Howard County is known nationally for its educational level, high household incomes and overall quality of life. Based on those factors, Laura Neuman is working on making it an even better place now that she’s settled in as CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA).
Neuman has a track record in all facets of identifying, building and leading technology companies, including working from initial concept and the startup phase to product development, through product release and market deployment. She combines an entrepreneurial focus — which will be key as she builds upon the strengths of the county’s business community — with a variety of experience in corporate development, strategic planning and operations.
Prior to taking her current post, she served as interim executive director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center for the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp., and as entrepreneur-in-residence with Springboard Enterprises, whose mission it is to help women-led companies raise venture capital. In more recent years, she taught, consulted and pursued personal interests.
Earlier in her career, Neuman became CEO of Howard County-based Matrics as the company was nearing bankruptcy. The company was founded by two NSA scientists who had spent three years developing the conceptual framework for a new approach to the design of a microelectronic circuit, hoping that it could revolutionize radio frequency identification and supply chain management.
Neuman raised more than $17 million in venture capital to make that plan a reality and Matrics was ultimately voted Venture Capital Deal of the Year by Washington Business Forward for 2001. The company was later sold for $230 million.
Before running Matrics, Neuman was co-founder and president of a nationwide competitive local exchange carrier, and raised financing commitments of more than $100 million; she also served as vice president of business development and sales for CAIS Internet; and has held positions with Digex, Global Payment Systems (previously National Data Corp.) and T. Rowe Price.
She holds a master’s in Business Administration from Loyola University Maryland and completed the Executive Program at Stanford Business School. She also serves as a role model for rape victims; speaking out on the crime and helping to get important DNA legislation passed to keep criminals behind bars.
It’s been several months since we last met on these pages and you’ve made numerous new hires since. Has getting your personnel roster set the way you want it been more of a challenge than you had imagined?
We’ve been fortunate to make several excellent hires. Each person who joined the team has brought extensive and impressive experience. We received hundreds of résumés and conducted dozens of interviews for several key hires, so the process has taken some time.
You’re getting close to having been at the helm of the HCEDA for a year already. Now that you’ve had some time to settle in, are you where you want to be?
Yes, I’ve been on the job for almost 10 months, which is difficult to believe. The time has gone by so quickly. I am extremely pleased with our progress. But I’ll never be “there,” [because] I’ll always have another goal to achieve.
You set out to build an environment that is friendly to entrepreneurs and the Creative Class. What progress has been made on that front?
We recently launched the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE), which will be instrumental in creating a culture that supports entrepreneurship in the county and the state. One of the many initiatives to come out of the new center is connecting with the Creative Class — workers who are young, educated and tech-savvy — through a new program in partnership with local research institutions.
This group will create much of the idea generation that will lead to new products and, ultimately, new company creation.
What do you consider the biggest news to come out of this office since you were named CEO of the HCEDA?
The founding of the MCE. I think 2012 will be the year of the entrepreneur. We understand what is needed to bring idea innovation to the community and create a culture that supports entrepreneurship.
Howard County is committed to supporting this important, but often missing, part of our economic development community. The other great news is that we are building a fantastic team for the next generation of economic development.
What news has come out of this office since you took the helm that you don’t think has been publicized very well?
There has been a great deal of focus on the fact that we’ve made changes in personnel. The real story here is that we’ve made six excellent hires and we are building a world-class team that is focused on customer service.
What is the county doing to encourage development and growth within the small business community?
In addition to Howard County launching the MCE, which will be an important part of future economic development plans in Howard County, we will also build a new Business Resource Center into the MCE.
Were there any retention success stories in the county last year?
Yes. We recently worked closely with a local company, not only keeping its headquarters in Howard County, but bringing 100 new jobs here.
What were the HCEDA’s key accomplishments for 2011?
I can only speak to the second half of 2011, but I’ll say launching the MCE; building a fantastic team of professionals to serve our business community; developing a plan for how to address the economic development needs of our business community; and bringing technology and processes to the organization, using technology to build a more efficient and customer-focused organization.
What do you see as your biggest challenge as we enter 2012?
Howard County is well-positioned for 2012, but the biggest challenge [here] is the fact that we’ve been so successful, and success can lead to complacency. We need to be creative and forward-thinking to remain competitive.
Will there be anything new about the HCEDA marketing plan this year?
An RFP (request for proposal) was sent out to build an industry-leading web site. You’ll also see a social media plan and a comprehensive branding and marketing plan to promote Howard County, with implementation [to begin] early this year. We are currently interviewing firms who responded to our RFP.
Also, our mission is to provide helpful resources to our existing business community.
What’s the status of the Laura Neuman Foundation?
The foundation was founded to raise money to fund the testing of rape kits. There are hundreds of thousands of rape kits sitting on shelves or being destroyed across the country. I quickly learned that we cannot direct funds to the testing of rape kits because that’s not allowed, due to the setup of our judicial system.
Based on a lot of discussion and research, as well as personal experience, I realized the greatest way to promote the cause was for me to go public with my story. Every time I tell my story, it has less hold over me, and it takes away the stigma surrounding this horrible crime. Hopefully, my visibility in the community will let other victims know that the shame is not theirs and that they can go on to a great life.
