Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation Joins Capital Region Economic Development Collaboration

April 6, 2020

Annapolis, Maryland – Today, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) Interim CEO Jill Seamon announced that the organization has joined a multi-partner initiative to promote collaboration, cooperation and inclusion in growing a stronger Maryland Capital Region.

“Our residents, workforce and many of our more than 58,000 businesses cross county and state boundaries every day with a lot of connection to the Capital Region,” said Ms. Seamon. “We look forward to working with our economic development colleagues, promoting the state’s assets and amplifying the strength of Maryland’s Capital Region.”

The most recent data from the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau, On The Map shows that more than 71,565 Anne Arundel County residents work in the national capital area. Conversely, more than 47,048 residents living in the national capital area work in Anne Arundel County.

On April 1, via teleconference, Ms. Seamon signed a Joint Statement on Regional Collaboration among Maryland Capital Region Local Economic Development Organizations. Other signatories include:

• Helen Propheter, Frederick County Office of Economic Development
• Darrell Brown, Charles County Economic Development Department
• Larry Twele, Howard County Economic Development Authority
• Ben Wu, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
• David S. Iannucci, Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation

The document is an agreement to:

• Explore joint marketing and promotion;
• Establish shared rules for ethical marketing;
• Formalize protocols for communications with regard to business prospects;
• Evaluate policy changes to address competitiveness;
• Evaluate the joint pursuit of targeted industry sectors; and
• Engage other regional economic development partners.

The genesis for the joint statement began in the fall of 2019 when the six agencies met to discuss economic development issues of mutual concern to their 3.3 million citizens, representing over 52% of the Maryland economy. Since then the partners have engaged in weekly teleconferences, with particular urgency brought on by the COVID -19 crisis, and have engaged in a strong exchange of shared experiences, issues, resources, best practices, and challenges. Along with federal and state resources, the six economic development organizations are working collectively to create regional solutions to the economic recovery of the Capital region, a commitment reflected in the addition of language referring to cooperation in addressing emergencies such as COVID-19.

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