From agriculture and manufacturing to military contracting and natural gas production, Maryland's economy is diverse.
And it is this broad spectrum of enterprising activity -- which also encompasses the offices of 21 federal government agencies in Montgomery County and the services performed at the Port of Baltimore -- that continues to allow Maryland to weather the national economic recession better than most states.
"We have one of the most educated workforces in the country," said Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele. "And this is not just a result of being close to the federal government. It's in the private sector, too. We are becoming a hub for biotechnology.
"We have a very unique blend of academic and business cultures that stimulate the economy."
But this synergy does not apply solely to educated workers, Steele said.
"If you are an entrepreneur, there are a wide variety of distinctive opportunities for men and women who have a strong desire to move to Maryland to succeed."
Here is a list of Maryland's top 25 public and private employers, ranked by number of in-state workers -- many of whom are based in the Baltimore region and help contribute to the metropolitan area's diverse economy.
1. Giant Food Inc.: 27,000
Founded in 1936 in the District of Columbia, Giant Food is now a member of the international Royal Ahold grocery chain. Giant serves the Baltimore/Washington market area and the Delaware Valley regions of New Jersey and Delaware.
6400 Sheriff Road
Landover, Md. 20785
Phone: 310-341-4100
www.giantfood.com
2a. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions: 22,000
One of the nation's premier providers of health-care services, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions include: The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Kennedy Krieger Institute.
600 N. Wolfe St.
Baltimore, Md. 21287
Phone: 410-955-5000
www.hopkinsmedicine.org
2b. MedStar Health: 22,000
MedStar Health is a non-profit, community-based organization that provides hospital and health-care services in Baltimore and Washington. It includes Good Samaritan Hospital and Union Memorial Hospital.
5565 Sterrett Place, 5th Floor
Columbia, Md. 21044
Phone: 410-772-6500
www.medstarhealth.org
2c. Black & Decker Corp.: 22,000
One of the nation's largest makers of power tools and small home appliances, Black & Decker developed the first power drill in 1915.
701 E. Joppa Road
Towson, Md. 21286
Phone: 410-716-3900
www.blackanddecker.com
3. Johns Hopkins University: 15,759
Founded in 1876, the Johns Hopkins University is a top educational institution specializing in medical and research fields. In addition to academic facilities throughout Maryland and D.C., Hopkins also has operations in Nanjing, China, and Bologna and Florence, Italy.
3400 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Md. 21218
Phone: 410-516-8000
www.jhu.edu
4. Verizon Inc.: 14,000
Verizon, formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is among the nation's largest providers of telecommunications services.
1 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore, Md. 21201
Phone: 800-843-2255
www.verizon.com
5. Northrop Grumman Corp.: 11,000
Northrop Grumman, a global defense enterprise, serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.
1745 Nursery Road
Linthicum, Md. 21090
Phone: 410-765-1000
www.northgrum.com
6. Constellation Energy Group Inc.: 8,700
This Baltimore-based Fortune 500 company's subsidiaries include Baltimore Gas & Electric Inc.
750 East Pratt St.
Baltimore, Md. 21202
Phone: 410-783-2800
www.constellation.com
7. McCormick & Co.: 8,000
McCormick -- founded in 1889 -- provides spices, seasonings and food flavorings to retail outlets, food service providers and food processing businesses.
18 Loveton Circle
Sparks, Md. 21152
Phone: 410-771-7301
www.mccormick.com
8. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: 7,286
Wal-Mart is the nation's largest retailer with approximately 3,500 stores and offices across the country, more than 1,000 stores internationally and 1.1 million domestic employees.
702 S.W. Eighth St.
Bentonville, Ark. 72712
Phone: 800-925-6278
www.wal-mart.com
9. United Parcel Service Inc.: 6,945
Founded in 1907 in Seattle, Wash., UPS is the largest provider of package-delivery services around the world.
55 Glenlake Parkway, N.E.
Atlanta, Ga. 30328
Phone: 800-833-0056
www.ups.com
10. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: 6,500
Maryland's largest health insurer is a not-for-profit company that serves the mid-Atlantic region.
10455 Mill Run Circle
Owings Mills, Md. 21117
Phone: 410-581-3000
www.carefirst.com
11. W.R. Grace & Co.: 6,300
W.R. Grace is a diversified manufacturing company specializing in silica, construction and container products.
