Alston is a Washington-based entrepreneur and the head of Alston Marketing. Founded in 2002, the firm has a diverse roster of clients that has included the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Capital Bikeshare and Prince George's County.

Describe your experience as a young black female entrepreneur?

I am a fourth-generation entrepreneur and fourth-generation college graduate from Oklahoma. I was raised to live the dream, work hard and never questioned those beliefs. No one ever said to me 'You can't become anything.' Yes, there's racism, sexism, classism and all the other 'isms,' but that was never an excuse. Sure things get tough, but you persevere and get through it.

Annie's Project focuses on the many aspects of farm management and is designed to empower women in overall farm decision-making and to build local networks throughout the state.

The target audience is farm women with a passion for business, agriculture and involvement in the farm operation. Topics for the sessions cover the five areas of risk management production, marketing, financial, legal risk and human resources. This course is open to anyone interested in farm management practices.

...Prince George's County Extension, Clinton

"I'm sure that our good friends in Washington and Virginia are eager to either attract them or keep them and Prince George's County is ready for the game," said David Iannucci, Head of Economic Development for Prince George's County. "We've met with the Redskins, and a team with the Maryland Stadium Authority and Prince George's County has met with the Redskins, has interviewed them, and had a tour of their facility."

Iannucci said the county owns land near Bowie State University that would be ideal for a new team headquarters and training complex. He also said the deal to bring the Redskins to Landover 14 years ago had important strings attached.

"Under the 30-year lease that the Redskins have with Prince George's County, Prince George's County is owed the right of first refusal should the Redskins think about relocating their training facility. And the county has essentially said we intend to exercise that right," Iannucci explained.

The owner of several Prince George’s County liquor stores has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for his role in a corruption scheme that involved former county executive Jack Johnson.

Fifty-two-year-old Amrik Melhi was sentenced Tuesday to three years and 10 months in prison. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to transport and distribute untaxed alcoholic beverages.

The developer who wants to build the first Whole Foods market in Prince George’s County was given an ultimatum this week: Delay the project, or lose town support.

The Cafritz family, in return, asked the county Planning Board to reschedule Thursday’s meeting to discuss a rezoning request until next month.

The action stalls the ambitious project, which would bring a 120-room hotel, 995 residential units, 168,200 square feet of retail and 22,000 square feet of office space to Riverdale Park.

Representatives for the Cafritz family have scheduled additional meetings with officials in Riverdale Park, College Park and University Park to hammer out an agreement about the design, environmental standards and the mitigation of traffic.

 

Low-interest disaster loans are available to Maryland small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and most private non-profit organizations affected by Tropical Storm Lee on Sept. 6 -14, 2011.

SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills made the loans available following a request from Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Dec. 1 for a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers Prince George’s County and the adjacent counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Howard and Montgomery in Maryland; the Independent City of Alexandria and Fairfax County in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

“The Small Business Administration is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible to help small businesses and non-profits in Maryland with their federal disaster loans,” said Mills. “Getting our businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”

Having trucked 100 participants, including 43 businesses, through the rapidly growing international markets of India, the state's largest economic trade mission returned this week with more than $37 million in business deals.

Deals included an $8 million theme park ride contract, a $3.7 million highway upgrades contract and a partnership for a Prince George's County call center that could employ as many as 50 people.

or many women, shoes can be described as a critical accessory, a passion, or even an obsession, however two local businesses used women’s shoes as a vehicle to help less fortunate Prince George's County residents take a step in the right direction.

Harris and Harris Wealth Management Group teamed with SimplySoles to host a shoe extravaganza and fundraiser for The Ivy Community Charities of Prince Georges County, Inc.

"This event was a way to bring socially conscious women together in a comfortable environment to share our love of shoes, support our neighbors in Prince George County, and learn more about how we can create a better financial future," said Zaneilia Harris, president of Harris and Harris Wealth Management group and author of the blog, Finance 'N Stilettos.

The fundraiser, which attracted women from around the county and beyond, was part reception, celebration, and shopping opportunity. SimplySoles hosted the reception at its National Harbor location and donated 20 percent of all sales at the fundraiser and from SimplySoles.com over the weekend to The Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County, Inc.

With shelves of craft beer sitting a few yards away from bins of rubber chickens, and with a high-quality restaurant and brewery sharing space with gag gifts such as bacon-flavored gum, Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery and General Store is a study in eclectic style.

Franklin’s, occupying an 1880s-era structure that once was a hardware store, is the brainchild of Mike Franklin, who bought the building in the early 1990s to preserve a piece of Hyattsville history. Franklin still uses its original sliding ladders and metal nail bins, among other features.

What was once billed as Disney’s first resort in the Washington region and a boon to National Harbor in Prince George’s County is no more. The company has backed out of plans to build a hotel at the Oxon Hill development.

Late last week, Disney announced it was pulling out of the project, citing that National Harbor did not fit in with its current lineup of projects, which currently includes a theme park in Shanghai, according to The Washington Post.

Legislation targeting prostitution hot spots and under-the-radar strip clubs was approved Tuesday by the Prince George’s County Council as the lawmakers concluded their legislative year.

A measure proposed by Councilwoman Andrea Harrison (D-Dist. 5) of Springdale allows Prince George’s County police to establish temporary “prostitution-free” zones, in which officers would have greater powers to arrest suspected offenders.

Bringing slot machines to Prince George's County does not fit with the county's development goals and could deter businesses from coming to the county, local ministers say.

Prince George's already has a reputation for crime and underperforming schools, and the social degradation that could occur by bringing slots and other casino-style gambling would further pile on to that reputation, said Melvin Forbes, leader of Family, Faith and Future.

Forbes, with ministers from the Collective Empowerment Group of Prince George's, a coalition of more than 150 local churches, is pitching alternative business models for Rosecroft Raceway, which new owner Penn National Gambling is trying to revive by bringing slots and horse racing back to the track.

