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Calvert County Launches New Local Business Initiative

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., -- April 14, 1998 -- The Calvert County Economic Development Commission and the Board of County Commissioners announced today, during a ceremony at Direct Mail Management, a new, in-County business program -Agenda 2000. As a component of the Five-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan, Agenda 2000 is designed to enhance the success of Calvert County's businesses by identifying and addressing the needs, concerns and issues of Calvert's local business community. The program's goals are to:

Provide an in-depth understanding of the problems/challenges facing small business in Calvert County;
Foster growth of local businesses; and
Create and retain jobs in Calvert County.

In order to gain a better understanding of the pressures and issues currently facing the business community, phase one of the Agenda 2000 program will be to conduct an in-County business survey. The survey tool asks specific questions regarding Calvert's business climate, training and labor needs, location of services, what programs businesses are aware of, and finally asks what the County can do to help businesses prosper.

Once the business needs and concerns are evaluated, the EDC will identify and tailor existing state and local programs that could support business or structure new programs to help strengthen the business community. Additionally, the Department of Economic Development will seek to develop new approaches to address issues where programs do not currently assist. The first of those approaches will be to revamp the Economic Development and Tourism World Wide Web Site. The new site will feature, as a free service to local businesses, a directory of County business database, with "hot links" to any Calvert business currently on-line.

"The Economic Development Five-Year Strategic Plan identified the need to improve the County's business climate," said Jeff Stone, Director of Economic Development. "Our 1997 focus was to implement an aggressive marketing program. We did that and will continue that program. Our expanded focus is to simultaneously concentrate on our business community. The survey will give us knowledge of the critical issues facing our local business community and will provide a forum, through our web site, to advertise our businesses and allow the County, and its businesses, the opportunity to use in-County vendors for services they may not currently be aware of."

The County has approximately 1,895 businesses. Each business, on file with the Department of Economic Development, will receive a survey within the next week. Businesses that do not receive a copy of the survey are asked to contact the Department of Economic Development. Results will be posted on their Web site by June 15, 1998.

For more information please contact the Calvert County Department of Economic Development, 410-535-4583 or 301-855-1880, e-mail cced@co.cal.md.us.

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For more information on the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development, our visitor sites and attractions and the services available to assist County businesses, call 410.535.4583, 800.331.9771 or 301.855.1880; or send an e-mail to info@ecalvert.com