Bringing New Wealth to Prince George's County Business Initiatives http://www.paugustin.

com/business

by Pierre Richard Augustin, a candidate for Council of District 6, entitled

"10 Years Tax !ree "ones within Prince George's County"

Pierre Richard Augustin, a candidate for Council of District 6 of Prince eorge!s County, is proposing the creation of "#$ %ears &a'()ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County" around the "+ni,ersities/Colleges" and "&ransit( -riented Areas" to attract new businesses to relocate, e'pand and start businesses in Prince eorge!s County. Pierre Richard Augustin initiati,es is calling for ".o Payments of /aryland state income ta'es for #$ years by companies and their employees if the companies create new 0obs in or near Prince eorge!s County +ni,ersities/Colleges, &ransitioned -riented De,elopment 1&-D2 around the metro stations and )ederal 3aboratories. Pierre Richard Augustin belie,es that the "#$ %ears &a'()ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County" initiati,es will help bring ".ew 4ealth" in Prince eorge!s County as well as ensure future economic growth and wal5able/li,e( wor5(play areas around the transit(oriented areas. As a small business owner, Pierre Richard Augustin will not only be the ,oice for businesses of 6outh 7owie, Capitol 8eights, District 8eights, )orest,ille, 9ettering, 3argo, /itchell,ille and +pper /arlboro, /D but for Prince eorge!s County. &he "#$ %ears &a'()ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County" initiati,es will help :ualify entrepreneurs and business owners start, relocate and grow their businesses here. Pierre Richard Augustin understands that this countywide initiati,es will need the support of the County ;'ecuti,e, Council members, the /aryland o,ernor, the /aryland 3t. o,ernor, the /aryland 6enators and Delegates, Prince eorge!s County residents as well as the business community supports for the creation of the "#$ %ears &a'( )ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County". I# What locations shoul$ %e $esignate$ as "10 Years Tax !ree "ones within Prince George's County"& Pierre Richard Augustin belie,es the following areas should be classified as "#$ %ears &a'()ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County": #. Around +ni,ersities and Colleges <. Around &ransit(-riented Areas of /etro 6tations =. Around )ederal 3aboratories II# What ty'e o( %usinesses shoul$ )uali(y (or the "10 Years Tax !ree "ones within Prince George's

County"& Pierre Richard Augustin has identified three types of business that should :ualify for the "#$ %ears &a'()ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County": 1# *igh +alue Business Prince eorge!s County should aim to increase the amount of high(,alue business ser,ices offered, such as management consulting, that currently ha,e a stronger presence across the region than in the county. 8igh(,alue business ser,ices employment pro,ides higher(s5illed, higher(paying employment opportunities for the residents of the county. ,# *ealth Care an$ -i(e .ciences &he 5ey assets for Prince eorge!s County are the +ni,ersity of /aryland College Par5 1+/CP2, the +6DA 7elts,ille Agricultural Research Center, the large )DA facility focused on food safety at the +ni,ersity of /aryland>s / 6:uare Research Par5 and the +ni,ersity of /aryland>s 6chool of Agriculture. /# In(or0ation1 Co00unication1 an$ 2lectronics 3IC24 ?C; industries and their associated technologies are critical to the e'tensi,e presence of federal defense and space facilities in the county and across the region. &he ?C; cluster is critical to the following military and space programs such as: @ .A6A oddard, Army Research 3abs in Adelphi @ Aoint 7ase Andrews @ .ational -ceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1.-AA2 with facilities in 6uitland and at the +ni,ersity of /aryland / 6:uare Research Par5 @ &he .ational 6ecurity Agency at the +ni,ersity of /aryland / 6:uare Research Par5, )ort /eade, and the Aberdeen Pro,ing round 5# !e$eral Govern0ent Prince eorge>s County, li5e other counties in the region, en0oys a high le,el of specialiBation in )ederal o,ernment acti,ities and a growing 0obs base in the county, with federal employment in the county standing at o,er <C,$$$ in <$##. Prince eorge>s County, howe,er, lagged behind the region in o,erall 0ob gains from the )ederal o,ernment sector between <$$# and <$##. &herefore, it is important to focus de,elopment efforts to strengthen the county>s position. III# Prince George6s County .even *igh +alue 2cono0y 7ssets 1# !e$eral Govern0ent &he presence of numerous federal installations, such as the ?nternal Re,enue 6er,ice, Census 7ureau, Aoint 7ase Andrews, .A6A oddard, 7elts,ille Agricultural Research Center 17ARC2, the .ational -ceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1.-AA2, and the Army Research 3aboratory. ,# .trong 8niversity Base &he post(secondary institutions found in the County are the +ni,ersity of /aryland College Par5 1+/CP2, 7owie 6tate +ni,ersity, Capitol College, +ni,ersity of /aryland +ni,ersity College and Prince eorge>s Community College. /# Well 2$ucate$ Wor9(orce &he 5ey talent pool of well(educated and e'perienced wor5ers is found among the 6# percent of employed county residents who commute for 0obs outside of the county. &hese out(of(state commuters are more highly educated than residents wor5ing in the county, with DD percent of out(of(state commuters 1primarily to 4ashington, D.C. and Eirginia2 and =< percent of commuters to other /aryland 0urisdictions ha,ing attained a bachelor>s degree or abo,e, compared to <F percent for all residents aged <G and older. 5# Co00ercial :eal 2state &he county has a,ailable land and a stoc5 of commercial real estate with competiti,e real estate leasing costs,

