MD has the highest concentration of employed doctorial scientists and engineers

Workforce

Maryland has the highest concentration of employed doctoral scientists and engineers. The state ranks first in employed PhD scientists and engineers per 100,000 employed workers. Maryland also ranks first in mathematical sciences (71), first in biological sciences (398), first in health (63), and third in physical sciences (197) per 100,000 employed workers.

Maryland ranks second in the percentage of professional and technical workers (26.1%) in the workforce.

Maryland ranks second in the percentage of the population age 25 and above with a graduate or professional degree (16.4%), and third in the percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher (36.1%).

Maryland ranks fourth in the concentration of technology jobs, which employ 87 of every 1,000 private sector workers. Further, the state ranks fourth by employment in space and defense systems manufacturing, sixth in computer systems design, and eighth in engineering services.

Maryland ranks fifth in federal government employment, with 131,855 non-military federal jobs in 2009. On a per capita basis, the state ranks third with 231 jobs per 10,000 residents. Non-military federal jobs generate $11.4 billion in total wages in Maryland, ranking fourth among the states. Further, these jobs pay better in Maryland than in any other state, with an average annual wage of $87,767, which is 28% higher than the national average.

Riverside Tech Park attracts AT&T, Tox Path

AT&T's Government Solutions Division and Tox Path Specialists signed leases representing nearly 20,000 square feet of R&D and office space at St. John Properties' Riverside Technology Park in Frederick. AT&T, led by Senior VP Thomas Harvey (left), will relocate 50 employees from Virginia in part to be closer to a key government contractor. To accommodate its rapid expansion from a start-up to an industry-leading biotech, Tox Path will move 20 employees from the Technology Innovation Center in Hagerstown because of Riverside's proximity to the National Cancer Institute's new state-of-the-art R&D facility.

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.

USDA Funding Assistance Available for Businesses Affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee

Senator Benjamin Cardin announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved 2011 disaster designations for several counties in Maryland, including Frederick County. Any business who suffered a loss during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee may be eligible for USDA disaster funding assistance.

Please visit http://fsa.usda.gov/FSA/stateoffapp?mystate=md&area=home&subject=landing&topic=landing for more information.

2011 Business Appreciation Week Report Now Available

As part of OED's annual Business Appreciation Week, a key annual business retention event, a total of 108 business were visited by 69 ambassadors. The top positive comments heard from businesses related to location, quality of life, growth and education system. For the complete report, please click here.

Congratulations to the 2011 Best Places to Work in Frederick

Yesterday evening, four local companies were honored as the Best Places to Work in Frederick County at an awards ceremony held at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center in Frederick. The campaign, now in its 9th year, is a partnership between the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, the City of Frederick Department of Economic Development, the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, and Frederick County Workforce Services.

Each business in Frederick County was invited to take the survey to identify what makes them the best place to work. Winners were identified based on the following criteria:

1. an enhanced workplace culture
2. a strong professional development program
3. benefits and amenities to provide a work and life balance
4. the encouragement of community and social responsibilities
5. and tools for healthy living

The winner of this year's campaign are:

EmpiriStat (Small Business Category with 1-10 Employees)
Default Resource (Medium Business Category with 11-50 Employees
DynPort Vaccine Company, LLC (Large Business Category with 51-200 Employees)
Hood College (Major Employer with 201+ Employees)



The Frederick County Office of Economic Development is proud to add these four companies to an elite group of past award winners that make up the Best Places to Work in Frederick!

A huge thank you to our sponsors who are also past year's winners. Without their support, this event would not have been possible: AOPA, DMS, Inc, Frederick Memorial Healthcare Systems, and Mount Saint Mary's University.

Certifed Tourism Ambassador Training in Frederick

Certified Tourism Ambassador ClassTuesday, October 25, 2011
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Residence Inn 5230 Westview Drive Frederick, MD 21703
$49 registration fee includes pre class reading materials.
Register at http://www.ctanetwork.com/app
The Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Program is a groundbreaking, nationwide certification program that serves to increase tourism by training and inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience. Come learn more about the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area!The Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG) CTA Program goes well beyond basic customer service training; it:
Enhances your skills in serving customers
Increases your awareness of information resources
Allows you to discover the power of tourism
Provides freebies & discounts to attractions, restaurants and tours. Connects and networks you with more than 600 current Journey CTAs