Economic Development Week Wrap-Up

Last week, the Frederick County Office of Economic Development celebrated Economic Development Week in Maryland with two events for the business community and a visit to a leading employer.

This statewide week long event is sponsored by the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) and is designed to increase an understanding of economic development’s contribution to the State’s business climate, job retention and growth, the tax base and the overall quality of life in Maryland. MEDA is a nonprofit organization of economic development professionals. Established in 1961, MEDA members promote the economic well-being of Maryland by working to improve the state’s business climate and the professionalism of those in the field of economic development.

Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner issued a proclamation for the week and OED kicked off the celebration with a free seminar on "How to Write a Press Release that People Will Read." Recognizing that businesses who write effective news releases helps sell the community as an ideal place to do business, Vivian Laxton, Communications Director for Frederick County Government, presented information to businesses on the basics of writing an effective press release and how to choose the appropriate channel for news releases. Attendees also receive information about how to use PRFrederick, a free online press release tool that any business in Frederick County can use as service of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development and City of Frederick Department of Economic Development.

The work week ended with a business visit to BlueLinx, a leading building products distributer in Frederick County with 72 employees. Formerly Georgia Pacific, BlueLinx employs 1,700 people in North America.

In the spirit of celebrating economic development and the role that minority business play in Frederick County's community, the Minority Business Vision hosted a networking event at Cafe 611 on Friday evening. Despite the hazardous flooding which prevented many people from driving that evening, the event was still well attended.

While economic development took center stage in counties, cities and towns throughout Maryland where proclamations were made heralding the significant projects that have made Maryland a great place to live, work and play, Frederick County was no exception. Recent major economic development projects ranging from the Carroll Creek Project, Research Park development, Frederick Municipal Airport growth, planned communities like the Villages of Urbana and Jefferson Tech Park, Frederick's Innovative Technology Center, Inc. to major economic development projects underway like the Downtown Hotel and Conference Center and the Frederick Center for Research & Education in Science & Technology (CREST) all have the potential for having longstanding economic, social and cultural benefits to citizens and businesses alike.

First Quarter Retention Visits

Each month, the Office of Economic Development, members of the BOCC and our Business Advisory Council visits a business to hear their future plans, gage how doing business in Frederick has benefited their business and hear how we can make doing business in Frederick easier. In January, Stulz Air Technology Systems, Inc. was visited. Stulz is an international company that manufactures air conditioning, humidifying and dehumidifying systems. One of our award winners at our 2010 Annual Business Reception, Stulz continues to expand and add additional jobs. Our February visit was to ALL-SHRED. ALL-SHRED is a certified woman-owned and small business certified company. In business for 10 years, they started in Middletown with 1 truck. The now have a fleet of 14 vehicles, with Corporate Headquarters in Frederick, and a branch in Easton, MD. In March, we visited Life Technologies Corporation. Life Tech. is a global biotechnology tools company dedicated to improving the human condition. For more information about these company, please visit their websites at www.ats.stulz.com, www.allshredmd.com and www.lifetechnologies.com.

e-End Hosts Economic Development Business Visit

A group of elected officials and economic development representatives visited e-End today as part of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development’s monthly business visit and business retention program. Attendees learned about e-End’s mission and company history, and received a tour of the secure facility located in Frederick, MD. Monthly business visits give elected officials and economic development representatives a chance to hear about a business’s achievements, concerns and opportunities to assist with doing business in Frederick County.

e-End is a woman-owned, small business offering comprehensive, environmentally sound programs to recycle and adaptively reuse outdated computer, IT, and electronic equipment/components in compliance with federal, state and local security regulations. Founded in 2006, e-End’s expertise extends to total data sanitization of media-containing devices using a suite of cutting-edge tools and technologies to ensure a total security solution. Their clients include: federal, state and local governments; fortune 500 companies, healthcare providers, law firms, financial institutions, foreign embassies and educational institutions.

The company’s philosophy to protect the environment extends past just their mission statement as they have developed a zero landfill policy and strive to exceed U.S. EPA standards for solid waste recycling.

To learn more about e-End, please visit their website at www.eendusa.com.

East Coast Millwork Hosts Business Visit

Elected officials and representatives of the local economic development community visited East Coast Millwork on July 12th to learn about the company and hear about its experiences doing business in Frederick County.

The tour was hosted by Terri and Mark Rutter, who founded the company in 2003. East Coast Millwork produces architectural millwork products, mostly from PVC, and sells them to lumberyards throughout the eastern United States. The company utilizes innovative product design, lean manufacturing techniques, advanced production technology, and diligent management to thrive, even under challenging market conditions. June 2010 was its best month ever.

This year, the company also was nominated for an Entrepreneur Council of Frederick County Entrepreneur Award.

Visitors were treated to a shop tour, where they could see the advanced technology and experienced staff in action. The visit ended with presentations of certificates of appreciation from the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce and Frederick County Government.

Those in attendance were County Commissioners Jan Gardner and David Gray, Lori Friedman of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, Laurie Boyer and Helen Riddle of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, Michelle Day of Frederick County Workforce Services, Chris Olson of the Small Business Development Center, Terri Householder of Frederick Community College, Kathleen Shino, Jason Stanczyk, Lynn Shanton, & Drex Ryberg of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development’s Business Development Advisory Council (BDAC), and former BDAC member Steve Cassis.

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.