Community Builds Better Business in Howard County

Business Resources

Howard County boasts nearly 10,000 businesses and provides a welcoming environment for business owners and a thriving local economy. The welcoming environment includes the support of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA), a public-private partnership whose primary goal is to help secure Howard County’s future as a Maryland economic development driver by helping businesses start, grow, or relocate. The HCEDA offers an extensive Minority Business Directory that includes over 500 entries. It also provides the Maryland Innovation Center, combining in-house expertise with established technology and business leadership resources. The MIC serves as a beacon of innovation to the Baltimore-Washington corridor community and beyond.

Top 5 Reasons to do Business in Howard County

  1. Central location between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
  2. Educated workforce
  3. Business friendly work environment
  4. Quality of life
  5. Proximity to Fort Meade, NSA, U.S. Cyber Command, and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Business Resources

The Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) has been supporting businesses for 30 years. In addition to providing traditional business assistance such as help finding a site or permitting assistance, HCEDA’s Catalyst Fund and Agricultural Grant for Innovation and Expansion
programs give financial aid to Howard County’s businesses. HCEDA also publishes a minority-owned business directory, which features more than 500 local businesses. HCEDA launched the Maryland Innovation Center in response to county and statewide initiatives to cultivate an active cyber and technology innovation community in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor. It sits on the north side of Columbia Gateway Drive, the peanut-shaped loop that runs through the Columbia Gateway.

The Maryland Innovation Center (MIC) is a part of the HCEDA that helps to encourage and supply resources for innovators, entrepreneurs, proven businesses, service providers, and investors. The goal is to build a great innovation economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Howard County. MIC is for serious entrepreneurs. Combining in-house expertise with established technology and business leadership resources, the Center serves as a beacon of innovation to the Baltimore-Washington corridor community and beyond. Focused on the intersection of innovation, cybersecurity, and technology talent, the Center’s prime location and power-house resources make it the perfect “suburban incubator” for seasoned starters looking to bring the next big idea to market. The space includes a 150+ person conference space, 63,000 square feet (about twice the area of a large mansion), and 4 floors of business support. In addition, the MIC membership has five levels designed to welcome professionals across all industries. Free “Circle” members have access to networking opportunities and discounted programs and events. The “Elevate” membership provides these benefits, as well as access to work space, reception services, a customized business growth plan, and more. “Amplify” memberships add access to business mentorship, coaching and access to video and podcast studios. “International” memberships help foreign companies gain a foothold in America, and “Empower” memberships provide priority access to all MIC space, mentorship, networking, and acceleration advantages. The MIC also offers a support ecosystem that includes affinity groups, individual counseling and referrals, business education seminars, government contracting assistance, and programs such as the Small Business Awards Program and the Business Revitalization Initiative Through Entrepreneurship program.

 

Catalyst Fund Loans

The Catalyst Fund, powered by the Howard County Economic Development Authority is part of Maryland’s Video Lottery Terminal Small, Minority and Woman-Owned Business Account Initiative. The fund is a locally managed source of capital used to finance start-ups and expanding businesses statewide whose projects will create permanent jobs and leverage private sector investment. Catalyst is a Revolving Loan Fund, meaning that as borrowers repay their loans, the principal and interest payments are returned to the fund to be loaned to other businesses.

 

Howard County Public Library

If you’re looking to start a small business or you already own or manage one, Howard County Library System’s new Small Business Resources web pages feature information about everything from preparing and launching a business to building and protecting a business. Everything you need is one place!

Get started at hclibrary.org/small-business-resources.

 

Howard Tech Council

The Howard Technology Council (HTC) is at the epicenter of the local tech community and was created to cultivate technology through innovative strategic partnerships. HTC gives technology companies in Howard County and the surrounding region a forum for engagement, collaboration, and education through monthly networking events, biweekly speakers and affinity groups and round tables. The HTC is also home to the Chief Information Security Officer In Residence program known as HOCO CISO, along with the MCE. This first of its kind program is designed to address the needs of residents of the MCE, along with the more than 200 member companies of the HTC who do not have their own Chief Security of Privacy Officer. 

Local Business Initiative

In November 2015, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman signed an executive order creating the Local Business Initiative. The order was designed to give a “fair chance” to local businesses that want to bid for and participate in government projects. Recognizing that local businesses are a driving force behind the county’s economy, County Executive Kittleman wanted to make sure that whenever possible, Howard County Government procurement dollars should be spent to support them.

For more information about Howard County’s Local Business Initiative, contact the Howard County Office of Purchasing by email at Purchasing@howardcountymd.gov.

Howard County Agricultural Innovation Grant

Howard County has a grant funding opportunity to encourage the county’s agricultural producers to expand or diversify their business operations. Grants can range from $1,000 to $10,000, for research and development, production buildings, major fixtures, and processing facilities.

 

State Business Resources

Maryland Department of Commerce

Maryland is Open for Business, and that is very evident at the Maryland Department of Commerce which offers a variety of resources for startups, established businesses, and everything in between. The Maryland Department of Commerce is the state’s primary economic development agency, stimulating private investment and creating jobs by attracting new businesses, encouraging the expansion and retention of existing companies, and providing workforce training and financial assistance to Maryland companies. The agency offers building and site location assistance, finance programs, tax credits, training grants, and business advocacy and consulting.

Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s Registered Apprenticeship Program

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $50.5 million in grants to help states develop and implement comprehensive strategies to support apprenticeship expansion with Maryland receiving $2 million for an 18 month period. $621,000 is allocated for an Apprenticeship Innovation Fund and funds will be awarded to applicants, so they may implement new and promising ideas, or adapt proven strategies at the systems or service delivery level, so as to expand the reach of RA programs in Maryland. For more information about the Registered Apprenticeship Program click here.

Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program

The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPs) brings companies together with University of Maryland based researchers to accelerate the commercialization of intellectual property. Businesses from startups to established companies have been awarded MIPs grants to develop products, processes or training methods.

Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation

The Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) provides seed-stage funding and working capital loans for companies based in technology or other intellectual property, especially when transferred out of a research institution.

Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations

The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations (DLLR) provides information on the types of businesses and professions that may require licensing. Certain professions require a license through the state. Check the DLLR website for more information. If your business requires a license and you are located in Howard County or store inventory here, you can get your license online or in person at The Thomas Dorsey Building, 9250 Bendix Road, Columbia, MD 21045.

 

Business Districts and Howard County Geography

Innovation District

Located at the intersection of I-95 and Rt. 175, midway between Washington and Baltimore, Columbia Gateway is already home to over 400 businesses, employing nearly 26,000 people. The park, combined with neighboring Gateway Commerce Center is 920 acres with a total of 8.1 million square feet of commercial space. In 2015, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced a new vision for the business park to be turned into an innovation district where leading-edge companies work with anchor educational institutions and startups to collaborate on new technologies and services. The development of the plan will be coordinated by the Howard County Economic Development Authority, a public-private partnership established to promote economic growth and stability in Howard County.

Columbia

It is hard to believe now, but Columbia was mostly farmland 50 years ago when James Rouse brought his vision of a planned community to life. Columbia was planned with nine villages, each with village centers designed to create a sense of community between neighbors and local business owners.

Columbia is currently undergoing lots of exciting new development in its downtown area as well as a major revitalization of many of its village centers. The Wilde Lake Village Center has completed much of its revitalization process already, and with the addition of Alta Wilde Lake, becomes the first of the village centers to become truly mixed use. The Village Centers of Hickory Ridge, Oakland Mills, and Long Reach are still in the planning and approval phases of the revitalization process.

Columbia may no longer be primarily made up of farmland, but another element of Rouse’s vision which has flourished over the city’s 50 years is its green spaces. Columbia is still home to 3,600 acres of open space, 114 miles of paths for walking and biking, and 165 total lots!

All of this is just part of the reason Money Magazine named Columbia #1 on its list of the “Best Places to Live” in the U.S. in 2016.

Downtown Columbia

Downtown Columbia, with the Downtown Partnership at the helm, is well into a massive redevelopment effort that has included two new office buildings in the Merriweather District, one of which is now the headquarters for MedStar Health, the largest healthcare provider in Maryland and Washington, D.C.  In addition to the new office space, Howard County’s world-renowned concert venue, Merriweather Post Pavilion, has finished the bulk of a multi-year renovation that will allow it to attract the biggest entertainers in the country. Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods also now includes the brand new Chrysalis amphitheater.

Maple Lawn/Fulton

Maple Lawn, a 600 acre mixed-use development along Route 29 in Fulton, is another of Howard County’s districts that has seen massive change in recent years. The community, now almost a 20 year project, is home to more than 1,300 homes in five different neighborhoods, 1.4 million square feet of Class A office space, 285,000 square feet of retail space, and the Maple Lawn Community Center.

Route 40

The Route 40 Corridor, referring to the area on Route 40 between the Howard County line at the Patapsco River and the interchange at Interstate 70, was once mostly rural like much of Howard County. But, over the last half-century, automobile dealerships sprang up in large numbers, along with a lot of commercial and retail space more recently. The Route 40 Corridor is now home to dozens of local restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries. Because of the increase in traffic that comes with development, the Howard County government is currently working on a Route 40 Streetscape Master Plan to improve road conditions and safety, encourage renovation and redevelopment of older commercial sites, and protect the natural environment in the process.

Historic Ellicott City

Ellicott City is the county seat of Howard County and has been known for its innovation for more than a century as the home of the oldest surviving railroad station in the county. Lines for the first telegraph between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. were strung through the town.

More recently, Ellicott City has become synonymous with resilience. In 2016 and 2018, two flash floods devastated Main Street, led to 4 deaths, and countless business closings. They continue to rebuild during the pandemic and the business owners there continue to innovate and rebuild. 

Route 1

The 12-mile stretch of US Route 1 in Howard County provides a lot of the county’s industrial foundation. The corridor was developed with large manufacturing and distribution centers, small commercial centers, retail space, hotels, restaurants and service businesses along with residential communities. Freight haulers, commuters, pedestrians and bicyclists count on the corridor to get where they’re going, but the area is experiencing an influx of investment and growth in the manufacturing, distribution, and food processing industries. There is also some reinvestment in existing businesses and new companies looking for a place to relocate.

Western Howard County

About 25 percent of Howard County is still farmland and much of it is in Western Howard County. Agriculture is the industry that accounts for most of the land use in Western Howard County, but areas like Marriottsville and West Friendship are experiencing growth in other industries as well. There are 1,548 businesses that call Western Howard County home, employing more than 28,000 people, and accounting for more than $2.4 Billion in sales. Howard County is now home to four craft breweries and several farm-to-table style restaurants that depend on Western Howard County’s farms.

 

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