So National Public Radio (NPR) says they aren’t coming to Silver Spring, big deal…I’m not sweating it because it really wasn’t about NPR in first place. Replace NPR with ‘X’ organization and you would have seen that logo on my homemade petition banner.

Let’s not forget that ten years ago any recognizable firm would have been hard pressed to consider Silver Spring as a place to relocate willingly without being lured, so for the battle to come down to Silver Spring and D.C., excluding places in Virginia is a major victory in itself. It wouldn’t be the first time Silver Spring has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. There are a host of organizations that have left D.C. recently for Silver Spring. AFI (American Film Institute), World Space (a satellite radio company), indirectly TV One and the American Nurses Association. But Silver Spring should move beyond musical chairs.

In retrospect, it was really about Montgomery County and the State of Maryland getting on the ball when something like this comes their way. And I am happy to witness a rarity in Montgomery County politics, a consensus by the political parties involved to pursue an organization rather swiftly. Of course only after a little nudge. Let’s not forget the undeniable support of the Silver Spring and Maryland community that flooded NPR’s and the County’s inboxes with letters of support. They did a wonderful job.

The zoning text amendment to raise building heights to 200’ft in the Ripley and South Silver Spring districts and a $32 million incentive package, not to forget an additional $18 million parking garage is the result of quick action, taken by the County Council and department of Business and Economic Development at the County and state level. Almost everyone was on board.

It really does no good when politicians say that they don’t want companies moving to Montgomery County. The damage caused by sending such a message even if you didn’t want them won’t stop there; it could hurt your chances when another opportunity arrives. Also, indecisive, wishy washy, on the fence attitudes can be just as bad. Whatever happened the rule that says if you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all?

Montgomery County is a great one and I’m not just saying that because I live here. A Comparative analysis against similar jurisdictions shows that Montgomery has all the right stuff. It’s one of the top 10 wealthiest in the Country, an assortment of large companies across a wide range of industries under its belt, including the largest initial and continuous private/publicly traded company in the region. The County has a highly regarded school system, and highly educated work force at least in the top three if not #1 in the Country.

The county includes a diverse demographic that outdoes places like Los Angeles County and Miami-Dade County.

The physical environment is also astounding in a wide spectrum of land uses. On one end nearly half the County is undeveloped and preserved, in the middle are planned town centers following the rules of “New Urbanism” and on the other end are Urban Districts like Silver Spring and Bethesda with such economic strength that they could rival some major city cores with densities and mass transit use that surpass places like Pasadena and Santa Monica, California.

If you want it Montgomery probably has it. Again, the County has the right stuff, nothing to sneeze at.

But the region overall has seen some bad economic news lately, particularly Northern Virginia with the loss of Sprint/Nextel from Reston to Overland Park, Kansas. Sprint/Nextel was the largest publicly traded firm from conception in the commonwealth. Just a few months ago it was AOL that put the final nail in the coffin and left Virginia for New York. Recently Celera Genomics, a midsized but recognizable Rockville based biotech that played a major role in the mapping of Human Genome, decided that it would call California home. And word on the street (as predicted) is that Marriott International is looking for somewhere new to call home, rumors range from Baltimore to Atlanta, Georgia.

If the State and County can find $50 Million dollars in incentives to court NPR, then I wonder what else they can do. Most of the time the State and County are on the defensive, trying to retain companies and giving out huge monetary incentives to keep them here.

The state has a stellar incubator network that builds loyalty and stability but where is the effort by the Departments of Business and Economic Development, the Governor, the County Executive to pursue and court companies not only outside this state but outside this region, instead of getting in a bidding war with D.C.? We should be focused on getting fresh blood into the region and mending the wounds between us.

I can’t recall the last time a fairly sized firm was courted to move a headquarters to Maryland from outside the immediate area on the backs of the efforts of the State and County. Considering Montgomery County’s dept of Business and Economic Development is highest funded in the D.C. area.

In my humble opinion, I would prefer to see $50 million spent luring several midsized firms from California and New York to Maryland. They’ve got plenty to go around and I’m sure that many companies are unhappy with the high cost of doing business and declining quality of life in these states particularly California. For Maryland; in this case there might be some truth to the motto “it could be you”.