MEDA announces 2026 Economic Development Award winners

The Maryland Economic Development Association has announced this year’s MEDA Annual Awards winners, recognizing the people, programs, projects and initiatives driving economic development in the state.

The honorees were awarded in the following categories: MEDA Economic Development Project Award; Economic Development Program Award; Economic Development Marketing Award; and honorable mention awards.

The 2026 award winners will be formally recognized at the MEDA Awards Banquet on April 27 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge. The event will be a part of MEDA’s Annual Conference scheduled for April 26–28.

Established in 1961, MEDA is a nonprofit organization of economic development professionals who promote the economic well-being of Maryland by improving the state’s business climate.

“Each year, it is inspiring to witness the collective impact of the people, projects, programs, and initiatives working together to drive progress across Maryland,” said Tammi Thomas, president of MEDA’s board of directors. 

“This year’s award winners reflect a strong commitment to the state. Individual efforts that, taken together, continue to advance long-term progress and help ensure Maryland remains a place where communities thrive, and businesses choose to grow.”

The award recipients, according to a MEDA release, are as follows:

• The MEDA Economic Development Project Award will go to Wexford Science & Technology and the University of Maryland BioPark 4 MLK Project in recognition of private-sector leadership and its commitment to economic development in Maryland.
• For the Economic Development Program Award, Old Town Bowie’s Maker District Program and the Maryland Global Gateway Soft Landing will be recognized.
• The Economic Development Marketing Award will be presented to the Building Markets for Wild-Caught Blue Catfish initiative for being an innovative program that advances economic development best practices and working to expand domestic and international markets for wild-caught blue catfish in Maryland.
• The honorable mention will be awarded to O2J Visitation LLC for the Visitation Hotel in Frederick. Another honorable mention award will go to Mobilize Montgomery in the Economic Development Program category – created to address an unprecedented workforce disruption in Montgomery County.

MEDA will also recognize winners of its individual awards: the MEDA Hall of Fame, MEDA Rising Star and MEDA Volunteer of the Year.