Howard County EDA

Dick Story has served as CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) since September 1993 and has worked in the industry for 30 years. He holds the Certified Economic Developer designation and has been named a Fellow Member by the International Economic Development Council for his long-term service to the profession. More

January 2009, The Business Monthly, Howard County: Despite Challenges, Mostly Sunny

Howard County's economy remained relatively strong in 2008 amidst a challenging economic climate. But with the recession expected to deepen as we enter 2009, we are bracing for a cold winter. More

April 23, 2009 (Thursday), Howard County Times, Awards event spotlights diversity and minorities

The Howard County Economic Development Authority held its 15th annual Business and Economic Diversity Awards this week, honoring five business people who are minorities or women, or are disabled.
At a ceremony at Ten Oaks Ballroom, in Clarksville, three awards and two scholarships were handed out, according to Dick Story, the authority's chief executive officer. More

The time remaining until the Congressionally-mandated target of September 2011 for completion of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process is short and growing shorter. Installation officials, regional government bodies and construction crews are busier than ever with preparations. More

May 2009, The Business Monthly, SAIC to Open 200,000 Square Feet in Gateway

Science Applications International Corp. and the Trammell Crow Co. have executed one of the largest leases of office space in the Baltimore region this decade: a deal for 200,000 square feet at Columbia Gateway Business Park. More

May 22, 2009 (Friday), Baltimore Business Journal, Incentives keep Boxtone Inc. in Howard County

BoxTone Inc., a fast-growing BlackBerry technology company, had outgrown its Columbia office space and was contemplating a move to Pennsylvania before the state and Howard County stepped in with incentives. Their cash lured the company to new, larger digs on May 18 — in the very same building. More

June 5, 2009 (Friday), The Daily Record, Learning how to capitalize on BRAC

Some of the small business owners at Thursday’s conference about capitalizing on opportunities coming to Maryland as a result of relocating military personnel came just to collect business cards. More

July 2009, Corridor Inc.,‘No Such Agency’ seems to be expanding, but no one’s talking

The SAIC logo rises seven stories next to I-95 in the Columbia Gateway business park, the tallest building on the highway between Baltimore and Laurel. Over the summer, consolidating from six locations, 600 employees will move in, including 200 new hires “needed to support recent contracts awards from the Department of Defense,” said Science Applications International Corp. in a press release that somehow failed to mention the name of its business unit – “intelligence and information solutions” – or the nature of their work. More

January 2008, The Business Monthly, With Local Input, Maryland Releases BRAC Plan

Using input from the county level, Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown released a plan outlining how the state will accommodate thousands of new jobs during the military's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The report estimates that BRAC will add about 15,500 direct jobs (including more than 10,000 at Fort Meade) and 23,000 indirect jobs in the state, such as contractors working with military bases. There also will be about 7,300 support jobs, such as retail positions or day care jobs. More

Dick Story has served as CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) since September 1993 and has worked in the industry for 26 years. He holds the Certified Economic Developer designation and has been named a Fellow Member by the International Economic Development Council for long-term service to the profession of economic development. More

February 2008, The Business Monthly, County Exec, HCEDA Rally Bankers for Routes 1 and 40

The mood was amiable as County Executive Ken Ulman and Dick Story, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) greeted more than two dozen executives from nine regional banks at a recent meeting to discuss the county's Route 1 and Route 40 corridor development plans. More

March 27, 2008 (Thursday), Examiner, Property, Taxes Generate Highest Revenue

As many businesses brace for the economic downturn, Howard’s entrepreneurs are equipped to survive the slowdown, officials said. Strategically positioned close to Washington, and Fort Meade, many Howard businesses rely on federal procurement for their bread and butter, which provides a steady stream of work and a stabilizing force. More

Each year, Leadership Howard County (LHC) recognizes the hard work and dedication of our graduates in making Howard County an even better place to live and work. The annual awards for 2007 were:

April 2008, The Business Monthly, The Road to Bangalore: Howard Executive Leads India Trade Mission

Making his first economic trade mission abroad since taking office in December 2006, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman traveled to Bangalore, India, in February with two other county officials to gain insight on mutual opportunities for economic development. More

The Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) has hired Katrina Carroll as the new business development specialist. Carroll will administer the Howard County Incentives Program and work toward retaining and attracting business. More

