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Views from Charles
Shop Small: A Local Gift Guide
on Monday, November 23, 2020
Shopping “small” has a deep community impact. Small businesses are the core of our community, beautifying downtowns, stocking locally-made products, and creating jobs. Shopping on foot or online has never been easier—or more ... Read More...
Creativity by the Cup: Coffee Shops and Bakeries Rise to the Challenge
on Thursday, November 19, 2020
As the weather grows colder, we crave comfort—by the cup or by the bite. Coffee shops and bakeries in Charles County are revealing their resilience in 2020, brewing up fresh strategies and promotions to keep their businesses open.
Coffee ... Read More...
Shear Determination
on Friday, November 13, 2020
While the at-home buzz cut was necessary at first, booking an in-person salon appointment topped many ‘to-do’ lists last spring. Charles County salons and spas—back in business since May— have welcomed customers back with ... Read More...
Waldorf Audiologist Serves High-Risk Population During Covid-19 Pandemic
on Thursday, October 29, 2020
In March this year, the CDC warned people ages 60+ not to engage in non-essential medical care because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that included most of Andrew Dias’s patients. Dias is a Nationally Board-certified specialist and owner of ... Read More...
Hospital Foundation Makes Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction “2-GO”
on Wednesday, October 7, 2020
The Charles Regional Medical Center Foundation has hosted an autumn wine tasting and silent auction annually for over two decades, and the event has grown now to include about 1,000 guests, more than one dozen food vendors, over 30 offerings of wine ... Read More...
Local Federal Contractor Continues Work During COVID-19 and Plans for Future
on Thursday, October 1, 2020
Federal contractors like Charles County’s SRL TotalSource might not have been hit by COVID-19 as hard as our restaurants and retail shops, but they’ve had to make adjustments and invest quite a bit in new equipment and PPE (personal ... Read More...
Charles County’s JustTech One of Nation’s Fastest Growing Companies During COVID-19
on Tuesday, September 29, 2020
In August 2020, four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Inc. magazine revealed that JustTech of La Plata was number 1442 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.
“I ... Read More...
Charles County Restaurants Pivot to Takeout, Delivery, and Contactless Service During COVID-19
on Monday, September 21, 2020
When Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a stay-at-home order in late March, our restaurants were allowed to stay open, but for carry out and delivery only. Those restrictions have gradually loosened, but not completely. We talked to the owners of ... Read More...
Charles County’s New Medical Facility Constructed During Pandemic
on Tuesday, September 8, 2020
In March, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly interrupted business activity in Charles County and across the nation, but it wasn’t strong enough to stop construction on the county’s new major medical facility by MedStar Shah Medical Group. In ... Read More...
La Plata Fitness Facility Pivots Quickly to Survive COVID-19
on Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Fitness facilities like Breathe Pilates Place of La Plata were among the first businesses forced to close in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the bulk of their income suddenly gone, owner Christine Heckel knew she needed to lean on ... Read More...
Effective and Low-Cost Online Marketing
on Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Back in April, we started a webinar series sharing tools and tips to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and even hopefully come out the other end thriving. Online marketing was one of the topics we discussed early on, with two panelists: ... Read More...
The Time for New Ideas
on Tuesday, May 12, 2020
All around Charles County, small businesses have had to shake up their regular business practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while times are tough, some businesses have risen to the challenge. We recently spoke on the phone with Keith ... Read More...
Need A Business Counselor To Help Guide You Through This Uncertain Time? Check These Resources for Counseling & Training
on Thursday, April 9, 2020
If you, like many small business owners, need a business counselor to help guide you through this uncertain time, you can turn to your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or SCORE mentorship chapter. These resource partners, and the ... Read More...
Need To Ease Your Fears About Keeping Up With Payments On Your Current Or Potential SBA Loan? Small Business Debt Relief Program Might Be Right For You.
on Wednesday, April 8, 2020
This is the third in a series of blogs sharing information from a guide provided by Senator Ben Cardin’s office: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act.
The Small Business Debt Relief Program will provide immediate relief ... Read More...
Need a Quick Infusion of a Smaller Amount of Cash To Cover You Right Now? Economic Injury Disaster Loans & Emergency Economic Injury Grants Might Be Right For You.
on Tuesday, April 7, 2020
This is the second in a series of blogs sharing information from a guide provided by Senator Ben Cardin’s office: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act.
Emergency Economic Injury Grants provide an emergency advance of up ... Read More...
Need Capital to Cover the Cost of Retaining Employees? Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans Might Be Right For You.
on Monday, April 6, 2020
This is the first in a series of blogs sharing information from a guide provided by Senator Ben Cardin’s office: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act.
The Paycheck Protection Program is a forgivable loan that helps ... Read More...
Charles County Farms Feed Our Community During Calm and Crisis
on Thursday, April 2, 2020
Agriculture is an integral part of Maryland’s economy, and it’s increasingly important in difficult times like these, when food availability and access to it become challenging for our local community. In Charles County, there are at ... Read More...
Making the Move to Online Education
on Thursday, April 2, 2020
We called Brianna Bowling, local entrepreneur and business coach, this week to talk about her Retreat and Learn business in Newburg, but the conversation quickly turned to how she’s converting all her workshops into online trainings. ... Read More...
