GAITHERSBURG, MD -- Gov. Martin O’Malley lauded the role of minority-owned businesses in Prince George’s County at the county chamber of commerce’s annual business legislative luncheon last week at the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum in College Park...

The county has the most such businesses in the state, and they rank fourth in the nation in terms of revenues, O’Malley (D) said. Developing minority-owned businesses is essential in creating a more just state, he said.
The state’s 110,453 minority-owned businesses brought in $14 billion in 2007, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency.

To ensure this participation flourishes amid the commercial opportunities of the Pentagon’s Base Closure and Realignment program, the state has established a small-business advisory council as part of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s BRAC subcabinet group. The council is working to pair BRAC contractors with minority-owned businesses. MORE