Expanding Opportunities for Small Businesses in Maryland

ExpandingOpportunities
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2016 Resource Guide for Small, Minority, and Women Businesses

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
For more information, visit the Business Opportunities page at dgs.maryland.gov or email our office at
dgs.businessopportunities@maryland.gov.
Larry Hogan
GOVERNOR
Boyd Rutherford
LT. GOVERNOR SECRETARY
Expanding Opportunitiesfor small,local,minority, woman and veteran-owned businesses
$MILLIONS IN CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES
in CONSTRUCTION, FACILITIES MAINTENANCE,
COMMODITIES and ENERGY SERVICES!
Building capacity in our small business community through effective initiatives, such as our Small
Business Growth & Development Training Progam, to help you position your business to compete
successfully and WIN contracts!
Register your business at www.surveymonkey.com/r/DGSopportunities TODAY to begin
receiving notification of contracting opportunities and training.
Ellington Churchill
The desire for a better
tomorrow comes
naturally...
For more information about supplier diversity,
contact Joan Hairston at 703-750-4733.
ACHIEVING IT TAKES COMMITMENT
Washington Gas is proud to have
maintained a robust supplier diversity
program for the past 30 years.
It is a sound business practice that
fosters growth and competition in
the marketplace, and produces
value for our customers, investors and
communities.
We continue to support supplier diversity
in all areas of our business.

3 Governor’s message
4 Lt. Governor’s message
5 Special Secretary’s
message
6 Expanding opportunities
8 Recovery in progress
10 Pivot point intelligence
12 Lessons learned on the
track to success
14 To bid or not to bid…
16 Success baked into
business strategy
18 Three pillars of success
20 Get to know your banker
22 Small business advocacy
24 Construction firm builds
strong relationships
26 Reaching the low-hanging
fruit
28 IT firm builds its
reputation
30 Writing a business plan
32 3-3-7-2 marketing plan
Jimmy Rhee
Special Secretary
Herb Jordan
Deputy Secretary
Alison Tavik
Director of Communications
GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF
MINORITY AFFAIRS
Suzanne E. Fischer-Huettner
Publisher
Thomas Baden Jr.
Editor
Jessica Gregg
Special Products Editor
Maria Kelly
Comptroller
Tracy Bumba
Audience Development
Director
Darice Dixon
Account Manager
Mary Beverly
Account Manager
Jason Whong
Digital Editor
John Mullinix
Digital Content Marketer
Sean Wallace
Assistant Editor
Maximilian Franz
Senior Photographer
James Needham and Michael Duntz
Graphic Designers
This resource guide is
prepared in collaboration with
the Governor’s Office of
Minority Affairs by the staff of
CONTENTS
2016 Resource Guide for Small, Minority, and Women Businesses | EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES | 1

Capitol Technology University
Goucher College
Hood College
Johns Hopkins University
Loyola University Maryland
Maryland Institute College of Art
McDaniel College
Mount St. Mary’s University
Notre Dame of Maryland University
St. John’s College
Stevenson University
Washington Adventist University
Washington College
MICUA is proud to support
expanded opportunities for
minority- and women-owned
businesses.
www.micua.org/mbe

Dear Friends:
I am pleased to present the 2016 edition
of the Expanding Opportunities magazine
for Maryland’s small business community.
Economic development and job creation are
top priorities for my administration and I am
very proud of the work the Governor’s Office of
Minority Affairs is doing to support minority-
and women-owned businesses in Maryland.
When I was elected governor, I pledged
to transform Maryland into a place where
businesses can flourish and create more jobs and
opportunities for our citizens. Since last January,
we have made significant strides toward this
goal. We got rid of more than 100 job-killing
regulations, reduced or eliminated over 100
fees, cut tolls for the first time in more than 50
years, and ended two legislative sessions with no
new tax increases. In total, our administration
has taken $600 million out of the pockets of
government and put it back into our economy
and the pockets of Maryland taxpayers and
businesses. We have even established new
standards of customer service across all agencies,
and I’m confident you’ll find a new level of
support whether you’re trying to register a new
business or find funding programs to expand an
existing one.
Maryland is truly open for business! Together,
we will make Maryland the best place in
America to work, raise a family, and start a
business.
Sincerely,
Larry Hogan
Governor
LARRY HOGAN
GOVERNOR
A Message from
Governor
Larry Hogan

Dear Friends:
The Hogan administration is eager to
attract and retain minority- and women-
owned businesses, and we are committed to
creating an environment that truly fosters
entrepreneurship. Maryland’s diversity
is a great source of strength in the small
business community.
Change starts at the top and that’s why I’m
especially pleased to be leading Governor
Hogan’s Procurement Reform Commission.
Maryland’s procurement system is currently
a patchwork of laws and processes that are
inefficient, ineffective, and result in wasted
taxpayer dollars. Through this commission,
we will deliver a top-to-bottom review
of all state regulations and policies, and
modernize the way Maryland deals with
procurement by creating a predictable,
consistent, and transparent system. To
start, we are focused on eliminating
archaic regulations which have outlived
their usefulness, failed to accomplish
their objective, or were so poorly written,
implemented, or interpreted that they
caused more harm than good.
The Hogan administration is committed to
fostering a business-friendly environment
in Maryland, and with your support, we
will transform Maryland into a place where
businesses can flourish and create more jobs
and opportunities for our citizens.
Sincerely,
Boyd Rutherford
Mayrland Lt. Governor
BOYD K. RUTHERFORD
LT. GOVERNOR
A Message from
Lt. Governor
Boyd Rutherford
4 | EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES | 2016 Resource Guide for Small, Minority, and Women Businesses

Dear Friends:
Maryland is home to 560,000+ small
businesses; over 50 percent have less
than 100 employees and 54 percent
are owned by women and minorities.
It’s important to understand this
unique demographic to know that
everything good for small business
is inherently good for minority- and
women-owned businesses as well
At the Governor’s Office of Minority
Affairs, we’re working tirelessly to
engage more firms in the state’s
Small Business Reserve and Minority
Business Enterprise programs. They
present prime and subcontracting
opportunities on state-funded
contracts and can play an important
role in creating jobs and impacting the
economic success of our entire state.
I am pleased to share the 2016
edition of our annual Expanding
Opportunities magazine. Much of
the content comes from successful
entrepreneurs who share the lessons
they have learned in both the
public and private sectors. It also
contains valuable information about
connecting to resources that can help
your small business thrive. I hope it
proves to be a valuable resource.
Kind regards,
Jimmy Rhee
Special Secretary
A Message from
Special Secretary
Jimmy Rhee
JIMMY RHEE
SPECIAL SECRETARY