Thriving In An Unsettled Business Environment like COVID-19… Or Any Crisis
on Thursday, March 26, 2020
This is a guest blog post by entrepreneur Brianna Bowling, who offers business consulting and training through her company, Brindan, and is the owner of Retreat & Learn, a retreat center offering workshops and retreats in Charles County.
I ... Read More...
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make… Hand Sanitizer?
on Tuesday, March 24, 2020
In normal times, just a couple weeks ago, Blue Dyer Distilling Co. of Waldorf specialized in rum, whiskey, and gin. With the coronavirus pandemic spreading nationwide, and products like face masks and respirators in short supply, Blue Dyer has ... Read More...
Economic Development Director’s Statement on COVID-19 Business Impact
on Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Last week, in a conference call with leadership from Maryland’s Counties, Governor Hogan emphasized two very important points about this COVID-19 national emergency. First, what we are experiencing right now is unprecedented. Second, as ... Read More...
Maryland Small Business Certifications
on Thursday, March 12, 2020
It’s important to know what certifications your business needs to compete for government contracts. At our Leveraging Your Certifications workshop on March 5, we discussed numerous certifications that can level the playing field for women- and ... Read More...
EDD Represents Charles County at International Council of Shopping Centers Conference
on Friday, March 6, 2020
The DC Metro region’s largest retail-oriented conference of the year — the Mid-Atlantic Conference & Deal Making event on March 2-3 at the National Harbor — was the place to be for anyone who works with the retail real estate ... Read More...
Charles County Martial Arts and Fitness Center for the Entire Family
on Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Like most successful entrepreneurs, Mr. Jeremy Gray started Southern Maryland Martial Arts and Fitness over 15 years ago, in both Bryans Road and La Plata, because of an unmet need he knew he could fill. A lifelong resident of Charles County and ... Read More...
Leading the EDD's Advisory Board
on Wednesday, February 19, 2020
In recognition of President’s Day, we interviewed one of our favorite leaders, the Economic Development Advisory Board’s Chair, Anne M. Hooper. Ms. Hooper is the Realtor/Manager of Hooper & Associates, a real estate business ... Read More...
Living Local, Working Global: Zekiah Technologies Talks Home Team Advantage
on Wednesday, February 12, 2020
The Zekiah Swamp Natural Environmental Area is a sprawling expanse of woodland and wetland that’s a local and national treasure. Like its namesake, Zekiah Technologies is a treasure in its own right—an ecosystem where lush ideas take ... Read More...
STEM Education in Charles County: Elementary School to Workforce
on Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Science can seem a little academic to young children, but real life exposure to the world of technology and robotics at an early age can show how fun and interesting the field really is. Our Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students benefit from ... Read More...
Our Regional Hospital and Its Ever-Expanding Network of Care
on Tuesday, January 28, 2020
We welcome this guest blog post from the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center.
Charles County is one of Maryland’s fastest-growing counties. It’s highly educated and affluent. Every year, more and more people call it ... Read More...
Charles County Native Celebrates Five Years in Medical Practice
on Thursday, January 23, 2020
Dr. Thomas Shelton opened the doors of his La Plata practice in January 2015 with the desire to help the people of his hometown reach a better quality of life through health and wellness. Now celebrating five years in business, loyal patients and ... Read More...
Demystifying Surety Bonding
on Wednesday, January 8, 2020
If you are a general contractor or subcontractor, bonding is a topic you should know about—whether you need it to protect your business, what it entails, and how to go about getting it. The Charles County Economic Development Department is ... Read More...
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Views from Charles
Shop Small: A Local Gift Guide
Published: Monday, November 23, 2020
Shopping “small” has a deep community impact. Small businesses are the core of our community, beautifying downtowns, stocking locally-made products, and creating jobs. Shopping on foot or ...
“Charles County is a great central location for us to have access to all of our customers. We do business with NSWC Carderock, Naval Research Laboratory, NAWCAD Patuxent River, NSWC Dahlgren, and Indian Head Naval Support Facility, to name a few.”
Scott Decker
Director of Operations
Cardinal Scientific
“We are proud to be a key part of Charles County’s future and we heartily encourage other, cutting-edge companies to join us.”
Doug Egan
Chief Executive Officer
Competitive Power Ventures
“Charles County is where we started our company and where we grew and expanded. We now operate our managed print and managed IT solutions in five states and provide custom apps all around the globe. Our headquarters is still in Charles County, an excellent place to conduct business and recruit highly skilled individuals for our ever growing team!"
Joshua Justice
President
Just Tech
“We are proud to be a key part of Charles County’s future and we heartily encourage other, cutting-edge companies to join us.”
Katharine Tate
Executive Director of Provider Engagement and Community Relations
Righttime Medical Care
“Charles County is a great place for businesses to start, grow, and thrive! We've worked with over 100 businesses since we opened our doors in Charles County, and I've witnessed the majority of these businesses achieve all three.”
Darlene M. Breck
Owner
Southern Maryland Business Center
“Charles County is a great place to do business because of the passion of the business community and the residents who strive to make it the best that it can be."
Andrew W. Welburn
President
The Welburn Organization
