Center for Business and Technology Development Takes Three-Pronged Approach

Howard County Economic Development Authority's (HCEDA) Center for Business and Technology Development, located at 9250 Bendix Road North in Columbia, is the county's premier resource for business success.

Its three entities - the Business Resource Center (BRC), the NeoTech Incubator and the Howard Technology Council - help Howard County businesses achieve sustainable profitability and growth through training, a variety of support services and networking assistance.



The Business Resource Center

The BRC offers an array of services essential to new and growing small businesses in any industry. Working with its resource partners - Small Business Development Center (SBDC), SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business) and the Jim Rouse Entrepreneurial Fund (j-ref), the BRC provided assistance to nearly 1,000 clients in fiscal '08. The diversity of clients served by the BRC was generally representative of the Howard County population at large.

Through one-on-one counseling and ongoing workshops, assistance is provided in the areas of general business startup, business plan development, funding, product or service marketing, networking, franchise opportunities, local, state and federal government procurement opportunities, and minority certifications. The range of expertise available through the center's counselors allows many clients to receive services tailored to meet their specific needs.

The BRC touts one of the center's newest programs, the Virtual Office. The Virtual Office is intended for the small, home-based business owner. It provides a business address for receipt of mail (an alternative to a post office box) and reduced fees for use of conference and meeting facilities.



The NeoTech Technology Business Incubator

The NeoTech Technology Business Incubator is an information technology-focused incubator. Since opening in May of 2000, NeoTech staff and volunteers have assisted more than 70 resident and affiliate companies, which have access to NeoTech's programs and services, but are housed elsewhere.

Currently, the NeoTech community is composed of 27 resident clients and eight affiliates. Sixty-six percent of its resident companies qualify as minority-owned businesses. Of the 17 graduated companies, 14 have located their offices in Howard County and remain in contact with NeoTech's staff. Its companies have created more than 500 new jobs since the incubator's opening.

During the past several years, three NeoTech companies have been acquired by larger firms, with one having been the largest-known acquisition of an incubated company.

In addition, the NeoTech incubator has won the National Business Incubation Association's Innovation Award for Programs in 2003, 2004 and 2006; of more than 1,500 business incubators in the United States, no other incubator has won this award more than once.



The Howard Technology Council

The Howard Technology Council was formed in 2007 through a cooperative effort between Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and HCEDA CEO Dick Story. The council was formed to foster economic growth within the technology community in Howard County.

The council was launched in January 2008. Since, the council has grown to more than 70 members with multiple affiliations in the community. Its members and sponsors are composed of solo practitioners to large firms with thousands of employees.

Within its first year, the Howard Technology Council (HTC) has sponsored many programs and events that have benefited the technical community. One of the goals of these programs has been to prepare companies to be "BRAC Ready" so they can participate in federal government business opportunities presented due to the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure process.

The term "BRAC Ready" refers to a business having the prerequisites and certifications needed to perform government contracting. In support of this goal, the HTC has held seminars on Small Business Administration certifications and co-sponsored a new training series, the Government Contracting Institute (GCI), at the center. The GCI will be presented again in the spring of 2009.

The HTC recently held its inaugural Technology Awards ceremony at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's Kossiakoff Center. Six companies were recognized for their business and technical achievements and two individuals for their special contributions to the technical business community (see sidebar).

The three components of the center work together in partnership to increase the chances for its clients' business success. It is one of the few facilities in the nation to have access to such a variety of resources and educational opportunities available in one place.

To learn more about the center, call 410-313-6550 or visit www.thecenter.biz.