How Baltimore County can win in a chaotic economy

Where are the most jobs in Maryland? Montgomery County leads the way, but Baltimore County is actually a close second. In fact, Baltimore County has been a jobs engine. But can our kids enjoy similarly bright job opportunities? Can they stay and grow families in a thriving local economy? This future is not so clear.

We are part of a regional economy whose growth lags that of competing metros, and we are part of a state economy challenged by many headwinds. At a time when the D.C. suburbs are reeling from chaotic federal cuts, our region and state need us to lead on job growth.

Our jobs engine grows by expanding existing businesses and attracting new ones. While we have the talent and diverse industries to do so, what we lack is speed. Winning today means being dynamic and supportive of job cultivation at the same fast pace our employers run.

So how do we speed up? It all starts with vision. We must unite all stakeholders (talent, business leaders, educators, advocates and so on) to develop a clear roadmap for Baltimore County that invests in our people, modernizes our government and positions us as a leader in cluster-based economic growth.

This roadmap should be specific and measurable so we can hold ourselves accountable. It should also focus on a few key strategies. First, we must invest in our workforce. This means attracting and retaining talent by improving housing affordability, transportation access and quality of life. The comptroller’s 2023 State of the Economy report found that Maryland’s economic growth was lagging largely because of housing prices and commute times. So, supporting our workforce is not just good economics, it is community building.

Second, we must produce new fuel for the engine. This requires results-oriented collaboration among the government agencies and economic anchors responsible for developing new talent and ideas, from colleges and universities to research parks, incubators and accelerators. We can launch “Solutions Labs” to engage young minds to solve real county challenges, and we can borrow from Atlanta to build thriving districts around our institutions of higher learning to keep that talent local after graduation.

Third, we must fine-tune our systems to win jobs. Currently, economic and workforce services are bundled into a single, overstretched county department. That structure is not built for what lies ahead.

If we want more jobs and employers — and want to get them faster — we should pivot. As is the case in other Central Maryland counties, let’s restructure these critical functions into two specialized nonprofits. This model offers more speed, flexibility and accountability.

For economic development, this means our private-sector partners would not just offer informal advice, they would actually serve on the nonprofit’s board and help lead it forward. If we paired this level of partnership with improved staffing and stronger data, we would compete with jurisdictions like Montgomery and Fairfax counties — and win.

For workforce development, we could use our newfound flexibility to adopt a concierge-style approach. In Oregon, this has been a winning model for workers and employers for decades. They connect residents to training and career pathways, remove employment barriers in underserved communities and fill local employer needs.

With these nimble agencies in place, and their staff empowered to sprint, we can execute on the winning strategy of cluster-based economic growth. Businesses thrive and take root where industry-specific ecosystems are strong. That is how we build an innovation economy. And we are well-positioned to succeed.

Baltimore County already has the foundation — the east side dominates in logistics, the central corridor boasts gaming, tech and financial services, the west side has thriving finance and IT sectors, and the southwest leads in health care, data science and biotech. By organizing at speed around these clusters and investing in them, we can drive exponential job growth and resilience. We will also align with Gov. Wes Moore’s “lighthouse industries” of aerospace, life sciences and cyber.

Baltimore County has everything it needs to lead the way, as we have done in the past. We have untapped potential everywhere, from sports tourism and place-making arts to the entrepreneurial energy of new Americans to the creativity of our students. Even in these chaotic times, we can be an economic powerhouse for the region, the state and the future.

What we need now is leadership with the vision and urgency to turn those assets into action. The time to modernize our jobs engine as one county is now.

Nick Stewart is the co-founder of the good governance advocacy group We The People — Baltimore County ([e-mail]), board member of the community development corporation Southwest Visions Foundation and former member of the Baltimore County Workforce Development Board. Will Anderson ([e-mail]) is managing director of the consultancy Impact Principals and the former Baltimore County director of the Department of Economic and Workforce Development.