Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade to return 2014

Emily Kimball —  May 22, 2013
Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade 2013

International panelists share their expertise on exporting during the Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade 2013.

Spurred on by an enthusiastic showing at the inaugural event on Tuesday, officials already are planning the Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade 2014.

“There is a wealth of content. The panelists and speakers are getting the benefit they have hoped for and so are the attendees. It seems to be a real hit,” said Carl Livesay, chairman of the Maryland/DC District Export Council, which orchestrated the day-long informational series on exporting, held in Linthicum Heights.

As only 3 percent of Maryland companies participate in exporting their goods and services, the conference sought to educate businesses on resources to ease market entry.

“The simple truth is most companies don’t know what they don’t know, so when they meet a barrier they don’t know how to handle, they put it away in their ‘too hard’ box. What we’re trying to do is help people wittel away at their ‘too hard’ box,”  Livesay said. “We’re trying to eliminate or at least reduce the barriers of entry for international trade, and demystify it, and also help companies understand how to best leverage the resources available from state and federal government and trade associations.”

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10 tips from Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade

Emily Kimball —  May 22, 2013
Deputy Secretary Bob Walker

Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Deputy Secretary Bob Walker was one of several experts to discuss exporting.

Perhaps you’re considering testing your product in the international market—but where do you begin?

The first-ever Maryland/DC Celebration of International Trade 2013 gathered dozens of industry and governmental exporting experts in Linthicum Heights on Tuesday. Over 325 attended the Maryland/DC District Export Council conference, which was sponsored in part by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Advice for prospective exporters abounded, ranging from logistical shipping tips to cultural taboos to avoid while negotiating.

Find our roundup of 10 takeaways from the conference below:

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Programs encourage Maryland businesses to explore exporting

Emily Kimball —  May 21, 2013
The Port of Baltimore is a hub for exporting in Maryland.

The Port of Baltimore is a hub for exporting in Maryland.

A growing number of products and services are traveling the world through Maryland’s borders­, and several programs are available to help continue that trend.

In 2012, Maryland’s exports reached a record $11.8 billion. It was one of few states to increase its number of goods and services launched into the international market. Still, according to Deputy Secretary Bob Walker of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, just 3 percent of Maryland companies are involved in exporting.

“You can imagine, if we were to adjust that needle to 4 percent, how many more dollars we could bring into this economy, how many more jobs we would create and how many more companies could improve their bottom line through revenue and sales and so forth,” Walker said.

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Maryland kid entrepreneur pitching cupcakes to Warren Buffet

Emily Kimball —  May 17, 2013
Cupcakes for Literacy

Krissa Hillman of Cupcakes for Literacy is a finalist in Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club’s Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own Business Challenge.

Does the Sage of Omaha have a sweet tooth? An 11-year-old Howard County student is on a mission to find out.

Krissa Hillman, the budding entrepreneur behind Cupcakes for Literacy, is a finalist in Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club’s Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own Business Challenge. She will travel to Omaha, Nebraska this weekend to present her business plan to Buffet and other investors for a chance to win $5,000 in seed funding.

Krissa, a fifth-grader at Bollman Bridge Elementary School, was chosen from among over 4,000 other children with business plans. Cupcakes for Literacy is a spin-off of the website her mother started six years ago that catalogs YouTube videos of Krissa reading books to children. Since February, Krissa and her board of classmates regularly bake and sell cupcakes to raise funds for schools, libraries and literacy, art and music programs.

Armed with a pan of red velvet cupcakes (topped with bright blue frosting and candies), she did a practice run-through of her presentation at Howard County’s Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with Startup Maryland, in Columbia on Friday.

“Everybody loves cupcakes, right? If you don’t love cupcakes, you must be crazy,” Krissa said, drawing laughs from the center’s panel of entrepreneurial advisors.

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Maryland business news: President Obama, Preakness, bow-ties

Emily Kimball —  May 17, 2013

Keep up with the latest statewide business and economic developments.

