Prince George’s: Maryland’s New Leading County for Black-Owned Business
When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) was elected, one of his key promises to his core constituency was partnering with business leaders to grow the state’s economy in an attempt to “win the decade.”
This effort, which has reflected in a close partnership between his Administration and various business groups in Prince George’s including the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, is already bearing fruit.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Prince George’s is now Maryland’s No. 1 county for creating Black-owned businesses and is now creating more jobs annually than Montgomery County. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC), noting that there was room for business retention, has begun hosting more networking events and providing more resources for startups to get off the ground.
A couple of new businesses that have started in the county this year include: Tetragram, an app to keep cannabis consumers best informed on the effects of their medication that has over 15,000 users currently and PerVista, which uses AI to scan surveillance footage alongside a database of weapons. Both of these companies have more than five employees, and are Black-owned.
“Our goal is to reduce the impact and number of active shooter events in schools, hospitals and other public places,” said PerVista founder Vernard Wright.
We have previously covered business openings in Prince George’s County. Read more here and here.
New Playgrounds Coming to Prince George‘s Parks
While there are nearly 250 playgrounds across the many public parks in Prince George’s County, a considerable number of them need renovations and updates to make them safe and accessible.
To help with this issue, the Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with Bethesda-based nonprofit Kaboom. Kaboom’s 25 in 5 Initiative aims to build parks in 25 communities across the nation over the next five years, with Prince George’s County selected as the first partner.
“It’s been a win-win, because we’ve been able to service and reach more of the youth in Prince George’s County by providing these innovative and gorgeous playgrounds with Kaboom,” said Parks and Recreation spokesperson Angel Waldron. “So we are thrilled with the partnership. We’ve gotten 10 projects down already and we’re looking forward to more.”
Kaboom Associate Director of Digital Content and Strategy Jordan Hebert said that the company hopes to keep the partnership “going as long as we can.”
“We’ve made a minimum commitment of five years, but we’ve been working with this organization since before that, and so the partnership could last beyond that,” Herbert explained.
Herbert emphasized the importance of playgrounds for children’s development.
“[Playgrounds are] where kids learn about all of their social peers. There’s physical play, there’s emotional benefits, getting kids outside, the benefits of nature,” he explained.
A new playground recently opened at the Oakcrest Community Center in Capitol Heights and new playgrounds have also been built in Riverdale, Chillum and Fort Washington. The next playground is expected to open in the Palmer Park area this summer.
We have previously covered the importance of physical exercise for youth. Read more here and here.
