On behalf of all of the Department of Business Development (DBD) staff, thank you for making October such a busy and SUCCESSFUL month! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with everyone who attended Project Wormburner; we hope those in attendance found value to the day of ‘site-seeing’ and networking at Washington County’s home course,
Black Rock Golf Course
.
In recognition of Maryland’s Economic Development Week, and in partnership with the
Maryland Economic Development Association
(MEDA), the DBD celebrated Business Appreciation Week 2019; a fun-filled, whirlwind week with 65 business visits, from October 21-24, all wrapped up with a fantastic ‘farm to table’ breakfast on Friday, October 25
th
. Thank you to everyone who participated, from ambassadors to local businesses, and the support for our breakfast event. A great month indeed!
Sincerely,
Susan Small
Director, Washington County Department of Business Development
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The Washington County Department of Business Development conducted a weeklong tour of 60 County businesses from October 21
st
to the 25
th
. Members of the department, along with ambassadors from the local political and business communities, visited with businesses to say
"thank you"
for operating within Washington County and providing employment to our citizens. The weeklong thank you tour will culminate with a farm-to-table breakfast event being held at the Springfield Barn in Williamsport, MD where businesses will honored for their contribution to the success of Washington County, MD.
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AC&T Celebrates 60 Years of Doing Business in Washington County, MD
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On October 16, 1959,
AC&T
began it 60-year journey as a valued member of the Washington County business community. If you don’t know the company, let us share that AC&T is a premier distributor of petroleum and a full-service propane, fuel oil, and kerosene dealer. The company has expanded over the past 60 years to include convenience store operations, car washes, septic and commercial pumping, hazmat response, portable toilets and land lease and development efforts. AC&T provides quality job opportunities for more than 275 area citizens. We wish them continued success and look forward to what is in store for their future.
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Beard Guitars, LLC Showcase Hand-Crafted Guitar Collection
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With a desire to play a quality guitar, Paul Beard of
Beard Guitars, LLC
began hand-crafting his own instrument in 1985. Since then he turns out the most sought after resonators in the world. Recently, two members of the Washington County Department of Business Development paid Beard Guitars a visit and were very impressed with their operations.
Operating in a small 5,000 square foot building in Leitersburg, MD, this shop handcrafts nearly 300 resonators and acoustic guitars each year. The shop employs 8 full-time workers and the business is currently looking to expand their product line and opening new markets. Customers value Beard Guitars so highly they have been known to fly into the Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) for purchases and/or maintenance.
“We do not use signage on our building, but it’s not unusual for us to find people peeping through our window,” Paul said. “We have become a true destination for guitar enthusiast!”
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Washington County Department of Business Development attended the BioInnovation Conference. This event, which was hosted by
Maryland Life Sciences
(MDLS) a division of the
Maryland Tech Counci
l, featured 40 speakers across 12 sessions which were viewed by over 450 attendees.
This event provided a forum in which connections between top life sciences professionals, leading global brands, promising startup companies, and venture capitalists could be created. MDLS has a mission to build a stronger life sciences community in Maryland by nurturing a vibrant environment where member can collaborate to solve humanity’s greatest challenges.
Opening remarks were made by Martin Rosendale of
Maryland Life Science
, Kelly Schulz of
Maryland Department of Commerce
, and Jeff Galvin of
American Gene Technology
. Secretary Schultz noted Maryland is currently 4th in the biotechnology space and are quickly closing the gap for 3rd place. She is extremely optimistic Maryland will soon be number one. One very exciting announcement made at the conference came from Jeff Galvin, founder of American Gene Technologies. His company has just been granted final approvals from the FDA to proceed into full human trials of a new drug that can cure the HIV virus. Jeff is 99% percent confident he will be announcing their cure for HIV at the next BioInnovation conference 12 months from now!
Keynote speaker John Tisdale, M.D. gave a fascinating speech on his progress toward creating a cure for sickle cell anemia using modified autologous bone marrow stem cells and the CRISPR gene editing tool.
Dr. Michael Reyka, pictured above from
Meritus Medical Center
, attended the conference on behalf of Washington County’s Department of Business Development. Dr. Reyka’s work concerns overall population health and he helps to develop and enact strategies to improve the health of the Washington County community.
The Washington County Department of Business Development is working hard to create the framework, infrastructure, and workforce in order to attract biotechnical businesses from across the country to our area. Director of Business Development Susan Small indicates “Positioning Washington County as the next biotech growth area is a top priority.”
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“Everything About Hemp”
is designed to provide “next steps for the innovative farmers that decided to take a risk and plant hemp on their farms.
Hemp is a crop that can be used for fiber, oil, seed, and in many construction applications and it's making a return to Washington County. We invite you to join Agricultural Business Specialist Leslie Hart on
November 5, 2019
at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. to learn from experts that will be joining us from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to discuss tips about processing and manufacturing HEMP. Click on the link above to register for this workshop. For additional questions, contact Leslie Hart at 240-313-2284 or
lhart@washco-md.net
.
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Agronomy Day - December 5, 2019
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The Annual Agronomy Day will be held on
December 5, 2019
at the Fairplay Fire Company from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This annual event provides farmers and agricultural producers information and new strategies from the University of Maryland Extension Washington County Senior Agent, Jeff Semler. Additionally, grant and finance options will be discussed. Representatives from financial industry sectors will be on hand to work directly with agricultural producers. Mark your calendar for Agronomy Day.
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10900 Hopewell Road
Wiliamsport, MD 21795
-75 acres
-Zoned Industrial General (IG)
This property is zoned Industrial General (IG) which allows for warehouse/distribution, light and heavy manufacturing, office, laboratories, Research & Development, as well as truck and motor freight terminals. Electric, water and sewer are not currently located on the property but are easily within reach.
This property is ideally situated within one mile of Interstates 81 and 70. This property is for sale.
For more information, please contact: Taylor Bowen
Berkshire Hathaway/Bowen Realty
301-745-1620
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15 Western Maryland Parkway
Hagerstown, MD 21740
-21.36 acres
-Zoned Highway Interchange (HI)
Zoned Highway Interchange (HI) allows for light manufacturing, warehouse, office and retail. The property is located immediately off Interstate 81, Exit 7. Easy access to public water and sewer, with natural gas. Electric service is more than adequate for light manufacturing. The dimensions are a bit irregular, however, we feel it may still suit your needs. This property is for sale.
For more information, please contact:
Derek Heckman
Re/Max Achievers
301-739-4800
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