Preakness returns as major Maryland money-maker

Emily Kimball —  May 16, 2013
Preakness Maryland

Preakness, a horse racing Maryland tradition, will return this weekend.

The 138th Preakness will return to Pimlico this weekend, and along with the crowds, concerts and large flowered hats, the annual races are expected to generate millions of dollars for Maryland.

Weather permitting (sunny skies are expected Friday, but showers are a possibility Saturday), participation in the 2013 Preakness could significantly outshine last year’s event. According to Preakness officials, up to 40,000 people, representing a 20 percent increase, are expected to attend Black-Eyed Susan Day on Friday. The 13-race program will be paired with Black-Eyed Susan Day’s first-ever infield concert, featuring the Goo Goo Dolls, Rodney Atkins and Rachel Farley. An attendance boost is also expected on Preakness Day on Saturday, with advance tickets already sold out, Preakness officials said.

Attendance at Pimlico has followed an upward trajectory in recent years. Since 2009, attendance during the month of May has risen from 77,850 to a 25-year high of 121,309 in 2012, according to data and tables compiled by the Maryland Department of Economic Development. Along with attendance, between 2011 and 2012, betting on the Preakness stakes nationwide rose 5.6 percent and betting at Pimlico rose 8.3 percent.

The department emphasized the larger economic impact of the races, including boosts to the horse industry, tourist attractions and positive exposure for the state.

DBED Answers: How can my Maryland farm get financial assistance?

Emily Kimball —  May 15, 2013
Sugarloaf Alpaca Co.

Sugarloaf Alpaca Co. in Frederick County received a Maryland Value-Added Producer Matching Grant from MARBIDCO.

Farming in Maryland can be sustainable and profitable. Just ask Kilby Cream in Cecil County, which is expanding its gourmet dairy home delivery selection, or Sugarloaf Alpaca Co. in Frederick County, which is raising more alpacas for their fiber than ever.

Both agriculture companies have benefitted from assistance, grants and promotional programs through the Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation.

Your farm may also be eligible for assistance through MARBIDCO, but there are also other options for grants and loans.

The Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development has compiled the following list of public and non-profit agencies and lenders.

Find previous DBED Answers posts here.

Maryland/DC District Export Council to train businesses in trade

Emily Kimball —  May 13, 2013
Maryland/Washington D.C. District Export Council, Inc.

Maryland/Washington D.C. District Export Council

Over $11.8 billion in merchandise traveled out of Maryland and into markets around the world in 2012.

While Maryland already has a flourishing export market, the Maryland/DC District Export Council is working to build that number even higher. The DEC plans to hold its first-ever Celebration of International Trade in Linthicum Heights on May 21, with a special focus on training businesses in exporting goods and services.

Registration for the Celebration of International Trade has reached 70 percent and will remain open online until the day of the event. Admission, including breakfast and lunch, is free for government employees and $99 for others.

The world market is a “surprisingly small place,” according to Carl Livesay, chairman of the DEC.

“Businesses perceive that there are overwhelming barriers to exporting goods and services, and that’s just not the case. It is confusing and it can be cumbersome, but if you align yourself with businesses and people who have traveled that path before, they will help light the way,” he said.

The region benefits from transportation systems that easily support trade, including the top-ranking Port of Baltimore and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Livesay also described the area as a “hotbed and innovation and technology.”

“There’s no other area in the country that is better suited, better qualified or has access to stronger resources than we do here in Maryland,” he said.

Ultimately, as more companies in Maryland and Washington, D.C. trade internationally, the more the overall economy will grow and the national trade balance will improve. He said, ”We do not seek to help companies import foreign goods or services into the United States. To put it bluntly, this is about creating permanent, sustainable jobs right here in Maryland.”

The event’s main draw is an extensive list of prominent speakers, including Robert Walker, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development; Laszlo Horvath, CEO or Active Media; and Todd Marks, CEO of Mindgrub Technologies.

