Chamber Highlights

Events

June 2013 Multi-Chamber Breakfast at Sheraton Annapolis Hotel

Wednesday June 19, @7:30am - @9:30am

Member News

News Digest

Virginia native handles Annapolis' minority, women-owned firms

One of Consuella Caudill’s biggest tasks has been increasing her profile in the city. In April, the Virginia native was hired in Annapolis as the city’s small/minority business enterprise coordinator. She works in the city manager’s office to recruit and retain small, minority and women-owned businesses, as well as help with procurement and other duties ... read more
Looking for a new purpose for Marley Station mall

Deepak Jain has a new vision for Marley Station mall. Jain wants to transform the Glen Burnie retail location into a data center and cyber security hub. It would have more than 1.5 million square feet of computer space. This would also result in a change of operations for the mall’s big stores, the food court and the movie theater ... read more

Small Business Digest

Getting Things Done When You Have Too Much To Do

Productivity consultant David Allen – of “Getting Things Done” fame – says to be more productive and creative, you need to clear out your head.
Allen, founder of the productivity system called “Getting Things Done” or GTD for short, and author of a series of books, explains, “If there’s something on your mind, it’s not getting done. People who get the most done have the least in their heads.” ... read more
Why Small Businesses Have Trouble Getting Credit

Only one third of small business owners were able to obtain all of the credit that their businesses need, a recent National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey shows. When it comes to accessing capital, business size definitely matters ... read more
AACC offering entrepreneur scholarships

Anne Arundel Community College seeks budding entrepreneurs who can benefit from scholarships and business training. AACC's new Ratcliffe Scholars Program is designed to “support entrepreneurs as they learn skills to launch and grow businesses,” according to a news release ... read more.

Economic Digest

June 2013 Maryland Economic Snapshot

Despite a sluggish labor market, recent economic conditions in Maryland were still quite positive ude to improved household conditions and increased residential real estate activity ... read more
May 30, 2013 Maryland Survey of Business Activity

According to the latest survey results, business activity in Maryland improved modestly in May. Labor market conditions softened in May. This follows three consecutive months where the survey results suggested significant improvement in labor market conditions. Businesses reported that margins remained under pressure with increases in input prices outpacing output prices ... read more

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Chamber Workforce Development Initiatives

The pressures of rapidly changing technology and increased regional competition require an ongoing investment in the State’s, County’s, and City’s workforces.  Public and private initiatives should partner to foster programs designed to supply a well-trained and available labor force for employers. Moderately priced housing and alternative transportation options from residential areas to places of employment are important initiatives and are addressed later in this document.

Adequate funding for workforce development programs in our vocational and secondary schools, public/private workforce development initiatives, and post secondary educational institutions is essential to meet the growing demands for a skilled and life-long learning workforce. The Chamber of Commerce supports incentives that allow workers with obsolete skills to be retrained for available jobs and programs that provide unemployed or underemployed citizens with advanced job skills that meet the County’s and City’s growing workforce demands.

The future success of our society and our economy rests with the children we are educating today in our public and private schools, community colleges and universities. These young people will become the future leaders, entrepreneurs, and skilled employees needed to maintain our competitiveness in an ever-changing world. Educational issues affecting the quality of secondary and post secondary graduates entering the workforce, and issues affecting the availability of teachers and educators in our public school systems, are paramount if we are to compete in an increasingly competitive economy. Those issues also extend to the importance of funding public education.

We need to prepare today’s students for meeting the needs of the immediate present while exploring new and innovative programs for future generations who will enter a workforce different from that to which we are accustomed. It is essential that standards exist to reliably assess student performance prior to graduation from high school and to provide for teacher accountability to ensure that students are adequately educated to succeed in the workplace of today and tomorrow.

Another important aspect of workforce development and workforce readiness is the availability of affordable housing for middle and lower income working families. The Chamber of Commerce is guided by the vision that in order to be a vibrant, attractive and economically prosperous community, Anne Arundel County must strive to create and maintain a diverse community of workers.  This necessitates the creation and preservation of a housing market with a broad range of housing options for all income levels.

Below are links to the Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Committee, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation, Anne Arundel Community College, and Anne Arundel County Public Schools:

Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Committee

Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation

Anne Arundel Community College

Anne Arundel County Public Schools