Economy
The Salisbury-Wicomico County area has always enjoyed steady growth, which has accelerated markedly in the second half of the 20th century. A major reason has been its economic diversity, from agriculture to light industry, a range of available services and development of the arts and recreation.
Location
The accident of geography: the center of the
200-mile-long Delmarva Peninsula, is a major contributor, coupled
with industrious men and women who sought a better place to work
and live.
Today Salisbury is Maryland's second largest
port, carrying oil products, aggregates for building and feed for
the region's broiler industry. One offshoot has been the
development of oil processed from soybeans, a major agricultural
crop, for use in food.
Agri-Business
Farm-grown produce continues to be one of the
area's livelihoods, though much of the emphasis has shifted to
poultry production. Perdue Farms, headquartered here, is the third
largest company of its kind in the nation.
Today, a town which once manufactured buggy
whips, has diversified into other lines in keeping with the
changing times.
Poultry
Wicomico County has always been agriculturally
based. Corn sustained the Wicomico Indians, led to the
establishment of Salisbury in 1732, and today helps fuel the area's
multimillion-dollar poultry industry. Across Maryland, poultry
products contributed over $525.3 million to the state's economy in
1996, more than any other farm product.
Perdue Farms Inc., the fourth largest poultry company in the
United States,
is synonymous with Salisbury. The company began as a table egg
business in
1920, but really took off in the early 1950s when the company began
contracting Salisbury farmers to grow its broiler chickens. The
Delmarva
Peninsula's established agricultural base provided an abundant
source of
grain for chicken feed as well as proximity to major East Coast
markets.
Today, poultry-based food products continue to be the primary focus
of its
business.
PERDUE®-brand fresh chicken and turkey products are sold in
retail markets from Maine to Florida and as far west as Chicago and
St.
Louis -- a market area encompassing almost 40 percent of the
nation's
population. Value-added foodservice products are sold nationwide;
and the
company's international operations export to more than 50 countries
around
the world. Through its Grain & Oilseed Division, Perdue also
manufactures
soy products, livestock feed ingredients, protein blends and
premium pet
food ingredients, and runs a successful grain storage and
merchandising
business. Today, Perdue is ranked among the 20 largest grain
companies in
the United States. With more than $2.5 billion in annual
sales, the
company shows up in other U.S. rankings as well. It's listed
among the top
50 U.S. food companies and is one of the 10 largest privately held
food
companies in America. Its Salisbury facilities -- corporate
headquarters,
a poultry processing complex and a grain and oilseed complex --
represent
an estimated annual economic impact of $551.2 million for
Salisbury.
Electronics
After a hard year in 2000, the
poultry processing industry has recovered to remain the backbone of
Eastern Shore's economy. But Salisbury has also moved toward
a more diversified economic base. "Electronics has been the growth
vehicle for the economy in recent years," says David Ryan,
Executive Director of the Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development
Office. While manufacturing workforce decreased by 5% in the
90's, Salisbury's manufacturers added 5% to their employee roles.
However, the recent economic slowdown has hurt the microwave filter
and communications component manufacturers. Resumed growth is
expected by early 2002.
Salisbury is the worldwide leader in microwave
filters, boasting seven companies with over 1,000 employees, he
says. These companies design and manufacture microwave filters for
cellular communications industry. The filters separate the signals
of cell phones from other high frequencies, like those of radio
stations, so that wireless communication is crystal-clear.
K& L Micowave is the largest manufacturing operation on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Their complex in the Northwood Industrial Park is a tribute to modern manufacturing technology while providing top rate environmental compliance and an excellent workplace.
Filtronic
Comtek Inc., Salisbury's recent success story, just built a $7
million U.S. Headquarters. A subsidiary of Filtronic Components
Ltd. of Shipley, England, the company got its start in Salisbury's
new incubator space - the old airport terminal.
Manufacturing
Another major business, K & L Microwave,
supplies electronic filters and micro chips for a host of products.
With the growth of major manufacturers, smaller ones have
developed, marketing products from plastics and paper forms to
sub-contracted parts for the larger makers. Many national firms
have located in Salisbury-Wicomico over recent years.
Large areas, known as industrial parks, continue
to grow with recent additions including manufacturers of
pre-fabricated housing and pharmaceuticals.
Work Force
Development
The region's educational resources are a vital
part of the mix. The once-small Salisbury State Normal School for
the training of teachers is now Salisbury University, with the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore just 12 miles away in Princess
Anne. Wor-Wic Community College offers training in a myriad of
technical skills necessary to compete in the job market both here
and in other developing areas.
Commerce
Retailing has advanced from the days of Main
Street just a half century ago. Retail suppliers are now a major
economic force; still, efforts to preserve the downtown core as a
place for government and the professional needs continue.
Tourism
Ocean City, though 30 miles away, has become a
major resort with its beaches, leisure activities and residential
development. Its economic spill-over enhances Salisbury.
With that has come development of tourism and recreation, along
with a spreading of the arts and culture. The latest addition is
the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in its five-million dollar setting
on a quiet pond, attracting people from across the nation and
abroad.
Another vital part of Salisbury's growth has been the arrival of retirees, many from major cities, desiring a more rural lifestyle, but with access to many of the amenities of metropolitan life.
A Future Full of Growth
The Salisbury-Wicomico region, once at the
bottom of the list of economies across the state, is now
accelerating. New business continues to
appear with regularity, thanks in part to the Salisbury Wicomico
Economic Development Committee, a group of local business people
and representatives of the city and county governments.
And behind the scenes have been the efforts of the city and county
governments, the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater
Salisbury Committee, dedicated to seeking out problems and
recommending ways to deal with them.