“We’re changing our approach and
thinking more like business people.
As a result, we’re changing just about
everything we do and the way we
do it, starting with our web-based
resources.”
—— Herb Jordan, Deputy Secretary with the Governor’s
Office of Minority Affairs
D
o an internet search
on the words “small
business resourc-
es” and you’ll get
about 165 million results.
On the top three pages alone,
the topics include workforce
statistics, magazine subscrip-
tions, licensing/regulatory
guidance, franchising ideas,
investment strategies, and legal
advice. You’ll also find “top 10”
tips, tool kits, white papers and
resource centers.
“Technology puts so much information into our
hands,” said Herb Jordan, Deputy Secretary with the Gov-
ernor’s Office of Minority Affairs. “Culling through it to
find something meaningful can be a challenge.”
For small business owners who are working with
limited resources, the information found online can be
overwhelming. The Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs
wants to be the first choice resource for small businesses,
so we’re doing the legwork for you.
“We’re changing our approach and thinking more like
business people,” Jordan commented. “As a result, we’re
changing just about everything we do and the way we do
it, starting with our web-based resources.
The process is currently underway, but no completion
Looking for
Small Businesses
Resources?
START
YOUR
SEARCH
HERE
HERB
JORDAN

Don’t Miss:
Greater Baltimore
Committe’s
2016 Bridging the Gap
Achievement Awards
November 10, 2016
Join us to celebrate successful minority
and women-owned businesses and honor
those who are striving to enhance the role
and impact of minority and women-owned
businesses in the regional economy.
5:30 p.m. • Registration,
heavy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails
6:30 p.m. • Program
The Grand Baltimore
225 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201
GBC members:
$75 individual • $600 per table of 10
Non-members:
$100 individual • $800 per table of 10
Register: gbc.org/event-registration
For event and sponsorship
information, contact Lisa Byrd at
lisab@gbc.org or 410-727-2820
Thank you to our sponsors!
Corporate Sponsor:
BGE
Ambassador Sponsors:
Baltimore Development Corporation
Comcast NBC Universal
Signature Sponsors:
AT&T
LifeBridge Health
MedStar Health
Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Bronze Sponsors:
Baltimore Business Journal
The Daily Record
date has been set. According to Jordan the site will
never be “done.”
“Maryland has over 560,000 small businesses
and our office has a staff of 10. We’re never going to
stop reaching out to these folks, and as their needs
change, the content of our website will continue to
evolve,” Jordan said.
The same is true for the office’s live outreach
and training programs. During the last fiscal year,
the Minority Affairs team hosted 17 workshops,
attended 110 events and reached nearly 10,000
small business owners. The content was previously
focused on general information about the Minori-
ty Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small Business
Reserve (SBR) programs, but has shifted to connect
small business vendors with state buyers and teach
technical skills and best practices.
According to Jordan, increasing the bidders’
knowledge of the procurement process achieves an
important goal
“We’ve got to move the needle and increase the
number of small businesses that are awarded prime
and subcontracting work with the state,” Jordan stat-
ed. “We’re working on several fronts to reach that
goal, with a focus on the online resources and live
training programs we put out to the small business
community.”
How can you get connected? Online of course.
Visit the Governor’s Office of Minority Affair’s
website for MBE and SBR program information,
procurement forecast reports, legislative updates,
networking events and a vast collection of small
business resources, including educational workshops
(many of which are free) and access to capital/loan
programs.
“The contact page may be the most impactful
information on the site,” Jordan added. “Nobody
is more passionate about helping small businesses
succeed than our team. Just let us know how we can
help.”
Please visit us today at www.goma.maryland.gov.

After the destruction and loss she experienced during the
city’s civil unrest in April 2015, Maisha McCoy wasn’t sure what
was next for Breathe4Sure Pharmacy Solutions, LLC, a certified
Minority Business Enterprise located in west Baltimore. But when
her patients began calling for their medicine, she realized that
providing pharmaceutical services for nearly three years in the
Harlem Park neighborhood had created an undeniable connec-
tion between herself, her customers and the community. Despite
the loss of inventory, the broken computers and vandalism, she
decided to stay and reopen her pharmacy on the corner of North
Carey Street and Harlem Avenue. She addressed the pharmacy’s
damage with a commitment to serve her community and its
residents — even when that meant conducting service through a
small hole in the bars over the windows.
McCoy found the help she needed to fix up her business and
replace inventory through the Maryland Business Recovery Loan
FEATURE

