Harford County officials will flock north later this week in hopes of convincing employees at Fort Monmouth, N.J., to follow their jobs when they are moved to Aberdeen Proving Ground during the next few years.
Representatives from the state, county and all three municipalities (Bel Air, Aberdeen and Havre de Grace) will attend a “Relocation Fair” sponsored by Fort Monmouth from Wednesday through Saturday, promoting the region to government and defense industry employees whose jobs will be moved to Aberdeen as part of the Base Realignment and Closing process. Local officials will also be there to learn what employees want from the county and what resources they?ll be bringing with them. Representatives from Cecil and Baltimore counties willalso attend.
“They?ve asked us to come up so we can tout the region and show people what life here is like,” said Denise Carnaggio, technology development manager for the county?s Office of Economic Development. “We?ll really just be there to answer all their questions: ?Where can I live? Where can my kids go to school??” Close to 8,200 on-base jobs are scheduled to be moved to Aberdeen by 2011, coming mainly from New Jersey and Northern Virginia. The fair will allow local officials and prospective employees alike to learn about what each has to offer, said Susquehanna Workforce Network Director Bruce England.
As New Jersey residents find out more about Maryland?s housing, education and business, Harford?s representatives can learn about what kind of homes, jobs and resources the Fort Monmouth employees are looking for ? and what personal expertise they can offer the region.
“We want to find out a little about their businesses, if they?re contractors with the [Department of Defense], said county Chamber of Commerce President Bill Seccurro. During the LPGA golf tournament in Havre de Grace, county officials made contact with 25 different defense companies currently related to Fort Monmouth, and many expressed interest in opening satellite offices or new headquarters in the region, Carnaggio said.
