In another economic boost to eastern Baltimore County, two manufacturing companies yesterday announced plant expansions representing an investment of $14 million and up to 145 new blue-collar jobs.
Vulcan-Hart Co., which makes commercial cooking equipment in Dundalk, and Worthington Steel Co. in Middle River are the latest firms convinced of the county's commitment to revitalizing an area hit by the loss of tens of thousands of industrial jobs over the past two decades.
"The county has put their time, effort and money right where their mouth is," said Richard Galicki, director of manufacturing for Vulcan-Hart, whose products are used at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, prisons and hotels.
The county has used rezoning powers, financial incentives and other programs to bolster the east side. And companies are responding.
Two weeks ago, for example, a team of private developers unveiled plans for a $34 million housing community and restaurant-marina on Hopkins Creek at Middle River. The project, to be named Hopewell Pointe, calls for 221 semidetached homes and waterfront condominiums on a peninsula known as Hopkins Landing.
"There's more coming because business and residential people on the east side are seeing we're doing what we said we'd do," said County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger at yesterday's groundbreaking of Vulcan-Hart's 65,000-square-foot expansion on North Point Boulevard. He attended the event in a wheelchair he is using while recuperating from leg surgery.
Ruppersberger said past administrations "got 10 complaints and stopped new development plans in their tracks. With careful planning and lowering density, people are realizing you can't automatically say 'no' to everything anymore that you can begin to pump new life into a region."
Vulcan-Hart is in the county enterprise zone created in January. Businesses within the zone can receive tax credits of 80 percent on the value of new investment during the first five years and can obtain one-time credits ranging from $500 to $3,000 for each new worker.
The county will help the companies train current and new employees in in-house programs and at area community colleges.
"This kind of incentive helps us create jobs and because of that, people are starting to trust government again," Ruppersberger said.
Galicki added, "While the incentives are appealing, equally important is the help from the county to navigate through the bureaucracy."
