Local Businessman appointed to Governor's Maryland Economic Development Commission

Congratulations to Dave Severn, local Frederick attorney with Severn O’Conner & Kresslein, for his recent appointment to Governor O’Malley’s Maryland Economic Development Commission. The Commission’s 31 member board was created in 1995 with the mission to establish policies to create a competitive economic climate for business growth to compete more vigorously in the global marketplace.

Dave was quoted as saying, "These are challenging and uncertain times and more than ever we need to develop, support, and initiate programs and initiatives to position Maryland’s economy for growth. Maryland’s economic engine is driven by broad and diverse industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing, tourism to technology, state and federal facilities to military bases. We need to invest in those economic drivers, promote entrepreneurial enterprises and make it easy to do business in Maryland. I look forward to lending my service and voice to the MEDC in its efforts to grow Maryland’s economy."

Business Preparation Guidelines for Hurricane Irene

The Greater Washington Board of Trade has issued suggested guidelines to assist businesses in light of Hurricane Irene and severe weather.

Hurricane Irene could cause significant disruption to business and property throughout Greater Washington. Severe flooding, strong winds and widespread outages may make for difficult days ahead. Transportation issues may affect commuter routes, bridges, tunnels, airports, METRO and AMTRAK. Access to workplaces, technology limitations and communication links may all be restricted. To assist area businesses in preparing for a wide spread disruption, the Greater Washington Board of Trade recommends the following considerations.

Richard Griffin, Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick shares, "I strongly encourage ALL Frederick businesses to develop their own Emergency Plan and "be prepared."

To learn more, visit the Board of Trade's Emergency Preparedness Website.

Don't Miss the 2011 Entrepreneur Expo - November 14th!

Entrepreneur Expo: Harnessing the Power of Innovation in Maryland will take place on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the BWI Airport Marriott. Selected as 1 of 10 nationally featured events for Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), the Expo will kick-off exciting GEW programming in Maryland! The Entrepreneur Expo will be the first large-scale event dedicated to promoting and celebrating the key to Maryland’s innovation economy, its entrepreneurs. Led by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) and other key stakeholders, the Entrepreneur Expo Leadership Team (EELT) is the coordinating committee for the event. The full-day agenda includes a variety of unique educational  tracks, interactive programming, a dynamic exhibit floor, energized plenaries and other highlights for entrepreneurs! Registration is open. Sponsor and exhibitor opportunities are available. Learn more and register at www.innovatemd.com. (Note: Special exhibitor rates are available for entrepreneurs, government and non-profits.)

MEDIMMUNE, LOCAL OFFICIALS CELEBRATE OPENING OF FREDERICK MANUFACTURING FACILITY

On Friday, City and County officials joined with MedImmune in celebrating the official opening of their 2nd manufacturing facility in the City of Frederick.

The new 331,000 square foot facility began construction in 2006. Construction was completed in 201, and the process of FDA licensure began. The approval came in early 2011, and MedImmune is now licensed to begin production.

"The multimillion dollar expansion of MedImmune's manufacturing capacity here in Frederick is a terrific example of a match between workforce, access, land availability and proximity to the MedImmune Headquarters in Gaithersburg," stated Mayor McClement. "Congratulations to MedImmune and its leadership team led by their president, Peter Greenleaf, on a job well done."

The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development has been involved with the company officials on this expansion since it was first a concept nearly 10 years ago. Our planning, engineering and permits departments have worked hard to ensure that MedImmune could deliver this facility on-time," said the City's economic development director, Richard Griffin. "We are immensely proud of MedImmune, this facility and its employees. We hope to have a long future together."

MedImmue first established a presence in Frederick in 1996, opening a manufacturing facility to produce Synagis®, which is FDA-approved to prevent RSV in high-risk children. The new plant, which will expand MedImmune's production capacity for Synagis®  as well as future marketed monoclonal antibodies, is on the same site as the first facility. Currently, MedImmune employs nearly 250 at the Frederick facility.

Making the Golden Mile Shine

The Golden Mile Retail Corridor has spiked new interest recently with the formation of the Golden Mile Alliance, which is a group of concerned property and business owners as well as residents in the area. The movement was spearheaded by City of Frederick staff and Director of Economic Development for the City, Richard Griffin was asked to submit a story for the on-line blog, Want2Dish. Check out the story here!

Do you love where you work and who you work for? Then let us know! Nominations for the 2011 BEST PLACES TO WORK - Frederick County are now open. 

The Best Places to Work campaign, in its 9th year, is part of a countywide partnership between business, government and the community dedicated to increase quality of life opportunities for Frederick County employees. A qualifying business is any employer in Frederick County, including corporations, privately owned businesses, non-profits and federal, state and local government agencies who offer benefits such as Health Benefits, 401K, Profit Sharing, On Site Child Care, Health Care Incentives and other such benefits.

Please complete the survey at your convience; deadline for submission is Friday, September 16th. Winners will be announced at a reception on October 18th at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center, 5:00 - 6:30pm.

This campaign is sponsored by Frederick County &  City Economic Development, Frederick County Workforce Services and the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information or to request the link to nominate your company, please call Frederick Economic Development at 301-600-1058 or 301-600-6360.

Frederick Biotech Company Participates in Governor’s Trip to Asia

Dr. J.J. Lin, founder of local Frederick biotech company Imagilin Technologies, joined a Maryland delegation lead by Governor Martin O’Malley in an economic development mission trip to Asia earlier this month. The mission trip took the 68-person delegation to China, Korea and Vietnam.

Imagilin Technologies, one of the first companies to graduate from the Frederick Innovative Technology Center Inc (FITCI), Frederick’s high-tech business incubator, specializes in innovative products and technology development for human and animal health and nutrition.

Dr. Lin traveled to Asia to develop relationships with existing partners and forge new business opportunities and he was successful in achieving both these goals. Since returning from the mission trip, Dr. Lin has received approval of his product registration from the Chinese government.

“To do business in China, it is very important to develop relationships and trust between business partners,” stated Dr. Lin. “It is also important for a U.S. business to show support from their local governments, and traveling with Governor O’Malley allowed me to demonstrate that support to my partners in China.”

Dr. Lin is no stranger to international business, having development distribution partnerships in both South America and Asia for the sale of MitoMax, a probiotic product line for animals intended to improve the health of pets.

“Imagilin Technologies is a terrific example of how entrepreneurship and innovation creates opportunity in our community.” said Richard Griffin, director of economic development for the City of Frederick. “Through the City’s support of entrepreneurs and small businesses, we are able to grow jobs and attract foreign-direct investment to Frederick and to the state. We’re proud that Imagilin Technologies calls Frederick, Maryland its home.”

For more information on Imagilin Technologies, visit http://www.imagilin.com/. To learn more about the City of Frederick’s Department of Economic Development visit www.businessinfrederick.com.