Prince George’s County Council members voiced their approval Wednesday of a plan to bring new jobs and businesses to the county after plans were revised to provide additional oversight.

The Economic Development Incentive Fund, which has been a top priority of County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), received a favorable 4 to 1 vote from the council’s Public Safety and Fiscal Management Committee on Wednesday, four months after the council removed the measure from Baker’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget.

ASK RESIDENTS of Prince George’s County to describe the ways in which the big, majority-African American jurisdiction gets the short end of the regional stick, and prepare for the floodgates to open.

Among the grievances: A quarter of the federal government’s workforce lives in Prince George’s, which brackets the District to the east, yet all but a few of them face long, daily commutes since the feds rarely lease office space there. Private-sector employers also tend to locate their businesses elsewhere, meaning that three in five Prince Georgians must leave the county to go to work, the highest percentage in the region. By and large, upscale retailers have also shunned the county.

It brings me great pleasure to announce the 4th Annual Prince George’s County
Community Association Conference, Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the Prince
George's Sports and Learning Complex, 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD
20785, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  This free event is sponsored by Proctor
Landscaping & Masonry; a county based small business; Legacy Investment &
Management; Sage Property Management and the Grounds Guys.

Tanger has 34 outlet centers in 22 states. Most Tanger developments are in areas that require shoppers to travel long distances, and Tanger officials said the move to National Harbor will mark the first time its stores have been placed close to a metropolitan center.

“National Harbor not only has high visibility and easy access to major highways, it is also minutes away from three international airports,” Tanger said.

The county's economic development corporation needs two more business development specialists at the hearing, an agency representative told County Council members at a budget review session May 4. Most jurisidictions have seven such specialists, while Prince George's has three.

Council members asked what that would cost be, and agency officials said they would let them know at a later time.The agency employs 75 people, costing $2.6 million in wages and benefits, with 26 jobs funded through the county.

Gwen McCall, interim president and CEO of the agency, said the need for more specialists was discovered during a recent audit.

The Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC) Small Business Initiative (SBI) today announced a partnership with Capital One Bank, to launch a Mentor Protégé Program for companies located within EDC’s Technology Assistance Center. The Technology Assistance Center is a small business incubator designed for high technology businesses. Capital One also provided funding to the SBI Program for the expansion of its technical assistance offered to local, small and minority-owned companies.

“We understand the importance of having a great financial leader, like Capital One, to partner with the Economic Development Corporation to assist local companies,” said Gwen McCall, Interim President/CEO of Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. “Today's announcement of both the Mentor Protégé program and the Capital One grant for the Small Business Initiative program are an indication of Capital One's commitment to small, local and minority companies.”

It boasts some of the region’s most popular stores -- Wegmans, Costco, and Best Buy. And Prince George’s County officials have spent years courting tenants....

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker pointed out to Bensen that Woodmore isn’t completed yet. But he says he recognizes all the work it took to get major retailers to the county, and if more signs need to go up to draw more attention, it will happen.

“There are a lot of people coming [from] outside of Prince George’s County in order to shop there,” Baker told Bensen. “So certainly we want to make sure it is easier for them to come there and spend their money.”

Of course, the lack of signs also eliminates an entire niche of shoppers: the impulse buyer.

Residents who live near DC's border have Maryland residents as neighbors, but local laws often act as though nothing but desert lies beyond Western, Eastern, and Southern Avenues. In Ward 7's Deanwood community, residents are protesting a liquor license in their neighborhood, but any decision will ignore a critical element: Capitol Heights, Maryland.

Uncle Lee's Seafood and Carry-Out, located on the northwest corner of Sheriff Road and Eastern Avenue NE, has applied for a "Retailer A" liquor license, which would allow for the sale of beer, wine, and spirits. In a ward that has more than 20 times the number of stores with an off-premise liquor license than groceries stores, it is safe to say another doesn't rank on the list of community needs.

Even bigger than the issue of an additional license is that there are already two other liquor stores at that intersection on the Prince George's County side of Eastern Avenue.

In times past, says Michelle A. Bell, a black businesswoman such as herself would not have had a seat at the table when deals were struck....

After long and protracted study and debate, WSSC's new Minority Business Enterprise program takes effect on May 1, but some critics say it does not go far enough to erase the contracting disparities found by the study.

More than 50 representatives of state and local government bodies, Federal government agencies, military bases, utility companies, and universities attended a political summit hosted by the new ownership of Franklin Park at Greenbelt Station, a 153-acre rental apartment and townhome community located in Prince George's County, MD. The participants agreed to form public-private partnerships to help redevelop and improve this 153-acre property that represents about half of the population of Greenbelt.

The ownership has set aside $15 million for both external and interior renovations, explained Fieldstone Properties Sharon Thames, Executive Director of Business Development and Government Affairs. In addition to updating the 40-year-old apartments, Fieldstone Properties plans to upgrade existing community amenities and add a state-of-the-art fitness center and day care provider.

In his first major address since taking office, Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III said he is pinning much of his hope for a turnaround on a proposed $50 million economic development fund to promote job creation in a county where 60 percent of the residents commute somewhere else for work.

Prince George's County officials say they are "extremely disappointment" by the U.S. General Services Administration's decision to maintain a major Department of Health and Human Services presence in Rockville for the next 15 years.

The administration's announcement last week that it had selected the Parklawn Building, which is scheduled for renovations and upgrades, comes after months of efforts by Prince George's officials to get the GSA to give their county what they considered "fair consideration" for their bid.

"GSA's decision to keep the Department of Health and Human Services in its current location is extremely disappointing," Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) said through a spokesman Wednesday.

"Prince George's County has consistently been overlooked when it comes to placing federal office tenants," the e-mailed statement continued. "To date, Prince George's County is home to over one-quarter of the region's federal workforce, but only 3 percent of federal office space leased in the region. The three competing Prince George's County locations at the Largo, New Carrollton and Hyattsville Metro Stations were outstanding locations."