Program, part of Governor Larry Hogan’s
rapid response to Baltimore City’s civil
unrest. Administered by the Maryland
Department of Housing and Community
Development, the Maryland Business Re-
covery Loan Program provided zero-inter-
est microloans of up to $35,000 to affected
city businesses. The microloans were
adapted from the agency’s Neighborhood
BusinessWorks Program, which provides
financial assistance to new or expanding
small businesses and nonprofit organiza-
tions. McCoy’s pharmacy was one of 49
businesses to receive assistance through
the program, which provided $1.5 million
to support recovery activities across the
city. The loan program was developed and
administered with the goal of providing
streamlined assistance to help businesses
recover and reopen as quickly as possible.
McCoy was also chosen to receive
further assistance from Housing and
Community Development’s Storefront
Improvement Program. The pharmacy
will receive up to $10,000 of improve-
ments to the building’s facade, such as
signage, lighting and painting. It was one
of 50 businesses chosen for the $650,000
program to enhance the visual appeal
and marketability of small businesses and
commercial districts in areas where there
was a concentration of damage from the
civil unrest. The program provides access
to architectural design assistance that will
assist property owners with enhancing the
historic features and aesthetic appeal of
their buildings. The program also offers
workforce development opportunities in
the construction industry for Baltimore
City residents.
Thanks in part to the state’s assistance,
Breath4Sure Pharmacy Solutions remains
open, and McCoy continues to provide
valuable services to her community. After
fighting so hard to maintain the business
she built in the neighborhood she loves,
McCoy’s pharmacy will serve as an anchor
in the community for positive change and
future development.
Financing Opportunities
for Small Businesses
From the Maryland Depart-
ment of Housing and Community
Development
The Community Development
Administration’s Neighborhood
BusinessWorks (NBW) program,
supports Smart Growth and
helps our cities and towns remain
rich, vibrant communities. The
NBW program provides flexible
financing to small businesses and
nonprofit organizations locating
or expanding in locally-designated
Sustainable Communities (SC)
and Priority Funding Areas (PFA).
The Neighborhood Business-
Works Loan Program offers:
1. Loans up to $5 million
2. Flexible loan terms up to 15
years
3. Interest rates based on market
conditions and risk analysis
4. Primary lending along with gap
financing
Eligible Applicants:
5. For profit and not-for-profit
organizations
6. Commercial property owners
and commercial tenants
7. Developers – Mixed use proj-
ects
8. Banks and CDFI’s (Participa-
tions and loan guarantys)
Eligible Uses:
9. New construction or rehabili-
tation
10. Real estate acquisition
11. Machinery and equipment
12. Leasehold improvements
13. Refinances
To learn more about all of
the NBW small business lending
programs and how to apply, visit
http://dhcd.maryland.gov/Busi-
ness/Pages/SmallBusinesses.aspx
or call 1-800-756-0119.
Photos courtesy of the Office of the Governor; Photographer, Joe Andrucyk
FEATURE

A wise person once said the
only thing we can count on in life
is change. Never before in human
history have entrepreneurs and
business leaders had to confront
such a confluence of dynamic fac-
tors in the global economy, in poli-
tics, in technological advancement
and uncertain institutional systems.
Things happen—sometimes unex-
pected, unwanted and unfriendly
toward your bottom-line, and
unless you adjust, or pivot properly,
your business can suffer potentially
irreparable loss.
When I speak of pivoting, in a
business strategy sense—I define it
as the ability to change or alter your
business course or strategy without
losing ground or momentum. In
other words, when your environ-
ment changes around you, when
forces occur that you can’t control,
how do you—and your business—
respond in a way that will keep
your business strong and sound and
ready for the future? In short, it’s
knowing how to adjust to whatever
comes your way—and believe me,
things will come! The questions
are: How can we know how to
intelligently pivot? How can we know
what to do to prevent changes from
disrupting our business?

One of the tools I like to offer that is crucial to maximizing the op-
portunity inherent to a perceived danger is the “ORDER” technique.
The ORDER technique consists of five clear and simple steps:
Intentionally looking for potential changes
and problems before they arise. Anyone can
see things after they happen.
Considering all the different
possibilities of responding to that
which has been observed. Here is
where getting all the expert advice can
be very helpful. Leave your ego and
biases at the door!
Choosing from the possible responses.
Here is where one of the most
important aspects of leadership, of any
kind, comes in: the courage to make
decisions—especially the right one.
Once a choice is made,
taking decisive action
to execute, either
incrementally or all at
once, the choice that was
made.
Once the choice is executed, taking
an assessment of whether the
intended outcome was achieved.
If not, make adjustments based
on the observations and begin the
process once again.

BY JESSICA GREGG
Talking business with Rohit Patel, owner and founder of the
Baltimore-based Intelect Corporation, is like having a one-on-one
seminar on industry know-how.
African born and educated here in the states, Patel had a
successful career as a systems engineer before he opened Intelect in
1995.
The list of projects he has led his engineering and communica-
tions company through is impressive; it includes installing public
announcement and electronic signage systems at MARC train sta-
tions across the state as well as equipping Washington, D.C.’s Metro
tunnels with the technology to allow different cell companies to
communicate with each other. That means that commuters can still
use their phones while they are in the tunnels.
SUCCESS
Story

Intelect also has created video surveillance and security
systems for the Baltimore Police Department, Port of Bal-
timore and Detroit Department of Transportation, among
others.
The company is a certified Minority Business Enterprise
(MBE). Having the capacity to work as both a prime and
subcontractor has translated into a lot of job opportuni-
ties over the years, Patel said. Three years ago, for example,
Intelect bid on four major projects, including the project for
the MARC system and the tunnel work on cell phone com-
patibility. To Patel’s surprise, the company won all four jobs.
Intelect grew from a staff of 35 to 200 to accommodate
the work load. Then crisis hit — one of the companies that
contracted them couldn’t pay for the work.
“Who would have thunk it? They went into bankruptcy,
and there we were, without payment,” Patel said.
Faced with this financial loss, he began the process of
downsizing. “They say hire slow and fire fast, but I’m not
wired that way,” he admitted. Intelect is back to the size it
originally was, a painful adjustment that Patel said was aided
by transparency and communication with employees.
Now the company is performing better than ever and
expanding its services in new fields, such as solar panel instal-
lation for commercial and government businesses.
“There’s money to be made, no doubt,” Patel said. “But
there are lessons to learn.” For business owners who want
to work in the government space, Patel cautions that that
projects can take time.
“Patience is important,” Patel said. “If it’s a product or a
commodity you are producing, you probably could get start-
ed right away. But the typical project takes 18 months from
the time you’ve first heard about it until it’s advertised.”
For that reason – don’t go after one thing, Patel said. “You
have to be working really hard all the time to find opportuni-
ties.”
Pay attention to the small details, he advised. Applying
for payment usually involves more than merely submitting
an invoice. Each sub-agency has its own rules and different
agencies may apply rules differently. A three-day job may
take three days, he said. But a contractor may complete the
first day of work and then have to wait 30 days to complete
the second and third days.
As in any industry, networking to get to know potential
clients and customers is key. People – whether they work
for the government of have their own firms – want to know
with whom they are doing business. “It’s just part of human
nature,” Patel said.
SUCCESS
Story

