Troubled times at summit

Annual meeting on economy copes with current gloom

Friday, Oct. 24, 2008

It's no surprise the economy will be a hot topic at this year's Charles County Economic Development Summit, followed by a "special announcement" finale by county officials.

The 11th annual event, "Trends and Opportunities in Today's Economy," will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Jaycees center.

"It's going to be interesting. We're basically going to talk about trends and how do we get through, successfully, this troublesome period," said George L. Robertson, director of the Charles County Economic Development and Tourism Department, which heads up the summit.

"How do we position Charles County to be a winner when the next cycle of recovery comes?"

"It's one of the most exciting things that Charles County puts on. I'm looking forward to a special announcement that will come out," said Charles County commissioners' President F. Wayne Cooper (D). "I think economically, Charles County is still a great place to invest in and we're at the beginning not at the end, as far as economic development goes. Hopefully, we'll see some of the results of changes we've made over the last four years. It takes a long time to grow things."

Speakers include Anirban Basu, an economist with Sage Policy Group in Baltimore, who will give a national perspective on economic challenges; Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary David Edgerley, who will provide a state perspective; and Mike Middleton, president of the Community Bank of Tri-County, who will provide a local perspective, Robertson said.

Other speakers include College of Southern Maryland President Bradley M. Gottfried, who will talk about the college's workforce development trends, and Charles County schools Superintendent James E. Richmond, who will talk about teaching and learning trends in the 21st century.

"I don't know what to expect," said Charles County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ken Gould. "What I intend to speak about is an overview of what our members are doing to cope with what's going on. We've got some real success stories. We've got members that are doing everything they can to survive, and we also have people who are thriving."

"It's really going to be geared toward trends and opportunities. Everyone's seen surfers. Picture that huge wave over their head … they're always in front of the wave. … The communities that learn how to get ahead of the waves are going to be ahead," Robertson said. "… What's really changed in the world? What are the workforce changes and the technology changes? The communities and counties that do the right things … are the ones that are going to be successful and be ahead of the curve."

Toward the end of the summit, Robertson will discuss how the county might take advantage of technology and manufacturing opportunities as fuel and other transportation costs rise and become inefficient.

Despite economic hardships, 245 people have registered to attend the conference — up from last year, Robertson said.

"I thought our numbers might be down because the economy is soft," he said.

However, only a handful of companies have signed on to become diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze sponsors in exchange for $500 to $4,000 donations.

Registrations will be accepted until Monday. The cost is $60 per person. Call 301-885-1340.

kkulp@somdnews.com