Calvert County DED Announces Business Survey Results

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., -- January 15 , 2003 -- The Calvert County Department of Economic Development (DED) announced today the results of their November 2002 business survey. The survey was distributed to all businesses listed in the Department’s extensive database, and was made available on their web site: www.co.cal.md.us/cced.

The survey’s purpose was to identify the condition of the business climate in Calvert County, constraints to healthy expansion of the business base, and assist in developing strategies to overcome perceived obstacles. The DED asked 19 specific questions that were broken down into three sections; General Business Information, Marketing and Training.

The General Business Information section of the survey showed a relatively healthy business climate, with 60.6 percent of the business respondents growing, and 28.3 percent holding steady. Business real estate ownership is also at healthy levels in Calvert, with 64.1 percent of the responding businesses owning their own facilities. Approximately 37 percent of the responding businesses are considering expansion or renovations in the future. Potential challenges to business expansion do exist however, with 41.5 percent of those considering expansion concerned about financial constraints, and 20.8 percent in need of facility planning assistance. On the positive, 30.2 percent of those proposing expansion listed no perceived constraints. Future employment in Calvert shows 24.1 percent of the respondents planning to add additional employees, and only 2.8 percent considering reducing the number of employees.

The general economy was considered an obstacle to future expansion and a major concern of 37.2 percent, 35.9 percent are concerned about the labor supply, and 28.3 percent are concerned about regulatory restraints having a negative impact on their future business. These perceived obstacles correspond directly with those voiced by businesses visited by DED representatives visited during the past year.

The Marketing section showed that communications technology plays an increasingly important role in the success of County businesses, with 50.3 percent of the responding businesses having a web site. Of those businesses with a web site, 71.2 percent use it for informational purposes only, and 11.0 percent use it for sales and promotions.

The Training section will help the DED determine what future seminars and training sessions will be most helpful to the business community. The results showed interest in training opportunities in the various aspects of marketing and customer relations. A training event for the spring of 2003 is being planned.

Results of the survey are available to the public by clicking here and additional backup data is available by clicking here or by calling the Calvert County Department of Economic Development at 410-535-4583 or 301-855-1880 to receive a copy by mail or e-mail cced@co.cal.md.us.

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