Maryland has low levels of entrepreneurship and needs to create new businesses, said Chris Marschner, the new president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA).
“Probably one of the single biggest issues that face a lot of communities is getting people to think about starting their own businesses — that’s what creates a diversity and empowers people,” said Mr. Marschner, director of the Technical Innovation Center at Hagerstown Community College.
Small businesses made up more than 97 percent of all employers nationwide in 2004, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Maryland incubator group is a private association that promotes incubators where startup companies receive low rent, shared Internet and phone lines, and business consulting.
Mr. Marschner likened the role of a business incubator to that of a personal trainer who provides instruction and management to help someone lose weight.
“We help them establish an objective, we help them plan how to achieve that objective, and we provide support and assistance and monitor their progress,” he said. “We’re a support organization that helps the business from its very earliest beginnings to achieving commercial viability on its own.”
Maryland’s 16 business incubators house a combined 205 early-stage companies, most of which are technology-focused. The companies have created almost 1,100 jobs and received nearly $250 million in investments.
About 138 incubator “graduate companies” — those that have moved out of the incubators into their own space — are still in Maryland.
One former incubator client, Integrated Systems Design — now American Government Services — makes satellite telecommunication systems in Washington County. The company now has about 50 employees with an average salary of $80,000.
Because the incubator association is relatively small, Mr. Marschner said, his biggest challenge will be making sure the group’s voice is heard.
“I will have to spend a great deal of time discussing incubator issues with a lot of people … so there’s going to be a lot of shoe leather expended,” Mr. Marschner said.
Carol Morrison, MBIA secretary and manager of Maryland’s NeoTech Incubator, described Mr. Marschner as a take-charge person who is involved in the organization and knows the details of operating a business.
“That’s what we look for,” said Mrs. Morrison, noting that Mr. Marschner was elected last month partly for his entrepreneurial experience, knowledge and connections.
Mr. Marschner was treasurer for the MBIA during the organization’s first three years.
He began his business career by founding Atlantic Trucking Co., a contract carrier, warehousing and distribution company in Baltimore, which he sold in 1983 to its primary shareholder.
Mr. Marschner has been an adjunct faculty member at Hagerstown Community College since 1999, teaching classes in economics, small-business management and finance.
He lives with his wife, Vickie, in Hagerstown, Md.
—Kate Finneren
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