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The Howard County Chamber of Commerce has selected The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as its Business of the Year for 2003. The award was one of five Acknowledgement of Chamber Excellence (ACE) awards that recognized various categories of achievement by members of the Howard County business community.

APL Director Richard T. Roca says, “Howard County is rich with businesses and private institutions that are in the forefront of what they do, so it is especially gratifying to be selected this year as the County’s Business of the Year.”

Roca accepted the award at last night’s ACE awards event and said, “APL as an employer looks to the County to provide an environment that is both attractive to current employees and helps us to attract new staff. The strength of the educational system and the diversity of civic and cultural activities has made Howard County a wonderful place to live for our staff and an excellent environment in which we can do business.”

The Applied Physics Laboratory, one of nine Johns Hopkins University divisions, is the County’s largest private employer. Headquartered in Howard County since 1954, APL currently employs more than 3,400 full-time staff on a 360-acre campus just south of Columbia.

As a leader in defense research and space exploration, the Laboratory has a global impact. Locally, its active Office of Technology Transfer helps stimulate economic development by licensing new technologies to businesses in the County and across the nation.

APL’s support of local schools through partnerships and mentoring programs is felt in every school, and its staff members serve as speakers and board members throughout the community. The Laboratory is a strong supporter of community agencies and just concluded its most successful United Way campaign, collecting more than $653,000.