Dozens of other industry leaders and exhibitors will present training sessions, ranging from mitigating risk in international trade to strategic tax consideration.

VIDEO: Maryland celebrates its egg industry

Emily Kimball —  May 13, 2013

Whether you prefer them sunny side up or whipped into an elaborate souffle—eggs play a major role in Maryland’s agriculture economy.

As May is National Egg Month, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is celebrating the Maryland farms that produce nearly 71 million dozen eggs a year. According to the department, Maryland’s combined poultry and egg industry accounts for the state’s largest farm revenue category, measured at $784,237,000 in 2011.

“Eggs are a commodity that can work for both large and small scale producers,” MDA Secretary Buddy Hance said in a statement. “Only nine Maryland egg producers have flocks larger than 3,000 birds. We have another 500 small-flock producers. Together, they produce about 71 million dozen eggs a year while Maryland consumers purchase 72 million dozen a year. We’re very proud of our farmers, large and small, who produce nutritious eggs to help meet the demand in our state.”

Maryland’s Best, a website managed by the MDA, recently produced a behind-the-scenes video at Sauder’s Eggs and Sunnyside Farm in Carroll County, that both produce and process eggs in Maryland.

Find more information, recipes and a prize drawing through Maryland’s Best.

Secretary Murray: Maryland poised for business growth

Dominick Murray —  May 10, 2013
Dominick Murray

Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Secretary Dominick Murray

Dominick Murray is Secretary of the Department of Business & Economic Development.

Maryland is a great place to start, run and grow a business. The parade of business friendliness reports published every year sometimes clouds that fact, but it does not change it.

The secret to Maryland’s success is simple — a highly skilled workforce, world-class research facilities, a core of high-tech industries and a growing community of entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of the life sciences, cybersecurity, information technology, green energy and advanced manufacturing. And as a people, we are committed to making the smart, targeted investments to build on our strengths, shore up our weaknesses and make the future even brighter for our children and theirs.

Those investments are already paying off.

Maryland has recovered 97 percent of the jobs that were lost during the recession, compared to only 67 percent for the nation as a whole.  In the first quarter of this year, Maryland created 22,000 jobs at the fastest rate in the region and the fourth-fastest rate in the nation.  Maryland’s dynamic private sector led that job growth, creating more than 92% of our new jobs.  Maryland’s unemployment rate is at a four-year low for the second consecutive month.

Maryland is the unquestioned epicenter of cybersecurity, a distinction reinforced by the recent announcement of partnerships between the state, federal government and industry leaders Intel, Cisco, McAfee, and others in the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. The state is also a hub of life sciences innovation and discovery, home to the 2nd-largest per-capita cluster of bioscience companies in the country.  We created more STEM jobs than all but five other states in the nation over the past decade.

Recently, Chief Executive magazine ranked Maryland No. 41 in its “Best & Worst States for Business Report.” The ranking is disappointing. But, it deserves context.

Just a week earlier, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a mouthpiece for Democratic administrations, released its annual “Enterprising States” report ranking Maryland #1 for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the second year in a row.  The Chamber has also ranked Maryland in the Top Ten for Growth and Economic Performance every year since they began publishing the study. The Milken Institute ranks our State #1 in research and development per capita and #2 for science and technology assets.  The nonpartisan group The States Project says we’re #2 for economic opportunity and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation ranks us among the five states best positioned to succeed in the new economy.

While taxes are a frequent point of comparison between states, Marylanders have the 3rd-lowest state and local tax burden, adjusted for income, according to the non-partisan Federal Funds Information for States. The Council on State Taxation’s 2012 report found state and local business tax revenue was just 3.8 percent of private sector gross state product, the sixth-lowest rate in the country. And Maryland has still managed to make record investments in education, infrastructure and entrepreneurs. Our schools have been ranked No. 1 in the country for five years running by Education Week and we have done more than any other state in the nation to hold down the cost of college tuition according to The College Board.  Maryland boasts a high quality of life and we are making new investments in our highways, bridges, trains, buses, port and airport so people spend less time on the road and more time where they actually want to be.

