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In February the BDC team attended the 2025 IEDC Leadership Summit in Washington DC, bringing together members of the economic development industry from practically every state in the US. This year's summit was by far the best program offered to date. Toni and Jen were often torn on what sessions to attend because so many interesting topics were being offered in every breakout session.  Throughout our three days the team covered a wide range of topics from Board Governance, Workforce Sustainability, Marketplace Dynamics, Housing as an ED Strategy, Public Private Partnerships, Federal Legislative Impacts and so much more. All of the information learned can be incredibly helpful to our county partners in Economic Development, Government, Education and Private Industry. Toni and Jen are incredibly thankful for the support from our board so that we can attend these types of conferences to continue learning and growing in our industry.  E

Bohemia Manor Farm Chesapeake City, MD- Executive Director Toni Sprenkle shares her knowledge of fundraising and resources to a gathering of members of the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce. Toni's engaging presentation gave insight to local nonprofits on accessing capital, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, hosting fundraising events, raising funds through digital platforms, and other ways to assist businesses and nonprofits in gaining funds to keep operations moving forward. The County Chamber hosts these monthly networking events free for members. The networking events have been well attended and are a valuable asset to the local business and nonprofit community. Bohemia Manor Farm in Chesapeake City is a beautiful winery and venue that has recently undergone renovations and ownership changes. The scenic farm sits on the waterfront and offers a restaurant and events throughout the year. Toni shares her presentation to an audience of Chamber members Elkton Alliance's Alisha Calhoun gives a presentation on hosting events.

Executive Director and Cecil County Chamber of Commerce board member, Toni led the charge of questions for Cecil County Public Schools Board Member Candidates for Districts 1, 2 and 5. The forum, held at Milburn Stone Theater at Cecil College is an opportunity for our candidates running for CCPS board positions, County Council, and County Executive to answer questions and offers a meet and greet for chamber members and public attendees prior to our November election.

FREDERICK, MD: The BDC headed west this past week to join the state's leaders in Main Street. With presentations from Frederick's mayor and county executive, Maryland Secretary of Housing, and other professionals and leaders the passion and enthusiasm at 2024 Main Street Maryland Conference: Creating a Local & Lovable Main Street Experience was contagious! This event delivered a day filled with captivating presentations, extraordinary experiences, and fresh perspectives that inspired and energized our BDC team! Executive Director Toni Sprenkle and Executive Assistant Jen Peterson enjoyed the historic Weinberg Center in Frederick, MD where the conference was held. They joined Maryland Main Street managers, board members, community teams, volunteers, advocates, and economic and community developers for an immersive experience and discovered the remarkable assets of Maryland’s local communities while participating in important and engaging conversations that will shape the future of our own Cecil County Main Streets in exciting ways!

ELKTON, MD: The BDC team attended Cecil County Chamber of Commerce's Business by the Bonfire at Milburn Orchard. This networking event brings together all things fall and local business members to gather around a bonfire to network, fundraise, and get excited about the thriving business community in our county.

Executive Director Toni Sprenkle and Executive Assistant Jen Peterson attend Cecil College's Collegium de Vinum 2024 Gala. The event is held annually as a fundraiser with all proceeds going towards Cecil College's programs and scholarships.

Executive Director Toni Sprenkle and Executive Assistant Jen Peterson were in Annapolis this past week to attend Maryland's Smart Growth Summit held at Crowne Plaza. The ladies of BDC spent the day with legislators, community and municipal leaders, economic development professionals and national experts leading the charge for smart and sustainable growth in our communities. BDC participated in a breakout group and robust discussion to move Maryland in a direction of equity and opportunity for all members of our communities. The goal is to have equal access to homeownership, community resources and business opportunities attainable by everyone. Meeting with legislative members who were engaged and eager to hear from the group in attendance fostered an environment for real conversations to happen about the direction of growth for our state. Toni and Jen were able to contribute ideas and facilitate a collaborative discussion for important topics such as funding for minority business owners, homebuyer assistance that is accessible to all members of a community, planning partnerships that involve actual residents of the community and many more ideas that will hopefully drive the growth of Maryland in an equitable direction, with abundant opportunities for everyone.

Join us in congratulating our Executive Director on her nomination for Chesapeake Media's 2024 Women to Watch. Toni joins a host of extraordinary women in our wonderful county who are making a difference, leading the charge and making change in the communities where we live, work and raise our families. We are certainly proud of her accomplishments here at Bainbridge, her hard work and determination have moved a long stalled project forward into development. She puts her heart and soul in everything that she does for Port Deposit and adjoining towns. She is a dedicated partner to local, state and federal governmental agencies. She is known to get the job done and get it done well. We will be cheering her on! https://issuu.com/somdnews/docs/w2wupperchesapeake24?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

The USDA defines “food insecurity” as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. We define it as an unacceptable situation where individuals or households do not have the resources to provide enough food to allow for a healthy and active lifestyle. One in 3 Marylanders faces food insecurity. Looking at Maryland Food Bank's Hunger Map, Cecil County is one of the larger impacted counties when it comes to facing hunger. Executive Director Toni Sprenkle and Executive Assistant Jen Peterson want to do their part to ensure that no person in our wonderful state faces uncertainty when it comes to food or feeding their families. Our BDC team was honored to serve for an afternoon alongside of other MEDA Young Leaders to assist the Maryland Food Bank keep their shelves stocked for families that depend on them.

This summer Port Deposit Chamber of Commerce was in full swing! We have worked hard to support the Town of Port Deposit, and represent every small business in our town and surrounding communities! From our first annual monthly Farmers Market to our Summer Concert Series along the Susquehanna River to bringing the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce downtown through Cecil Collective and supporting the Pirate Takeover. Our fun and engaging mixers and networking events aimed to connect and support our business owners in any way that we can to help them thrive and grow. It was a busy and fulfilling summer! Executive Director Toni Sprenkle serves as the president of the Port Deposit Chamber of Commerce as well as a board member for Cecil County Chamber of Commerce Executive Assistant Jen Peterson serves as secretary of Port Deposit Chamber of Commerce.

BDC hosted members of DNR, Maryland Historical Trust, Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, Department of Commerce, Town of Port Deposit, and local and state agencies for a meeting to discuss the plans for the Tome Campus. The Port of Deposit Historical Park committee meets monthly to work on the conversion of the campus into a state park. Plans for the land to transfer to DNR are set to take place in 2025, setting the property up for public access once infrastructure and stabilization upgrades are completed and the park officially opens. BDC is partnering with DNR on this project and will keep posting updates as they are public and available.