ARTICLE
Guest Comment: Prince George’s remains best location for FBI The Prince George’s and Montgomery County chambers of commerce reaffirm that Prince George’s County is the optimal location in suburban Maryland for the FBI headquarters. We encourage the GSA to expedite the decision to choose Maryland. Both Maryland and Virginia have assets that work to the FBI’s advantage. But what sets Maryland apart as the better choice is our specialized talent pool. We have more cybersecurity talent than any other state in the country. As we recently saw with Marriott, employers locate where the talent is. The GSA is currently considering three locations for a new FBI headquarters. In Maryland, we grow and attract top talent. Our universities and robust government contracting community already support federal assets such as the National Security Agency in Anne Arundel County. New initiatives such as the Maryland Academy for Innovation and National Security of the University System of Maryland continue to develop the talent the FBI needs to succeed. In a competitive region such as Greater Washington, attracting next-generation top talent is a challenge. Maryland and Prince George’s offer a desirable quality of life through outstanding parks, transportation infrastructure (Prince George’s has 16 Metro sites, an Amtrak hub and close proximity to BWI Marshall Airport) and housing that is affordable to the next generation of talent. Prince George’s is at the epicenter of regional development with an internationally renowned University of Maryland, a new regional hospital in the works and National Harbor, a national tourist attraction. It is also home to many state and federal offices. MGM is set to hire over 5,000 employees and Montgomery is creating a new global gateway science center that will rival any development in the region. The next generation of top talent will continue to look to Maryland as a place to start, grow and expand a career because there is access to opportunity to flourish professionally and personally. Maryland is the right choice for the new FBI headquarters. Georgette “Gigi” Godwin is CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. David C. Harrington is CEO of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce. The Guest Commentary originally appeared in the Washington Business Journal on December 8, 2016. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/12/08/guest-comment-prince-george-s-remains-best.html