Charlotte D. Ducksworth, Director-Small Business Initiative, and Director-Technology Assistance Center, Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation, and a resident of Owings Mills, has been selected for the Leadership Maryland Class of 2011. Founded in 1992, Leadership Maryland is an independent, educational, non-profit organization designed to inform top-level executives, from the public and private sectors, about the critical issues, challenges and opportunities facing the state of Maryland and its regions. Ducksworth is one of 52 accomplished and talented statewide leaders selected to participate in the eight-month program....

"The participants represent a broad spectrum of highly qualified executives from an extraordinary group of statewide applicants," according to Nancy Minieri, president of Leadership Maryland. "After participating in a comprehensive range of experiences over the next year, these leaders will serve as important participants in the unified effort to shape Maryland's future."

Prince George's has weathered the economic storm of recent years to become a promising home for retail development, developers said last week as they marketed their projects to tenants throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

The county played host to the International Council of Shopping Centers 2011 Mid-Atlantic Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill's National Harbor, which drew close to 1,500 people.

"The market is just picking up, but we had projects opening up while everyone else was stopped," said Patricia Thornton, spokeswoman for the county economic development corporation. She referred to National Harbor and Woodmore Towne Center in Landover, which opened in 2008 and last year, respectively.

Of the 81,000 equines in Maryland, 9,000 are in Prince George's County, according to the census, making up 11 percent of equine population statewide. In the last Maryland equine census, taken in 2002, Prince George's County had about 7,400 equines, making up about 8 percent of the statewide population, which was 87,100.

County officials have been paying closer attention to the equine industry's economic power since April, when the previous County Council revived the Prince George's Equine Industry Task Force. The group presented its recommendations to the council in the fall; the task force was reconvened in January to consider the feasibility of a Prince George's County Sports Commission and to come up with recommendations for handling unwanted horses....

"It's as if we're trying to keep it a secret," Troutman said. "All the positive things [in Prince George's County], I just don't think they're emphasized enough."

The Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Maryland, is launching Branch Avenue in Bloom, an innovative, multi-partner program to revitalize the area around the Naylor Road Metro station and the St. Barnabas Road commercial corridor in Prince George's county.

Branch Avenue in Bloom combines outside planning resources with community assets to stimulate investor interest in development around the Metro stations in that part of the county. The program managers believe it may be the first effort of its kind in Prince George's.

Researchers from the Greater Washington Research at Brookings, a D.C.-based policy think tank, presented the Prince George's County Council Tuesday with results of a regional study that showed more than 7 percent of Prince George's County residents were living in poverty, the most of any Washington-area suburb.

Elizabeth Kneebone, a researcher at the institute, which released the study of poverty based on 2009 statistics, said that a stronger labor market in the county is needed to help fight poverty.

"Labor markets are regional," she said. "We need to think about this on the regional level."

A proposed $34 million expansion of the Brandywine Crossing Shopping Center is drawing significant interest from businesses hoping to cash in on the project.

More than 150 business representatives turned out Thursday for a briefing at the Colony South Hotel and Conference Center in Clinton, hosted by County Councilman Mel Franklin (D-Dist. 9), developer Faison Enterprises of Charlotte, N.C., and county compliance manager Mirinda Jackson.

Faison plans to add a state-of-the-art multiplex cinema center and new specialty shops to the current lineup of Costco, Target, Safeway, Marshalls and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. Brandywine Crossing opened in the fall of 2008.

Jim Estepp jokes that at 69, he is now in his third career as president and chief executive of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, a group of business leaders who work to spur economic growth in the county. (See: Why He's Successful, Biggest Obstacle He Faced, First Job, Worst Job, and more)

Maryland wine lovers may soon rejoice. Legislation that would allow state residents to order bottles of their favorite pinot noir and chardonnay directly to their homes this year has broad bipartisan support from a majority of lawmakers, including some powerful names, in the House and Senate.

Maryland would join 37 other states and the District in allowing direct wine shipment from vineyards. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery) and Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Prince George's), has the backing of 32 of 47 senators and 83 of 141 delegates. Among the co-sponsors are House Speaker Michael Busch and Del. Dereck Davis (D-Prince George's), who chairs the Economic Matters Committee.

But a key component of the bill will likely face stiff opposition from the powerful alcohol industry. As written, the measure would allow consumers to buy wine directly from out-of-state retailers.

With several new leaders in place, Prince George's County officials are looking to bolster the region's image and lure more businesses in the process.

County leaders recently celebrated the opening of the high-end Wegmans grocery store, but still struggle to attract upscale businesses, despite the abundance of affordable land and accessibility to Washington, D.C.

"The perception is that the bureaucracy in this county is not friendly," said M.H. Jim Estepp, president and CEO of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable. However, Estepp added, that perception might not be totally accurate.

Prince George's County is expected to become the site of a pilot project for a new, federally guaranteed small-business loan program to help entrepreneurs raise capital for a range of business expenses, a Small Business Administration official said Tuesday.

At a news conference in Largo, Bridget E. Bean, who oversees the Washington region for the SBA, said the pilot program, known as the Community Advantage Program, is to begin in March and will offer guarantees for 85 percent of loans up to $250,000. One of its chief goals is to expand the number of lenders making loans to underserved communities.

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos is bidding to buy a bankrupt horse-racing track in Prince George's County and resurrecting a push to allow slot machines there.

Angelos' proposal came as Maryland's second slots casino opened Tuesday at the Ocean Downs racetrack on the Eastern Shore. Gov. Martin O'Malley, state leaders and Worcester County officials attended the grand opening of the $45 million casino, the latest expansion of Maryland gambling that took many years and rancorous debate to become a reality.

And the debate hasn't ended. While voters approved slots at five locations in 2008, efforts have been under way since then to expand gambling to other sites.