ma5ing this an area of strength. Prince eorge>s County has a siBable commercial real estate mar5et with appro'imately H.G million s:uare feet of Class A office space, G<.6 million s:uare feet of industrial space, and ## million s:uare feet of fle' mar5et space. ;# Close 'roxi0ity to the Washington1 <#C# =# -arge1 s0all1 an$ 0inority %usiness environ0ent ># Well <evelo'e$ Trans'ortation an$ ?ass Transit Networ9# I+# .ta9ehol$ers Pierre Richard Augustin has identified the following sta5eholders to ensure the adoptation of the "#$ %ears &a'( )ree *ones within Prince eorge!s County" initiati,es: #. Prince eorge!s County o,ernment comprising of County ;'ecuti,e and County Council /embers <. &he 8onorable /aryland o,ernor, 3t. o,ernor, 6enators and Delegates =. &he 7usiness Community comprising of local, regional, national and international businesses. D. Prince eorge!s County Residents +# !un$a0ental Basis !or the "10 Years Tax !ree "ones" in Prince George's County 1# Prince George's County 2cono0ic <ata Prince eorge!s County lost ground in economic de,elopment, e,en as the broader 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region, in which it is centrally(located, made impressi,e gains. )rom <$$# to <$##, Prince eorge!s County lost nearly G,D$$ 0obs, or #.H percent of total employment in the county. During the same time, the o,erall 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region gained o,er <G$,$$$ 0obs, a gain of 6.D percent. )or instance, aerospace and defense employment declined in Prince eorge>s County by <.C percent from <$$# to <$##, while growing within the 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region by F.G percent. 6imilarly, information technology ser,ices employment declined in the county by #<.D percent from <$$# to <$##, while growing <.D percent in the region. &his trend of lagging behind regional industrial growth is e,en found in )ederal o,ernment employment. )rom <$$# to <$##, Prince eorge>s County increased its federal employment by 6.< percentI howe,er, the region by comparison en0oyed an #H.D percent rise in federal employment. &hese economic trends imply a lac5 of regional economic competiti,eness, which results in a lost opportunity for impro,ing the :uality of life, economic ,itality, and ta' base in Prince eorge>s County. 3osing economic ground undercuts the :uality of life in Prince eorge>s County by limiting 0ob opportunities for local residents. Aob loss undermines local ta' re,enues and limits the county>s ability to deli,er impro,ed ser,ices that are critical for raising the :uality of life. ,# Prince George's County Business <ata )rom <$$6 to <$##, there were nearly #,<$$ ,enture capital deals in the 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region. )or Prince eorge>s County, the number of ,enture capital deals was a mere =G. 7y comparison, )airfa' County had =<6 ,enture capital deals, /ontgomery County <F6, 7altimore City #$$, and e,en 8oward County had CH. Prince eorge>s County is comparable to the region in the presence of small businesses, but stands out in its high le,el of minority businesses. 7ased on the latest data a,ailable from the +.6. Census, the county was home to =,CH$ minority businesses employing ==,=CF wor5ers in <$$C, and represented == percent of county businesses and #= percent of county employment in minority businesses. &his stands as the highest share of minority business employment among counties and cities in the 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region. &hese minority owned businesses are acti,ely in,ol,ed in federal procurements, accounting for << percent of )% <$#$ and <6 percent of )% <$## federal procurement, and are an important component of the county>s economic base.

