Tech business showdown: West Virginia lawmaker prospects Maryland businesses with letter
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‘We are open for business’: West Virginia lawmaker attempts to lure Md. tech companies
West Virginia House Economic Development Committee chairman Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral County, wrote in a letter to targeted Maryland technology companies that his state’s defense and technology ecosystem is thriving compared to their home state. “We are one of the top destinations now for business. We have made a lot of changes in the past roughly fifteen years to make us more business-friendly state,” Del. Howell said. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore took to social media to share multiple posts from individuals interested in relocating to his state, including “I would love to move to Maryland,’” an Instagram user said. The Maryland business that provided Spotlight on Maryland with a copy of the letter requested that it not be identified because it is considering all available options to ensure the welfare of its organization.“The interesting thing is [businesses that receive my letter] have been passing it around to businesses I didn’t send the letter to,“ Del. Howell said. ‘Hey, we’ve heard about your letter. What places do you have? What can you offer?’
West Virginia House Economic Development Committee chairman Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral County, wrote in a letter to targeted Maryland technology companies, which Spotlight on Maryland obtained on Tuesday, that his state’s defense and technology ecosystem is thriving compared to their home state.
I recently read about the challenges [your company] is facing due to Maryland’s new 3% sales tax on information technology services,” Del. Howell wrote. “Understanding the significant impact this may have on your operation, I would like to extend an invitation to consider Mineral County, West Virginia, as a strategic location for your company’s future growth and success.”
The Maryland business that provided Spotlight on Maryland with a copy of Del. Howell’s letter requested that it not be identified because it is considering all available options to ensure the welfare of its organization.
During a Zoom interview on Tuesday afternoon, Spotlight on Maryland spoke with Del. Howell about the letter that was obtained.
“We are open for business,” said the West Virginia Republican. “We are one of the top destinations now for business. We have made a lot of changes in the past roughly fifteen years to make us more business-friendly state.”
We’d like to say we move at the speed of business,” Del. Howell added.
While West Virginia continues to experience a population decline since its peak of two million residents in 1950, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that most of the recent losses are attributed to more people dying in the state than being born.
The same federal dataset showed that West Virginia has experienced a net positive increase in migration over the past three years.
RELATED |
Meanwhile, Maryland’s showed a slight increase in residents by the end of 2024, mainly driven by an influx of 53,100 international immigrants, leading to a net gain of 46,158 individuals. Census data revealed that 18,509 more people left Maryland than moved into the state, while there were 11,604 more births than deaths compared to 2023 figures.
“The interesting thing is [businesses that receive my letter] have been passing it around to businesses I didn’t send the letter to,” Del. Howell said. “Several businesses reached out, said ‘Hey, we’ve heard about your letter. What places do you have? What can you offer?’”
Del. Howell’s recruitment letter to Maryland technology businesses, which he said he started sending in early April, invited corporate executives to meet with West Virginia leaders to help with relocation efforts.
“West Virginia offers a pro-business climate with no digital services tax, allowing technology companies to operate without additional financial burdens,” Del. Howell wrote. “[West Virginia also provides] stable and affordable energy costs, with Mineral County served by FirstEnergy, ensuring predictable utility expenses.”
Spotlight on Maryland asked the lawmaker what he believes makes West Virginia more appealing regarding electricity access.
A lot of people think of us as a coal state, but the reality is we are now a bigger natural gas state than we are a coal state, but we do wind turbines, we do solar, we do hydro, we do it all,” Del. Howell said. “We export 40% of the power that we generate.”
PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator for the Mid-Atlantic states, including West Virginia and Maryland, has repeatedly said that Maryland imports at least 40% of its energy from neighboring states.
“Our utility rates are cheaper, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we are an all-of-the-above state, so we can offer a lot of these companies that want to move here, especially data centers…we have four to them looking into the state right now,” Del. Howell said.
Gov. Moore took to social media to share multiple posts from individuals reportedly interested in relocating to Maryland. Dubbed “Moore Comments, in a on X from Sunday, the governor wrote, “Maryland’s becoming a more attractive place for people to move, but don’t just take my word for it.”