With a paucity of minority women in science, technology and math (STEM) careers, a Prince George's-based business has partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and HBCUs to retain minority women in those careers. GPRA Strategic Management and the NSF held a conclave in June to build community awareness about the issue and are committed to broadening minority representation STEM careers.

The movement was a long time coming, according to Kelly Mack, Ph.D., program officer with the NSF's ADVANCE program. She said the NSF wants to create more diversity in science-related fields.

To LaVita Simpson, business event planning goes way beyond the event. Rather, her events set the stage for strategic planning and relationship-building, both which are intended to last long after the caterer has gone home.

Simpson, 26, was recently recognized as a success story by Prince George's County Public Schools, having graduated from Forestville High School and gone on to start MyGreenApple, her strategic communications and event management company in Capitol Heights. The company is certified as a minority business enterprise through Prince George's, the state and the federal Department of Transportation.

Venkat A.R. Subramanian, owner of technology consulting firm Angarai International, expects to close on his first office condominium in Greenbelt this week with the help of a Small Business Administration 504 loan.

Prince George's Financial Services Corp., a nonprofit agency that's certified to manage state and federal loans, guided him through the process of securing 50 percent of the purchase price from a private lender to match the 40 percent backed by the agency. There was some frustration, with rejections from three lenders. And there was a false start, with a property deal that fell through.

To no one's surprise, the tough economy has made money tight across the entire state as well as the nation.

Despite this, one company plans on bringing some dough to Prince George's County — literally.

Gold Crust Baking Company, a family-owned wholesale bakery that specializes in breads and rolls, is relocating its operations from Alexandria, Va., to Landover.

The company, which has been in operation since 2000, manufactures more than 200 million pounds of dough per year for hotels, restaurants, country clubs and catering companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.

You've heard the gloom and doom reports, and yes, the economy's in the tank, but employers see glimmers of hope on the horizon and are offering advice for job-seekers.

Over and over again, employers at a job fair at Prince George's Community College said they wanted to see crisp, clean resumes, applicants who are dressed for success and positive attitudes.

On a typical weekday, it takes Jane Young about an hour to commute from her Croom home to her job at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Young, who travels by car and Metro, is among the more than 60 percent of Prince George's residents who travel out of the county for work, according to a new analysis of statewide commuting patterns between 2000 and 2008 that the Maryland Department of Planning released this month. The data highlights the county's struggle during the past decade to attract employers -- especially federal agencies -- and jobs that appeal to the county's professional work force.

Young said she is willing to make the two-hour round trip each day to and from work so that she can continue to live in the quiet, rural community south of Upper Marlboro.

A lack of cohesive leadership continues to be a major impediment to job creation and quality growth in Prince George's County, business leaders told presumptive County Executive Rushern L. Baker III on Thursday night.

"We need the highest quality development we can get," said Dan Smith of Cheverly, one of about 90 people who attended Baker's last "listening session" with residents at Friendly High School in Fort Washington. "But we need some leadership here."

When the glass doors at Wegmans in Prince George's County glide open at 7 a.m. Sunday, shoppers will be stepping into a place that symbolizes the county's continuing transformation.

For a county without any other high-end grocers - no Whole Foods, no Trader Joe's, no Harris Teeter - officials and residents describe it as an impressive achievement.

Angarai International, Inc., a company located in the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp's Technology Assistance Center (TAC), has been selected as one of this year's Top 100 MBEs.

In July, Maryland's retail sector was faring well and had even added a few jobs during the previous 12 months.

Then came August — a disastrous month, leading to retailers cutting 3,000 positions, according to federal and state labor figures released this week. That sector's decline was the largest as the state lost about 6,000 jobs last month, the most since February.

"It's been a tough summer," said Patrick Donoho, president of the Maryland Retailers Association in Annapolis. "June was good [for retail sales]. July really stunk. August was a fairly good month [for sales]."

Glenn Dale Hospital, a once-stately facility of Georgian and Colonial Revival-style brick buildings that served as a tuberculosis sanatorium and later a hospital for the District's chronically ill, is up for sale.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which owns the 210-acre site about 15 miles from the District line in rural Prince George's County, wants to sell the 60 acres that make up the 76-year-old hospital campus to the highest bidder.

Final bids must be received by Sept. 14, and bidders must meet requirements for the complex's reuse.

As a half-dozen friends and family manned a makeshift grape-sorting station in the driveway of his Brandywine home, Joseph Romano scrambled around his garage-turned-winery, tinkering with the six large metal fermentation tanks installed inside.

Several hundred feet down the driveway Aug. 26, his wife, Jo-Ann Romano, was working with a few other friends and neighbors to cut bushels of grapes from rows of vines on their two-acre farm. Aside from the occasional crate of grapes that spilled on the way from the vineyard to the driveway, things ran smoothly.

The Romanos' harvest marked the beginning of the first attempt at commercial winemaking in Prince George's County. Local zoning codes and state liquor laws prevented wineries from operating in the county in the past, but a successful lobbying effort in late 2009 and earlier this year by local farmers and statewide winery interest groups cleared those barriers.

With so much attention being paid to the recent closure of Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Fort Washington resident David Turner asked Prince George's County's equine industry task force to also keep the needs of small horse farmers in mind when the group brings recommendations to county lawmakers next month.

From improving county horse trails to preserving enclaves of rural land inside the Beltway — such as the Broad Creek Historic District, where Turner lives — Turner said owners of small horse farms also need help to stay in business.

"We urge you to adopt the small horsemen," Turner said during a public forum Aug. 19 hosted by the Prince George's Equine Industry Task Force.

Shoppers Food & Pharmacy said Tuesday it will relocate its headquarters from Lanham to a St. John Properties Inc. development in Bowie this October.

