Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Washington Post




Maryland's business and economic development arm has begun to publish an online database of the financial incentives that the state provides to companies when they promise to create jobs, open new facilities or otherwise contribute to the economy.
The database is one of several Web-based tools that the agency has created of late as it aims to increase transparency, in part because a government watchdog criticized its disclosure practices, said Andrea Vernot, assistant secretary for marketing and communications.
District-based Good Jobs First, a nonpartisan group that pushes for corporate and government accountability, ranked Maryland 18th in the country for its online disclosure of economic development subsidies in a report released in December 2010. Virginia placed 25th in that study and the District shared last place with 13 others.
So earlier this month, the state released the Maryland Finance Tracker, which provides an annually updated list of the monetary perks given to companies. Users can sort the data by year, company location or incentive program.
"They've been doing their best to amp up what they can," said Thomas Cafcas, a research analyst with Good Jobs First. "The database isn't perfect, but it's certainly a work in progress and they should be lauded for their efforts because it's certainly come a long way for taxpayer transparency."
Jim Henry, program director in the office of finance programs, said the information was already available in a series of annual reports to the General Assembly that the public can access online. But never has it all existed in one place and in a format that's easy to use, he said.
"We fully recognize it's going to need to be tweaked a little bit to be more user friendly," Henry said. "We don't think this is the end all be all as it exists right now, but we think this is a very good initial effort."
The state agency also created an interactive map, called the MDbizMap, that plots "business assets and resources," such as top employers, colleges, airports, incentive zones and companies that receive job creation tax credits.
The initial map contains 21 categories of information with plans to add several dozen others over time, Vernot said, including information about taxes, demographics and utilities. It consolidates many previous maps into one, she said.
Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) started Maryland Made Easy in January of last year to make the state more friendly to businesses, including initiatives that better explain state regulations, increase communication and simplify bureaucratic processes, such as permitting.
Officials said they plan to release two more Web tools later this year: a searchable database of available commercial real estate, including offices, labs and start-up incubators, as well as an online form for business registration.
"Technology is getting so democratized," Vernot said. "Rather than having to build these big, back-end databases, we can lease programs and just adapt them for our own uses."
Below is a list of companies that received financial incentives from Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development in 2011, according to the agency's Maryland Finance Tracker. Companies that show $0 in all three columns were approved by the department for a tax credit, the size of which is later determined by the Office of the Comptroller. The acronyms indicate the source of the funds, including the Maryland Industrial Development Financing Authority (MIDFA), Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority (MSBDFA) and the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority and Fund (MEDAAF).
25.67%Recipient__ 14.31%City__ 20.48%Program__ 10.03%Approved loan amount__ 8.68%Loan guarantee amount__ 9.3%Amount disbursed__ 5.98%Promised jobs__ 5.55%Promised trainees
3CLogic __ Rockville__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ $100,000 __ $0__ $100,000 __ 25__ 0
Advanced BioNutrition __ Columbia__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 100,000 __ 0__ 100,000__ 0__ 0
Advanced BioNutrition __ Columbia__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 19,612 __ 0__ 19,612 __ 0__ 0
