Howard County Opens Registration For Business Appreciation Week

Howard County Economic Development Authority: Registration has officially opened for the 26th annual Business Appreciation Week, the Howard County Economic Development Authority’s yearly initiative designed to connect business owners and entrepreneurs with resources in the county government.

Businesses can schedule meetings with a team of ambassadors from the county government from April 24 through April 28. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sign-ups close on April 19.

In the past, companies have used these meetings to discuss the issues they are facing, talk about their recent success and build relationships with local officials. The direction of the conversations is ultimately up to the business owners themselves.

“Business Appreciation Week is the perfect opportunity for business owners and executives to communicate with county government,” said County Executive Allan H. Kittleman. “It gives us a chance to broaden our understanding of the business climate and allows business owners to better understand resources available in the county. We can learn a lot from each other and ultimately come away with more supportive policies and initiatives for our business community.”

The HCEDA tries to tailor each meeting to the company’s specific needs. A business dealing with a zoning issue, for example, will likely get matched with an ambassador team that includes officials from the county zoning board.

County officials met with roughly 100 businesses during Business Appreciation Week in 2016. The HCEDA is preparing for a similar number of companies this year.

“I encourage every business owner in the county to consider scheduling a meeting, particularly those whom we haven’t met before,” said HCEDA Chief Executive Lawrence Twele. “We want to take this opportunity to learn about your business, thank you for being a part of this community, and hear about ways we can continue to make this a great place to be. We know that you have many choices as to where you locate your business, but we appreciate you selecting Howard County.”

Interested business owners can sign up for a meeting online at https://howardbaw2017.eventbrite.com/. For more details about Business Appreciation Week, please visit the event webpage, http://hceda.org/baw.

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