by Kym Byrnes, photography by Nikola Tzenov
Denise Beaver has spent more than 30 years helping people and businesses thrive in Carroll County. She began her career in Workforce Development during the mid-1990s, has held various positions in multiple departments and has served as Carroll County’s director of the Department of Economic Development since 2024.
She leads the department that drives business growth, tourism and agriculture — work she calls both the culmination of her career and a chance to strengthen the small towns and authentic communities that make Carroll unique.
What is your background in economic development, and how did you end up in your current role?
I’m originally from Pennsylvania. I moved here in 1993 and started working for the county in 1994 in Workforce Development. I initially worked with youth, then transitioned to working with adults and businesses. It’s a great career; it’s people-centric, which I really like. There are a lot of opportunities to help people find their way. I worked my way up in that department; in 2001, I moved to Economic Development as deputy director.
What does the Department of Economic Development do, and what does your role entail?
Economic development is really about business and retention. We support startups and businesses, helping them to grow and thrive. I’m really enjoying it. This position represents the culmination of my career, and it’s nice to get the opportunity to lead the department.
“Carroll County has grown in a smart, sensible way. Its growth is supported by the towns. Carroll has a strong tradition of wanting to maintain its agricultural roots and heritage. The agriculture preservation program aims to maintain the rural landscape that has helped Carroll grow in a purposeful way. We’re going through the county’s master plan now to determine what the county’s residents want the next 10 years to look like.”
Our department includes tourism and agricultural development, so the Carroll County Farm Museum falls under Economic Development; in fact, that’s our largest venue. I’ve been fortunate to work here and be in this community. I know it’s a blessing to work with people in various municipalities to help them build up their downtowns and support local businesses.
What makes Carroll County unique as a place to build a business?
The quality of life here is amazing. I think that’s what draws people here — the schools, the young families, the community and the small towns. We have a community college, a four-year university and cool downtown areas. That quality of life really draws people in. We’re also close enough in location to this massive regional and mid-Atlantic market, and that is something that attracts people and businesses. Businesses come here because of our workforce. We’ve heard we have a great, productive workforce.
How do you see growth impacting Carroll County’s economic development?
Carroll County has grown in a smart, sensible way. Its growth is supported by the towns. Carroll has a strong tradition of wanting to maintain its agricultural roots and heritage. The agriculture preservation program aims to maintain the rural landscape that has helped Carroll grow in a purposeful way. We’re going through the county’s master plan now to determine what the county’s residents want the next 10 years to look like.
“We have very authentic downtowns. The business owners in our towns, particularly Westminster and Sykesville, are doing a good job of banding together and supporting each other so they can grow and thrive together.”
How do Carroll County’s agricultural roots help shape economic development today?
Ag heritage is key in our community. It speaks to that resilience, independence and work ethic that people here have; it carries on from generation to generation. That is foundational for the people who live here and have grown up here.
I went to the livestock auction recently, and I was so impressed with the event. There were young people showing their animals with poise and professionalism, even while they were practically wrestling with a cow. The goal is to sell the animal that they raised and cared for, and the community was there supporting them. We see it at the 4-H & FFA Fair, too, with an estimated 20,000 people attending. That’s a big part of what we [in Economic Development] do. We support ag producers and farms.
When you talk with potential employers or entrepreneurs, what do they say attracts them to Carroll County?
It is the workforce. We have an available workforce and strong training programs. Companies are always looking for grants and money. COVID-19’s financial supports for businesses were good and bad. One of the most rewarding times of my career was when we were able to provide direct grants to businesses because we had local funding — I think the Carroll County Commissioners were one of the first to start doing those microgrants — and then we got state and federal funding. It allowed businesses to keep the lights on, to stay in business when they were drastically impacted by shutdowns.
Fast forward a few years, and they’re still hungry for grants. Mostly, they need help in marketing, business planning and financing. We can help them through the Maryland Small Business Development Center.
What businesses are thriving here? What industries do you see for the future?
We’ve been very successful in helping to support manufacturers: Strouse, Ridge and EVAPCO. Penguin Random House has expanded multiple times. We’ll continue to support manufacturing because of the higher wages and variety of jobs. I spent a lot of years on the board of the Carroll County Technology and Innovation Council, and I think Carroll is poised to grow its technical and IT services.
We’re excited about our small businesses on our Main Streets. We also have a lot of contractors who live in Carroll County. They’re independent operators, but still there’s a lot of training programs locally that can help them.
In Economic Development, a lot of the work is looking at existing businesses and our landscape and supporting what’s already here. Nowadays, with the ability to work and be anywhere, recruitment of new businesses into the area is a harder job. We work closely with state and regional organizations to do marketing. They provide leads, and we roll out the red carpet and entertain their interests to make sure we’re competitive in providing what businesses need.
What’s a project you’re especially proud of that has made a visible impact in the community?
Knorr Brake Company used to be located on Route 140, then they wanted to expand. We worked with them to build that big, beautiful building by the Westminster Technology Park off Route 97. That park is a testament to what economic development can do. Strouse, Integral Components, Advanced Thermal Batteries and Knorr Brake wouldn’t be there if we didn’t have that land available and the resources to help facilitate that opportunity to get them to “yes.”
Another one I’m excited about is the Shamrock Farm Training Center. A year or so ago, the state dedicated a lot of money to redevelop horse racing in Maryland — Pimlico and another training center. We worked with engineers, and at the end of last year, it was announced that Carroll County was selected as the location for Shamrock Farm Training Center in Woodbine.
I understand it will be one of the best training centers in the country. It uses an existing farm and zoned agriculture, and it’s a great fit for Carroll because of our ag roots. It will put us on the map in the horse racing industry and the equine industry in general.
What do you see as Carroll’s biggest opportunities and challenges in the next five to 10 years?
The challenges will include helping towns and municipalities with infrastructure needs — water and sewer in particular and, to some extent, roads. We were way ahead on building out Carroll’s broadband infrastructure, which is now allowing us to bring in more providers so there is competition to give customers choices.
How do you stay grounded and take care of yourself when you unplug from work?
I’m focusing on taking care of myself and being smart healthwise. I’m taking yoga and am contemplating getting a yoga instructor certification for some personal development. Besides that, I have grandkids, and I love spending time with my family. My happy time is getting my family outdoors into nature, on hikes or camping. I also like to be creative. Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll be known as an artist.
