick County, BioElectronics recieved a grant. Awarded to 19 small and mid-sized businesses across Maryland, helping them promote or sell their products and services in global markets. The grants, administered through DBED, are awarded to businesses quarterly to help finance the cost of international marketing initiatives, including trade show fees, travel expenses, brochures, translators and website development. Since 2007, more than 100 Export MD grants have been awarded. Click here for applications and more details.

Monday, October 18, 2010

FDK Breaks Ground on First Air Traffic Control Tower

The groundbreaking for Frederick Municipal Airport's $5.3 million first air traffic control tower was held today and OED was in attendance. U.S. Sentators Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski joined several local elected officials at the ceremony along with officials from the FAA.


Top photo: Senator Mikulski addresses the crowd.
Bottom photo: Senator Cardin speaks to today's gathering.

Construction of the tower is expected to be completed within 18 months and is funded by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The airport has two runways and handles a diverse mix of aircraft, including presidential helicopter Marine One. In recent years, the largest growth segment for the airport has been in corporate jets. With two flight restriction areas within a few miles of the airport, it is expected that an air traffic control tower will serve a larger homeland security role by significantly decreasing the number of intrusions into restricted airspace.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Healthiest Maryland Businesses

Join CEOs from across the state who are leading by example in making health promotion and disease prevention an integral part of their business strategy. It's easy to join Healthiest Maryland Businesses:

Sign a Healthiest Maryland Commitment Letter - Declare your commitment to take action to improve your employee health and wellness because a healthy, productive workforce is a core part of your business strategy. Please email a copy of your signed commitment letter to HealthiestMaryland@dhmh.state.md.us. Or fax to 410-333-7106.

Complete the Healthiest Maryland Businesses Assessment - Identify your organization's employee health management strengths and areas for improvement. Also, available is a PDF format of the assessment for you to print out and use for your reference.

Check out the resources - Get prepared to take your business and your employees on the road to a healthier, more competitive level.


Why would businesses want to join the Healthiest Maryland movement?
In addition to saving money, you will receive:
Education and technical assistance
Peer-to-peer support from our Ambassadors
Resources from our supporting organizations
Recognition from the Governor and Lt. Governor
Media features and highlights