(July 7, 2016) A lot more goes into launching a new business, product or service than simply hanging an “open” sign on the door, or uploading a product onto an online marketplace, and one of the only places on the lower shore to access that kind of help is at the Worcester County Small Business and Technology Incubator in Pocomoke City.
Located at the industrial park, and already housing a few startups, the incubator is a public/private partnership forged between entrepreneur David Landsberger and county government.
Landsberger, the former owner of two businesses with factories in Pocomoke City, Bel-Art Products and Ricca Chemicals, operates as a kind of mentor-in-residence at the incubator.
“For four or five years I’d heard complaints that there was no way to do it, so I figured I’d do it,” he said.
Eventually divesting himself of Ricca and Bel-Art, Landsberger divides his time between semi-retirement and working at the facility, which he also owns.
“I believe in this area. Pocomoke City and the state have been good to me, and I’ve made a lot of money. Now I’m giving some of it back,” he said. “My objective is to get the tenants big enough so they can go out on their own.”
Which occasionally means reaching into his own pockets.
“I’ve invested in two of the five businesses there. I work with all of them on a daily basis, and I would like to add more offices,” Landsberger said. “I’ve got enough space to add about 10,000 square feet if there’s demand for it, but right now I have 2,000 square feet of warehouse space left I can subdivide.”
Each tenant has their own space, but is also connected to the other tenants via a shared meeting area. The tenants’ businesses don’t interact with each other competitively, so they are free to collaborate on general issues. For the bigger problems, Landsberger is nearby to offer a helping hand.
“For years David Landsberger has been an integral part of the southern Worcester community, and had a lot to do with mentoring,” Economic Development Director Merry Mears said. “He said to [former director] Bill Badger and I that he knew we wanted an incubator and he was going to build one.”
In return, he asked for help finding tenants.
Later, a familiar issue came up: high-speed internet access.
“There’s always been an issue with the internet,” Mears said. “There’s fiber optic cable virtually across the street.”
It’s a familiar problem on the lower shore. Large providers will run the cable providing access to more populated regions, but the so-called “last mile” between those lines and the homes, offices and buildings physically close to them can’t access them.
Mears explained Landsberger felt high-speed internet was a requirement for the incubator, and offered to tap into the line on his own dime. The county picks up the tab for the access, she said.
“In many areas incubators are funded by the government, but we don’t have the budget to do that here. Worcester likes to do things through private investment,” she said.
This time, the sky may not be the limit, but it is the goal.
“With NASA only 15 minutes away, I think we’re positioned well to grow the south end of the county,” Mears said. “We’ll be having those conversations.”
Earlier this year, the Baltimore Business Journal named the Worcester County Small Business and Technology Incubator as one of the top 20 in the state.
Located at the industrial park, and already housing a few startups, the incubator is a public/private partnership forged between entrepreneur David Landsberger and county government.
Landsberger, the former owner of two businesses with factories in Pocomoke City, Bel-Art Products and Ricca Chemicals, operates as a kind of mentor-in-residence at the incubator.
“For four or five years I’d heard complaints that there was no way to do it, so I figured I’d do it,” he said.
Eventually divesting himself of Ricca and Bel-Art, Landsberger divides his time between semi-retirement and working at the facility, which he also owns.
“I believe in this area. Pocomoke City and the state have been good to me, and I’ve made a lot of money. Now I’m giving some of it back,” he said. “My objective is to get the tenants big enough so they can go out on their own.”
Which occasionally means reaching into his own pockets.
“I’ve invested in two of the five businesses there. I work with all of them on a daily basis, and I would like to add more offices,” Landsberger said. “I’ve got enough space to add about 10,000 square feet if there’s demand for it, but right now I have 2,000 square feet of warehouse space left I can subdivide.”
Each tenant has their own space, but is also connected to the other tenants via a shared meeting area. The tenants’ businesses don’t interact with each other competitively, so they are free to collaborate on general issues. For the bigger problems, Landsberger is nearby to offer a helping hand.
“For years David Landsberger has been an integral part of the southern Worcester community, and had a lot to do with mentoring,” Economic Development Director Merry Mears said. “He said to [former director] Bill Badger and I that he knew we wanted an incubator and he was going to build one.”
In return, he asked for help finding tenants.
Later, a familiar issue came up: high-speed internet access.
“There’s always been an issue with the internet,” Mears said. “There’s fiber optic cable virtually across the street.”
It’s a familiar problem on the lower shore. Large providers will run the cable providing access to more populated regions, but the so-called “last mile” between those lines and the homes, offices and buildings physically close to them can’t access them.
Mears explained Landsberger felt high-speed internet was a requirement for the incubator, and offered to tap into the line on his own dime. The county picks up the tab for the access, she said.
“In many areas incubators are funded by the government, but we don’t have the budget to do that here. Worcester likes to do things through private investment,” she said.
This time, the sky may not be the limit, but it is the goal.
“With NASA only 15 minutes away, I think we’re positioned well to grow the south end of the county,” Mears said. “We’ll be having those conversations.”
Earlier this year, the Baltimore Business Journal named the Worcester County Small Business and Technology Incubator as one of the top 20 in the state.