Maryland Businesses Invest in Students, Customers, and the State

BALTIMORE, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Marketing Partnership, which helps drive Maryland's branding and marketing efforts to attract businesses, create jobs, and grow the state's economy, today shared a summary of the latest news from companies and organizations that invest in the partnership.

Partners announced a range of investments, grant programs, donations and expansions that serve to strengthen opportunity in Maryland.

"These members of the Maryland Marketing Partnership are going above and beyond to expand opportunity, support their communities, and boost entrepreneurship in the state," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. "Not only are our partners committed to promoting the great things happening in Maryland, they are making great things happen in Maryland. We are grateful, as always, for their continued partnership."

BGE, Maryland's largest electric and gas utility, along with sister utilities Pepco and Delmarva Power, launched the companies' Customer Relief Fund, which will provide a total of $19 million in relief for limited- and middle-income customers in the companies' Maryland service territories. The fund was made possible through a one-time donation by the utilities' parent company, Exelon, to the nonprofit partners who will administer the funds. The United Way of Central Maryland will administer the funds for BGE; applications opened on July 1. Additionally, BGE has relaunched BGENow, where they bring attention to teams and individuals who make BGE tick. Learn something new about BGE and what they are doing in central Maryland from their Good Energy Moments videos.

Cloudforce continues to grow as one of Maryland's fastest-rising technology firms, advancing AI innovation, workforce development, and national partnerships. In July, Cloudforce welcomed Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker and a delegation of state and county leaders to its National Harbor HQ for a roundtable on AI adoption and the future of Maryland's innovation economy. The company also partnered with Duke University for its 2025 Critical/Acute Care Datathon, where its secure GenAI platform, nebulaONE®, powered real-time AI research in healthcare. New customer launches this cycle include George Mason University's PatriotAI and London Business School's LBS AI—both built on nebulaONE. Cloudforce also hosted its June Cloud + AI Meetup (with a fall event in planning), earned a listing on the Internet2 Cloud Scorecard, and completed SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance milestones. The company was named to Inc.'s Best Workplaces and The Washington Post's Top Workplaces, and won a Spring 2025 Clutch Global Award for Digital Forensics and Incident Response.

M&T Bank announced winners of this year's Small Business Accelerator Programs in Prince George's County and Frederick County. This program equips entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills to build successful businesses, drive economic growth in the region, and create generational wealth for their families.

Winners in Prince George's County included grand prize winner Tiyana Robinson of Beauty Mogul International, LLC, second-place winner Dominyece Gregory of Tuft'n Up DC, LLC and third-place winner Josei Harris of Halema, Inc.

Winners in Frederick County included grand prize winner Tiyana Robinson of Beauty Mogul International, LLC, second-place winner Xiomara Rivera Pagán of Language Policy Consulting, LLC, and third-place winner Annette Beale of Premier Integrative Health and Wellness, LLC. The Small Business Accelerator Program reflects M&T Bank's commitment to empowering entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to thrive in today's business landscape. Through a combination of financial expertise, mentorship, and networking, the Accelerator Program helps businesses from minority and multicultural communities unlock their full potential.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) remains committed to supporting businesses seeking to relocate or expand in the county by connecting them with the many available grants, incentives, and resources available to businesses in Montgomery County. As the anchor of the nation's third-largest biopharma hub and a renowned global technology hub, the County continues to attract major investments. Recent milestones in the county include the first-ever tax increment funding proposal to support the $2.8 billion Viva White Oak project and the grand opening of AstraZeneca's new $300 state-of-the-art cell therapy manufacturing facility in Rockville.

SECU, Maryland's largest credit union, is hosting a Back-to-School Classroom Supply drive from July 7 through July 31, 2025, to support its Teach for America: Baltimore Chapter partnership. Donations will supply up to five classrooms from different Baltimore City Public Schools, ensuring students and teachers have the most needed supplies including pencils, notebooks, crayons, folders and more. SECU financial centers statewide will have donation bins at each location, and linked HERE is an Amazon Wishlist that anyone can purchase from. All items will be sent to the SECU headquarters, then distributed to schools in need in the Greater Baltimore area. To learn more, check out SECU's News + Insights page.

St. John Properties, a Baltimore-based full-service commercial real estate development and management company with a national portfolio valued at more than $5 billion, has launched a Multifamily Construction Division. Construction management industry veteran Michael Poirot has been tapped as Vice President, Multifamily Construction. Poirot will oversee multifamily development throughout Maryland initially, before expanding the division's scope across the country where St. John Properties has a presence. In total the company has more than 1,500 multifamily units in its development pipeline. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.

TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, continues to uplift startup companies through its vast pool of resources and investment funds; recent investments include a $1.5M investment in Pixee along with investments in Atme, Astek Diagnostics, Higher Medicine, NanoBioFAB, TeamWorx Security, Forager Station and more. In addition to these investments, the innovation hub announced the Board of Directors executive slate for the upcoming FY26, as well as the Board of Directors for the Maryland Innovation Initiative. TEDCO also announced the release of three RFPs for the new BRIDGE program, plus the selection of 52 researchers as MSCRF awardees. Finally, the organization announced the upcoming 2025 Entrepreneur Expo happening October 21, 2025. Learn more about TEDCO at www.tedcomd.com.

The University System of Maryland (USM) and Google announced a new partnership that will help thousands of USM students and other Maryland learners earn Google Career Certificates in high-growth fields including cybersecurity, data analytics, and project management at no cost. USM will also offer learners Google's new AI courses, designed and taught by AI experts at Google to teach foundational skills in artificial intelligence technology. All 12 of USM's public universities and two of its regional higher education centers will offer this training.

About Maryland Marketing Partnership
The Maryland Marketing Partnership develops the branding strategy for the state, markets the state's assets, and encourages the location and growth of new businesses in Maryland.

SOURCE Maryland Marketing Partnership