The regional grocer has inked a deal for 25,000 square feet of office space in the Maryland Science and Technology Center, a 466-acre business park being developed in Prince George's County by Baltimore-based St. John Properties.

The site will feature a free fitness center, a café and a lake surrounded by a walking trail.

A Prince George's County Circuit Court judge ruled last month that legislation that banned the sale of single cigars, requiring stores to sell them in packages of at least five, was constitutional.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's decision last week to relocate the Department of Housing and Community Development from Crownsville to Prince George's County. is almost certainly good politics -- and it could turn out to be good policy as well.

When you think about it, it just doesn't make much sense to locate a department that mostly serves urban communities on a leafy suburban campus far from transit routes. And Prince George's is an important population center with far superior transit connections.

But while the news is undoubtedly good for Prince George's, it could go either way for Baltimore. Certainly it's not like moving a department out of Baltimore to fulfill a pledge to that county -- as former Gov. Bob Ehrlich tried with the Department of Planning. But some Baltimore-area employees of the department could be severely inconvenienced if the wrong decision is made about where to locate in Prince George's County.

Two of the choices are bad....

The Africa Trade Office in Largo, Prince George's County Economic Development Corp. and the U.S. Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville will announce a formal partnership Monday. The partnership will help develop new solutions to agricultural, climate and environmental challenges in world markets, particularly Africa, and also promote research of agricultural products, according to PGEDC information..

All three organizations expect the partnership to aide in bringing jobs to Maryland, assisting developing nations in African and encouraging international trade.The agreement will initially focus on ongoing Agricultural Research Services work that may assist Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi and Ethiopia.

Surrounded by local labor chiefs at a campaign rally last week in Landover, Rushern L. Baker III, a candidate for Prince George's County executive, made a bold promise:

"We need to make sure that Prince George's County puts people back to work, and that's what we're going to start doing today," Baker (D) said to applause as a campaign staffer distributed his three-page jobs plan.

Baker is one of several Washington-region candidates who have made "job creation" a pillar of their platforms this election year, piggybacking on the recession-era strategies of presidential and gubernatorial candidates who have tried to let voters know they feel their pain. But economists and political observers say that jobs rhetoric is, for the most part, just lip service and that candidates will find they have little power to actually make a dent in the unemployment crisis if elected to city and county posts.

One of the country's wealthiest Black men and a possible candidate for mayor of the District of Columbia praised Prince George's County for its positive business environment, especially for small and minority businesses.

Multi-millionaire real estate developer and investor R. Donahue Peebles told an audience of 150 – primarily comprised of entrepreneurs – at Prince George's Community College's Rennie Forum, Wed., May 19, that Prince George's County is an outstanding location for commerce.

The UniverSoul Circus, headquartered in Atlanta, was founded in 1994 by Cedric Walker, a concert promoter who wanted to give black circus performers a chance to showcase black culture and talent. Its annual appearance here in Prince George's County is a rite of spring.

A new secure business park near the Andrews military base could propel the vision for a national defense and technology corridor just beyond the tarmacs that serve foreign dignitaries and the president.

Prince George's County topped the state in total direct tourism impact in fiscal 2009, according to the Maryland Office of Tourism.

The county generated about $82.6 million through county admissions and amusement taxes, county hotel and motel taxes, and state tourism sales taxes. That was up from $66 million in fiscal '08.

J. Matthew Neitzey, executive director of the Prince George's County Conference and Visitors Bureau, attributed most of the success to National Harbor and the county's ability to attract interest in its sporting venues such as the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro and the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex and FedEx Field, both in Landover."People are really starting to recognize the county's stature as a sporting venue in the state," he said.

A company in Prince Georges County called Chambers Funeral Home & Crematorium (Chambers) is under investigation by the Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors. The discovery of 40 bodies piled up in a designated area prompted authorities to further examine the treatment of cadavers after an initial-impromptu inspection weeks ago left officials leery of business practices. Chambers' license to conduct business is suspended until further research. And as a result, two nearby morticians are also negatively affected.

Monday, May 3, 2010, may have been an unsettling day for many, especially for family members of loved ones in the care of Chambers. The company admits to operation mishandling, but says that Georgetown University's School of Medicine shares part blame because the school has a contract with them to properly care for its remains and perform cremation in a collective fashion.

Stephen Ray Mitchell, the Universities Dean, confirms the agreement but says the teaching Institution was unaware of Chambers' internal affairs. However, it is alleged that the teaching University did not have proper storage to perform its responsibility in a timely service.

Clinton farmer Phil Miller is one of many growers in southern Prince George's County facing a problem he hopes the state can solve.

During a special visit by Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance to the Miller Farm in Clinton April 15, Miller told the secretary that when chain grocery stores label fruit or vegetables grown in California or Louisiana as "local," homegrown businesses like his suffer.

Hance spent the morning at Miller Farm as part of Gov. Martin O'Malley's "Capital for a Day" initiative, in which state lawmakers spend a day in a different municipality each month. Capitol Heights was selected as the location for the April 15 event, but because that town isn't engaged in agriculture, Hance made the trip several miles south to Clinton.

Maryland legislators killed Rosecroft Raceway and harness racing.

By stalling a card games bill in committee during the session's final hours, House Speaker Michael Busch effectively sealed the Oxon Hill track's demise along with 200 employees. It also prevents track operator Mark Vogel from possibly hiring 2,000 people to run the poker palace pending state referendum approval.

Gallery owner John Kennedy Ubamadu in a hand-carved chair made from Odun African oak tree trunks in the Amber Tree Art Gallery in National Harbor. The gallery is moving to a new location also in National Harbor where it will be able to host events as well as sell art and handmade furniture.

CD-Game Exchange officially closed down its College Park location two weeks ago and will open a new store right outside Prince George's County lines in order to skirt regulations set in place on the resale of video games, CDs and DVDs.

The new location will open in Takoma Park this Friday, joining CD-Game Exchange's other store in Silver Spring as the business' second shop in Montgomery County.