June 2008, The Business Monthly, Howard Explores Locations for State Horse Park

Plans for a Maryland Horse Park haven't exactly been moving at a gallop. The proposal has been underway for nearly a decade, but Howard County trotted another step forward in mid-May by naming five potential locations for the park. More

June 2008, The Business Monthly, UMUC Plans Fall Launch of Entrepreneur Development

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) has unveiled a new program aimed toward helping entrepreneurs better understand career growth and successful business management. More

September 2008, The Business Monthly, Experts Cite Drawbacks to Popular Four-Day Week

Despite a tide of recent public accolades, the four-day work week simply isn't a realistic option for the large majority of small businesses, said economists. More

October 24, 2008 (Friday), The Columbia Flier, County’s unemployment rate rises

Although unemployment in Howard County remains lower than anywhere else in the state, the figure has been rising slowly since January, according to state statistics released yesterday. Unemployment in the county was at 2.6 percent in January and was at 3.3 percent in September. That is below the state average of 4.5 percent and well below Baltimore City, which had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 7.1 percent, according to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. More

October 2008, The Business Monthly, E-Structors Crunches, Grinds Way to Success

Though they often do their fair share of complaining about it, most people buy into the forward march of technology. It makes their lives easier.
That's true most of the time, anyway. More

November 2008, The Business Monthly, HCEDA Celebrates 15 Years at Annual Meeting

The Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) recently celebrated 15 years of achievement and service to the business community. To mark the occasion, five county businesses were honored with Economic Development Achievement Awards during the authority's 15th Annual Meeting and Report to Investors at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville. More

December 2008, The Business Monthly, Seeking Shelter From an Economic Storm

The latest season of economic turmoil has taken a toll on big business and high finance. Now, it seems, the problems have begun trickling down to Main Street. The local assessment is that the region's growth engine continues to turn, but will likely run rough for the foreseeable future. Timing and tuning will need some adjustment in the meantime, but the danger of stalling is remote. More

December 2008, The Business Monthly, Chamber's Expertise Helps Guide BRAC Process

The approaching relocation of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) personnel to Fort Meade in adjoining Anne Arundel County is expected to benefit contractors, vendors, retailers and the service industry in Howard County. Employers here also are anticipating an expansion of the workforce pool through an influx of trailing spouses. More

April 6, 2007 (Friday), The Baltimore Business Journal, NeoTech incubator lauded for federal contracting work

A national business incubation group has named the NeoTech incubator in Columbia winner of its innovation award for its guidance to new entrepreneurs seeking federal contracts. More

May 2007, The Business Monthly, pg. 1, NeoTech Incubator Claims Unprecedented Honor

Howard County's NeoTech Incubator won the National Business Incubation Association's (NBIA) 2007 Incubator Innovation Award for its Federal Small Business Initiative program. More

May 3, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, Foreign-born residents named American successes

A South Korean native who owns a supermarket chain, a Pakistani native who acts as an investment adviser and a Taiwanese native who owns an environmental consulting business will be honored Wednesday, May 9, at Howard County's fifth annual American Success Awards. . . . FIRN is a Howard County-based advocacy organization for foreign-born residents that hosts the awards in partnership with the Howard County Government, the Howard County Economic Development Authority and theHoward County Chamber of Commerce. More

May 24, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, pg. 38, Local farmers markets sprout up in spring

May brings lettuce, potatoes and the beginning of the strawberry crop. Come June, there will be cucumbers, peaches and squash. July and August bring raspberries, blueberries and cantaloupes. Patrons visiting Howard County's farmers markets throughout the harvest will find a cornucopia of locally grown produce that changes with the calendar.
More

June 7, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, pg. 1 & 22, High-end grocer Wegmans plans Columbia location

A new 160,000-square-foot Wegmans supermarket could open in Columbia as early as 2009, company officials announced this week. More

June 13, 2007 (Wednesday), The Baltimore Sun, Farming, a new look - Some work the land, using traditional methods; others are working to give agriculture a new face

When Helen Tuel left her job as a dental hygienist in the early 1980s, she decided to become a farmer. Instead of raising livestock or growing crops, she decided to try a now-popular alternative called agritourism. More

