Clinton, MD - Last Wednesday, County Executive Rushern Baker delivered his 2017 'State of the Economy' Address at the Colony South Hotel in Clinton, Maryland. Co-hosted by the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation and Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, the event drew a crowd of over 500 local business leaders, developers and elected officials who were eager to hear Mr. Baker's vision for the economy. Having coined the phrase 'Prince George's County is the economic engine of the State of Maryland, and I dare say the region,' Mr. Baker stated that the final 18 months of his Administration will be working at 'Full Throttle.'
"Last year, I talked about the tremendous economic opportunities we have here in the County and the places where we were going to invest and capitalize on our assets. I talked about the investments we would be making in order to continue this trend of growth for Prince George's County," said Baker. "This year, we are pressing down on the gas of our economic engine and we not are done yet. This engine is still running at a great pace and we will continue to run at full throttle. We are moving towards our destiny!"
Mr. Baker further emphasized his desire to work hard on all of the projects and initiatives that have defined his tenure as County Executive. The Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative, development in Suitland, New Carrollton and downtown Largo, the build-out of the Regional Medical Center and the pouring of resources into improving the school system remain high on his priority list. Mr. Baker also expressed his confidence that Prince George's County will, indeed, be the home of the FBI. Mr. Baker's pick to lead economic development for the County shares the same sentiments.
"Today was a great day for Prince George's County. As the Chief 'Excitement' Officer for Prince George's County, I have the distinguished privilege to go out every day and tell the world about the great opportunities in Prince George's County," said Jim Coleman, EDC President and CEO. "This County is on Fire because of the transformative opportunities that would not have been possible without the vision and decisive thinking of our County Executive, Rushern Baker. Because of him, everything that should be up, is up; and everything that should be down, is down. Because of him, the EDC is fully committed to making Prince George's County the Gateway to commerce in this region and the world."
County Council Chair Derrick L. Davis joined Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable President and CEO M.H. Jim Estepp to bring greetings to the audience. Mr. Estepp served as the master of ceremonies and highlighted all of the assets Prince George's County has at its disposal.
"This is an incredible community, lead by an incredible leader," said Estepp. "To have such highly educated thinkers and intellectuals, such beautiful parks and recreation facilities, such successful businesses and business leaders, some of the most skilled elected and appointed government officials, a highly skilled workforce, an abundance of land, courageous first responders, military and educators, to be located at the gateway to our nation's capital and have such a rich and diverse history, we have a lot to be thankful for in Prince George's County!"
The 2017 State of the Economy Address was sponsored by Pepco, along with generous donations from Gold Sponsors NAI Michael, Proflex, and Old Line Bank.
The next opportunity to network with the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation will be at its Women's Excellence and Leadership Luncheon on June 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the MGM National Harbor Hotel, 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD 20745. For more information about the Luncheon, please visit www.pgcedcexcellene.com. To register for this upcoming event, contact Nichelle Holmes at 301-583-4650 or naholmes@pgcedc.com or visit www.pgcedc.com/events.
Baker Tells Crowd: 'County Will Be Working At Full Throttle During Last 18 Months Of This Administration'