Over 100 of Frederick County’s legacy businesses, those that have been in business for 20 plus years, are being recognized this week, October 5 through October 9, 2020. The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) has been coordinating Business Appreciation Week for 20 years and this year OED wanted to recognize and highlight Frederick’s oldest businesses.
“These are challenging times and we wanted to highlight those businesses that are a staple and a pillar in our community,” stated Jodie Bollinger, Director, Business Retention and Expansion for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. OED, along with their partners, are virtually meeting with the businesses to say thank you for doing business in the County all these years, discuss challenges and provide resources.
The businesses this year are very diverse, regarding the size of the company and the industry. Of the total number of businesses, approximately 20% of the participating BAW legacy businesses are manufacturers. Two of the oldest manufacturers participating in Business Appreciation Week are Rosebud Perfume Company and Dairy Maid Dairy, each celebrating 125 years in Frederick. Reliable Recycling Center is celebrating their 102nd year followed by McCutcheon Apple Products, 82 years in Frederick. RRD, located in Thurmont, is celebrating their 70th year, while Galaxy Control Systems in Walkersville is celebrating their 46th year in business. The participating manufacturers alone represent approximately 900 years in business!
There are over 4,163 manufacturing companies located in the State of Maryland. Quarterly average employment is 113,182 with average weekly wage per worker at $1,528. In Frederick, there are 190 manufacturing establishments, up 11% from five years ago. Frederick County manufacturers employ 5,613 people, representing a 7% increase and the average weekly wage per worker is $1,230 according to the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The Frederick County Office of Economic Development works with local, state, and national manufacturing partners to assist and foster the growth of the manufacturing industry. OED works with existing manufacturers, as well as manufactures seeking to locate to the area, on incentives, workforce and training needs, permitting and regulatory assistance, utility programs, international and supplier network assistance and more.
For more information on Business Appreciation Week, go to www.discoverfrederickmd.com/baw . OED partnered with Manning Media to highlight Frederick’s legacy businesses. For a listing of all the participating businesses, visit http://www.key103radio.com/business-appreciation-week-2020/. For more information on the manufacturing industry, visit http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/manufacturing