Mary Ann Scully, president and CEO of Howard Bank, has been chosen as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Award, and Rose Scharf, senior vice president and relationship manager, was recently honored with the 2007 Individual Achievement Award at the 13th Annual Committee for Business and Economic Diversity Awards Program by the Howard County Economic Development Authority. More

July 13, 2007 (Wednesday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), Health Notes - Calendar

Smoking-cessation // Howard County Health Department, in partnership with Howard County Economic Development Authority, is offering information on second-hand smoke and how to quit smoking at farmers' markets this month. More

July 25, 2007 (Wednesday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), pgs. 1G & 4G, Markets offer tasts fresh from the farm - Four times a week, farmers bring their best to a location near you

While Carol Carrico of Ellicott City was looking for garlic, fresh fruit and chocolate croissants at the farmers' market at the east Columbia library last week, Columbia farmer David Shaw caught her eye with a container of brightly colored snapdragon blossoms. More

July 25, 2007 (Wednesday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), pgs. 3G, Farm family makes its stand - Nearly 50 years later, Harbin Farms still means fresh produce in Ellicott City

The Ellicott City produce stand is flanked by a rustic barn and hand-painted signs, and shadowed by tall trees. Many Howard County residents can recognize the stand, but few know the history behind it. . More

July 26, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, Businessman devises solution to spyware

When Jeffrey Smith surfs the Internet, he sees a world of danger. Smith, owner of Black Lab Security Systems Inc. in Columbia, sees an Internet universe where spying software can be bought on Russian Web sites for as cheap as $55 and dropped onto other Web sites, ready to sneak into your home computer. ... Victor Hess, senior vice president of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, which oversees the NeoTech Incubator, said he signed Black Lab Security Systems Inc. on as tenants because of Smith's credentials at IBM, the uniqueness of his technology and an aggressive plan to create jobs. "They have a unique technology," Hess said. More

August 2007, NBIA Review, Volume 23, No. 4, pgs. 10 & 16, Award Winning Incubator Makes Innovation Look Easy

A technology incubator couldn't ask for a better location than that of the NeoTech Incubator in Columbia, Md. "We're 12 miles from NSA and seven miles from the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins [University]," says Carol Morrison, NeoTech director. "NASA is right around the Beltway." More

Bargain shopping is headed to the area's wealthiest county. Filene's Basement will open a store next month at shopping center Snowden Square at the site of a former Best Buy store. Other retailers at the center include shoe store DSW, Red Lobster and PetSmart. The 46,000-square-foot store, located at 9031 Snowden Square Drive, is the Burlington, Mass.-based retailer's fifth Maryland store. The chain has been expanding in the state during the last few years. It opened an outlet in Baltimore City this year, at Hunt Valley Towne Centre last year and in Towson in 2004. . . . "In the eastern edge of Columbia there has been a considerable amount of retail activity," said Richard Story, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. More

August 23, 2007 (Thursday), Baltimore Business Journal, Howard County jobs campaign to target locals

Work in the county, closer to home -- that's the message Howard County's economic development department will try to convey with a new marketing campaign targeting its residents.More

August 28, 2007 (Tuesday), Baltimore Business Journal, Howard County hires manager to build local tech sector

The Howard County Economic Development Authority has hired Linda L. Burger to draw high technology research and businesses to the area. Burger, named Howard's technology manager, previously did similar work for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, consulting with startups and emerging companies there. She also worked with U.S. Army researchers at Fort Detrick and the Maryland Technology Development Corp. to help encourage commercialization of technology developed at the base. More

September 6, 2007 (Thursday), The Washington Post, Metro Section (Maryland/Howard), HO02, Why Not Work Closer to Home?

