April 6, 2020
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Last Wednesday, the Howard County Economic Development Authority joined with economic development organizations from Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Prince George’s, and Montgomery Counties in signing a Joint Statement on Regional Collaboration among Maryland Capital Region Local Economic Development Organizations to outline their collective commitment to growing a stronger Maryland Capital Region.
"Maryland has a diverse economy and a collaborative spirit, and this partnership emphasizes how critical it is, during these times of crisis, that we work together," said County Executive Calvin Ball. "In spite of the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought, we know that we can build a stronger more interconnected region moving forward."
The genesis for the joint statement began in October 2019 when the six Capital Region Economic Development Organizations began meeting to discuss economic development issues of mutual concern to their 3.3 million citizens, representing over 52% of the Maryland economy. While the Covid-19 crisis sweeping the nation has created a greater urgency for regional collaboration, the Joint Statement is an agreement to: explore joint marketing and promotion; establish shared rules for ethical marketing; formalize protocols for communications regarding business prospects; evaluate policy changes to address competitiveness; evaluate the joint pursuit of targeted industry sectors; and engage other regional economic development partners.
The six organizations have been teleconferencing weekly since the onslaught of the COVID -19 crisis and have engaged in a strong exchange of shared experiences, issues, resources, best practices, and challenges. Along with federal and State resources, the six economic development organizations are working collectively to create regional solutions to the economic recovery of the Capital region, a commitment reflected in the addition of language referring to cooperation in addressing emergencies such as COVID-19.
“While we have always worked collaboratively, this Joint Statement formalizes our cooperation and is more important in today’s COVID-challenged economy than when we first agreed to it in concept more than six months ago,” said Lawrence Twele, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. “We look forward to working with our regional partners to help raise the profile of this region both now and in the years to come.”
The signing of this Joint Statement, via teleconference because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, moves the gathering of the six County economic development organizations to a new level of regional cooperation and collaboration.
The Joint Statement was signed by:
Lawrence Twele, Howard County EDA
Jill Seamon, Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation
Darrell Brown, Charles County EDC
Helen Propheter, Frederick County EDC
Ben Wu, Montgomery County EDC
David S. Iannucci, Prince George’s County EDC