Why PR Frederick is an Award-Winning Resource for Frederick County Businesses

Last month, Frederick County took home the Maryland Economic Development Association Award (MEDA) for Economic Development Marketing for PR Frederick, a free press release marketing service that helps Frederick County companies broaden their online exposure.

PR Frederick, is the result of listening to what businesses need. 

Each year, the Frederick County office of Economic Development (OED) hosts a Business Appreciation Week (BAW) where over 100 businesses are visited over the span of one week. BAW gives our office a chance to hear what businesses are saying and what they need most from their local government. From 2010-2012, businesses during Business Appreciation Week said what they needed most from local government was assistance with marketing their businesses. Businesses reported that as the economy was getting a little tougher, their marketing budgets were shrinking and they were looking for creative ways to get the word out about their products and services and gain new customers. Most of these businesses were already writing press releases and using social media but many didn’t have the resources to hire an additional staff person to boost their marketing campaigns.

In response to BAW findings, OED researched online newswire tools as a way to distribute press releases for Frederick County businesses. The objective was to provide a free and effective way for businesses to reach journalists, newspapers, publications and increase their Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

Helen Propheter, OED's Director, accepts the 2015 Economic
Development Marketing Award from MEDA

The subscription selected is the highest-rated online newswire service on the web and the service distributes press releases straight to the search engines that everyone uses, like Google, Yahoo and Bing and onto major news sites like Google News, Yahoo News, WSJ, and more. They also distribute news releases to more than 250,000 subscribers and as many as 30,000 bloggers and journalists. 

In January of 2013, OED began telling Frederick County businesses about the new online press release distribution service and what it could do for them. The usage of PR Frederick by Frederick businesses increased 244% from January 2013-October 2013 to January 2014-October 2014.  OED works with the City of Frederick Department of Economic Development to co-host this service and jointly promote the service.

Press release resources on the PR Frederick webpage include:

• Anatomy of a Press Release

• Press Release FAQs

• Press Release Template

• What is Newsworthy?

• How to Write a Boilerplate

• Press Release Tips and Tricks

• Photos and Videos for Press Releases

• PR Frederick Vocabulary

As a way to measure the tool’s effectiveness for businesses, a complimentary analytic report is offered at the 30 day mark to each business who submits a release. The report tracks who clicked on the release, how many clicks it received and where it was distributed.  

Good news on Frederick County businesses “sells” Frederick County as a whole and is a valuable economic tool. The Frederick County Office of Economic Development is pleased to make this service available as just one of many ways we attract and retain companies. 

Commercial Historical Tax Credits Available

Owners of historic commercial properties can now submit an application for a state income tax credit for renovating historic structures in Maryland. Fiscal year 2016 applications opened last week for the Sustainable Communities Competitive Commercial Tax Credit program, administered by the Maryland Historical Trust.  Applications are due August 31, 2015.  In addition, there are tax credits available at the City, County, and Federal level to help transform historical properties into neighborhoods where people want to live, work and play.

Owners of income-producing properties have the opportunity to earn a state income tax credit (capped at $3 million) that is equal to 20 percent of eligible rehabilitation expenses for substantial rehabilitation projects. Substantial rehabilitation projects are defined as projects with eligible expenses that exceed the greater of the adjusted basis value of the structure or $25,000. An additional 5 percent credit is available for projects that achieve LEED Gold Certification or equivalent. Applications are rated and ranked by the Maryland Historical Trust and compete for a total of $9 million in tax credit awards. To view a downloadable brochure on this program, please click here.

Locally, Frederick County provides a 5-year decreasing credit property tax credit for increases in assessments for properties in the historic districts of the City of Frederick, the Town of New Market, or listed in the Frederick County Register of Historic Places, provided that the historic preservation commissions in those jurisdictions have reviewed and approved the work which results in the increased assessment. To review the application for the Frederick County Historic District Tax Credit Program, please click here.

The City of Frederick also has a Historic Preservation Property Tax Credit available for the 40 blocks of Downtown Frederick.

The Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive is administered by the National Park Service and offers a 20% federal income tax credit, based on the renovation of a certifed historic structure.

These programs are designed to encourage the redevelopment and reuse of historic buildings which help create jobs, contribute towards increased property values and encourage reinvestment in our neighborhoods.

The HUBZone--What is it?

The HubZone program, administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, was enacted by Congress in 1997 to help small businesses located in HUBZones get contract help, thus promoting job growth, capital investment and economic development in economically depressed areas, in both rural and urban communities, and on Indian reservations. HUBZone stands for Historically Underutlized Business Zone.

What does this mean in Frederick County? 
There are three designated HUBZone eligible Census tracts in Frederick County, two are located in the City of Frederick and one is located in the Town of Emmitsburg and outlying areas. To view the map, click here.

