Major Employers

Howard County boasts a thriving landscape for foreign investments. Japanese-owned Shimadzu Scientific Instruments has maintained its American subsidiary in Columbia since 1975 and further expanded in 2019 with a 5,000 square-foot office dedicated to analytical instrument design and support. The company completed an additional expansion in 2024, welcoming a new R&D center that will house scientists and mechanical and design engineers. Since the early 2000s, Nestle Dreyer Grand Ice Cream has built world-wide recognition with its presence in Laurel, MD. More recently, BTS Biogas — an Italian-owned food waste-to-energy company — initiated an up to $40 million investment for their international headquarters at the Maryland Food Center Authority in Jessup. Our Maryland Innovation Center (MIC) also offers a Soft Landing Program that gives international businesses access to scalable offices, business counseling for visas and permits, and legal and financial planning — all in an environment conducive to forging connections within the private and public sectors.

A dynamic focus on workforce development sets Howard County apart, with several agencies providing innovative training solutions to talent. The Howard County Workforce Development provides specialized recruitment services and tailor-made training programs at three centers across the county, while the Maryland Department of Labor’s Workforce Exchange further enriches the landscape by offering a comprehensive searchable database of candidates and training providers, as well as customizable learning pathways for existing and prospective employees.