BY: ANITA BRIGHTMAN,
APR, FELLOW PRSA
One of the most difficult decisions for any business
remains — to bid or not to bid? To make an informed
decision whether to pursue a project opportunity, you need
a strategic process, starting with research, to learn more
about the project as it relates to your capabilities. Start by
asking yourself these questions:
1. Did you know about the requirement before it was
posted?
2. Is it a new requirement or a contract renewal?
3. Is the contracting or program office aware of your firm
and your capabilities?
4. If it’s a contract renewal, how likely is the customer to
change vendors?
5. Is the anticipated budget enough to cover your ex-
penses? What additional overhead or direct costs are
required?
6. Do you need a subcontractor to meet any require-
ments, such as special certification? Do you have a
network of subcontractors who will help you get the
proposal together on time?
7. How does your past performance meet the require-
ments of the scope of work?
The availability and commitment of internal resources
to submit a strong proposal should also weigh into your
decision. Ask yourself questions, such as:
8. Can you write a comprehensive proposal reflective of
the requirements and evaluation factors within the
given timeline?
9. Can you fulfill the insurance/forms requirements?
10. Who do you know who might have more information
on the opportunity?
11. Will the proposal response requirements take away
personnel or resources needed for client projects?
Attending the pre-proposal conference, tak-
ing the time to submit thoughtful questions and
reviewing the answers carefully will provide more
insight into your ability to fulfill requirements and
craft a proposal worthy of winning the award. If
your capabilities and experience still don’t measure
up to the requirements for a solid bid, your re-
sources may be better spent pursuing another more
suitable opportunity.
If you submit a bid but don’t win the work, ask
for a proposal debrief. Insert the lessons learned
into your next proposal effort, then start the process
all over again.
The author, Anita Brightman, is the founder of
a. Bright Idea, a full-service advertising and public
relations agency headquartered in Bel Air.
To Bid or Not to Bid….

That is the
Question

SUCCESS
Story

BY MARGIE HYSLOP
In just a few years, DC Sweet Potato
Cake has gone from a local favorite, avail-
able in suburban Maryland restaurants and
on catering menus, to a national product
found at Starbucks, Wegmans, Safeway,
Nordstrom and on QVC.
This success started with a family recipe
for sweet potato cake and cupcakes from
founder Derek Lowery, who struggled
with the business until he partnered
with attorney and entrepreneur, April N.
Richardson, to expand the bakery. The pair
then partnered with the state to see their
plans made reality.
“Leadership in Maryland has been
open, welcoming and resourceful,” Rich-
ardson said.
The Maryland Manufacturing Exten-
sion Partnership is helping the business de-
sign a 26,000-square-foot manufacturing
facility for Delectable Cakery, the name
of their commercial bakery, which will be
constructed in Prince George’s County.
Co-located with Delectable Cakery’s
plant will be a commercial kitchen incuba-
tor, run by Richardson’s new venture Food
Opportunity LLC, which will provide
workspace for culinary entrepreneurs to
scale up their food businesses.
Many companies and individuals
have shown interest in the incubator, said
Mike Kelleher, chief financial officer of
the Maryland Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (MEP).
“We really see it as filling a need to help
small entrepreneurs take their product
from the home kitchen to the commercial
stage,” Kelleher said. “We think it is an
exciting opportunity.”
MEP is a non-profit corporation
funded, in part, by the U.S. and Maryland
departments of commerce, to promote
and increase manufacturing in the state. Its
work with Delectable Cakery will include
identifying supply, logistics and workforce
partners to help them thrive in the state,
Kelleher said.
On a local level, support for the cake
producers has been strong as well.
“Prince George’s County Economic
Development Corporation has been our
largest and loudest partner,” Richardson
said.
The county’s economic development
agency has acted like a supplemental mar-
keting arm and was instrumental in getting
Safeway to sell the tasty treat, she said.
With business going so well, Lowery
has even added new cupcakes and flavors
– Dutch chocolate and red velvet. They
will make their Starbucks debut in the fall
and be sold alongside the original sweet
potato cake at DC Sweet Potato Cake and
Café, which will open in the fall on Rhode
Island Avenue, in the Hyattsville arts and
entertainment district.
“We really see it as filling a need
to help small entrepreneurs take
their product from the home
kitchen to the commercial stage.”
—— Mike Kelleher,
chief financial officer of the Maryland Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (MEP)
Garrett, Allegany & Washington
Counties
Andrew Sargent
andrew.sargent@maryland.gov
443-447-4999
Frederick & Carroll Counties
Tamar Osterman
tamar.osterman@maryland.gov
443-902-4487
Baltimore City
Kate Dailey
kate.dailey@maryland.gov
410-767-0511
Baltimore & Howard Counties
Tim Murphy
tim.murphy@maryland.gov
410-767-0512
Harford, Cecil & Kent Counties
Tammy Edwards
tammy.edwards@maryland.gov
410-767-0110
Anne Arundel County
Lori Ratzburg
lori.ratzburg@maryland.gov
410-767-6374
Prince George’s County
Faye Niaka
faye.niaka@maryland.gov
410-767-6791
Montgomery County
Heather Gramm, Director, Regional
Growth & Retention
heather.gramm@maryland.gov
443-750-1578
Calvert, Charles
& St. Mary’s Counties
Steve Wall
steve.wall@maryland.gov
301-274-9138
Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline
& Dorchester Counties
Debbie Bowden
deborah.bowden@maryland.gov
443-826-7241
Wicomico, Worcester
& Somerset Counties
Mindie Burgoyne
mindie.burgoyne@maryland.gov
410-718-0094
Contact a Maryland
Commerce Business
Development Representative
in YOUR AREA:
SUCCESS
Story

