Prince George’s has the most new businesses of any Maryland county – what’s behind the surge?

By James Matheson Prince George’s County has long been considered the poor step-sibling of the Washington area’s more affluent and business-savvy counties. But that image is starting to change as the county becomes an increasingly attractive location for new companies, including many that are developing innovative products and services. Business leaders say the county is seeing growth in many types of companies, including high technology, cybersecurity and bio-health firms. Some of the new firms are offspring of business incubators and entrepreneurial support centers at the University of Maryland, Bowie State University and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, according to the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp. Prince George’s, which has a large minority population, is also seeing a spurt in the number of African American and Latino owned business, which range from government contractors and business service providers to small mom-and-pop retail companies. Jennifer Rios, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Prince George’s County, described what she called a “surge” in new businesses in the past few years, including many owned by Latino immigrants. A study by the American Immigration Council found that immigrants in the county are 30 percent more likely to start a business when compared...