Owner Sam Lock blames the store's closure on a county law that tightened regulations requiring all secondhand retailers to document merchandise and hold items for 30 days before reselling them. It also requires the businesses to purchase a $500 license and enact employee training programs.

The University of Maryland had a zero percent graduation for its Black men's basketball team's freshmen classes of 1999-2002. Zero percent....

It is clear that there is a significant racial gap in college attendance between African Americans and Whites. While some research (e.g. Bennett et al., 2003) cites that African Americans are more likely than Whites to attend after socioeconomic background is controlled for, the fact remains that African Americans, overall, still lag behind Whites in graduating from college.

"We want to raise the bar on skills training," so that more residents will have the qualifications needed to get hired, O'Malley said at a news conference at Prince George's Community College in Largo. "Our citizens need jobs, our businesses will increasingly need skilled employees," he said, adding that he wants to boost the number of workers prepared to fill middle-skill jobs by 20 percent in two years.

"Picture a place the size of a Home Depot, with the prices of a Goodwill, and the friendly staff of an old-fashioned hardware store. At Community Forklift's huge warehouse, you will find reclaimed, vintage, and surplus building materials at up to NINETY PERCENT BELOW BIG BOX PRICES!!!! This thrift store is a fun place to poke around - they've got everything from antique hardware & brass sconces, to modern appliances & brand-new windows still wrapped in plastic. You can also donate your renovation leftovers (you'll receive a tax deduction, and they do pick up large donations). Proceeds support their work to "lift up local communities" by reducing waste, creating green jobs, and making repairs more affordable for low-income folks, homeowners, small businesses, and nonprofits. They regularly donate materials to housing nonprofits, community gardens, and theatres. They give educational talks about how to go green on a budget, and they maintain a binder of tradespeople who specialize in old house restoration. They're 5 min. outside NE DC, between Kenilworth and Rhode Island Ave. "

Limbach Facility Services LLC will receive $120,000 in public funds as incentive for relocating and expanding in Prince George's County.

The Pittsburgh firm, which specializes in mechanical construction and construction services, currently has 150 employees at its 10110 Senate Drive offices and will move to 40,000 square feet in the new Brick Yard Business Park in Beltsville.

Prince George's County's demographics make it an attractive market for retailers looking to expand.

While retail developers and retailers continue to be extremely cautious about expansion—last year, the industry delivered the lowest amount of new space in about three decades, according to the CoStar Group, a Bethesda, Md.-based research firm—they might forget that even in a downturn, there are areas that can support retail growth.

For example, Prince George's County in Maryland boasts a growing population due to its proximity to Washington D.C.; healthy employment in government, technology and aerospace sectors; and higher than average household incomes. By some accounts, the county is the wealthiest in the nation with an African-American majority—approximately 65.6 percent of local residents identify themselves as black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Another 17.6 percent identify themselves as Latino—an important fact, since African-Americans and Hispanics, along with Asian-Americans, will be among the most lucrative markets for retailers in the coming decades. As of 2005, approximately 37.2 percent of the households in Prince George's County had incomes above $75,000 a year. Retail sales per capita are somewhere around $9,261.

In the Jan. 28 issue, members of the Prince George's council decried the findings of a study to bring more biotechnology jobs to the county ["Council: Biotech study favored north county"]. In the study, the suggestion was to place a proposed biotechnology hub close to the University of Maryland in either College Park, Hyattsville or Beltsville.

Council members [Samuel] Dean, [Camille] Exum and [Marilynn] Bland decided to complain about the recommendations being only in the northern part of the county. What the council members failed to realize is that Prince George's County has to start somewhere in order to bring these types of businesses to the county. Placing a biotech hub close to the University of Maryland is the most logical step as most businesses will probably build off the research currently being done at this world-class institution.

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, joins the Economic Development Corporation to host the Small Business Initiative's Fifth Annual Awards Breakfast on Friday, February 26, 2010, at the prestigious Camelot of Upper Marlboro, 13901 Central Ave, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The theme for this year's event is "Inner Glow, Outward Success: Small Businesses Fulfilling Their Purpose". The keynote speaker, Ms. Marion Luna Brem, President/CEO of Love Chrysler, embodies the essence of this theme.

Oasis Mechanical Contractors Inc., of Lanham, had a very special guest last Friday.

President Barack Obama came to announce he is expanding two Small Business Administration lending programs. Their goals are to allow small business leaders to refinance and increase limits for working capital.

"The true engine of job creation will always be businesses. What government can do is fuel that engine: by giving entrepreneurs and companies the support to open their doors, expand and hire more workers. Today, we're taking another step toward assisting small business owners get the capital they need to grow and hire," Obama said.

Chinese competition remains a serious obstacle for U.S. businesses trying to break into African markets, executives told officials during a visit to Prince George's County by Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Florizelle Liser last month.

But when it comes to government-sponsored trade missions and other initiatives to help boost African trade for U.S. companies, caution must be exercised, said Liser and others.

More than 50 people, including business owners throughout the state, attended the get-together Jan. 22 in Largo. The meeting was sponsored by the Prince George's County Africa Trade Office.

Prince George's County officials are excited about the future and what it may bring in terms of new jobs. As the county moves forward in the 21st century, officials believe Prince George's is ready to usher in new technology jobs, specifically in biotechnology, cyber security, and geothermal technologies.

At the request of County Council member Camille Exum (D-Seat Pleasant), the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission conducted a feasibility study on the county's ability to develop a biotechnology research center. From the study, county officials believe the county is well-equipped to bring biotech jobs to the county but it just needs to make the commitment.

Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson to welcome Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world's largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), to National Harbor for the grand opening of their newest resort.

