Maryland is home to more than 10,000 defense contractor organizations – one of the largest defense supply chains in the country. Collectively, these organizations provide the armed services, the Department of Defense (DoD) and other supporting agencies with goods, services and products that help support the overall mission of protecting our service men and women.
Because this defense ecosystem is so critical to our state’s economy, the DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) and the State of Maryland through the Maryland Department of Commerce are committed to ensuring its continued survival and success. That’s why the Maryland Defense Diversification Assistance (MDDA) program was launched in 2017 to provide education, technical assistance and financial resources to help Maryland’s defense contractors diversify and not rely on DoD spending alone to grow.
MD MEP was chosen by the Maryland Department of Commerce to lead the execution of the MDDA Program, and for the past two years, we have been proud to serve Maryland’s defense sector with assistance and resources to support these companies in business and economic growth, market diversification, product commercialization and international expansion.
And now that the program has concluded and the final results are compiled, we are even prouder to share that the MDDA Program was an overwhelming success, generating nearly $82,000,000 in economic impact for Maryland’s defense sector.
Key highlights of the MDDA Program included:
- Assessments to determine each applying defense contractor’s readiness for diversification, including recommendations to prepare to diversify, and referrals to resources to support these efforts.
- Diversification assistance in the form of financial assistance for training, consulting services or other support to help defense contractors identify and develop new commercialization, export and market opportunities.
- The first Defense Supply Chain Connectivity Forum, which gave small Maryland defense contractors the opportunity to engage one-on-one with larger Original Equipment Manufacturers, agencies, and Tier 1 Suppliers to explore new supplier/customer relationships and create new business connections.
- The Defense Business Valuation Workshop, which helped Maryland defense contractors understand, cultivate and maximize the business valuation of their organizations.
By participating in the MDDA Program, Maryland’s defense contractors have shown they are eager to diversify and grow and willing to apply their knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue new market opportunities. We thank the State, DoD and OED for making this investment in Maryland’s defense sector, and the key partners and providers who worked with MD MEP to carry out the MDDA Program, including TEDCO, MD/DC District Export Council, and Stone & Associates.
