Harford News

Harford County Economic Development Advisory Board met Oct. 10.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

I. Welcome & Introduction Paul Thompson, Chair

II. Director ’s Report Len Parrish, Director OCED

Thank you to Nelson White for hosting the EDAB group today at Spartan Surfaces in what used to be the Aegis building. Spartan is a great representation of what re-development can look like. Nelson offered his greetings and shared a little bit of the Spartan success story. They are proud of the culture that they have created at Spartan and are still growing with an estimated sales of $93 million by the end of the year. The EDAB group was treated to a tour of the building before starting the meeting.

Len provided a brief re-cap of the Business Appreciation Week. He reiterated the fact that every week is business appreciation week. We are happy to have the support of our businesses in the community.

He updated the group on the latest Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB) meeting where they discussed Port Covington. Goldman Sachs is currently in the first phase of building the project. Cyber Town USA has 28 companies committed and they plan on opening in 2021. This project is being billed as the Silicon Valley of the East Coast and with University of MD producing more cyber engineers than any other college in the country, this is a great opportunity.

He offered several general updates. Len recently made a presentation to the HCC Board of Trustees concerning growth trends. There has been an economic impact analysis and PALS with the University of MD is studying the opportunity zone. Around the county, Kuehne & Nagel, an Amazon distributer, will be fully staffed for the upcoming holiday season. Congratulations to Smiths Detection on their recent TSA contract. OCED is working on a promotional video about living and doing business in Harford County. Some upcoming events including the In Their Own Words presentation with Lyle Sheldon, Dr. Bulson’s Listen and Learn presentation, and the AMMP launch at the Heat Center with NCMS are eagerly anticipated.

As the election nears, appointed boards are being examined. It has been a pleasure working with this board and we are currently waiting until after the results of the election before decisions are made on how we will move forward. If you are interested in returning to participate, please send your intentions to the executive office.

Partner Updates

City of Aberdeen Phyllis Grover

 Looking into the MD Main St program and the Aberdeen council needs encouragement

 Middleton Road is being extended and there will be a meeting to discuss on October 29

 Stadium Town Center construction has begun, Lidl construction is ongoing

 Working on an economic development video

 Waiting for an updated MOU for the train station from SHA

Aberdeen Proving Ground Rick Scavetta

 There is discussion taking place concerning access to the Perryman Peninsula @ Route 715 and they are hopeful to have a resolution under MG Taylor’s command

 Working on bridging the leadership gap with teleconference networking. Working with other organizations to share with APG

 October 12 there will be a meeting at Ruggles Golf Course to discuss legislative updates

Harford County Chamber of Commerce Angela Rose

 Business Appreciation Week was a success. The Chamber Awards honored the Bel Air Downtown Alliance, Tenax Technologies, The Humane Society of Harford County, and Laurel Bush Family Dentistry.

 The website will have new updates including membership information

 The Chamber is working on developing cohesion, collaboration, and connection in the business community

Harford Community College

 Off the heels of the HCC board meeting, the college is going into a strategic planning year.

 As Harford County’s college, they want input from the community

 HCC is redesigning its business processes and updating current practices

 The ATC feasibility study is in draft form and should be available by mid-November.

Committee Updates EDAB Chairs

 Land Use: Looking into the west side of 95 and Route 40 development

 Finance: In receipt of a few preliminary financing applications. Aberdeen is experiencing interest in filling available space

 Workforce: There continues to be a need for skilled labor. Working on providing that service. Need to continue to provide jobs here in the county.

Good of the Cause

 Angela Rose: Congratulations to the CPWN on a successful event and kudos to Syreeta Gross for modeling in the event

 Patti Parker: Keep an eye on Ag preservation in the County. Aldino Sod farm is now in preservation and the Cedar Lane facility has lost three tournaments because they can no longer guarantee the sod farm as a facility in which to play. There needs to be an urgency in the county to develop a sports tourism plan. There needs to be a balance in Ag preservation and the right properties need to be put into the program.

 Karen Holt: Take note of the STEM summit on October 17 at Cecil Community College, the Army Alliance breakfast on November 15, and NMTC’s Disruptive Tech Summit to be held at the TUNE building on November 28.

 Eric McLaughlin: At the latest County Council meeting they voted to pass the Magnolia Overlay and Commercial Riding Area bills by 6-1.

VI. Adjournment

https://www.harfordcountymd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10102018-1018