Flying Dog Brewery creates world-class beer inspired by a unique focus on art, creativity, and innovation. They are unapologetically independent, and strive to build meaningful connections with a community of fans who share their obsession for great beer. They were established in 1990 in Colorado and bought Frederick Brewing Company in 2006. They employ 100 people in Frederick County.
FoodPro began as a produce company in 1935 specializing in the sale of bananas to local grocery stores. Today, they are a regional restaurant supply and food-service distributor to their loyal clientele, employing 120 people in Frederick.
Frederick Regional Health System is known for the care they provide at Frederick Memorial Hospital, with a full array of diagnostic and treatment services, including specialized cardiac intervention, neonatal intensive care and behavioral health services. They also have more than 15 ambulatory locations, providing radiology, lab, rehabilitation, urgent care, primary and specialty care physicians -- including major investments in cancer service. FRHS was established in 1902 and employs 2,379 people.
1. What do you foresee for your business and/or the economy in 2018?
FP: We are very excited for 2018. FoodPro is projecting a 15%-20% growth for the year.
FD: There is no shortage of opportunity for Flying Dog in 2018. We are excited that the local and regional communities continue to make Flying Dog one of their favorite breweries, and we plan to build on that with more projects focused on becoming even more connected to our community.
FRHS: Our business continues to expand beyond the walls of the hospital. For the past few years, our goal has been to reach people in the community, before they are sick enough to need a hospital visit. Additionally, we continue to make investments in people, technology and facilities to provide high quality treatment. We feel it is important to offer the full range of healthcare people in Frederick need, so they don’t feel the need to go down the road to seek treatment away from home.
2. What would surprise people about your business?
FP: We started as a produce company specializing in the sales of bananas to local grocery stores in Frederick County.
FD: I think most people are surprised by our “speed”. We are still a small business, so we pride ourselves on the fact that if we come up with a cool idea on a Tuesday morning, it can be in front of the world by Tuesday afternoon. That doesn’t happen at bigger companies and we make sure we never lose that sense of urgency.
FRHS: Our mission is to ensure the health and well-being of the community we serve. One way we do this is through community outreach. An example is our Bridges program that builds collaborative partnerships with Frederick County’s faith-based, cultural, social, senior, and service organizations. The goal is to provide these groups with current Information on health, safety, smart decision making, and the responsible use of health resources using the services of trained volunteers called Lay Health Educators. We are focused on access to care, as shown through our Community Health Workers program, CARE Clinic and the Monocacy Health Partners Dental Clinic. We are always looking for innovative ways to work with our community partners to provide care to those who need it the most.
3. Why did you choose Frederick as a business location?
FP: Family grew up in the area.
FD: Frederick is a great community and has a great sense of culture. It’s in close proximity to some big cities in Baltimore and DC, but it has its own unique small-town vibe that resonates with the craft beer drinker.
FRHS: Our first hospital building was opened here in Frederick 115 years ago, to meet the needs of the community. Emma Smith wanted a place to care for the sick, comfort the injured and provide peace of mind for people who were traveling long distances to seek care. In the late 1890s, Emma Smith raised the original $8,000 to build the first portion of the hospital, which opened in 1902. We have grown exponentially since 1902 and are very proud to be a part of this community.
4. What’s keeping your business in Frederick County?
FP: We still love Frederick County! Family roots are here and we are perfectly located for our distribution area – DC, Northern VA, PA, WV, MD and of course, Downtown Frederick.
FD: We couldn’t be more thankful for the support the local Frederick community has given Flying Dog. There are so many like-minded, independently owned businesses that we feel share many of our sensibilities, and that makes building meaningful partnerships fun and easy. There is a true sense in Frederick that the small businesses are working together to build something great, and we love being a part of that effort.
FRHS: Serving the people of Frederick County is our mission and it always will be.
5. What awards or accolades do you want to brag about?
FP: We were 1 of 3 out of over 500 distributors across the U.S. to receive the 2016 UNIPRO Foodservice Key Distributor award.
FD: One of our marketing directors is working toward his third consecutive title for most pizzas eaten in 10 minutes at a local pizza shop in DC. That is the type of accomplishment you can really hang your hat on. He always regrets it immediately following the competition, but somehow musters up the courage to defend his title the next year. That is the type of fighting spirit that we find inspirational at Flying Dog.
FRHS: We receive many awards for quality across a variety of service lines, but we are most proud of being named by Healthgrades as a Distinguished Hospital – Clinical Excellence in 2016 and 2017. This recognition by a third party puts our hospital in the Top 5% in the nation for clinical outcomes. According to Healthgrades, what differentiates the hospitals with this designation from the rest is that while many hospitals have specific areas of expertise and high-quality outcomes for some conditions and procedures, hospitals earning Distinguished Hospital – Clinical Excellence exhibit comprehensive and consistent quality across a range of conditions and procedures.
About Frederick’s Top 50
Frederick’s Top 50 for 2018 marks an inaugural list of businesses who have the largest potential to contribute to Frederick County’s vibrant economy. The metrics-driven list was created by OED with assistance from Hood College, using research from InfoUSA, tax records, CoStar and internal data collection. Data was analyzed using a weighted scoring system in the following areas: Number of Employees in Frederick County, Annual Property Taxes Paid, Square Footage Occupied in Frederick County, Location Sales Volume and Year Established.