“I would love to move to Maryland. In the process of looking for a job and my residence,” said Aoah, an Instagram user. “I definitely love the leadership of this governor.”
Spotlight on Maryland sent multiple questions on Tuesday to Gov. Moore’s office, including:
What is the governor’s reaction to neighboring states sending prospecting letters to Maryland businesses, highlighting how their state does not enforce the energy and tax policies that Gov. Moore has signed and championed?
Is the governor concerned about losing businesses to surrounding states?
How many businesses have left the state of Maryland in the last 24 months?
What does Gov. Moore believe contributed to increased business applications with planned wages in Delaware and Washington, D.C., when comparing figures from 2023 and 2024?
Carter Elliott, spokesperson for Gov. Moore, responded without directly answering the questions posed.
After years of economic stagnation, it was clear Maryland had much to accomplish to undo the economic underperformance seen from 2017 to 2022. During that time, Maryland’s economy flatlined while the rest of the country grew,” Elliott said. “In just two years, Maryland has added nearly 100,000 jobs, more jobs than the previous eight years.”
“The Moore-Miller administration has created over 25,000 new places of business and is creating about 30% more new establishments each month than in 2019, right before the pandemic. That’s stronger growth than the rest of the country for the same period,” Elliott added.
Monthly published by the U.S. Department of Commerce showed that Maryland received 12.27% fewer new business applications from companies with planned wages when comparing the numbers from 2023 to those for 2024.
Federal data showed Maryland received 11,677 applications in 2023, compared to 10,244 applications from new businesses seeking to apply with planned wages.
During the same annual period, business applications with planned wages increased by 13.94% in Delaware and by 2.26% in Washington, D.C.
“I think [Gov. Moore] needs to look deep at what laws are passed out of the legislature and what he is signing,” Del. Howell said. “When you look at it law-for-law, permit-for-permit, regulation-for-regulation, West Virginia hands down is beating them left and right.”
“High-taxed states, high-regulation states like Maryland are the reason why West Virginia is starting to grow again, and why people are moving across the border,” Del. Howell added.
Follow with Spotlight on Maryland on X. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to .
Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
‘We are open for business’: West Virginia lawmaker attempts to lure Md. tech companies
West Virginia House Economic Development Committee chairman Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral County, wrote in a letter to targeted Maryland technology companies that his state’s defense and technology ecosystem is thriving compared to their home state. “We are one of the top destinations now for business. We have made a lot of changes in the past roughly fifteen years to make us more business-friendly state,” Del. Howell said. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore took to social media to share multiple posts from individuals interested in relocating to his state, including “I would love to move to Maryland,’” an Instagram user said. The Maryland business that provided Spotlight on Maryland with a copy of the letter requested that it not be identified because it is considering all available options to ensure the welfare of its organization.“The interesting thing is [businesses that receive my letter] have been passing it around to businesses I didn’t send the letter to,“ Del. Howell said. ‘Hey, we’ve heard about your letter. What places do you have? What can you offer?’
West Virginia House Economic Development Committee chairman Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral County, wrote in a letter to targeted Maryland technology companies, which Spotlight on Maryland obtained on Tuesday, that his state’s defense and technology ecosystem is thriving compared to their home state.
I recently read about the challenges [your company] is facing due to Maryland’s new 3% sales tax on information technology services,” Del. Howell wrote. “Understanding the significant impact this may have on your operation, I would like to extend an invitation to consider Mineral County, West Virginia, as a strategic location for your company’s future growth and success.”
The Maryland business that provided Spotlight on Maryland with a copy of Del. Howell’s letter requested that it not be identified because it is considering all available options to ensure the welfare of its organization.
During a Zoom interview on Tuesday afternoon, Spotlight on Maryland spoke with Del. Howell about the letter that was obtained.
“We are open for business,” said the West Virginia Republican. “We are one of the top destinations now for business. We have made a lot of changes in the past roughly fifteen years to make us more business-friendly state.”
We’d like to say we move at the speed of business,” Del. Howell added.
While West Virginia continues to experience a population decline since its peak of two million residents in 1950, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that most of the recent losses are attributed to more people dying in the state than being born.
