Governor Larry Hogan Proclaims October as Maryland Manufacturing, Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Issues Statewide Proclamations Stressing the Importance of the Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Industries to Maryland’s Economy

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan has issued two statewide proclamations announcing the month of October as Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Maryland. Maryland is home to more than 3,600 manufacturing companies and 1,200 private-sector cybersecurity companies, in addition to world-class facilities including the U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. The state’s manufacturing industry employs more than 100,000 workers, while the rapidly growing cybersecurity industry employs more than 42,000 Marylanders.

“Maryland has a storied history in manufacturing, and we are proud that this vital industry continues to thrive in our great state. We are also excited that Maryland is leading in creating the jobs of the future as the nation's epicenter of cybersecurity,” said Governor Hogan. “Both of these industries provide access to high quality, high paying jobs in our communities, making our economy stronger and providing a better quality of life for all Marylanders.”

Since Governor Hogan took office in January 2015, Maryland manufacturing jobs have increased by 2.8 percent, which is the largest percentage increase out of any state in the region. January 2016 was also the first time that Maryland has seen positive year-to-year manufacturing job growth since January 1998.

Governor Hogan has pursued creative and common-sense initiatives that would grow Maryland’s manufacturing industry. During the 2016 legislative session, the Hogan administration introduced the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative to address chronic unemployment while attracting more manufacturing jobs to the state. This innovative legislation would eliminate the state corporate income tax for new manufacturers who commit to bringing jobs where unemployment is the highest — areas such as Baltimore City, Western Maryland, and the lower Eastern Shore.

Maryland is also home to an unparalleled cybersecurity community, ranking first in the nation in the concentration of information technology workers, intensity of academic research and development, high-tech share of all businesses, and STEM job creation. Maryland was also the first state to establish a dedicated commission—the Maryland Commission on Cybersecurity Innovation and Excellence—which develops strategies to protect against cyber-attacks and promote cyber innovation and job creation. Today, the state contains 74 federal laboratories—more than twice as many as any other state—over 60 federal agencies, and Maryland receives nearly $17 billion in federal research funding, eclipsing all other states in both dollar amount and on a per capita basis.

Since entering office, Governor Hogan has gone on economic development trade missions to South Korea and Israel, where he touted Maryland's strong manufacturing and cybersecurity industries to encourage investment in the state. These efforts have met with numerous successes, including major defense company ELTA Systems Ltd. announcing it was tripling its footprint in Maryland and adding up to 50 new manufacturing and cybersecurity jobs during the governor's Israel trade mission in September.