Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, flanked by (left) Ed St. John, Founder and Chairman of St. John Properties and Larry Maykrantz, President, St. John Properties.

“The primary goal of the State of Maryland’s Department of Commerce is to change the business climate for the better and create an environment in which Maryland-based companies are not hindered by government,” Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz explained to an audience of nearly 150 attending the St. John Properties broker event at Waugh Chapel Business Park. “To remain successful, we need to be better than good and we also need your help. Our mantra within the department is Prosperity with a Purpose.”

Joe Palermo, NAI Michael, David Fritz, NAI KLNB and Abby Glassberg, NAI KLNB

Schulz explained that more than 20,000 new jobs have been generated within the state over the past two months, and that Maryland ranks second among East Coast states for the influx of new manufacturing jobs over the past year. “Manufacturing jobs are extremely hard to come by in today’s business environment, so we are particularly proud of this fact,” she said.

Tourism is an inseparable part of commerce and the tourism industry in Maryland generates more than $2.4 billion in tax revenue, Schulz relayed to the audience. “This saves each Maryland household approximately $1100 in taxes on an annual basis,” she said.

Marley Welsh, Lee & Associates Maryland and Stephanie Caronna, St. John Properties.

The St. John Properties broker event was held within 987 Waugh Chapel Way, the first of three flex/R&D buildings that are being developed on a speculative basis within Waugh Chapel Business Park consisting of nearly 100,000 square feet of space. Last year, St. John Properties announced plans to develop the seven-building mixed-use business community in a joint venture partnership with Reliable Contracting Company. The site, located adjacent to Waugh Chapel Town Centre off MD Route 3, will support 225,000 square feet of space including a 133,000 square foot self-storage facility.

Joe Baldwin, Reliable Contracting; Secretary Schulz and Rob Scrivener, Reliable Contracting.

“Anne Arundel County has been among the most prolific commercial real estate markets in our portfolio, and we believe end-users from a wide array of industry sectors will gravitate to this business community based on its location near the nexus of major roadways including MD Routes 3 and 175 and Interstate 97, and its proximity to Annapolis, Ft. Meade, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.,” stated Sean Doordan, Senior Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions for St. John Properties.

Raymond Jeffries, CBRE, Lacey Johansson, St. John Properties and Nick Loiselle, CBRE

Andrew Smith, Cushman & Wakefield; John Gallagher, Hyatt Commercial; Matt Lenihan, St. John Properties

Sean Doordan, St. John Properties.