Benefits
The program’s benefits for HUBZone-certified companies include:

• Competitive and sole source contracting
• 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions, as well as subcontracting opportunities.

The federal government has a goal of awarding 3% of all dollars for federal prime contracts to HUBZone-certified small business concerns. Click here to see a list of the biggest industries, by contracting dollar amount, for HUBZone companies and small businesses.

Eligibility for HubZone
To qualify for the program, a business (except tribally-owned concerns) must meet the following criteria:

• It must be a small business by SBA standards
• It must be owned and controlled at least 51% by U.S. citizens, or a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, or an Indian tribe
• Its principal office must be located within a “Historically Underutilized Business Zone,” which includes lands considered “Indian Country” and military facilities closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Act
• At least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZone

Interested in finding out more? Contact our Small Business Development Center at 301-600-1058 or click on this link for more information.

InvestMaryland Challenge to Grant $400K in Awards to Businesses

The InvestMaryland Challenge is a national seed and early-stage business competition hosted by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and Inc. Magazine. The Challenge will award $400,000 in grants and a host of business services to companies in the life sciences and high tech industries. Grants are provided by the Department's Maryland Venture Fund and BioMaryland Center. All categories are open to Maryland, U.S. And International companies.

Companies also have the opportunity to receive direct investments from venture capital firms and angel investors.

To learn more about InvestMaryland, please check out the website.

Permitting Fees at Last Year's Rates to Encourage Business Friendly Climate

FREDERICK, MD – Frederick County permitting fees were due to automatically increase as of July 1 by 3.2 percent to keep pace with inflation this year. But, with business-friendly goals of utmost concern to the Frederick Board of County Commissioners, the board recently chose to keep rates the same as last year.

The board also agreed to clarify fee schedule policies in the Community Development Division to provide clarity and consistency with other regulatory issues in the Department of Permits and Inspections. It establishes, eliminates and/or clarifies other fees for certain approvals that are a result of new or modified planning and development review approval processes and also incorporates comprehensive planning and zoning fees into the fee schedule to coincide with the division’s reorganization last year.

Key changes in the fee schedule include the clarification to the “agricultural buildings” definition to be consistent with the building code; establishing of a “minimum permit” fee instead of a “per square foot” charge, and elimination of the fire code revision fee charged for additional plan reviews. In addition, the board will exempt the county’s capital improvement program from payment of the fees in accordance with its strategic goal to “consider eliminating review fees for county capital projects.”

Board President Blaine Young commented, “We believe that holding the permitting fees at the same rate is good for business, and what is good for business is good for Frederick County. The decisions the board has made are part of our strategic goals to consider proposals to reduce, alter or eliminate rules and regulations to help improve county processes.

“We commend our employees for working diligently to help businesses more easily and efficiently navigate their way through the process. We welcome continued feedback from our citizens -- from the homeowner to the large business to the small business.”

At the beginning of their term in office, the Frederick Board of County Commissioners initiated a review of over 200 recommended changes to rules and regulations as part of their goal to improve the “business friendly” atmosphere in Frederick County, and have made good progress toward completion.

The items on the “business friendly action items” list were proposed after meetings with officials from the former Permitting and Development Review and Economic Development Divisions and members of the Frederick Chamber of Commerce, Frederick County Builders Association, commercial business representatives and many other stakeholders.

The changes coincide with the Board of County Commissioners’ proposed Strategic Plan goal of providing improved predictability for businesses. The goal states that “Frederick County needs to implement predictability in the business community in order to reduce inefficiencies, allow cost control, provide an effective process and increase understanding in daily business processes within Frederick County Government.”

For further information, visit www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/permits or contact Director Gary Hessong, Permits and Inspections Department, at 301-600-1172 or via e-mail at ghessong@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

The $0 Excise Tax Explained

In November 2011, the Frederick County Board of County Commissioners made it a bit easier to build in Frederick County. But what does this mean exactly?

According to Sharon Goetz, Manager of Permitting Services for Frederick County Department of Permits and Inspections, homebuilders can now save about $500-$1000 per single family dwelling permit, and commercial developers can now save thousands of dollars related to building permits for commercial new construction due to the reduction of the Excise Tax to a $0 amount.

Background: The Excise Tax, prior to being reduced to a $0 amount, was charged on (1) all new dwelling units based on the square footage of the dwelling and (2) all new nonresidential floor area (new buildings, new additions, accessory structures, but not permits for existing floor area, like tenant fit outs). The rate for Nonresidential Excise Tax was $0.75 per square foot of floor area (per floor), so you can see how that added up quickly. Sometimes the Excise Tax for a new Nonresidential permit was tens of thousands of dollars! There were only a few exemption categories:
A. Farm construction
B. Government construction
C. Residential addition construction
D. Residential accessory structures

To read the complete ordinance change, please contact the Business Development and Retention Division at 301-600-1058.

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.