O’Malley hails county’s minority-owned firms

Thursday, May 22, 2008

O’Malley hails county’s minority-owned firms

Governor speaks to chamber members

by Gazette Staff |

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Susan Whitney⁄The gazette

Gov. Martin O’Malley (left) faces a phalanx of businessmen at the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce business legislative luncheon last week at the University of Maryland, College Park, including (from right) Sean Weisbord of MLS Properties of Hunt Valley; chamber chairman-elect Craig M. Muckle, public affairs manager for Safeway in Lanham; former chamber chairman William M. Shipp of O’Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore PA of Greenbelt; and chamber treasurer Sherman Ragland of Tradewinds Realty Partners in Upper Marlboro.

Gov. Martin O’Malley lauded the role of minority-owned businesses in Prince George’s County at the county chamber of commerce’s annual business legislative luncheon last week at the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum in College Park.

The county has the most such businesses in the state, and they rank fourth in the nation in terms of revenues, O’Malley (D) said. Developing minority-owned businesses is essential in creating a more just state, he said.

The state’s 110,453 minority-owned businesses brought in $14 billion in 2007, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency.

To ensure this participation flourishes amid the commercial opportunities of the Pentagon’s Base Closure and Realignment program, the state has established a small-business advisory council as part of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s BRAC subcabinet group. The council is working to pair BRAC contractors with minority-owned businesses.

‘‘We want to position community business leaders to participate in the benefits,” said Brig. Gen. John Watkins Jr., chairman of the advisory council. BRAC is expected to bring about 400 jobs to Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, with more than 7,000 total jobs coming to surrounding areas of Bethesda and Montgomery County, according to a study from the BRAC subcabinet.

O’Malley also touched on a number of other topics, including public safety, workforce development and the need to promote transit-oriented development.

Last week, O’Malley signed several business-related bills into law, including a measure that analysts say will increase the number of companies that qualify for the state’s Small Business Reserve Program.

Starting Oct. 1, the average annual gross sales a business can have in its three most recent fiscal years to qualify is being raised. The new levels include $10 million for service companies, $4 million for wholesale distributors and $3 million for retail businesses. The previous maximum was $2 million.

Staff Writer Kevin Shaycontributed to this report.