Doing business in Maryland has never
been more straightforward, especially for
today’s small business owners.
“Governor Larry Hogan has declared
that Maryland is OPEN for businesses,”
said Jimmy Rhee, special secretary for the
Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs.
“This is creating a synergy across the state
that is being felt in both the public and
private sectors.”
It’s easier to be successful when you
understand the overall environment.
Rhee and his team host and attend
outreach events all year long, hoping
to reach the more than 560,000 small
businesses which impact the state’s
$346.9 billion dollar economy. With
eighty percent of the activity taking place
in the public sector and the remaining
20 percent coming from state, federal
and local governments, there are ample
opportunities.
The entrepreneurs working hard to
win in today’s highly-competitive arena
are experts in their given field, but not
necessarily experienced in all aspects of
running a business. Rhee has defined
three key areas – what he calls three
pillars to success – which every small
business owner must develop to be
profitable.
The three pillars
Core competency: You must be
exceptionally good at what you do
and have an “x” factor that uniquely
defines your company. You must be
able to differentiate yourself from your
competitors.
Access to capital: Money is the life
blood of a small business, but access to
funding is a common struggle. Small
business owners must know how to
obtain capital in order to drive the future
of their company.
Policy insight: Every industry sector
has rules that impact how business is
done. It is critical to know the rules,
particularly for businesses that want to
perform in both the public and private
sectors.
For businesses interested in doing
business with the state, Maryland has
two procurement programs that target
small businesses, including those owned
by women and minorities. The Small
Business Reserve (SBR) and Minority
Business Enterprise (MBE) programs
offer opportunities to connect to state
procurement as prime contractors and
subcontractors. The Governor’s Office
of Minority Affairs provides policy and
compliance oversight to both programs
and encourages participation through a
robust outreach program.
“Maryland has a long history of
inclusion and we are very proud of our
SBR and MBE programs,” Rhee added.
“Our small business owners have a strong
will and are not afraid to take risks.
According to Rhee, their spirit and
determination are two more reasons why
Maryland is a great place to do business.
to success for Maryland’s small businesses
Three pillars, one ladder
To learn more about the Small Business Reserve
and Minority Business Enterprise programs

CORPORATE
COMPETENCY
ACCESS
TO CAPITAL
POLICY
INSIGHT
SBR
MBE
VENDORSPUBLIC SECTOR
PRIVATE SECTOR
Maryland OPEN for Business
560,000+ Small Businesses
visit goma.maryland.gov.

ADVICE FROM LENDERS:
Get to know your banker
FEATURE

BY MEG TULLY
A few years ago, an entrepreneur
approached the credit union SECU about
opening an early childhood education cen-
ter in Maryland. The center did well, and
a few years later, the business opened in a
second location. Now SECU is helping the
owner open in a third location.
The bank has been able to help that
business grow because of the way the rela-
tionship has gone – with the owner check-
ing in, sharing a business plan and making
sure the bankers knew about each location’s
success, said Steve Hazan, SECU’s director
of business lending.
“As a business owner you need allies and
the banker is in a great position to be that
ally. But, in order to do that, they need to
know you and understand you,” Hazan said.
“If they don’t know who you are, it’s a name
and a number.”
Any business owner starting a relation-
ship with a bank should consider inviting
the bankers to their place of business to
learn more, Hazan said.
“Invite us out, show us your baby,” he
said. “It’s a lot of fun because everybody
has their own story of how they got into
business.”
They should also use a good accounting
system like QuickBooks or other software
so that their financial information is clear
and organized. Banking customers with
English as a second language also should ask
if there is anyone at the bank who speaks
their first language.
“No one is going to be offended if you
come in and ask for that,” he said.
When he was working at the branch
level, he used to refer clients to a banker
at a different branch who was from Korea
and fluent in the language. Connecting
clients to that banker greatly improved
communication, he said, noting that
opening a business checking account can
start a banking relationship. In fact, many
banks have started recruiting bilingual staff,
because they realize there is untapped client
potential in Hispanic and Asian immigrant
business leaders.
Another tip for business owners is to
interview banks, said Gail Houser, senior
vice president and commercial lender at Bay
Bank.
She suggested looking for a bank that
regularly finances the industry segment that
the business is in and whose staff are experts
in addressing those needs. For instance,
some banks are more comfortable offering
longer terms for financing to government
contractors, who may have a different cash
flow cycle than traditional businesses. Or,
in the case of Bay Bank, they offer financing
for contractors or manufacturers to fund
large purchases of vehicles or equipment for
better rates than through a leasing company
or equipment supplier, she said.
Small business owners are typically very
busy, George H. Harrop, managing director
of small business lending at CapitalSource,
a division of Pacific Western Bank, said. But
making time for a banking relationship will
pay off.
“In this modern day of everybody being
online and everybody no longer being face-
to- face, I think it’s still important to go and
get to know your local banker,” Harrop said.
“As a business
owner you
need allies and
the banker is in
a great position
to be that ally.”
—— Steve Hazan,
SECU’s director of business
lending.
Three quick tips
from the experts:
FROM HAZAN: Ask your banker,
accountant and attorney what other
similar businesses are doing. For in-
stance, he’s noticed more businesses are
using a purchasing card, or commercial
credit card, for day-to-day expenses and
then paying it off in full every month.
This allows businesses to establish cred-
it, manage cash flow, earn rewards and
shift the risk of fraud from the main
account to the card issuer.
“If you’re an auto mechanic work-
ing on cars all day, you might not see
what the guy down the street is doing,”
Hazan said. “Having that advisory
team is key.”
FROM HOUSER: Ask potential
banks what they can do to meet the
inventory or accounts receivable
needs of that business. Also, ask if the
banks use attorney-prepared docu-
ments or “shelf ” template documents
to originate loans. Shelf documents
could lead to a substantial decrease in
fees compared to attorney-prepared
documents.
FROM HARROP: Seek a line of
credit before you need one. Getting a
small line of credit or credit card will
establish a relationship that can always
be expanded if you see an opportunity
for bargain inventory or equipment,
or if something is damaged or broken
and needs to be replaced or repaired.
“The fire’s not urgent until someone
says, ‘Hey, that piece of equipment
is starting to break down,’ ” Harrop
said. “(Business owners) are better off
thinking about it six months before-
hand, so when they really need it,
they’re ready to go.”
FEATURE

BY IVAN V. LANIER AND
JEANETTE ORTIZ, ESQ.
Do you know ALL your elected offi-
cials? Many Marylanders cannot answer
this. There is the old saying “all politics
is local;” but many voters spend so much
time focused on national elections, that
they miss what is happening in their own
backyards. Numerous decisions which
affect you and your business are being
made on a regular basis on both the state
and local levels of government. That
means there are copious opportunities to
help your business thrive – but you must
get involved!
Getting involved can seem like a
daunting task. Where does one begin?
For starters, get to know your elected
officials. These are your representatives
and they have been elected to represent
you. Every January, legislators from all
over Maryland descend upon Annapolis
for the Maryland General Assembly’s
LANIER
ORTIZ
Numerous decisions
which affect you
and your business
are being made on a
regular basis on both
the state and local
levels of government.
That means
there are copious
opportunities to help
your business thrive
– but you must get
involved!