7500 Grace Drive
Columbia, Md. 21044
Phone: 410-531-4000
www.grace.com
12. University of Maryland Medical System: 6,162
The University of Maryland Medical System offers patient services and programs designed to meet the health needs of the community. The system includes: Kernan Hospital, The University of Maryland Specialty Hospital and The University of Maryland Medical Center.
22 South Greene St.
Baltimore, Md. 21201
Phone: 410-328-8667
www.umm.edu
13. Safeway Inc.: 6,000
Incorporated in 1986, Safeway operates grocery stores under a variety of names around the nation. A gas station opened at its Perry Hall store in 2003, making it the company's fifth location nationwide -- and first in the Baltimore area -- to offer customers food and fuel in one shopping stop.
5918 Stoneridge Mall Road
Pleasanton, Calif. 94588-3229
Phone: 925-467-3000
www.safeway.com
14. LifeBridge Health: 5,691
LifeBridge Health provides health-care services to the Baltimore metropolitan area. It includes: Northwest Hospital, Sinai Hospital and Children's Hospital at Sinai.
2401 W. Belvedere Ave.
Baltimore, Md. 21215
Phone: 410-601-9000
www.lifebridgehealth.com
15. Sears, Roebuck & Co.: 5,483
Founded in 1886 when a Chicago jewelry company shipped several gold-filled watches to a jeweler in Minnesota, Sears now has 872 full-line stores, including 21 in Maryland, and approximately 1,300 specialty outlets in the United States. The retailer also has a Canadian division and owns the Land's End Inc. chain.
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, Ill. 60179
Phone: 847-286-7385
www.sears.com
16. Legg Mason Inc.: 5,300
Legg Mason is a global financial-services company. Its core businesses are investment advisory services, securities brokerage and capital markets.
100 Light St.
Baltimore, Md. 21202
Phone: 410-539-0000
www.leggmason.com
17. Magellan Health Services Inc.: 4,800
Magellan Health Services provides managed care and employee assistance program services.
6940 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, Md. 21046
Phone: 410-423-6600
www.magellanhealth.com
18. Bank of America Corp.: 4,000
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Bank of America is the nation's largest banking company, with operations around the world. The company, founded in 1968, has U.S. operations in Maryland and in 21 other states, as well as in the District of Columbia.
201 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Md. 21201
Phone: 410-385-8310
www.bankofamerica.com
19. T. Rowe Price Group Inc.: 3,682
Founded in Baltimore in 1937, T. Rowe Price is a financial-services company that has become one of the largest and most successful investment management firms in the world.
100 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore, Md. 21202
Phone: 410-345-2000
www.troweprice.com
20. Mercantile Bankshares Corp.: 3,325
Founded in 1969, Mercantile Bankshares has operations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
2 Hopkins Plaza
Baltimore, Md. 21201
Phone: 410-237-5900
www.mercantile.com
21. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.: 3,221
Sinclair Broadcast is a diversified television broadcasting company. It owns and operates programs or provides sales services to 62 TV stations in 39 markets, including WBFF and WNUV in Baltimore.
10706 Beaver Dam Road
Hunt Valley, Md. 21030
Phone: 410-568-1500
www.sbgi.net
22a. Greater Baltimore Medical Center Healthcare Inc.: 3,200
This health-care services provider serves Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Carroll and Harford counties, Baltimore City and Southern Pennsylvania. Its facilities include: Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Physicians Pavilion East and West, Hospice of Baltimore County, Hospice of Howard County, Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care, Physicians Pavilion in Owings Mills and Weinberg Community Health Center.
6701 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Md. 21204
Phone: 443-849-2000
www.gbmc.org
22b. International Business Machines Corp.: 3,200
Founded in 1911, IBM has refashioned itself from a maker of computing machines to a provider and developer of advanced technology services for a variety of industries.
100 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore, Md. 21202
Phone: 877-826-4357
www.ibm.com
23. The Rouse Co.: 3,081
Founded in 1939, the commercial real estate developer operates communities such as Columbia and Cross Keys.
10275 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, Md. 21044
Phone: 410-992-6000
www.therousecompany.com
24. M&T Bank Corp.: 2,810
The nation's 18th-largest banking company, M&T Bank is based in Buffalo, N.Y. M&T has a $75 million licensing deal with the Ravens, whose stadium will be called M&T Bank Stadium until 2018.
25 S. Charles St.
Baltimore, Md. 21201
Phone: 800-724-2440
www.mandtbank.com
25. Micros Systems Inc.: 2,749
Micros Systems is a technology-services developer for the service and entertainment industries.
7031 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, Md. 21046
Phone: 443-285-6000
www.micros.com
Advertisement