"We are ecstatic to have Wyndham Vacation Resorts become yet another impressive addition to National Harbor. National Harbor is a unique destination with many extraordinary features especially, its exquisite location just off the banks of the Potomac River," said Johnson. "I am certain that this will be a popular location and win, win investment for both the Wyndham and its timeshare owners."

Prince George's County Council members criticized a recent report suggesting sites for biotechnology firms in the county, complaining that its recommendations were only in the northern part of the county.

The economic feasibility study, released in September, only suggested locations in College Park, Beltsville and Hyattsville to develop biotechnology business in the county.

"It's biased, in some respects, to the approach the consultant took. That's just my opinion," Councilwoman Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Capitol Heights said at the council meeting Jan. 19.

A starkly divided Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission split this week over whether to accept advice from its own legal counsel that its minority business preference program violates federal law and puts the bicounty utility and commissioners at risk of being sued.

Disagreement between Prince George's and Montgomery members of the utility's governing board also stopped them from opposing state intervention in how the WSSC does business as it delivers water and sewer service to about 1.8 million customers in the two counties.

By a 3-3 vote Wednesday, Prince George's County commissioners blocked Montgomery County commissioners' efforts to end the minority business enterprise program before its current April 30, 2011, expiration date.

Supermarket chain Wegmans has begun hiring 600 employees to staff its grocery store under construction in the Woodmore Towne Centre at Glenarden in Lanham.

The company plans to fill 550 of the 600 open positions at the supermarket with local people. The 135,000-square-foot supermarket is slated to open in October.

State government enterprise zones in Baltimore city and Allegany and Prince George's counties have been approved for expansion and renewal, enabling these jurisdictions to provide businesses with income- and property-tax credits to help create and retain jobs, according to information from the state Department of Business and Economic Development.

...Prince George's is renewing its enterprise zone to include areas along the International Corridor/Gateway Arts District, the Port Towns and Annapolis Road Corridor, and other areas.

"In the past five years, Enterprise Zone-certified companies have reportedly made capital investments of $100 million, and created more than 2,000 new jobs in the County," said Kwasi Holman, CEO of the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp., in a statement.

A group of Prince George's County residents and environmentalists who fought legislation that will dramatically alter the landscape of the rural parts of the county by allowing strip malls and thousands of homes is asking a judge to overturn the District Council's vote.

The Accokeek, Mattawoman, Piscataway Creeks Communities Council filed a petition in October alleging that the District Council violated a Maryland Public Ethics Law when it approved the measure.

Prince George's County Circuit Court Judge Michele D. Hotten is expected to hold a hearing Jan. 10 to decide whether a stay should be granted. Oral arguments have been set for March 18 to discuss the merits of the case.

Antonio Coats usually has no problem finding a taxi as he leaves the New Carrollton Metro station. So when the 21-year-old barber came out of the station early Tuesday, he was surprised that not a single cab was available.

"I don't know what is going on, normally the cabs are already out here," said Coats, who didn't realize that a number of Prince George's cab drivers skipped work to protest the share of revenue kept by the county's cab companies.

The strike, however, proved more a nuisance for customers than anything else. Coats had to wait only about 10 minutes to get a cab because many drivers chose to work despite the strike.

Move over Montgomery County and look out Baltimore, Prince George's County has plans to boost its own bioscience industry.

The Prince George's County Planning Department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has released its study on the viability of building a biotech incubator within the county, determining that such a facility could generate as many as 1,900 jobs and $4.4 million in annual tax revenues.

The Prince George's County Biotechnology Research and Development Center Study, two years in the making, was prepared by the Angle Technology Group of Charlottesville, Va. It recommends a multi-tenant flagship facility to offer wet lab space for young bioscience companies, accelerate business growth, workforce training programs for biotechs and research space for related university and federal lab programs to help users attract federal research funds. This would establish an identifiable focal point for the county's bioscience development, the study said.

Struggling to find ways to compete in the region and stimulate major development, Prince George's County is increasingly creating special taxing districts, a strategy used sparingly in the past.

But critics worry that officials might be diluting the effectiveness of the tactic by using it for smaller projects, instead of restricting its application to mixed-use projects that bring large numbers of jobs to the county.

In about a year, Prince George's County will welcome its newest mixed-used development.

The multi-million dollar project is located in Glenarden close to FedExField and other popular retail stores. Developers say what sets the latest addition apart from the rest is its high-end appeal.

So far, some major anchor stores have agreed to make Woodmore Towne Centre their home, and local leaders hope that will mean residents will stay in Prince George's County for all their shopping needs.

Paul Sheehy walked out of the empty showroom and into the lot at his sprawling Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership in Upper Marlboro. Two 2009 Chrysler 300s and 25 used cars were all that remained of an inventory that in better times had numbered more than 300 vehicles.

Thursday will be his last day selling new Chrysler vehicles. After 11 years in the Prince George's County location, Sheehy and his older brother Vince will briefly focus on clearing away their used-car inventory before shutting down the dealership next month.

During a convention-style event Thursday for the Maryland horsing industry, Prince George's County horse farm owners, particularly those who live in the rural tier, said there is a continued need for assistance and legislation to help the embattled industry survive.

Hundreds of people from around the state gathered during the Maryland Horse Forum at the Show Place Arena and Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro.

At the forum, many Prince George's residents who own horse farms said they are seeking county legislation that would allow small horse farms to be rezoned as agricultural land, which would afford them the same tax breaks that large farms receive. Currently, small horse farm owners pay the same tax per acre as residential land owners.

The Prince George's County Planning Board has approved Panattoni Development Company's plans to build five industrial warehouses and two retail buildings at the intersection of Queens Court and Crain Highway.

The new seven building complex will front US 301 and sit on 51 acres in the larger 1,289-acre Collington Corporate Center and Collington South park.

The Prince George's County taxicab industry is a "complex web" in which a handful of players control the majority of taxi companies and the county's most widely used dispatch service to the detriment of drivers, a report by an advocacy group says.