Last year, the State embarked on the largest venture capital initiative in its history. Through the innovative InvestMaryland program, Maryland raised a record $84 million to invest in promising, young companies. These are the companies developing the next generation of products and services that will cement Maryland’s place as an economic force, and a leader in innovation, discovery and prosperity.  This Legislative Session, under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, we chose to expand our biotechnology and R & D tax credits, create a new cyber tax credit and streamline our public-private partnership process to encourage private investment in Maryland’s infrastructure.

Maryland is committed to making this State both the best place to live, and for businesses large and small to thrive. Together with our community of hard-working and innovative business owners, we can make that a reality. And as groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Fast Company and the Milken Institute recognize, we are well on our way.

Maryland business news: Knorr Brake, tourism, entrepreneurs

Emily Kimball —  May 10, 2013

Keep up with the latest statewide business and economic developments.

Port of Baltimore’s 400-foot cranes prepare for Panama traffic

Emily Kimball —  May 9, 2013
Marylanders celebrated the new super post-Panamax 400-foot cranes at the Port of Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Marylanders celebrated the new super post-Panamax 400-foot cranes at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Soaring above the Baltimore skyline, four new 400-foot cranes stand ready to move containers from some of the world’s largest ships.

A widened Panama Canal, expected to be completed by 2015, will allow super post-Panamax ships to travel through Central America. The recent crane installation at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal makes it one of just two East Coast ports able to accept and load these container ships, capable of carrying at least 8,000 20-foot containers, at a width of 22 containers or more.

Super post-Panamax ships are already widely used throughout Asia, although access to the East Coast has been stifled by the Panama Canal’s current restrictive width and a scarcity of updated crane and port systems. Improvements in both Panama and American ports are expected to lead to a boom in international trade.

Baltimore’s new cranes are the result of a public-private partnership between the Maryland Port Administration and Highstar Capital’s Ports America Chesapeake. Over the next 50 years, the partnership is projected to generate up to $1.8 billion in total investment and revenue for the state of Maryland and to create a total of 5,700 jobs.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined private investment partner Christopher Lee, chairman of Ports America Chesapeake and founder and manager of Highstar Capital, and others during a celebration of the cranes on Wednesday morning.

The governor focused on the port’s role as a job creator.

“When it comes to job creation, Maryland is a net winner in trade and that’s why we make this investment. That’s why we crow about the fact that these men and women smoke the competition at 37 lifts an hour. We had the best year on record last year in the Port of Baltimore. More cars, farm machinery and construction equipment came through the Port of Baltimore than any other port in our country, thanks to these men and women. And more imported sugar, aluminum and forest products arrived here than any other port. And out of the 60 ports across the country, we were No. 2 in terms of the amount of coal and iron ore that came through our port. These rankings are important for one reason, and one reason only, and that is jobs—jobs, jobs, jobs,” O’Malley said.

Find video of a portion of the governor’s speech below.

The use of a public-private partnership to facilitate port expansion is historically uncommon, but Baltimore will likely become an example to other states and cities, Lee said.

“This success occurred because this governor didn’t just talk about it. He didn’t just wail and moan and lament the lack of public money. He mobilized the public sector to partner with the government to provide the investment dollars to open this great port to more ships, more economic development and most importantly, more jobs. It was a win for workers, a win for investors and a win for the tax payers and citizens of Maryland,” he said.

Lee said his firm was attracted to investment in the port because it represents long-term stability. ”A port, by definition, is a key strategic asset. We’re the principal port to Washington, D.C., so the revenues here are pretty stable. We also have a 50-year concession from the state, so it’s perfect for what our investors are looking for,” he said.

His interest in the project is personal, as well. Lee, a longtime Baltimore resident and community activist, spoke extensively about the port’s historical significance. He also dedicated one of the cranes to his wife, Susan Ginkel.

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