Governor O'Malley, County Executive Smith Tour Breakaway Ltd.
Meets with Executives, Discusses Computer Tech Tax Repeal and Growing Maryland Technology Industry
HUNT VALLEY, MD (June 5, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and state and local economic development officials, today met with executives from Breakaway Games, a software technology company based in Hunt Valley, to promote economic and business development in Maryland. BreakAway is recognized as a leader in the serious games industry and was among numerous Maryland companies that advocated strongly for the repeal of the proposed tech tax. During the visit, company officials applauded Governor O’Malley and County Executive Smith for their strong support of the repeal and thanked them for recognizing the importance and contributions of Maryland’s technology industry.
“As an industry, you came together to tackle this issue that would have forced hundred of companies and jobs out of Maryland, but would have also erased years of hard work building Maryland’s reputation as a leader in innovation and technology,” Governor O’Malley said. “Our challenge now is to build on the heightened awareness and positive momentum that the issue created and harness the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead for Maryland’s technology industry.”
“Baltimore County's growing technology sector is an important element in our economic growth strategy, and we are a major East Coast hub for the video game development industry,” said County Executive Jim Smith. “The county places a high value on ensuring that these dynamic firms are happy here and want to stay for a very long time, so I am particularly pleased that Governor O'Malley was successful in working with the General Assembly and the Maryland Computer Services Association to repeal the technology tax this past legislative session.”
The Computer Services Sales Tax was introduced during last year’s special session called to resolve the State’s $1.7 billion structural deficit. The tax, not part of the Governor’s original proposal to close the massive deficit, was ultimately repealed thanks to the administration and industry advocates.
BreakAway Founder and CEO Douglas Whatley said, “Governor O'Malley and County Executive Smith had the courage to lead the way in Annapolis and in Baltimore County and push for the repeal of the tech tax. They recognized the leading role companies like ours play in generating growth for Maryland through the innovative technology we build. For me and the 100-plus employees here at BreakAway, we want to thank them for their leadership, and for making it possible to continue to do our work breaking new ground for game technology right here in Maryland.”
BreakAway is a leading developer of entertainment games and game-based technology for modeling, simulation, training, and visualization. By applying the tools and technology of the gaming industry to the creation of simulations for training, experimentation and decision-making analysis, BreakAway is changing the future of learning. BreakAway has emerged as the top serious games company through its Lite Simulation products, with a client list that includes Electronic Arts, Microsoft, the Department of Defense, FDIC, and the National Institute for Justice. A three-time Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 winner, BreakAway employs nearly 100 people in its Hunt Valley, Md. headquarters and at its Corpus Christi, Tx. studio.
Maryland is home to the highest percentage of professional and technical workers nationwide, and was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 3rd most highly skilled workforce in the nation. Over the last year, Maryland’s job growth was four times the nation’s rate of job growth. To help bolster the State’s already strong workforce, last week, Governor O’Malley led a trade mission to Israel to strengthen the ties between Israel and Maryland’s technology and bioscience industries. During the week-long mission, the Governor met with a number of high level Israeli business executives, and as a result, affirmed that two leading Israeli companies plan to open offices in Maryland, and Israel’s largest bioscience company plans to continue its commitment to the State.
Earlier today, Governor O’Malley attended the grand opening of Comcast’s new customer service center in Largo, Maryland. The new 92,000 square foot, 500-seat Comcast customer service call center in Prince George’s County will add approximately 500 jobs to the area. In addition, just yesterday, Governor O’Malley yesterday announced an in-state tuition freeze for the third consecutive year, making college affordable for Maryland’s families.