90-day Legislative Session. This past Session, over 3,000 bills and
a litany of budget items were considered. There were many great
ideas considered (some bad ideas, too), yet it is simply impossible
to pass every bill and fund every program.
Being your own advocate and having a constant presence before
elected officials is essential to pushing through legislative and
budgetary priorities. Involvement can happen at grassroots level
or by hiring a lobbying firm to represent your interests. Grassroots
lobbying can be as simple as contacting your elected officials to ex-
press support or opposition to a proposal or it can be more complex
such as forming a coalition of like-minded small business owners to
lobby your priorities.
Here are a few tips for how you can ensure your business inter-
ests are being represented through grassroots advocacy:
1. Identify your elected officials – www.mdelect.net
2. Contact and meet with your elected officials – get to know
their issues and share your ideas
3. Utilize your local government website to obtain information
on public hearings, legislation, budgetary items and small
business programs
4. Sign up to receive newsletters and e-mails
5. Attend and participate in public hearings
6. Utilize the Maryland General Assembly website to obtain
key legislative information - identify briefing and hearing
dates, track legislation, and access a myriad of legislative and
budgetary documents – www.mlis.state.md.us
7. Contact your local economic development office
8. Get involved in your local chamber of commerce
The authors, Ivan V. Lanier and Jeanette Ortiz, Esq., operate a
bipartisan boutique government relations firm in Annapolis.
It is the policy of Howard County
Government to encourage increased
participation by Minority, Women and
Disabled Business Enterprises in the
procurement of all goods and services
through all solicitations by the County.
Howard County, Maryland, Office of Purchasing, Department of County Administration
Equal Business Opportunity Program, Darla H. Herbold, CPPO, Purchasing Administrator
Contact us to find out how your business can
benefit from the Equal Business Opportunity
Program by getting certified as an EBO vendor.
Howard County Office of Purchasing , 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Ste. 501
Columbia, MD 21046, 410-313-6370 Phone 410-313-6388 Fax
www.howardcountymd.gov/purchasing
“Get Howard County EBO Certified!”
It’s Free, Quick and Easy!

BY JESSICA GREGG
THE DAILY RECORD
After nearly two decades in the
construction business, Stella Miller
decided at the age of 50 to start her
own firm.
That was 1995. Miller had two
employees, and together, they
brought in $250,000 worth of busi-
ness. Twenty-one years later, Stella
May Contracting has more than 75
employees from project managers
to office managers and will bring in
more than $20 million in revenue.
The Edgewood-based business
specializes building and general
construction, underground utility
construction, excavation, concrete
work and more, and includes
among clients, NASA, Fort Me-
ade, Aberdeen Proving Ground,
Baltimore Washington Interna-
tional Airport and Maryland Port
Authority.
“We specialize in the more diffi-
cult parts of the work,” Miller said,
and that includes duct bank con-
struction, or the bundling of data
and electric cables in underground
banks to consolidate and protect
them. Currently Stella May is work-
ing with BGE on several projects
like this throughout Baltimore.
Shortly after hanging her own
shingle, Miller became certified
through the Maryland Business En-
terprise (MBE) and then later as a
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
(DBE) in the construction industry.
“That’s what made the differ-
ence,” Miller said. “The program
worked for me the way that it was
designed to work.”
The certification helped her find
out about projects her company
could bid on until eventually her
company became known around
the state. Now, word-of-mouth
referrals often result in signed
contracts.
When her business was new,
Miller received a loan through the
Maryland Small Business Financial
Authority, which proved critical to
expanding and taking on new work.
Because she had so much experi-
ence in the construction industry,
Miller said she knew where to look
for resources. Today’s new business
owners should visit the state’s web
site and attend informational meet-
ings about programs for which they
may qualify.
“Nobody’s successful by them-
selves,” Miller said.
Throughout her career what
Miller has enjoyed the most about
the construction industry is the
people.
“Most people look on con-
struction workers as a rough, tough
bunch,” Miller said. “But that’s not
generally how it is.”
There is also the stereotype, and
sometimes the reality, of fraudulent
contractors to fight against. Being
certified with the state to build a
diverse portfolio of work countered
that, Miller said. As a minority
business, she was sought after and
those work opportunities gave her
the chance to prove herself.
Additionally, it made her com-
pany attractive to prospective hires
— and making the right hires has
been critical, Miller said. The two
men with whom she started Stella
May still work with the company,
one is the general manager and the
other the general superintendent.
“Nobody’s
successful by
themselves.”
—— Stella Miller, owner of
Stella May Contracting
Stella May
constructs
business,
strong
reputation
SUCCESS
Story

In 2006, the U.S.
Small Business Admin-
istration named Stella
May Contracting the
Maryland Small Busi-
ness Firm of the Year,
and Miller the Mary-
land Minority Small
Business Person of the
Year. Because of this
and her involvement
with the Governor’s
Office of Minority
Affairs, Miller has
begun mentoring other
small business owners
– many of whom are
women.
She also has opened
an office in Beltsville
because of the number
of construction projects
in Prince George’s
County and other
Washington suburbs.
In addition, she is
working on a transition
plan as she considers
retirement.
Over the years,
there were moments
when she didn’t
think her business
would make it, Miller
admitted, and believes
getting certified as a mi-
nority business owner,
as a woman in a man’s
field, opened doors that
otherwise would have
been closed.
“It’s been tough
at times,” Miller said.
“But all in all, a good
experience.”
SUCCESS
Story

BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE
Two years after they founded Digitized
Logos, a full-service promotional products
company, Yazdani ‘Dani’ Syed and his
wife, Malia, moved to Gaithersburg to be
closer to her family.
Initially they marketed their products
to corporate America. But in Gaithers-
burg, they were so close to government
offices that they decided to dive into the
government sector. In the 15-plus years
since then, they have expanded into this
niche and have been successful in doing so.
The journey has included lots of edu-
cation since doing business in the public
sector is different from the private sector.
Most importantly, small businesses need to
understand that state agencies follow a rule
book known as COMAR (Code of Mary-
land Regulation). It defines the over-arch-
ing procurement processes that are in place
for both large and small purchases.
While many small business owners
know to start by looking for opportunities
on eMaryland Marketplace (the State of
Maryland’s web-based electronic bid board
system) to find contracting opportunities
for jobs over $15,000, some don’t realize
there are many smaller projects available
as well. Known in the state procurement
world as small procurements, they are the
easiest, most accessible opportunities that
can produce ripe, delectable results and are
commonly known in the business world as
‘low-hanging fruit.”
“It’s the simplest way to make yourself
known and establish relationships with
regard to state contracting,” said Janice
Montague, director of Minority Business
Enterprise Compliance with the Gover-
nor’s Office of Minority Affairs (GOMA).
“The best place to start is to try and figure
out who buys what you sell. You want to
zero in as quickly as possible on the pro-
curing units that are out on the market to
buy whatever it is that you are selling.”
Most small procurements do not have
FEATURE

to be posted on eMary-
land Marketplace and
many times the buyers are
soliciting small businesses
directly when these needs
arise. Montague recom-
mends watching the web-
sites of the agencies that
look like good customers
and building relationships
with the buyers them-
selves. The state has more
than 70 procuring units
staffed with thousands of
buyers that make pur-
chases every day, “a small
business owner has to dig
in and do the research
and do the work to go
find their customer in the
(units),” Montague said.
Because officials
know that not all ven-
dors are looking for large
multi-million dollar
contracts, GOMA conducts
outreach events regularly to connect small
businesses with state buyers. “We go into
the agencies and say ‘Bring the people to
this event that are buying the things your
agency buys under the $15,000 threshold’
and ‘Come to these events and explain
how small businesses can do business with
your agency in an informal way',” Mon-
tague said.
The core of Syed’s business plan is
building relationships, more than selling
products, and he believes that’s why he
is closing in on nearly two decades of
business success. “I want to make sure that
if somebody calls in and says ‘Look, Dani,
I am looking for (a product) and I need it
in 10 days,’ I want to make sure we deliver
it in eight days not the ninth day,” he said.
“I want to make sure the colors are right.
If there is something that happens that
is wrong, we don’t ask questions. We say
‘How do we fix that?’ and ‘How quickly
do you need that?’ What is important to
me as an owner of a company is to make
sure my clients are satisfied. Once they are
satisfied, they are going to pass my name
on to their colleagues.”
He credits Towson University’s MBE
liaison Barbara Hufnagel with answering
his questions and teaching him how the
small procurement process works. He is
now doing business with the university on
a regular basis. Syed also regularly attends
outreach and networking events. “When
you go to events, you are not just meeting
people that are coming as an exhibitor. But
you are also meeting other people that can
utilize your services,” he said.
Small businesses that want to learn
more about state procurement can learn
a lot on GOMA’s website at www.goma.
maryland.gov. There’s a link to COMAR
regulations as well as a list of all the
agency buyers and liaisons. You’ll also find
forecasting reports for what the agencies
think they will buy over $100,000 each
fiscal year if you’re interested in going after
bigger contracting opportunities.
If there is one thing Montague would
love for small businesses to know about the
state contracting process, it’s the old saying
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
“Many times, in my dealings with small
businesses, they think because the purchas-
es are smaller, less complicated, that they
should come to them a lot easier. This is
a business of relationships and we do our
best to make those relationships form, to
come together, but they have to be patient
and persistent in the process,” she said.
“Over my 16 years in state government, I
have seen some very small, unknown busi-
nesses practice patience and persistence,
and they are now some of the largest
contractors and most successful contrac-
tors that the state has, so I know that (the
policy of patience and persistence) works.”
FEATURE

BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE
As the founder and president of Applied Technol-
ogy Services Inc., Danielle Burnett often gets invited
to speak at entrepreneurship events. She particularly
enjoys going back to her alma mater, the University of
Maryland Baltimore County, where she also serves as a
member of the alumni association board of directors.
“One of the things that I like to tell (students inter-
ested in running or owning their own business) is it’s
not always about ‘the big new idea,’ ” Burnett said. “You
can build a sustainable small business based off of actual
needs of customers.”
Burnett opened ATS in 2001, the year she earned
her bachelor’s degree in information systems. The com-
pany, an IT value-added reseller and services provider,
offers technology solutions and services “everything
from large storage and servers in the data center to the
computers sitting on someone’s desk,” she said.
Recruited for a job as an IT analyst for JP Morgan
right out of school, Burnett realized the field could lead
to potential consulting work in the future and decided
to set up her business to keep her options open.
As a student intern, Burnett discovered the State
of Maryland’s Small Business Reserve (SBR) Program.
Started in 2004, SBR is a race- and gender-neutral
program that gives small businesses the opportunity to
serve as prime contractors on state contracts and pro-
curements. Firms in the program compete against one
another instead of larger, more established companies.
They learn to navigate the procurement system and de-
velop a record of past performance that can be valuable
on larger scopes of work.
Burnett’s clients include Maryland State Police,
Baltimore City Public School
System, Maryland Motor
Vehicle Administration and
the Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission. One of
the contracts the company won
as a part of the SBR program
(and continues to hold) is with
the Maryland Department of
Public Safety and Correctional
Services.
“That has been a really
key contract that we use in
references with our partners,”
Burnett said. “It really allowed
us to build our experience and
capabilities, build the references
so that we could then go after
a lot of the larger projects and
contracts.”
With 12 employees, the
company helps clients to
achieve their goals by building
project management into all of
their projects and contracts. “By
doing that, we make sure that
we are doing proper require-
ments analysis up front (so) that
we are building the procedures
and processes that are going to
help us be successful in order
to help our customers to be
successful,” she said.
Burnett thrives off of the
ever-evolving technology indus-
try. “The fact that technology
is always changing means that
my role is always changing, our
company is always changing and
it keeps things interesting,” she
said. “We are always bringing
vendors in and learning about
new products and ... new ways
we can be helping our customers
and it keeps everything fresh.”
Small businesses that meet
the program’s size require-
ments can register as a vendor
online through eMaryland
Marketplace. There is no cost
to participate and firms can
stay in the program as long as
they meet the small business
size standards. Oversight for
the SBR Program rests with the
Governor’s Office of Minority
Affairs. To learn more about the
SBR Program, visit www.goma.
maryland.gov.
White Marsh
IT firm syncs
with customer
needs
SUCCESS
Story

