Source: Severan Park Voice
By Dan Walker

County At Heart Of A "Technology Hotbed"
Anne Arundel Tech Council Promoting Tech Business Growth

Photo by Paul Lancione AAEDC President and CEO Bill Badger (left), Sidus Group, LLC, CEO Mark Powell and County Executive Janet S. Owens have been working together to improve and promote the rapidly growing Anne Arundel Tech Council.

If you ask most people - even locals - what comes to mind when mentioning Annapolis or Anne Arundel County, the answers will most likely revolve around sailboats, seafood restaurants or perhaps the state government. Even local business owners would not consider the county a hotbed for new technology development.

That perception is starting to change thanks to the hard work of the newly revamped and rapidly growing Anne Arundel Tech Council. Around since 1992, but somewhat dormant after 2000, the Tech Council has seen its membership increase dramatically in the past year. This success has been the result of a combined effort of both the county leadership and Tech Council Board of Directors.

Board President and Severna Park resident Mark L. Powell, CEO of Sidus Group, LLC, has led the charge to enhance programs for member companies. The focus on informational exchange and education is now the mantra of the organization.

"Anne Arundel County has historically been a strong force in the technology sector," according to Powell, who added, "Our contributions have been largely lumped in with the Baltimore or Washington, D.C. markets. Even the National Security Agency, the County's single largest employer - right here in our backyard - is referred to as being 'near Washington, D.C. That doesn't give us our just due."

In a county situated squarely between two large markets, such an image problem presents an additional challenge for those whose job it is to market the county as a good place to live and work. The Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) is the organization charged with fostering business growth in the county. Bill Badger is president and CEO of the AAEDC, which provided some seed funding last year to help reinvent the Tech Council.

"Anne Arundel has the fourth highest concentration of technology-based businesses in the Maryland," said Badger. "We also have the largest technology manufacturing workforce in Maryland. And of course NSA is all about technology. Northern Virginia is also part of that marketplace and they've done a masterful job of marketing themselves as the heart of technology. We just weren't getting our due in the D.C. area," Badger added, recalling examples of other regional tech councils that would encourage Annapolis area businesses to join so they could participate in such events as "breakfast meetings in Bethesda at 7:30 in the morning."

"We looked at a whole series of arrangements to utilize and promote the assets we have here in the county," said Badger, "And we came to the conclusion we had enough going on here locally to have our own tech council, instead of aligning ourselves with other regional councils. How we brand ourselves in the region and nationally will support the continued growth of the technology industry in the Annapolis region. We are very pleased with the aggressive rollout of the new Tech Council. It is important work and we are partners with them in helping them achieve their goals," he affirmed.

County Executive Janet S. Owens acknowledged the success of the Tech Council saying, "Mark Powell has done a lot for the Council - it has really grown under his leadership."

As little as three years ago, with only a couple dozen members, the Tech Council was predominantly a networking and business social group according to member Richard Perrin, President of AdvanTech, Inc., whose company provides logistics systems to support customers in the healthcare and defense sectors. "It was very informal then. Today, there's still that networking opportunity, but it's done in concert with extremely informative educational events," said Perrin.

Examples of recent and upcoming Tech Council events include: An address by U.S. Marine Corps Colonel John Rupp on ethics in military management; a roundtable on informatics featuring Dr. Eric Hazeltine from NSA; discussions on nanotechnology; a meeting featuring Dennis Schrader, Director of Homeland Security for the Governor's office; an educational event on how to use venture capital to grow a business; and an event at the National Cryptological Museum with a focus on what the state and county are doing to help businesses engaged in homeland security activities.

Christine Johnson, one of the Tech Council's newest members, is the owner of a Glen Burnie-based defense contractor, AmDyne Corporation. She joined because she was "impressed with how the Council was meeting the needs of the county, and how fast it's growing. It's a very professional organization," pointed out Johnson, whose goal in joining is to be even more knowledgeable in IT and related disciplines.

Another recent recruit is defense powerhouse Lockheed-Martin, which has also become a top-level sponsor of the Council. Earl Keel, Business Development Manager for the company's Integrated Systems and Solutions Division, said, "Our motivations for supporting the Tech Council are pretty simple. We make our business in Anne Arundel County. We live here. It's to all of our interests to support the health and vitality of the business community, particularly the small business community. We need a very capable and technically sophisticated workforce to survive in our marketplace, and we see the Tech Council as a good way of helping to provide the jobs, opportunities, education and experience that will engender that."

Tech Council President Powell is both pleased and somewhat surprised with the growth. "There's a buzz around this organization now. It's not just networking anymore. It's more of a brain trust - an exchange of ideas," he noted.

"We have a very strong relationship with the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation and the Chesapeake Innovation Center, which is sort of a rallying point for the Tech Council," Powell added, continuing, "County Executive Janet Owens has been extremely supportive of the work we're doing. It's because of this level of support that we've been able to grow and prosper and offer so much to the area's business community."

As for the future of the Tech Council and what it will mean for the county, Richard Perrin had this comment: "I'm a big fan of luck. Thomas Jefferson used to say he was a great believer in luck, and he found the harder he worked the more luck he had. The Tech Council is all about being where preparation meets opportunity, and what's driving the growth is working diligently to create programs that prepare us for greater opportunity."

More information on the Tech Council is available at www.aatechcouncil.org or by calling 410-222-7410.