Economic Development Day Looks to Future of Maryland Economy

On Wednesday, January 24, elected officials and economic development professionals gathered in Annapolis for MEDA’s 2018 Economic Development Day. With more than 130 attendees and 10 exhibitors, MEDA members from every region across Maryland were able to interact with their local legislators.

Senator Stephen Hershey opened the day by welcoming MEDA and its members to the Miller Senate Building, making it evident that both economic development professionals and legislators are in this together—striving toward a common goal of growing business in Maryland.

 

Secretary Mike Gill continued by giving a rousing welcome to the attendees, and Sean Looney and Rhonda Ray, co-chairs of the MEDA Public Policy Awareness Committee, gave an update on activities of the committee and its members.

 

 

 

Many of the attendees used the opportunity to invite corporate leaders to join them in meetings with their House and Senate delegations. County, city, and state economic development leaders and their colleagues used the time to share information, and hear from Senator Middleton and Delegate Barve about legislation for the current session that will impact economic development. Attendees then had an opportunity for a Q&A session with the elected leaders.

 

 

Deputy Secretary of Commerce Benjamin Wu was interviewed by WDVM out of Hagerstown. That interview can be viewed here.

Reporters from WMDT caught up with David Ryan, Executive Director for Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development Corporation, who shared his thoughts on the day. That interview can be viewed here.

Charles County Economic Development Director Darréll A. Brown also reflected on the day. Read his thoughts here.

While Maryland continues to grow, the economic viability of the state will remain a hot issue as it pertains to the creation of jobs and lure of big business.

 

We thank all our members, sponsors, and partners who made the day such a success.

To see some photos from 2018 Economic Development Day in Annapolis, visit MEDA’s Flickr stream here.