Revitalizing Jobs & Economic Growth—So Baltimore County Can Compete and Win

Baltimore County has the second most jobs in Maryland, yet our hiring outlook ranks third worst among major U.S. metro areas, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. Maryland has dropped from 22nd to 31st in CNBC’s Top States for Business rankings, and our economic growth has stalled since 2022.

The problem isn’t just that we lack a clear strategy—we lack speed. In today’s economy, slow is the same as losing. Without bold leadership, Baltimore County will keep falling behind while other regions outcompete us for jobs, talent, and investment.

Nick Stewart’s plan brings a modern, results-driven approach to rebuild our jobs engine, harness our competitive advantages, and move at the speed of business.

Nick’s Plan to Drive Growth and Rebuild Baltimore County’s Economy:

• Craft and execute a long-term economic development strategy centered on cluster growth.
  Launch the Booming BaltCo Initiative to engage stakeholders and set measurable, accountable goals for expanding key industries—from logistics and manufacturing to healthcare, financial services, and technology.
• Reinvent the culture of government to work at the speed of business.
  Install a “concierge” or no-wrong-door approach to business services. Require a default answer of “yes” unless an objective reason is provided, and mandate 24-hour initial responses to business-related requests.
• Invest in our workforce as a core economic asset.
  Expand workforce training, apprenticeships, and hands-on career support. Remove barriers to employment for minority and low-income jobseekers, and strengthen partnerships with unions, community colleges, and employers.
• Break out economic development and workforce development into two specialized, quasi-governmental organizations.
  Provide each with the flexibility, staffing, and leadership needed to compete with better-supported economic development arms like Montgomery and Fairfax counties—and hold them accountable for results.
• Reimagine small business support as proactive and on-the-ground.
  Redesign the County’s Small Business Action Team to require direct outreach, site visits, and regular reporting on how the County can better support entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Reverse brain drain and fully leverage local talent.
  Engage students at UMBC, Towson, CCBC, Goucher, and other local institutions through Solutions Labs and real-world project work. Offer pathways for recent graduates to stay and thrive here, including housing incentives and career connections.

Baltimore County has the talent, the location, and the potential to lead. With Nick Stewart’s vision and leadership, we will compete—and win—by creating good-paying jobs, strengthening businesses, and building an economy that works for everyone.