January 2019 Volume 27 Number 1 YOUR FREE ISSUE COLUMBIA MALL: Great sales and new owner HACKER CONVENTION: Techmasters gather BIZKIDZ: Youth compete with new businesses The Business of Howard + Anne Arundel Counties and the BWI Business District What will it cost your business this year? SEXUAL HARASSMENT By Susan Kim Staff Writer Sexual harassment prevention in the workplace has been getting a lot of attention – both in the news and in business. After offering training on sexual harassment prevention for many years, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights has noticed a large uptick in interest this year, not only from state employees who are Photo courtesy of Live! Casino & Hotel required by law to complete such training, but from the private sector, too. Look at it more like “While we have seen a large number Is Maryland ready for the an investment in your of sexual harassment ❝ complaints come in, organization’s immune we’ve also seen more sports betting game? system. Take that employers reaching By Mark R. Smith gambling, 53 percent of registered voters favor doing preventive approach out to get ahead of it,” Senior Writer so (with 37 percent opposed and 10 percent having right up front.” said Spencer Dove, an no opinion). executive associate West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware have D.C. and Virginia are also making noise about with the commission. voted sports gaming into law. legalizing gambling, period; but even if sports gaming What if employers ignore it? Your business Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia is approved in both states and the District, it won’t potentially faces not only the cost of a lawsuit, but have not. result in a huge windfall, as was the case with the deeper-gouging costs related to retention and recruit- Those last three facts will be under discussion approval of slots. ment of staff and a tarnished reputation that repels when the next legislative session starts at noon on Where we are today,” said Frank Turner, recently customers. Jan 9, in Annapolis. retired delegate from District 13, who sponsored the As much has sexual harassment has captured the Session 2019 will come after the House passed sports gaming bill last session, “is in limbo. I haven’t headlines this year, it’s hard to pin a price tag on it, a bill to allow sports gaming in Maryland, but seen a bill put in for the upcoming session, but it’s though everyone from human resources experts to the Senate did not; and on the heels of a recent likely one will be. Then the question becomes, ‘Will the U.S Senate to human rights advocates are call- Washington Post-University of Maryland poll that there be an agreement between the House and the ing for more research on what those costs might be. revealed that, while voters likely will have to wait Senate as to what the bill will look like?’ ” Clearly, the costs are mounting. at two years to decide whether to legalize sports Last year, the House wanted sports gaming at the continued on page 18 continued on page 10 GOLDEN CELEBRATION AND THEY'RE OFF KITTLEMAN REFLECTIONS Howard County Chamber marks Laurel Park looks to the future Former county executive reviews 50 years as the ‘voice of business’ as Pimlico seeks $425 million the ups and downs of public service page 3 page 5 page 12 2 The Business Monthly January 2019 Tourism spending grows past $17B Visitors to Maryland spent more so travelers return again and again. than $17 billion in calendar year 2017, Maryland tourism is open for business!” up 2.1 percent from the previous Tourism is Maryland’s 10th largest year, officials announced today at the private sector employer. The study Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit. showed that there was a 2 percent The study, conducted by Tourism increase in employment to 149,000 in Economics, also showed that $2.4 2017, and a 4 percent increase in wages billion in state and local taxes were to $6.3 billion. generated by visitors, which saved Starting in 2015, the Maryland every Maryland household $1,100. Office of Tourism Development “Maryland has so much to offer, it’s no began promoting Maryland as a travel surprise that tourism is one of our most destination to a number of states important economic generators and job and cities in the region, and last year creators,” said Governor Larry Hogan. reported visitors from New York have “Our goal is to give each and every visi- increased 10 percent, with visitors from tor, whether they are here for vacation Pittsburgh up 4 percent, and visitors or business, the best possible experience from Washington, D.C. up 3 percent. PUBLIC RELATIONS 410.730.0316 [email protected] Publisher and Editor Daniel Medinger Ad Sales Senior Writers Staff Writers Cathy Yost Mark R. Smith Susan Kim Regina Lasco George Berkheimer John Powers