For Business | Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation

Whether you’re just starting or seeking to grow your business in Anne Arundel County, AAEDC is your central hub for support. We offer businesses of all sizes and sectors valuable, no-cost assistance and resources.

In addition, our unmatched access to other county agencies and organizations means that if we can’t help you directly, we can connect you to someone who can.

Contact us.

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New Business & Entrepreneur Support

If you’re thinking about starting a business, the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) are the best place to start.

SBDC Regional Counselors offer confidential, no-cost consulting on everything from writing a business plan to marketing. Learn more.
SCORE is a nationwide network of business experts who provide confidential, no-cost counseling, mentoring, and advice to small business owners. Learn more.

Regulatory Guidance

Whatever your industry, our experienced team of Business Development Directors can help you open, expand, or relocate your business in Anne Arundel County.

Regulatory Assistance – helping you navigate the specific regulatory process that you’ll need to go through by assisting with:
- Permitting & Zoning
- Building & Fire Codes
- Health Environmental Department Requirements
- Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works programs including:
  - The Pretreatment Program, which sets specific standards and requirements on the discharge of of pollutants by businesses.
  - The Capital Facility Connection Charge, which must be paid by any parcels connecting to County water and/or sewer services.
The Non Residential Tenant Improvement Permit – a Building Permit that is required for a new tenant to occupy a space in an existing building, even if improvements are not made.
The Land Use Navigator – Anne Arundel County’s web-based application that allows customers to access and obtain Inspection and Permit services online.

If you’re considering a development project, whether building a new commercial space or expanding, visit Planning & Zoning’s Application Process for Development page for time-saving tips and resources.

If you plan to open a business in the City of Annapolis, visit the City’s Start a Business page.

Real Estate Guidance – helping you find the ideal location for your business through a free commercial real estate search, based on your specific parameters, and connection with local brokers and developers.

Connect with our Business Development team today!

Economic Research to Inform Business Decisions

Our research library includes the latest numbers on the Anne Arundel County economy and business climate, providing you with key information to understand the market and make the best decisions for your business.

Our economic reports include:

Bimonthly New & Expanding Businesses Lists, featuring business locations identified as new to, relocating to, expanding in, or under new ownership in Anne Arundel County.
The monthly Anne Arundel County At A Glance, including the latest numbers on employment, home sales, and commercial real estate.
Quarterly Economic Indicators, including numbers on employment, resident labor force, commercial real estate, building permit activity, housing sales, tourism, cost of living, real property tax base, and BWI Thurgood Marshall airport, plus an ever-changing custom section.
Annual and custom reports on a wide array of topics such as county demographics, commuting patterns, and more.

Click here to view the latest reports.

Business Accelerator Program

Our Inclusive Ventures Program (IVP) is a free eight-week online program that will help you scale your business. Created and launched by AAEDC in January 2021, IVP helps small, minority-owned, woman-owned, and Veteran-owned businesses in Anne Arundel County succeed and grow by providing business education and mentorship, a $10,000 operating grant, and access to additional capital.

Learn more about IVP and how to apply to participate in a future cohort!

Support for Hispanic-Owned Businesses

AAEDC is a proud partner of the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, made official through a signed memorandum of understanding between the two organizations in the fall of 2024. The partnership reinforces AAEDC’s ongoing commitment to making our resources more accessible to all traditionally underserved communities, while the MOU outlines how AAEDC and MDHCC continuously work together to serve the Hispanic business community in Anne Arundel County.

One of AAEDC’s most impactful initiatives in this area was offering a Spanish language version of the Inclusive Ventures Program (IVP), which 13 Hispanic business owners completed, for the first time in the summer of 2024.

Click here to learn more about the Spanish language version of IVP and the 13 business owners who graduated from it.

Access to Capital

Whether you’re starting, relocating, or expanding a business in Anne Arundel County, we offer financing opportunities and tax incentives to fuel your success.

We offer loans with low interest rates and flexible payment terms.

VOLT Fund – $25,000 to $500,000 loans for small, minority-owned, woman-owned, or Veteran-owned businesses.
VOLT Microloan Fund – loans up to $50,000 for minority, woman, Veteran, or small business owners who have completed a business accelerator program (like the Inclusive Ventures Program).
VOLT Growth Fund – loans of up to $100,000 for Maryland-based high-growth businesses with an innovative product.
Next Stage Tech Fund – 0% interest loans from $50,000 to $250,000 for technology companies serving the cybersecurity and national defense industries.
Arundel Community Reinvestment (ACR) Fund – 0% interest loans of up to $100,000 for commercial revitalization in certain areas of the county.

We can also help you understand and potentially take advantage of other county and state tax incentives.

Learn more and connect with our finance team.

Workforce Support

We work closely with the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC) to help businesses find, attract, and retain their workforce.

Learn more about AAWDC’s programs and services.

Recognizing that affordable housing is crucial to both employees and employers, we also help connect businesses to resources such as:

Arundel Community Development Services, Inc., a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing affordable housing and community development services in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
The Anne Arundel County Housing Resource Portal, which serves as a one-stop hub for housing-related resources and information.

County, State & Federal Procurement Opportunities

The Anne Arundel County Office of Central Services’ Purchasing Division is responsible for purchasing supplies, materials, and equipment for all County Government department and agency operations, as well as procuring all contracts for construction and consultant services.

The County’s Procurement Compliance Team (PCT) advocates for inclusion and economic opportunities for small, minority-owned, woman-owned, and Veteran-owned businesses, known as Certified Business Enterprises (CBE), and works to eliminate barriers to their participation in County contracts through the Procurement Access & Vendor Equity (PAVE) program.

The Maryland Office of State Procurement (OSP) is the primary procurement unit and uses eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) to publish solicitations.

Learn more about doing business with the county.

Learn more about the PAVE program.

Learn more about doing business with the State.