More than 125 jobs could open up in the Prince George's County's Foreign Trade Zone over the next few years if a green technology boating company decides to relocate to the area, officials say.

The newly formed Enviromotive Inc., a joint venture of Renewable Energy Alliance LLC of Bowie and Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co. of Brechin, Ontario, is considering the foreign trade zone as the production base for its solar-assisted electric boats. The boats — the eight-passenger Loon and 30-passenger Osprey — can travel up to 30 miles per charge and cruise at 8 mph.

Peeps have accomplished the improbable since they were introduced half a century ago. Those pastel marshmallow chicks and bunnies have participated in university science experiments, survived battles with high-powered microwaves and inspired avant-garde art.

So why wouldn't they dare to open their own store, taking on the tough world of retail right in the heart of a recession?

The first Peeps & Co. store is scheduled to open at National Harbor in Prince George's County in November in a prime 3,500-square-foot location that sits, according to the press release, directly in front of Seward Johnson's 100-foot statue "The Awakening" -- an enormous giant crawling out of the earth.

The Prince George's Chamber of Commerce, already one of the biggest in the region, wants to grow even larger — and is offering a free Caribbean vacation to its top recruiter as an enticement.

Other chambers throughout the state and region are emphasizing their own incentives to lure new businesses, even as some cash-strapped members cut their ties.

He wouldn't say whether he was buying or just window-shopping. He wouldn't even give his name.

But the dapper Canadian gentleman, decked out Friday in a blue polo shirt and khaki pants, walked along the rain-soaked ramp off the marina at National Harbor like a man who knew what he wanted and was ready to get it.

He had flown from Vancouver the night before to look at the luxurious vessels that made the slips on the Potomac River home last weekend for the second annual Yacht Show at the National Harbor.

It's budget season in Prince George's County, and that means one thing: County employees are going to need a lot of coffee.

That's where Michelle Wiggs comes in.

Wiggs, 46, the owner of the More Than Coffee! Lounge on Main Street in Upper Marlboro, opened a second location in the town in the County Administration Building's cafeteria on May 26 and a third location in the Prince George's County Courthouse on Monday.

Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson proudly announced that Lake Presidential Golf Course was featured in Continental magazine as one of the nation's best new golf courses.

"This is truly a great accomplishment for the employees at Lake Presidential and for the designers of the course," Johnson said. "To be considered one of the best golf locations in the country is a true achievement. I encourage all golfing enthusiasts to play a round at Lake Presidential."

Times are tight. But don't tell that to Dawn Jackson, president of Women Business Owners of Prince George's County. She's telling her group's members not to participate in the recession.

"Women must work smarter and harder," Ms. Jackson says.

The county is home to an estimated 19,000 female entrepreneurs, according to the Prince George's business and licensing office. Many of them are running both their businesses and their households.

That's why Ms. Jackson is partnering with the county's Minority Business Development Division and the Small Business Initiative to provide a day of networking and relief for female business owners today.

Walt Disney Co. has bought a 15-acre parcel at Prince George's County's sprawling National Harbor development, a shot in the arm for a project that opened with big ambitions a year ago, only to run headfirst into one of the sharpest economic declines in decades.

Disney plans to build a 500-room hotel resort on the parcel, providing another anchor for a 300-acre venture that seeks to rival the District as a conference and convention destination. National Harbor already includes six hotels; more than a dozen restaurants; and a giant conference center run by Gaylord Entertainment, owner of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

As a taxi cab driver's wife and a Prince George's County resident, I am wondering how taxi cab drivers make it from day to day and still stick to their goals of serving the public. When my husband started driving a taxi cab, his expectation was to serve our community, support our family and pay our tuition. However, things are much different than we expected.

Most people assume driving a taxi cab does not take a lot of effort, however, [that] is not the case. Cab drivers must pay taxes and get a "medallion" (a license number that allows the driver to operate the taxi in the county that issues it). Unlike what we thought, cab drivers in our county do not get the medallion easily. Cab drivers are paying a lot of money to the cab companies in order to rent the medallion from them. I feel Prince George's County should directly give the medallion to all licensed cab drivers.

Prince George's County First Lady, Leslie Johnson Kicks Off Annual Women's Business and Wellness Conference

While starting and sustaining a business can often be an intimidating endeavor, it becomes even more challenging during periods of economic downturn. In response, the Prince George's County Women Business Owners (WBO), the Prince George's County Small Business Initiative (SBI), and Prince George's County Office of Central Services Minority Business Development Division have united to present the 4th Annual, "It's All About ME!" Women's Business and Wellness Conference™ on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at the newly renovated 3400 Pennsy Drive facility, in Landover, Maryland.

Fewer people have been visiting the Show Place Arena and Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro in recent months, causing some local business owners to worry that the area's biggest regional attraction won't be able to put as much money into the local economy.

About 87,000 people attended events at the venue between September 2008 and January 2009, down more than 17 percent from the same period in the year before, according to figures from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which owns the venue. Overall revenue also declined sharply, dropping by more than 23 percent during the same period.

A bill introduced in Maryland will provide tax breaks to companies in Prince George's County that provide services with minimal pollution. The proposed bill would establish special zones where green businesses can get a break on property taxes.

Despite economic downturns, foreclosure epidemics and looming corporate layoffs, Bowie's piggy banks are safe and sound. The city has a track record of good financial planning and a stable tax base to thank for its balanced budget and money in the bank, said Mayor G. Frederick Robinson at his annual State of the City address.

More than 40 business leaders and city employees gathered Tuesday morning to hear the address at the Bowie Golf and County Club. Robinson touted the sound fiscal management of City Manager David Deutsch and Finance Director Rob Patrick for keeping the city afloat while other municipalities, counties and states face fiscal shortfalls.

Partnership to offer training for small federal contractors

The Prince George's Economic Development Corp. has joined forces with George Mason University to offer small businesses a federal government certificate program.