Earlier this month, only a few days after the president threatened to send the National Guard into his state’s biggest city, Gov. Wes Moore described Baltimore as an “American Renaissance story.”
During remarks kicking off the Greater Baltimore Committee’s (GBC) 70th annual meeting, Maryland’s chief executive framed the city’s advances against the negative rhetoric coming from Washington, stressing that he remains undeterred by the critics.
“The thing that I would say to Baltimore at this moment is: Do not spend any more time on those who will distract,” Moore said.
The event brought together government and industry leaders to celebrate the economic development group’s milestone and highlight its work. Moore pointed to record-low violent crime rates, progress on the city’s housing vacancy crisis, and efforts to keep the Orioles and Preakness Stakes in Baltimore as evidence of the city’s momentum.
The program also featured remarks from Mayor Brandon Scott, GBC President Mark Anthony Thomas and Mohan Suntha, president of the University of Maryland Medical System, who each credited the GBC as essential to driving the city’s growth.
Outside the main hall, companies tied to UpSurge Baltimore, the startup ecosystem builder recently brought under the GBC’s umbrella, set up informational stands alongside an archival project charting the GBC’s history since its creation in the 1950s.
In a moment that brought the city’s past together with its present, CEO Ellington West of telehealth company Sonavi Labs also collected an honorific plaque on behalf of her father, James West, a renowned inventor of microphone technology.
Keep scrolling for highlights from the event, from the defining moments to the ventures selected for exhibition.
