EDCO is a manufacturer of its own branded lines of small construction equipment including surfa
In 2012, Experient joined forces with Maritz Travel to make up Maritz Global Events with 270 employees
Fitzgerald Auto Mall is a multi-brand new and used car dealership that specializes in relationships
1. What do you foresee for your business and/or the economy in 2018?
EDCO: Growth in our Fabrication business. The EDCO Fabrication division is a regional supplier of manufacturing services to other manufacturing companies. We build it for you.
EXP: The events industry continues to grow at a steady pace. Our business reflects that growth, and we continue to innovate in an effort to accelerate our growth opportunities.
FAM: Fitzgerald Auto Malls, including our Frederick locations, are excited for 2018, and envision continued growth across all of our locations. Relative to the economy in general, we believe there are definitive signs of improvement and continued growth across numerous industries. We believe that the economic strength of Frederick is only going to continue to grow in 2018. Between the number of individuals moving in, the diversity of cultures that are now dwelling here, the continuing expansion of homes and businesses that are sprouting up, and the fact that so many outside the area see Frederick now as a destination location, we believe our beloved Frederick community will continue to experience great prosperity.
2. What would surprise people about your business?
EDCO: We are family owned for 60 years and sell our branded construction products across North America and around the world. Everything is manufactured in Frederick.
EXP: Overall we have more than 600 employees around the world and are engaged in some way in more than 3,000 events each year.
FAM: Our business has been built on transparency, and it shows in the ease of doing business with us; we know this is something that surprises a lot of people when discussing a car dealer, which is generally thought of as doing business in much less straight-forward manner than we pride ourselves upon. Customers find the low pressure, no haggle way—which we refer to as the FitzWay--of doing business refreshing, and because of this we have customers whose families have bought multiple vehicles from us and will service nowhere else.
3. Why did you choose Frederick County as a business location?
EDCO: In the 1970s our co-founders moved the business here from Silver Spring because land was affordable and they saw Frederick’s potential.
EXP: Experient was formed from the coming together of three organizations one of those being Galaxy which was originally formed in Frederick.
FAM: Decades ago, our leadership saw Frederick as an ideal location to expand upon our business base. At the time, we were centralized in Montgomery County, and we envisioned the Frederick community as a natural fit for our business’s expansion. Given that Frederick is easily accessible from Montgomery County and the District of Columbia, being straight up the I-270 Corridor, we foresaw that there would be an extensive growth in the population of Frederick in the coming years, and believed that placing a location in Frederick would be savvy. We saw the potential for growth of the Frederick community, and we have enjoyed the ride! We love that Frederick still maintains, however, a smaller-town feeling, and are very appreciative of the continued support of the Frederick community, and the surrounding counties that also leverage Frederick as a commerce center.
4. What’s keeping your business in Frederick County?
EDCO: Diversity in culture and a business-friendly atmosphere.
EXP: We have long term employees from the community and continue to grow with the community. There is no need or desire to move.
FAM: We love Frederick County--the people, the proximity, our fellow business owners, the small-town feeling with the larger-town infrastructure, and the gorgeous scenery. We have made it our home, and proudly employ many Frederick residents.
5. What awards or accolades do you want to brag about?
EXP: Experient is proud to have been recognized Best Place to Work in Events by Event Marketer Magazine in 2015 and Best Place to Work in Frederick County in the Major Employer Category in 2014.
FAM: Fitzgerald Auto Mall Frederick is very proud to have received commendations including: Best of Frederick Winner, multiple years running; our Child Car Seat Inspection Program; Child ID/safety events; being an ISO 14001 registered company; proud sponsor of the Yellow Ribbon Fund; and our partnership with the EPA Green Power Program.
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.