Kathy Berlin Art Director Political Analyst Billing Stacy Sutton Len Lazarick Doris Carbaugh Composition Photographer Social Media Pantea Tofangchi Mihir Majumdar Christen Murphy Regina Lasco www.bizmonthly.com 410-740-5077 Published monthly at 5397 Twin Knolls Road, Suite 17, Columbia, MD. Mailing address P.O. Box 1529, Ellicott City, MD 21041. Telephone 410-740-5077. Fax: 410-740-5888. Email: [email protected]. Comments are welcome. @ Copyright 2018. Subscriptions are $35 per year. January 2019 The Business Monthly 3 Howard Chamber marks 50 years By George Berkheimer and CEO Leonardo McClarty. “Now Early Days other for news, advice, business leads Senior Writer everything we do is electronic, it’s on Ed Kasemeyer, former District 12 and leadership. a computer, submitted online and filed State Senator, served as a past Chamber “Now it’s vibrant, highly sophisticated The Howard County Chamber of electronically.” and focused in terms of the number of Commerce (HCCC) marks its 50th president in 1980 and remembers the It was a time, he said, when the organization’s early days. employees and their functions, and the anniversary in 2019. speed of business was measured in depth they go to in terms of subject Established when Columbia itself “We didn’t have a home or a perma- days, and by most accounts, Columbia nent executive director,” he recalled. matter and skill,” Kasemeyer said. was just two years old, the Chamber was a sleepy town and Howard was a Along the way, the Chamber has followed a similar trajectory of “We rented an office next to the Clark sleepy county that business profes- building for our monthly meetings.” evolved to take on new roles and growth and evolution alongside its sionals passed through on their way to become a significant player in the home of record. It was during his term that the where the real action was, in Baltimore Chamber hired its first full-time exec- greater Baltimore economy, but still “When I look at the founding docu- or Washington, DC. maintained its basic identity as a local ments, they were done on stencil paper utive director, at that time a significant How times – and the Chamber – step in terms of expense and services business advocate. and typewriter in multiple copies,” have changed. observed current HCCC President when members still looked to each continued on page 18 Visit Howard County names executive director By Dan Medinger Welcome Center. Editor “I was grateful for the opportunity to learn about the county and how the Amanda Hof has been named the tourism office worked from the ground new executive director of Visit Howard up. I learned a lot about Howard County,” County. she said. Hof oversees all operations that Now in the top job, she plans to promote. the hospitality industry locally take advantage of the county’s location and nationally for the rapidly growing between Baltimore and Washington, county. D.C. “We have lots of meeting space Her staff of five full-time and several with traditional and unique venues. We part-time employees promote hotels, have first class amenities and the qual- restaurants, attractions and events. ity of life is great here.” They also staff the Welcome Center, She said that she plans to market located on Main Street in Ellicott City, the county in a “close radius” but she seven days a week. also sees national opportunities. She Chuck Chandler, Visit Howard is pleased with the Maryland Office County Board Chair said in a prepared of Tourism’s efforts which show “an statement, “Amanda is the right person increase in visitors and an uptick in at the right time to continue to grow spending.” and develop tourism and tourism-re- Hof said Visit Howard County will be lated events for Howard County now expanding local initiatives and increas- and into the future.” ing digital and mobile promotion efforts. Tourism is a big economic driver Last fall, Visit Howard County released bringing nearly three million visitors its first ever destination video. to the county in 2018 resulting in more “We want to do more data driven than 1.25 million overnight stays. marketing,” she said. “We are develop- The $1.1 million Visit Howard ing marketing campaigns to induce more County budget is raised mostly from overnight visitation. The longer visitors hotel taxes. stay, the more they spend.” According to the Visit Howard Notably, traffic to the Visit Howard County annual report, tourism supports County website has spiked 200 percent. nearly 11,000 jobs and generated The county tourism team has been $628.8 million in sales last year. recognized by the Maryland Office of Leading all of this promotional Tourism Development (OTD) – a divi- activity is Hof, who said that she sion of the Maryland Department of first promoted Howard County when Amanda Hof greets visitors at the Visit Howard County office in Ellicott City.