Effective Military Drivers for Economic Development
During the MEDA 2017 Fall Conference, a panel of experts discussed Effective Military Drivers for Economic Development. The panel included Ashley Buzzeo, Managing Director at the Center for GIS, Towson University; Mary Lee Kolich, Procurement Specialist and Certified CVE Counselor, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers; and Rick Decker, Executive Director, Regional Additive Manufacturing Partnership or Maryland.
Maryland Defense Network
The Office of Economic Adjustment, an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), initiated the Defense Industry Adjustment Program to assist communities in planning for adjustments and resiliency in the face of defense industry changes. Towson University partnered with the Maryland Department of Commerce to assist in several pieces of the grant, one being identifying the businesses located in Maryland who are doing business with the Department of Defense either directly or indirectly.
It was reported that Maryland is one of 43 states to have received the grant.
Out of the effort to better understand the DoD supply chain and identify those businesses who are dependent or potentially more at risk of dependency—the Maryland Defense Network (MDN) tool was the end result.
The MDN is a compilation of DoD spending and contract activity in Maryland. The tool has been built on input from government and industry, collected during a series of focus groups that were held around the state.
The MDN can be utilized to find:
- Subcontractors and contractors
- What the DoD is purchasing
- Upcoming grant/contract opportunities
Additionally, the MDN is free to use, making it sustainable on state infrastructure.
Procurement/PTAP
PTAP worked closely with University of Maryland to set them up as mentors to others on DoD work—to help them work with government. University of Maryland can support with faculty and industry specific expertise.
The goal is to assist large and mid-sized businesses to sell and work with federal government.
PTAP has already seen success through a Southern Maryland company that is at $14 million and still growing. Pax River Company helped them win $119 million with subcontractors, and business has since been sold—but is still in operation and growing.
Additive Manufacturing
CREDA setup to support the RAMP MD negotiated with strong IP language, no red tape, no high capital outlay, and reduces risk. Congress passed a mandate to support technology transfer. Businesses want to remain relevant in their space and in technology.
RAMP is unique because of the CREDA, which was made to support federal laboratory businesses—helping them grow and provide jobs.