SUCCESS
StorySUCCESS
Story

BY MEG TULLY
B
anker George H. Harrop has learned one thing
about business plans in his years in the commer-
cial lending industry: Writing a plan always pays
off for small business owners.
Harrop, managing director of small business
lending at CapitalSource, a division of Pacific Western Bank,
said fewer people than you might think actually write one.
“Writing a business plan is a critical first step in moving
a business from dream to execution,” he said. “By writing
a business plan, one of three outcomes will occur, and
regardless of which outcome, you will save time, money and
heartache by writing a plan.”
The first potential outcome is that the business plan will
PUT IT ON PAPER:Why writing a business plan still makes sense
FEATURE

reveal the idea for a product or service
will work and the plan save time and
money in getting the business launched.
In the second scenario, the business plan
will show the idea is not a viable business
and writing the plan will save the time
and money of a failed business.
The third outcome is the entrepre-
neur never write it at all, which shows
the commitment isn’t there for success,
he said.
Harrop has unofficially mentored
entrepreneurs throughout his career and
has seen many people thinking about a
retail location or opening a health club,
for example. Once they see on paper the
costs of rent, insurance, payroll prepara-
tion, utilities and water, they realize that
it isn’t a viable plan. Those details are key
to making decisions about the future of a
business launch or expansion, he said.
“Once they get those details down in
one place, they realize that their notion of what it actually costs
was different than what the costs actually were,” Harrop said.
And that led the entrepreneurs he
knew to reimagine the business model
and still move forward.
As a banker, Harrop sees a lot of
business plans designed with software
that are beautiful, but miss the key
point.
“A business plan doesn’t need to
be a fancy-bound document that has
all kinds of charts and color,” he said.
“What is the core business, who is it
going to serve, what are the costs? How
is it going to make money?”
If the owner is to raise money by get-
ting support from investors and banks,
Harrop said the business plan needs to
read like a proof: What happens from
the idea to the execution of the idea, and
how will it succeed?
Once a business is launched, plans
are key for both seeking new funding
and making business operations deci-
sions, he said. That might mean updating weekly at first, then
every quarter or six months.
“Writing a
business plan
is a critical
first step in
moving a
business from
dream to
execution.”
—— George H. Harrop,
managing director of
small business lending at
CapitalSource
326 St. Paul Place #200, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202
410.545.0641Phone 410.545.0643 Fax
14811 Southlawn Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20850
301.294.7561 Phone 301.294.8755 Fax
www.mluisconstruction.com
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410.766.3226 Phone 410.760.8334 Fax
M. Luis Products, LLC.
Certified MBE/WBE
FEATURE

BY ALISON TAVIK
M
ost small business owners
don’t have any formal
training in marketing, so the
idea of creating a marketing
plan can be very intimidating. The Internet
is a great resource for learning more about
the elements of a good marketing plan, so
go online and do some research on the basic
principles around the art of marketing.
While you’re learning, get started with this
simple marketing plan for building new
customer relationships.
My 3-3-7-2 marketing plan has four
elements: time, variety, interaction and
persistence. Over a three month period of
time, using three different delivery channels,
create seven customer interactions. Repeat
twice.
Time
We all know it takes time to build new
relationships, so placing a timing element in
your marketing plan makes sense.
Variety
The delivery channel is how you make
contact with your potential customers.
No one thing works all the time and we
get bored by too much repetition. Using
a variety of delivery channels will help
keep your potential customer interested.
Get started using these common delivery
channels: face-to-face meetings, phone
calls, emails, letters, direct mailings and
social media.
Interaction
This is the meat of it all. Potential
customers form perceptions based
on cumulative interactions and every
interaction with you becomes part of that
perception. The good news here is that
you actually have some control on how the
perception is being built – if you plan those
interactions thoughtfully. When you put
yourself in front of potential customers,
do more listening than talking. Your goal
is to find out what they need. Follow-up
and initiate the sales process based on the
solutions your company can provide.
Perseverance
This is a nine-month plan. Evaluate
what works and what doesn’t, then adapt
accordingly each time you begin a new
three-month cycle. Good business is built
on relationships and this plan gives you the
time to get to know your customer. You
can map it out in your head, but I strongly
recommend that you write it down. There
is something about putting a plan on paper
that makes it more concrete and increases
the chance you’ll follow it.
Create a plan for each new customer
you are targeting. Of course you’ve still
got a business to run, so limit yourself to
something manageable (5-10 depending on
your resources). Since you can’t do this for
every potential customer in your universe,
choose wisely instead of randomly. You want
to place your efforts where they are most
likely to bring a return.
We all like to do business with people
we know and trust. It takes time to build a
relationship with a new customer, so don’t
expect it to happen overnight. You’ll have to
work hard and invest serious time to become
known and trusted, but when it does
happen, you’ll have everything you need to
compete successfully and win new business.
THE 3-3-7-2 MARKETING PLAN
Tailoring Your
Marketing Plan
The foundation of the 3-3-7-2
marketing plan exists within the
four primary elements of time,
variety, interactions and persistence.
The way you apply those elements
is totally up to you. When
developing your own marketing
plan, customize it. If you already
have projects in place, but need to
develop customer relationships for
the future, consider a 6-3-12-3 plan.
If you are just getting your business
started, try something more robust
like 3-4-9-5.
Getting in front of potential
customers is hard, so think
strategically. You know how to
reach them at the office, but where
else will you find them? Are they
exhibiting at a procurement event,
attending pre-bid meetings?
Professional associations, business
organizations and civic groups are
also great places to interact with
potential customers. Follow them
on Twitter or join a mutual group
on LinkedIn. Keep an eye on the
company’s Facebook page and
look for blogs authored by people
you would like to do business
with. Social media platforms are
intended to be interactive, so
engage in the conversation.
Make sure your marketing and
advertising materials (website,
capability statement, brochure,
advertisements) are up-to-date
and that they properly reflect
your brand. Use these tools to
learn more about your customers
and expect that they are looking
for the same tools to learn more
about you.

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perspective critical to
accomplishing Associated
Black Charities’ goal of
closing the economic divides
in the city of Baltimore.
For your own edition or digital access,
visit https://subscribe.thedailyrecord.com/H5ZWRTR.
”
Diane Bell-McKoy
CEO, Associated Black Charities

Expanding Opportunities for Small Businesses in Maryland

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