I am back from a week of meetings on the road, including the Maryland Chamber of Commerce’s Business Policy Conference on Nov. 13-14 at the Cambridge Hyatt. This annual Chamber event is a must-attend to stay up on the latest developments in Maryland legislative policy developments.
There were presentations by the governor and leadership of the legislature and a lunch keynote by Maryland businessman Jim Purdue. Jim opened our eyes to the challenges facing an agricultural-based industry and the realities of a global economy.
What stuck out for me was how many MACPA members (many current and former leaders) who are making time to stay involved in Maryland’s business environment.
Pictured are Steve Ochse (Beatty Satchell), Terry Hancock (Clifton Gunderson and State Board of Public Accountancy member), Allen DeLeon (DeLeon & Stang and member of the MACPA Board), Alvin Katz (KAWG&F and a PAC trustee), Kathy Snyder (Chamber CEO), Jim Fielder (former DLLR secretary and Clifton Gunderson), me and MACPA chairman-elect Bill Riley (Reznick Group). Not in the group picture is Mark Edward of BDO Seidman (in the picture below with Allen DeLeon).
Gov. O’Malley shared news about Maryland’s economy in light of the recent market meltdown. Given the state’s triple-AAA bond rating, our low unemployment rates and stable professional employment base, I get the feeling that we are fortunate to be here in Maryland. (See the Chamber blog for his remarks and a video.)
That said, the legislative leadership warned of Maryland’s need for more revenue and talked about sales taxes on services, payroll taxes for expanded health care for uninsured, and more.
Overall, it was a great conference. Thanks to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce for putting this on annually.