Each year the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber (BWCC) issues a call for nominations and recognizes a large business (more than 25 employees) and a small business (25 or fewer employees) as a “Business of the Year,” and the award is presented at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting.
The criteria are foundational and basic: support of and commitment to the BWCC; support of and commitment to the community-at-large; and support of and commitment to employees and ethical business practices.
Past Business of the Year recipients have included: Citizens National Bank (now PNC Bank); Bob’s BMW Motorcycles; Precision Toner Systems; Patuxent Publishing Co.; The Business Monthly; PBS&J; Danneman’s Auto Service; Harvest Printing & Graphics; Dever Designs Inc.; The Show Place Arena; Pequod Systems; Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream; TargetGov at Marketing Outsource Associates; Wilhelm Commercial Builders; LMD; RJ Tomlinson & Associates LLC; Five L Co.; and Suddath Relocation of Maryland, to name a few.
This year’s awards for Small and Large Businesses of the Year, the President’s Award For an Individual and the President’s Award For a Corporation were presented at the BWCC’s Annual Meeting in April.
Small Business
Maryland Workforce Corporation (Andy Moser), this year’s Small Business winner, seeks, creates, funds and manages innovative, demand-driven workforce development programs that provide Marylanders with the education and skills they need to be successful in today’s job market. It brings together decision-makers at all levels of government, education, business and grant-making institutions to create a competitive workforce.
Primarily, the organization acts as a research and development resource for emerging workforce issues; solicits, acquires and coordinates federal, state and private funding on behalf of statewide workforce programs and regional initiatives; and administers grants, projects and technical assistance.
The leaders of this entity have been actively involved in assisting the BWCC’s Regional Workforce Group, and are administering a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct innovative labor market information (LMI) activities to support the strategic expansion of a regional green economy. Known as the MARC Green Consortium, the grant was awarded to the Maryland State Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation on behalf of a tri-state consortium. Outcomes of this 18-month project include a comprehensive three-state regional green employment, education and training survey; state-specific research on the green workforce; and an online integration of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia’s LMI and labor exchange capabilities with information available at www.marcgreenworks.com. This project is recognized as a best practice and a model project for replication throughout the United States.
Large Business
The company that received the Large Business of the Year Award was Systems Application and Technologies Inc. (SA-TECH).
Incorporated in California in 1989, this company — now headquartered in Maryland — has developed a 20-year history for providing superior work, specializing in providing operations and maintenance, program management and logistics support in highly regulated environments, to support the test and evaluation and training missions of a variety of Department of Defense customers.
SA-TECH began with two employees at one site and has grown to more than 400 employees in 20 locations on America’s east and west coasts, as well as in Hawaii, Italy, Guam and Japan.
Leading companies require visionary leadership, and this firm is no exception. Its CEO, Timothy Adams, lends his time, talents and financial support to a variety of business and community organizations that touch the lives of people in the community and around the country. His board service includes: chairman of the Procurement Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; commissioner of the Maryland Economic Development Commission; chairman of the Bowie State University Foundation; board member of University System of Maryland Foundation; board member of Doctor’s Community Hospital and Doctor’s Community Hospital Foundation; board member of the National Black Chamber of Commerce; board member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and many others.
He is also deeply interested, involved and committed to civic, academic and community quality-of-life initiatives, and is a strong proponent of issues affecting persons with disabilities. He is a contributor to Building a Foundation for Tomorrow’s Leaders Literacy Program and supports the Patriot’s Technology Training Center, a program in Prince George’s County created to empower youth through technology.
His dedication to the armed forces is illustrated in support of the Maryland Room, a venture designed to renovate an out-of-date reception and relaxation area for wounded service members at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center on Joint Base Andrews.
With employees around the country, this company has been named one of the Top 500 Diversity Owned and Privately-held Businesses in the U.S., one of Black Enterprise’s Top 100 Industrial/Services Black Businesses in the Nation, and one of Maryland’s Top 50 Diversity Owned Businesses, among many other awards and designations.
Even with all these responsibilities, the company supports the BWCC in numerous ways, from the annual Procurement Fair to the BWCC & BWCC Foundation Annual Gala, to having become the BWCC’s first Legacy Leader.
President’s Awards
The President’s Awards are determined by the entire BWCC staff and are given each year in two categories: Individual Achievement, which honors a person for his or her selfless and significant contributions to the BWCC program of work; and Corporate/Institutional Achievement, which recognizes the collective efforts of many individuals who together reflect a corporate desire to serve the BWCC membership and the community-at-large.
Individual
The President’s Award for an Individual went to Leonard Raley, president and CEO of the University System of Maryland Foundation Inc. (USM), and vice chancellor for advancement for the University System of Maryland.
Raley plays a key role in supporting the nation’s 12th largest organization of its kind, with more than 178,000 customers depending on him worldwide, along with 14,000 employees, 1,000 buildings and an operating budget of $4.2 billion. Beyond that, he was asked to take on additional responsibilities in helping a regional chamber, to include visiting with the Chamber CEO to establish a program to ensure that the work of 64 years of this organization will continue for another six decades, accomplishing the task with grace, aplomb and a winning smile, providing leadership and vision and encouraging many others along the way.
Corporation
The President’s Award for a Corporation was awarded to Revere Bank.
Starting anything from the ground up takes vision, a commitment to that vision, and building a team that builds on the foundations of that enterprise.
Imagine doing that in the midst of a recession and unprecedented economic turbulence, with the challenge of doing even more to ensure that vision remains.
Revere Bank staff became involved in the community by taking on leadership roles in organizations such as the BWCC. Andrew Flott, president & CEO, serves as a board member on the BWCC Foundation Board of Directors, and Steve Zelenak, senior vice president, serves as treasurer on the BWCC Board of Directors. Zelenak also took on fundamental jobs like delivering BWCC Membership Directories, a task which facilitated his introduction to a CPA and the fostering of a relationship that led to more than $2 million in new business.