The same federal dataset showed that West Virginia has experienced a net positive increase in migration over the past three years.
RELATED |
Meanwhile, Maryland’s showed a slight increase in residents by the end of 2024, mainly driven by an influx of 53,100 international immigrants, leading to a net gain of 46,158 individuals. Census data revealed that 18,509 more people left Maryland than moved into the state, while there were 11,604 more births than deaths compared to 2023 figures.
“The interesting thing is [businesses that receive my letter] have been passing it around to businesses I didn’t send the letter to,” Del. Howell said. “Several businesses reached out, said ‘Hey, we’ve heard about your letter. What places do you have? What can you offer?’”
Del. Howell’s recruitment letter to Maryland technology businesses, which he said he started sending in early April, invited corporate executives to meet with West Virginia leaders to help with relocation efforts.
“West Virginia offers a pro-business climate with no digital services tax, allowing technology companies to operate without additional financial burdens,” Del. Howell wrote. “[West Virginia also provides] stable and affordable energy costs, with Mineral County served by FirstEnergy, ensuring predictable utility expenses.”
Spotlight on Maryland asked the lawmaker what he believes makes West Virginia more appealing regarding electricity access.
A lot of people think of us as a coal state, but the reality is we are now a bigger natural gas state than we are a coal state, but we do wind turbines, we do solar, we do hydro, we do it all,” Del. Howell said. “We export 40% of the power that we generate.”
PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator for the Mid-Atlantic states, including West Virginia and Maryland, has repeatedly said that Maryland imports at least 40% of its energy from neighboring states.
“Our utility rates are cheaper, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we are an all-of-the-above state, so we can offer a lot of these companies that want to move here, especially data centers…we have four to them looking into the state right now,” Del. Howell said.
Gov. Moore took to social media to share multiple posts from individuals reportedly interested in relocating to Maryland. Dubbed “Moore Comments, in a on X from Sunday, the governor wrote, “Maryland’s becoming a more attractive place for people to move, but don’t just take my word for it.”
“I would love to move to Maryland. In the process of looking for a job and my residence,” said Aoah, an Instagram user. “I definitely love the leadership of this governor.”
Spotlight on Maryland sent multiple questions on Tuesday to Gov. Moore’s office, including:
What is the governor’s reaction to neighboring states sending prospecting letters to Maryland businesses, highlighting how their state does not enforce the energy and tax policies that Gov. Moore has signed and championed?
Is the governor concerned about losing businesses to surrounding states?
How many businesses have left the state of Maryland in the last 24 months?
What does Gov. Moore believe contributed to increased business applications with planned wages in Delaware and Washington, D.C., when comparing figures from 2023 and 2024?
Carter Elliott, spokesperson for Gov. Moore, responded without directly answering the questions posed.
After years of economic stagnation, it was clear Maryland had much to accomplish to undo the economic underperformance seen from 2017 to 2022. During that time, Maryland’s economy flatlined while the rest of the country grew,” Elliott said. “In just two years, Maryland has added nearly 100,000 jobs, more jobs than the previous eight years.”
“The Moore-Miller administration has created over 25,000 new places of business and is creating about 30% more new establishments each month than in 2019, right before the pandemic. That’s stronger growth than the rest of the country for the same period,” Elliott added.
Monthly published by the U.S. Department of Commerce showed that Maryland received 12.27% fewer new business applications from companies with planned wages when comparing the numbers from 2023 to those for 2024.
Federal data showed Maryland received 11,677 applications in 2023, compared to 10,244 applications from new businesses seeking to apply with planned wages.
During the same annual period, business applications with planned wages increased by 13.94% in Delaware and by 2.26% in Washington, D.C.
“I think [Gov. Moore] needs to look deep at what laws are passed out of the legislature and what he is signing,” Del. Howell said. “When you look at it law-for-law, permit-for-permit, regulation-for-regulation, West Virginia hands down is beating them left and right.”
“High-taxed states, high-regulation states like Maryland are the reason why West Virginia is starting to grow again, and why people are moving across the border,” Del. Howell added.
Follow with Spotlight on Maryland on X. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to .
Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.