Small Business Improvement Campaign, Sessions Led By Elrich, Katz

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council Vice President Sidney Katz will hold a series of joint listening sessions for a multi-pronged initiative called 4Business: Benchmarking to Be the Best for Business.

The objective of this initiative, according to officials, is to connect with local business owners in a grassroots campaign to help them locate, grow, and thrive in Montgomery County.

"We want to reexamine our processes and regulations to make sure they are sensible, fair and efficient," said Elrich. "The public's input in this process is key. I asked Council Vice President Sidney Katz to help lead this initiative because of his small business background and I very much appreciate his willingness to work with all of us on this important endeavor."

The campaign kicked off Wednesday, April 17 with information sessions and public comments. Comments can be submitted to 4Business@Montgomerycountymd.gov and through a survey that will be posted online.

"I am pleased to have been asked by our County Executive to spearhead this effort with him," said Katz. "As a former small-business owner and a Councilmember who is committed to economic development in the County, I look forward to receiving input from all stakeholders about their experiences — both good and bad. We want to build a better business climate in the County; and we can only accomplish this by working together."

Below is a schedule of listening sessions:

• Wednesday, April 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Council Office Building, 3rd floor Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville
• Thursday, April 18, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
• Monday, May 6, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., East County Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Rd., Silver Spring
• Monday, May 13, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., MidCounty Service Area, Charles W. Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center, 11002 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton
• Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring
• Monday, June 10, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Upcounty Regional Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Rd., Germantown

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