/# Prince George's County Talent Pool &he talent pool of well(educated and e'perienced wor5ers is found among the 6# percent of employed county residents who commute for 0obs outside of the county. &hese out(commuters are more highly educated than residents wor5ing in the county, with DD percent of out(of(state commuters 1primarily to 4ashington, D.C. and Eirginia2 and =< percent of commuters to other /aryland 0urisdictions ha,ing attained a bachelor>s degree or abo,e, compared to <F percent for all residents aged <G and older. 5# *i$$en @''ortunities (or Prince George's County Prince eorge>s County significantly lags behind surrounding 0urisdictions in terms of the le,el of ,enture capital deals, despite ha,ing a ,ery significant base of research institutions. Eenture capital funds a broad range of start( ups from the region>s entrepreneurial, technology based community. )rom <$$6 to <$##, there were nearly #,<$$ ,enture capital deals in the 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region. )or Prince eorge>s County, the number of ,enture capital deals was a mere =G. 7y comparison, )airfa' County had =<6 ,enture capital deals, /ontgomery County <F6, 7altimore City #$$, and e,en 8oward County had CH. ;# What 7re The I0'acts o( Ao%s -ost to Prince George's County :esi$ents& As the economic performance of Prince eorge>s County o,er the past decade has made clear, Jbusiness as usualK will not generate the 0obs and growing ta' base needed to support a rising :uality of life for Prince eorge>s County residents. )rom <$$# to <$##, Prince eorge s County lost nearly G,D$$ 0obs, or #.H percent of total employment in the county. During the same time, the o,erall 4ashington, D.C.(7altimore region gained o,er <G$,$$$ 0obs, a gain of 6.D percent. 3osing economic ground undercuts the :uality of life in Prince eorge>s County by limiting 0ob opportunities for local residents. ?f Prince eorge>s County had 5ept pace with regional growth o,er the period between <$$# and <$## there would ha,e been a gain of o,er #F,$$$ 0obs in the county, rather than a loss of o,er G,$$$. Aob loss undermines local ta' re,enues and limits the county>s ability to deli,er impro,ed ser,ices that are critical for raising the :uality of life. =# What are the ?7C:@ Challenges !acing Prince George's County +is a +is Businesses& Prince eorge>s County is still losing more 0obs to business establishments mo,ing out of the county than mo,ing in. )or e,ery one 0ob gained from business establishments in base industries mo,ing into the county, Prince eorge>s County lost #.# 0obs from e'isting business establishments mo,ing out of the county from <$$# to <$$F. &his suggests that Prince eorge>s County has not been con,incing growing business establishments to consider the county as a place to do business. ># Case .tu$ies -ther states and regions are doing 0ust that. &he -hio &hird )rontier operates an internship program for students in high(tech degree programs, which reimburses up to G$ percent of the intern>s wages, or no more than L=,$$$, for a #<(month period. -hio targets its internships to a set of high(growth technology industries such as biosciences, information technology, instruments and controls, ad,anced materials, and ad,anced energy. 6ince <$$<, more than =,$$$ -hio students ha,e participated. ?n ?ndiana, the technology(focused -rr )ellows program, places a select number of recently(graduated undergraduate students with high(tech entrepreneurial firms for a two year internship. ?n .ew Aersey, for many years, that state>s 6cience and &echnology Commission awarded grants to companies for hiring recent Ph.D. graduates into post(doctoral industrial fellowships. &here is strong e,idence that creating internships and efforts to connect students with local businesses matter. A <$#$ sur,ey of the HHD industry members of the .ational Association of Colleges and employers re,ealed that H<.G percent of employers sur,eyed ha,e an internship or co op program and that more than G$ percent of interns accept fulltime employment with the company for which they interned. .ources an$ cre$itsB &his business initiati,e by Pierre Richard Augustin is based in part on the state of .ew %or5 #$ years ta' free to attract new and e'pand business there and on the ;conomic Dri,ers and Catalysts: A &argeted ;conomic De,elopment 6trategy for Prince eorge>s County prepared by 7attelle &echnology Partnership Practice

/itchell 8orowitB, Eice President and /anaging Director together with the Aacob )rance ?nstitute at the +ni,ersity of 7altimore, Richard Clinch, Ph.D., Director of ;conomic Research and reen Door Ad,isors, /arisa aither )lowers, Principal 3earn more at http://www.paugustin.com/business "Mr. Augustin... Your actions are that of a truly great American who still believes there is justice. My older son was a lifetime law enforcement officer and in the military. My younger son was a firefighter/paramedic his entire career. They both fervently believed in standing up for those who cannot defend or protect themselves. Were they here they would be honored to !now you. " #incerely $arbara% +ote Pierre :ichar$ 78G8.TIN (or Council in <istrict = of Prince eorge!s County in the Democratic Primary ;lection of Aune <D, <$#D

& am wor!ing very hard to earn your vote for 'ouncil of (istrict ) to serve residents of #outh $owie 'apitol *eights (istrict *eights +orestville ,ettering -argo Mitchellville and .pper Marlboro. & am running this campaign to win. /lease vote for /ierre 0ichard A.1.#T&2 for 'ouncil in (istrict ) of /rince 1eorge3s 'ounty in the (emocratic /rimary 4lection of 5une 67 6897. Will !ight !or###

;lect Pierre Richard A+ +6&?. in the Democratic Primary ;lection of Aune <D, <$#D for Council in District 6 of Prince eorge!s County, /D to ser,e the residents of 6outh 7owie, Capitol 8eights, District 8eights, )orest,ille, 9ettering, 3argo, /itchell,ille, and +pper /arlboro. TelB 3/014>=1 5/5> 20ailB Pierre7ugustinC'augustin#co0 "*i Mr. Augustin... & live in Arlington :A but & want to send a positive message your way. & commend your initiative and want to let you !now that there are people out here who believe in and support your cause; not only in your community but in communities everywhere. (edicated and creative"minded people are hard to find but they <we= are out here. 1ood luc! and never give up>"