Published: May 06, 2009 10:52 pm      

State’s new economic chief visits ABC@FSU in Frostburg

FROSTBURG — Christian Johansson, the new secretary for the state Department of Business and Economic Development, ventured west of Sideling Hill on Wednesday to see firsthand that Allegany County is, indeed, unique in geography and character.

And the area is ready to grow.

Carl “Bucky” Belt of Carl Belt Inc. told Johansson before a tour of Allegany Business Center at Frostburg State University in Frostburg that he and other local business and government leaders were grateful DBED support of the 56-acre campus that opened for business in February 2008. DBED played a critical role in the project by providing $2.5 million for subterranean stabilization over the former mining site.

“It’s the only true green building in Allegany County,” said Belt, flanked by fellow Allegany Research Properties Inc. partners David Gehauf, David Doran, John Balch and Kim Leonard as well as Frostburg State University officials, local lawmakers and all three Allegany County commissioners, but “we’re ready to expand. We hope this thing keeps moving forward.”

Matt Diaz, Allegany County director of economic development, told Johansson the project likely would not have gotten off the ground without DBED’s support. The project helped in business recruitment and retention, he said.

Johansson got a first-hand look at the anchor tenant’s call center operation. Davy Lewis, InfoSpherix general manager, told the secretary the company had options to relocate to Bedford, Pa., or Indianapolis, Indiana, but chose ABC@FSU instead.

Lewis said InfoSpherix employs between 400 and 550 workers and operates nearly two dozen state and federal contracts. About half of the work comes from reservation contracts from Ohio, Maryland and other states. The rest is federal work, partnering with the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.

In one room, which houses information technology equipment, Lewis said the company put in a raised floor to accommodate future expansion plans. Up to 150 more call center seats, Lewis said, could be installed if ongoing negotiations are successful.

“We will discuss that further,” Lewis said.

Johansson emphasized the departments four primary objectives that he hopes will make Maryland an attractive place for businesses to begin and grow. He said DBED hopes to restore business confidence and re-assert DBED as “the voice of Maryland business.”

DBED also aims to build on core strengths and leverage federal, scientific, medical and university assets, Johansson said.

Johansson claimed to be a student of history and said it was clear that Allegany County is no longer a manufacturing-only magnate. In previous recessions in the 1980s and 1990s, he said, that single approach has led to unemployment rates as high as 14 percent.

With a more diversified economy, Johansson said, the county’s current unemployment rate in March is 8.9 percent. Still a figure too high, he acknowledged, but better than the double digits of the past.

His goal in each jurisdiction is to learn about the community and then ask, “how can we best be helpful?”

A newly created federal facilities advisory board also will help leverage assets already in place, such as the prison system, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Federal Railroad Administration. He said some Maryland communities “take the federal government for granted” and fail to capitalize on the potential “stimulus effects” of its presence.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.