On Baltimore and Washington radio stations this week, there's a message about a sad little girl whose daddy is missing her soccer game because he is stuck in traffic -- again. Richard W. Story, chief executive of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, hopes the radio spots resonate with residents who commute out of the county to their jobs. More

September 7, 2007 (Friday), The Business Gazette, Techie Burger jumps from Frederick to Howard

Linda L. Burger is changing counties but not her field of expertise. Burger, formerly with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, was recruited by Howard County to be its technology manager, a new position. More

September 10, 2007 (Monday), The Examiner Newspaper - Washington, DC, Business (Campaigns), Keeping commuters in Howard County

Howard County (Map, News) - Client: Nine sponsoring Howard County employers: Ascend One, Baltimore Aircoil, Enterprise Community Partners, Healthways, Howard County General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Micros, Nemetschek and Verizon Wireless. Job: To promote Howard County as a place where individuals can both live and work. More

September 12, 2007 (Wednesday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), Business Digest

. . . Smart start // The Maryland Small Business Development Center and Howard County Economic Development Authority's Business Resource Center will sponsor a seminar for first-time entrepreneurs, "Smart Start To Business Success," from 8:30 a.m. to noon today at the Center for Business & Technology Development, 9250 Bendix Road in Columbia. More

September 5, 2007 (Wednesday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), People on the Move, pg. 5G, Burger hired as tech manager

Linda L. Burger has been hired as technology manager by the Howard County Economic Development Authority, a newly created position supporting the technology community in Howard County. More

September 06, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, New Technology Manager to coordinate tech efforts

The Howard County Economic Development Authority has hired its first Technology Manager to coordinate the county's technology companies and help them grow.
Linda Burger, of Frederick, joined the Howard County Economic Development Authority Sept. 4. More

September 6, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, BRAC business forum slated

The Howard County Economic Development Authority will hold an October workshop to help Howard businesses identify and win government contracts relating to the expansion of Fort Meade, in neighboring Anne Arundel County, under the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Program, or BRAC. The workshop, entitled "BRAC Business Opportunities: An Introduction to Federal Contracting," is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the authority's Center For Business and Technology Development at 9250 Bendix Road N. in Columbia. More

September 21, 2007 (Friday), Washington Business Journal, Bethesda flavoring maker moving its headquarters

FlavoRx, a Bethesda business that takes the bitter taste out of children's medicine, is moving its operations to Howard County. The company, founded in 1995, has been operating out of about 10,000 square feet spread among two floors in a Bethesda office building.
More

September 22, 2007 (Saturday), Howard Sun (The Baltimore Sun), Business Digest, Awards, Howard agency honors 5 firms

The Howard County Economic Development Authority honored five businesses with Economic Development Achievement Awards during its 14th Annual Meeting and Report to Investors. Those chosen were: The Green Building Institute, The Enviro Center; Merkle Inc.; Dragon Development Corp.; Walnut Springs Nursery; Chesapeake Research Review. More

September 23, 2007 (Sunday), The Baltimore Sun (Home/Business/Real Estate), Jessup
It may be fitting that Jessup, an 11-square-mile swath straddling Howard and Anne Arundel counties, got its name in the 1800s from an engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The city remains today at the center of the state's transportation network. . . Much of the new housing and commercial developments are aimed at the influx of people expected in the next few years to nearby Fort Meade as part of the military base realignment. "This could be the answer to 'Where are they going to live?'" said Howard County Economic Development Authority Chief Executive Richard W. "Dick" Story. . . .
More

September 28, 2007 (Friday), The Business Gazette, Names & Faces

The Howard County Economic Development Authority named Candace D. Perdue a communications associate. The Howard County Economic Development Authority named Candace D. Perdue a communications associate. Previously, Perdue worked for the YMCA of Burlington County (N.J.) and co-hosted and produced a morning radio show on 1300 WIMG in Trenton, N.J. She also was a mobile traffic reporter and producer for Clear Channel Radio. More

The Howard County Economic Development Authority honored the following five businesses with Economic Achievement Awards Sept. 20 at the Authority's 14th Annual Meeting and Report to Investors, held at Ten Oaks Ballroom, in Clarksville: The Green Building Institute-The Enviro Center in Jessup; Merkle Inc., headquartered in Columbia; Dragon Development Corp. based in Columbia; Walnut Springs Nursery, in Glenwood; and Chesapeake Research Review Inc., based in Columbia. More

October 18, 2007 (Thursday), Howard County Times, Howard jobs campaign aims to cut commutes

The Howard County Economic Development Authority and several of Howard County's largest employers have undertaken a $95,000 advertising and Internet campaign to entice Howard residents to look for jobs in the county. The campaign, which features radio advertisements in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. markets, encourages residents to check out a Web site -- HowardJobs.com -- that features job openings with the employers. More