Page 62 - FDI Alliance International Magazine | September 2018 1

Harford County, Maryland

Here We Grow

Harford County, Maryland is a premier American mostly-civilian employees, resulting in a $6.5 billion connect entrepreneurs and growing companies with
defense community on the Interstate 95 corridor with national economic impact in 2017. An epicenter of the cutting-edge developments at Aberdeen Proving
easy access to one-third of the U.S. population, and 90+ research, development, test, and evaluation Ground. DefTech is a collaboration between the
home to Aberdeen Proving Ground, a $6 billion Army organizations, APG hosts six Centers of Excellence, Maryland Department of Commerce, Harford and
installation with the nation’s highest concentration of an autonomous vehicle proving ground, and one of Cecil counties, and APG.
Ph.D.’s. Harford County has the talent, location and five national cyber test ranges among the U.S. federal New in 2018, the National Center for Manufacturing
resources to help your business grow. laboratories. Pioneering technologies include 3-D printing Sciences (NCMS) has chosen Harford County as the
and prototyping, which provide opportunities for the
Talent private sector to bring commercialization concepts to nation’s epicenter of research and development for
new manufacturing materials and processes to meet
Harford County’s regional workforce of 1.5 million is market faster than ever before.
the Army’s demand for advanced weapons systems.
fueled by award-winning public schools and access to
To facilitate the commercialization of technology, the This unprecedented initiative will bring major defense
major research institutions including Johns Hopkins
Maryland Defense Technology Commercialization contractors and premier academic institutions to the
University and University of Maryland, College Park.
Center (DefTech) is now open in Harford County to region, while offering opportunities for private businesses
A leader in technical training, Harford Community
and a hands-on education/training center. The center
College is a designated cybersecurity Center of
located minutes from I-95, is being developed in
Academic Excellence, offering more than 80 other
collaboration with APG’s Army Research Laboratory
degrees and certificates, plus on-campus access to
and Harford County government, and will be known
four-year degrees from Towson University. Harford
as AMMP, or Advanced Manufacturing, Materials
County government assists by providing matching
& Processes.
funds to businesses to accelerate technical training
that expands or improves their production capabilities. Location, Location, Location
The result is a highly skilled workforce numbering Harford County is part of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ)
137,000 in Harford County alone, 93% of whom are #74, offering international companies economic
high school graduates and 34.5% with a bachelor’s incentives that allow imported and exported goods
degree. The U.S. Army installation Aberdeen Proving to be stored and processed without being subject
Ground is the county’s largest employer, fulfilling its to customs inspections and tariffs. Harford County
mission to research and develop innovative systems government also encourages development in its
for the nation’s defense by bringing together the two enterprise zones by providing tax credits to
nation’s top scientists and engineers. businesses that invest in these areas.
innovation Harford County is physically positioned for success,
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) has a 100-year located along the bustling I-95 corridor with access to
history in Harford County and nearly 21,000 one-third of the U.S. population within an overnight

62 FDI ALLIANCE | SEPTEMBER ISSUE 2018