MD500

It’s finally here: The Daily Record’s MD500 list

When I became The Daily Record’s editor in February, one project immediately pushed to the forefront: the MD500.

I was familiar with The Daily Record’s Power Lists that grouped influential Marylanders by category – criminal law, higher education, banking and financial services, for example – but now, the idea was to consolidate them into one grand list with a whopping 500 people.

Training wheels off.

My editorial team and I got to work finding the most impressive players in the state across 38 categories. (We didn’t factor in government or political work. They could have filled a list of 500 on their own.)

We put out a call for nominations. We reviewed past Daily Record business and legal coverage, looking back on the deals, the mergers, the ribbon-cuttings, the big headlines. We considered recent awards, recognitions and big wins. We scoured the mountains of Western Maryland, the sand-swept streets of the Eastern Shore and all the metro and suburban areas in between.

Some of the names on the resulting list were obvious, like the heads of the biggest companies, owners of sports franchises and the surnames that grace influential law firms. Other types of power are quieter, like the principal of a school for children with special needs or the farmer tending to the land more sustainably. These too are leaders who hold a piece of Maryland’s future in their hands.

Kendyl Kearly
Editor, The Daily Record