St. Mary's County Economic Development

06/15/2026

Opportunity Zones 2.0 Stakeholder Input
June 24, 2026
4:30-7:00PM
Leonardtown Library-Meeting Room 1
23630 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD

Agenda
4:30-5:00PM Overview on Opportunity Zones 2.0
5:00-7:00PM Open House-Review maps and provide input on exisitng projects in the pipeline and desired development in the OZ census tracts.

Opportunity zones are bringing capital to low-income census tracts (LICs) designated by governors. Governors are preparing to nominate the next round of tracts that will last through 2037.

What worked in OZ 1.0?
• New and refurbished multifamily rental housing
• Workforce housing
• Mixed-use developments
• Adaptive reuse and historical rehabilitations
• Real estate for commercial purposes
• Urban, semi-urban, and suburban in-fill development
• Large investments by large investors

Please use the mapping tool in the registration form to view eligible census tracts in St. Mary's County.

This is an opportunity to help answer key questions:
• Where does the community wish to channel development?
• Where has the community recently invested in infrastructure or enacted zoning reform?
• What are the priority neighborhoods for economic revitalization?
• What are the core anchor assets in eligible census tracts?
• Which tracts might be primed for housing and which for commercial development?
• Where are brownfield sites? Where is there the greatest potential for in-fill?
• Are there nascent poles of population growth on which you’d like to build?
• Are there opportunities for workforce housing along key transit corridors?
• Where does the county have land that could be contributed to high-impact projects?

For more information on Opportunity Zones 2.0 click the registration link.

Register to attend:

05/27/2026

We celebrate small businesses 24/7/365.

May gives us a special reason to showcase a few of the small businesses in the tourism and hospitality space that have chosen St. Mary's County.

Finishing up strong with a visit to Dixon Family Farm ahead of Lavender Days on June 13 & 14, 2026.

Thank you to Commissioner Mike Alderson Jr. for joining the DED and Maryland Small Business Development Center, Southern Region teams for the proclamation!

Visit St. Mary's MD Sydney Garner Liz Mildenstein

05/26/2026

Save the date!

University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering MATRIX Lab is hosting an Industry Open House.

The event will highlight how industry, academia, and government can collaborate through the MATRIX Lab to accelerate innovation, transition technologies, and strengthen the regional ecosystem supporting Navy and DoD priorities.

Event Highlights:
• Morning Session: “Igniting Innovation”
o Keynote & Fireside Chat: Insights from Navy leadership on defining future priorities, followed by a real-world "idea to impact" success story.
o Panel: Practical guidance on navigating federal SBIR/STTR programs, state funding, and opportunities for industry to collaborate with universities.
• Afternoon Session: “Delivering Capability”
o Keynote & Teaming Panel: High-level acquisition priorities, strategic Prime-Sub-Academic collaboration models, and aligning industry R&D with the University of Maryland research thrusts.
• Live Demonstrations & Networking
o Lab Showcases: Explore specialized testing facilities (Water Tunnel, Anechoic Chamber, Advanced Manufacturing Lab, and Omni-Domain Autonomous Systems Testing Space with motion tracking cameras) and meet faculty and student researchers.

05/21/2026

Today we popped in on Double T Oyster Ranch; continuing the celebration of small businesses in St. Mary's County. We were joined by three generations: Rick Meatyard, Amanda Meatyard, and Ivy Smith.

Thank you for choosing St. Mary's County for six generations!

🦪🦪🦪

Liz Mildenstein Kellie Hinkle Maryland Small Business Development Center, Southern Region Visit St. Mary's MD

05/14/2026

Tourism & Hospitality is a strategic industry for St. Mary's County. The NHRA Potomac Nationals is coming to Maryland International Raceway May 29-31st.

Join us for an exclusive meet and greet with NHRA-qualified drivers at The Barns at New Market. Enjoy face-to-face time with your favorite drivers, snap photos, request autographs, and build excitement leading up to the first car hitting the strip.

The event will also feature live music, Chief's - Your Neighborhood Bar food trailer, and more.

This event is proudly sponsored by Visit St. Mary's MD and the St. Mary's County Economic Development.

https://www.visitstmarysmd.com/events/nhra-driver-meet-and-greet/

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05/12/2026

The current ownership of Dennis Point Marina & Campground acquired the business three years ago and has invested time and dollars into infrastructure upgrades across the entire property.

A huge Small Business Month thank you, for choosing St. Mary's County!

05/05/2026

We are kicking off one of our favorite months! Join us in celebrating small businesses in St. Mary's.

We started with a Commissioner proclamation accepted by our Small Business ED Specialist, Emily Lacey and Dr. Frank Clinton our St. Mary's Business Consultant with the Maryland Small Business Development Center, Southern Region.

Follow along this month as we pop in on three of our tourism and hospitality businesses: Dixon Family Farm, Dennis Point Marina & Campground, & Double T Oyster Ranch 🪻🛥🦪

04/23/2026

We cut the ribbon on the new avid Hotel California! ✂️ 🎀

Liz Mildenstein Visit St. Mary's MD St. Mary's County Chamber of Commerce To***co Barn Distillery St. Mary’s Liquid Assets Maryland Small Business Development Center, Southern Region Maryland Department of Commerce University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland Xella Winery and Vineyard BJ Hall Leadership Southern Maryland

04/15/2026

Join the St. Mary's Young Professionals for a FREE event at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. We will have FREE pizza and FREE beverages generously provided by by our sponsor, NFP Aviation Insurance.

Come out and join young professionals living or working in St. Mary's County for some delicious food, drinks and social networking. You'll be able to explore the entire museum dedicated to naval aviation and nearby NAS PAX, as well as the flightline with over 20 full sized naval aircraft!

🍗 🧀🍷 Food will be provided by nearby Nicollettis Pizza.

Event is FREE. Registration encouraged; walk-ups welcome!

Special thanks to NFP Insurance for sponsoring the beverages and the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum for hosting us.

🪪 Bring your business cards - we’ll be raffling off some goodies!
WHO IS CONSIDERED A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL?

We get this question all the time since these events are about providing networking and social opportunities for young professionals in St. Mary's County. While we won’t exclude anyone from participating in any of our groups or events based on age, generally we consider a “young professional” anyone between the ages of 21 and 40 in any career field who is looking to grow, learn and connect with others in the junior (including interns) or mid-levels of their careers. This is an event specifically geared towards this age group to encourage peer networking