Capital Gazette Spotlights Role of AAEDC Grants to Businesses During COVID-19

APRIL 5, 2022– The Capital Gazette spotlighted the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its role in the county recovering from it, in the following article:

Anne Arundel Economic Development Corps gives out nearly $33 million in COVID, disaster relief grants since 2020

Published on the newspaper’s front page, the article discussed how the quasi-governmental organization pivoted from lending money to help local businesses grow to distributing grants – many of which its staff conceived and created – to help businesses and their staffs survive, as well as what’s ahead for the organization.

“It was, I think for our team, a very tense time because we were there for businesses that wanted to email us and call us and just tell us what was happening with them — good and bad. A lot of it is emotional. You’re sitting there listening to the business that may be really challenged at that point and you’re trying to find a way to assist them. We’re on that emotional roller coaster with them.” – Rosa Cruz, vice president of Communications at AAEDC. 

It included commentary from County Executive Steuart Pittman; AAEDC President and CEO Ben Birge; AAEDC Administrative Officer Jill Seamon; AAEDC VP of Communications Rosa Cruz; and Maryland Small Business Development Center Consultant Candace Pruett.

Read the full article here: https://www.aaedc.org/capital-gazette-spotlights-role-of-aaedc-grants-to-businesses-during-covid-19