Winning by Losing?

When Northrop Grumman chose Northern Virginia over Maryland for it’s coporate headquarters earlier this year, many laid the blame for the loss at the feet of Martin O’Malley. In a Letter to the Editor in last weeks Baltimore Business Journal, the retired Chairman and CEO of another large defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, defended the governor and the incentive package he put together.

Norman R. Augustine, who retired from Lockheed in 1997, was the leader of the CEO Work Group “charged with helping to attract the aerospace and defense giant here…”

“Not only did Maryland put forth a very competitive financing package in conjunction with Montgomery County, but to strengthen the state’s case to Northrop Grumman, Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development brought together Team Maryland, a unified non-partisan group that included congressional leaders, state, county and legistlative partners, and some of Maryland’s top business leaders.”

“During my career, I cannot recall witnessing any such effort that was more thorough or better coordinated than this one.”

That’s a pretty strong statement from a heavy hitter like Mr. Augustine.

Despite ultimately losing out to Virginia, Augustine still thinks the state benefited from the excerise.

“…Maryland now has in place a coordinated strategy that will help the state attract more companies and create more jobs…”

I sure hope he’s right.