From Harford County government:
The Harford County Office of Economic Development celebrated the official opening of their new offices on the Rt. 40 Corridor with a formal program and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 31, followed by an open house with over 200 attendees. Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and Office of Economic Development Director Karen Holt offered opening remarks.
“Consolidating services at this state-of-the-art facility will be a game changer allowing us to attract more business and move Harford County forward as Maryland’s new center of opportunity,” said County Executive Barry Glassman. Director Karen Holt added, “We are pleased to share with you and showcase a full suite of business services in a consolidated, modernized, tech-equipped and resource-enriched environment.”
The celebration included the following speakers from the business community highlighting the benefits of the new office space from their perspective: Harford Business Innovation Center President Jill McClune, vice president of Contracts & Federal Compliance for Avon Protection Systems; Harford County Economic Development Advisory Board Chair Eric McLauchlin, Esq., Shaffer, McLauchlin & Stover, LLC; Corporate Commons tenants Chris Stone, president of E-Moxie and John-Paul Lapps, vice president of Federal Initiatives?, NextGen Federal Systems, LLC; and GroundFloor member Tamera Rush, CEO and president of Tenax Technology. Corporate Commons is co-located with the Office of Economic Development, offering private office space for established companies choosing to work in close proximity to available business resources. GroundFloor, also co-located with Economic Development, is an open plan collaborative workspace for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. The office also provides safety for everyone using their premium quality mats from Matshop.
Citations were presented to the Office of Economic Development from the office of state Sen. Wayne Norman and from Del. Teresa Reilly’s office on behalf of the Maryland General Assembly. Citations were also presented by Councilman Chad Shrodes on behalf of the Harford County Council, and by County Executive Glassman.
The Glassman administration initiated the Office of Economic Development’s move from the County Administration building at 220 S Main St. in Bel Air to 2021 Pulaski Highway, Suite D in Havre de Grace, which was completed on January 30, 2015. The move consolidated more than 16,000 sq. ft. from multiple sites to 12,000 sq. ft. in one location, enhancing business services in a one-stop-shop environment, and transitioning economic development activity onto the Corridor, close to APG and immersed within the business community.
Their #1 priority should be lobbying our congressional and senate U.S. reps to prevent the CECOM move from APG to Huntsville, AL. While another BRAC may not be forthcoming, the DoD has many other tools it can use to move people and functions away from APG, and this is coming if we don’t work to counteract the plans. Current CECOM employees are nervous, and many are looking or other jobs in MD and the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia area because of this possibility. Harford County and Maryland should not be complacent given the BRAC win. CECOM is on the Army Materiel Command radar for consolidation and movement, and we collectively need to be prepared.
Brace win? What BRAC win? It was thee biggest non-event for Harford County in recent memory. Most residents of Harford County saw nothing as a result of BRAC. Except maybe a bunch of whining residents from New Jersey. But I do have to say that if I were being forced to move from a state where Christie is governor to a state governed by O’Malley, Miller and Bush I would have done more than whine – I would have quit. Or commuted like many of them are doing.
Harford Resident, you are quite obviously a one trick pony. You have voiced the baseless nonsense before. Produce something in writing or go back into your cave and find a new cause to champion.
Local politicians can choose to ignore that the move to Huntsville is being discussed. They will regret it later should they choose to do so. You heard it here first. And . . . anyone who works at APG knows that employees are hearing this also, and many are already seeking other jobs as a result.
I want to move my business to the moon or Mars, but that’s just as likely as CECOM moving to Huntsville.
You can all believe what you wish. GECOM employees are concerned about this, I can guarantee that.