AJ&R Petroleum __ Landover__ MIDFA-Small Business__ 400,000__ 100,000__ 0__ 5__ 0
Akonni Biosystems __ Frederick__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 100,000__ 0__ 100,000 __ 0__ 0
All Pro Glass __ Hyattsville__ MSBDFA Contract Financing Direct__ 200,000__ 0__ 71,622__ 10__ 0
All Pro Glass __ Hyattsville__ MSBDFA Surety Bond Direct__ 400,000__ 0__ 0__ 0__ 0
Ausley Associates__ Lexington Park__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 6,750__ 0__ 6,750 __ 54__ 15
Auto Glass Warehouse __ Hyattsville__ MSBDFA Guaranty Fund__ 250,000__ 125,000__ 0 __ 10__ 0
BoxTone __ Columbia__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 24,000__ 0__ 0__ 10__ 25
Business Integra __ Greenbelt__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 18,750__ 0__ 18,131.49 __ 120__ 11
BWI Technology Park Phase II __ Linthicum__ MEDAAF-5 Brownfield Conditional Grant__ 300,000 __ 0__ 0__ 0__ 0
Chesapeake Perl __ Savage__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 800 __ 0__ 800 __ 0__ 0
Digital Receiver Technology__ Germantown__ Job Creation Tax Credit__ 0__ 0__ 0__ 58__ N/A
DynPort Vaccine Co.__ Frederick__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 17,279__ 0__ 5,612.10 __ 111__ 21
Environmental Engineering & Construction__ Landover__ MSBDFA Surety Bond Direct__ 1,500,000__ 0__ 0__ 5__ 0
Family Medical Center __ Mount Airy__ MIDFA-Small Business__ 80,000__ 40,000__ 0__ 17__ 0
G&D Construction __ Lanham__ MSBDFA Guaranty Fund__ 25,000__ 12,500__ 0__ 20__ 0
Gold Lasso __ Gaithersburg__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 100,000__ 0__ 50,000__ 30__ 0
Gregg Appliances __ Brandywine__ Job Creation Tax Credit__ 0 __ 0__ 0__ 65__ N/A
Homestead Gardens__ Davidsonville, Severna Park__ MIDFA Conventional Insurance__ 5,500,000__ 2,499,970__ 0__ 130__ 0
Howard County Economic Development Authority__ Columbia__ MEDAAF- 3 Conditional Grant__ 25,000 __ 0__ 19,610.12 __ 0__ 0
Integral Systems __ Columbia__ Job Creation Tax Credit__ 0__ 0__ 0__ 34__ 0
International Union of Painters & Allied Trades__ Hanover__ MEDAAF-2 Conditional Loan__ 212,500__ 0__ 212,500__ 105__ 0
Japan Plus __ Annapolis__ MSBDFA Guaranty Fund__ 1,840,000__ 504,160__ 0__ 6__ 0
Japan Plus Four __ Annapolis__ MSBDFA Guaranty Fund__ 1,860,000__ 509,640__ 0__ 6__ 0
Life Technologies Corp.__ Frederick__ MEDAAF-2 Conditional Grant__ 500,000__ 0 __ 500,000__ 416__ 0
Life Technologies Corp.__ Frederick__ Job Creation Tax Credit__ 0 __ 0__ 0__ 25__ 0
Maryland World Class Consortia__ Multiple locations__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 64,500__ 0__ 20,500__ 0__ 40
MECAG (Mobern Lighting Co.)__ Laurel__ MIDFA-Small Business__ 100,000__ 45,000 __ 0__ 43__ 0
MedAssurant __ Bowie__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 20,000__ 0 __ 14,975__ 139__ 31
Neogenix Oncology __ Rockville__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 7,373__ 0 __ 0__ 25__ 3
Neogenix Oncology __ Rockville__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 2,202.50 __ 0__ 2,202.50 __ 10__ 3
Optoro__ Lanham__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 150,000__ 0__ 150,000__ 63__ 0
Prince George's County Economic Development Corp.__ Capitol Heights__ MEDAAF-3 Conditional Grant__ 62,500__ 0__ 62,500__ 0__ 0
Rainmakers Government Solutions __ Glenelg__ Military/Disabled Veterans__ 50,000__ 0__ 50,000__ 20__ 0
Raytheon-Intelligence & Information Systems__ Linthicum__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 20,000__ 0__ 9,137.50 __ 1,200__ 51
RWH Associates__ Oxon Hill__ MSBDFA Contract Financing Direct__ 50,000__ 0__ 0__ 2__ 0
SNS Construction __ Jessup__ MSBDFA Contract Financing Direct__ 100,000__ 0__ 0 __ 4__ 0
SNS Construction __ Jessup__ MSBDFA Surety Bond Direct__ 250,000 __ 0 __ 0 __ 0__ 0
Theranostics Health__ Rockville__ Enterprise Investment Fund__ 150,000__ 0 __ 100,000__ 28__ 0
Trusant Technologies__ Columbia__ Partnership for Workforce Quality__ 12,742.50 __ 0__ 2,788.75 __ 33__ 18
Vocus __ Lanham__ Job Creation Tax Credit__ 0 __ 0__ 0__ 35__ 0
Warren Brothers Construction __ Upper Marlboro__ MSBDFA Contract Financing Direct__ 100,000__ 0__ 60,465.24 __ 25__ 0
Zavda Technologies __ Columbia__ MSBDFA Guaranty Fund__ 300,000__ 150,000__ 0__ 20__ 0

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