Steven Oxman, one of the founders of the Anne Arundel High-Tech Council, now known as the Anne Arundel Tech Council.

By Kara McAndrew

     When high-tech guru Steven Oxman moved to Annapolis from Holland in 1985, he was told that residents and businesses in Anne Arundel County were only interested in tourism and the Chesapeake Bay. Not high-tech.

     After starting his own technology company, Oxko Corp., Oxman noticed there was a significant number of high-tech businesses in the area, particularly in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor.

     “I said, ‘This group of businesses really needs to band together and support each other and try to get business together,’” Oxman said.

     Oxman, with the help of several high-tech business executives in the area, started the Anne Arundel High-Tech Council in 1992. The group is now known as the Anne Arundel Tech Council.

     When the council had its first meeting, Oxman expected 20 or so people would attend. But nearly 50 people came.

     “It was evident to me from the start that this was something that was needed in the area and people were interested,” said Oxman, who is still a member of the council and volunteers for the organization since leaving his post as president in 1995.

     “The whole idea behind the council was to help high-tech companies understand what’s available to them in the state … to help high-tech companies get new business, develop relationships and get money from the state when possible,” Oxman said.

     Now, nearly 15 years later, the nonprofit organization has more than 200-member companies, which range in size from one-person firms to companies with several thousand employees, such as the National Security Agency and Lockheed Martin.

     Most of the council’s members are tech companies, however some service companies with tech expertise are members as well, including law firms, accounting firms and marketing companies.

     “The council has become a unifying force for companies both small and large to help promote their own businesses,” said Mark Powell, president of the Anne Arundel Tech Council. “It’s been extremely successful and I think it will continue to be.”

     Right now, the council is primarily focused on two things: educational programming and technology, Powell said. It has evolved significantly in recent years due to support from sponsorships, as well as the quality of its events and programs, he said.

     In fact, the council is supported by a $20,000 grant from the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. The tech council also received a $20,000 sponsorship from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, said Laura Willoughby, executive director of the Anne Arundel Tech Council, in an e-mail.

     Membership costs are based on the company’s number of employees and range from $150 to $1,000 annually, she said.

     “There is quite an economy in this area for high-tech,” Oxman said. “It’s not tourism, but it’s pretty powerful.”

     Oxman is now focused on bringing the benefits of a tech council to another part of the Corridor.

     Prince George’s County has a small high-tech council, which has not taken off yet, he said.

     “I have been trying to help them. It has not worked yet, but I will not give up,” he added. “I want to try to rebuild them, to resurrect them.”

     He is especially drawn to Prince George’s County because Oxko Corp. is based in Landover.

     Oxman plans to meet with some technology experts in Prince George’s County in the near future to discuss how he could play a role in the county’s tech council.

     The Corridor has other thriving tech councils that cater to the region’s tech community.

     For instance, the Tech Council of Maryland in Rockville has about 500-member companies representing 170,000 technology professionals throughout the state. It has many of the same goals as the Anne Arundel Tech Council.

     The councils work together when the opportunity arises, said Rick Harris, a spokesman for the Tech Council of Maryland.

     Most companies are interested in growing the state’s industry, instead of only their particular business, he added.

     “So, businesses come in and work together for the greater good of the industry,” Harris said. “It makes sense that we work together with other tech councils to promote the industry. It benefits our members and helps us serve them better because it draws more attention to the tech industry.”

     Steve Kozak, executive director of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council, agreed.

     “We do work with other councils in the area,” he said. “We talk and share information and it’s really a great complement for us.”

     “We look for opportunities to partner when we can,” Kozak said of the council, which has members throughout the Corridor.

     In fact, the state has started pushing the councils to work together more frequently, Harris said.

     “As we move to more of a tech economy here in Maryland, it will benefit tech companies to work together so they will have more input on legislative matters,” said Aris Melissaratos, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

     “The more these councils work together and speak as a single voice, the better chance they have to push their legislative agenda,” he said.  <

     Kara McAndrew is a contributing writer in Silver Spring, Md.

     Photo by Lisa Helfert