HCEDA Begins Phase Two of Construction on the Howard County Innovation Center

COLUMBIA (August 20, 2019) – The Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) began Phase Two of construction on the Howard County Innovation Center, impacting the first and fifth floors of the building.

Phase Two involves the construction of a new assembly space and lobby on the first floor, as well as the creation of two new classroom spaces, an executive board room, and the renovation of the HCEDA’s administrative offices on the fifth floor.

“We look forward to bringing these new spaces online for the benefit and use of the business community,” said Lawrence Twele, CEO of HCEDA. “We want the Innovation Center to be the nexus of business activity and collaboration across the region, and these additional resources will help to get us there.”

HCEDA is developing a large first-floor event space in partnership with the Howard Community College’s Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center. The new space will accommodate 150 people, and can be used in conjunction with other gathering spaces throughout the building. These other spaces will vary in size and layout, and will include individual commuter stations, conference rooms, classrooms and labs. Collectively, they will accommodate trainings, networking events and conferences, and will be a resource for the business community.

“We have already received a great deal of positive feedback from the community about this project,” said Twele. “Howard County is home to an incredibly innovative and thriving small business ecosystem and the Innovation Center is going to provide them the support and resources to help them grow and thrive.”

Several of the spaces were already completed during Phase One construction, which concluded in June 2019. Phase One most significantly included the newly renovated 16,000 sq. ft. incubator space on the third floor that now houses the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, the Howard Tech Council and other various HCEDA business support services.

“Every day in Howard County, we are making progress to stake our claim as the ‘Innovation Hub’ for economic development of this region, attracting the emerging entrepreneurs and more new jobs to our community,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “We completed Phase One of the Howard County Innovation Center this year and we are an important step closer to fully realizing our goal of bringing all our business resources and talent together under one roof. I want to thank everyone at the Howard County Economic Development Authority for their continued hard work to help us chart a path to long-term success.”

Individuals interested in learning more about the Howard County Innovation Center can visit https://hocoinnovationcenter.com/.

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About the Howard County Innovation Center:
The Howard County Innovation Center is a project developed from County and Statewide initiatives to cultivate technology, cyber, and innovation communities in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor. With the recent declaration of the Columbia Gateway Business Park area as an “Innovation Hub” for the County, the Center sits at the nexus of these activities, bringing together central Maryland’s top business and technology leaders for resource sharing, funding support, training, and mentoring. The Innovation Center is an initiative of HCEDA.

About HCEDA:
The Howard County Economic Development Authority is a public-private partnership whose primary goal is to promote economic growth and stability by supporting existing businesses, targeting new businesses, and attracting corporate/regional headquarters. HCEDA also maintains several programs aimed at the unique needs of small, minority, and agricultural businesses. Additionally, the HCEDA strives to preserve the distinctive quality of life in Howard County. For more information, please visit HCEDA’s website atwww.hceda.org.

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