Talbot County business leaders gathered on Wednesday, May 3 in the Tidewater Inn’s Gold Ballroom for the 16th Talbot County Business Appreciation Breakfast and presentation of the 2023 Community Impact Awards.

Author and generational expert Mark C. Perna spoke to guests prior to the award announcements, discussing “Unleashing Purpose, Passion, and Performance in Younger Generations.” He delivered his full two-hour keynote address later in the afternoon at the Avalon Theatre to a sell-out crowd.

“I think young people in America today are the most extraordinary generation to come down the pike, bar none,” Perna said. “They are the most intelligent, resourceful, and pit bull-like generation that we have ever seen in this country. When they see a ‘want to’ in their lives, they will move heaven and earth to get to that ‘want to.’ Our challenge as parents, educators, employers is getting them to want something.”

Following Perna’s address, the 2023 Community Impact Awards were announced. Winners included Channel Marker, Inc. Residential Crisis Services, Chesapeake Landing Seafood Restaurant, Choptank Community Health System, Ferry Cove Oyster Hatchery, and McDaniel resident and volunteer Bill Shrieves.

“Our goal is to connect with the business community with resources that will help them succeed and grow, and to tell the stories of business leaders who are doing extraordinary things,” says Cassandra Vanhooser, director of Talbot County’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism. “This event is our way of saying, ‘Thank you for doing business in Talbot County.”

A video presentation highlighted each award winner’s recent accomplishments, followed by the presentation of an engraved pewter tray, handcrafted in Easton by Salisbury Pewter, and brief comments from recipients.

Channel Marker, Inc. Residential Crisis Services

For more than 40 years, Channel Marker, Inc. has provided mental health treatment, prevention programs, and wellness services to the Mid-Shore region. Trained professional staff provide services to clients with a psychiatric diagnosis to help them stay out of a higher level of care and improve their quality of life.

The organization was honored for the development of The Bridge, a new eight-bed residential crisis unit. This facility serves as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization and is the most recent service added to the menu of psychiatric rehabilitation programs at Channel Marker.

“The idea is crisis stabilization,” CEO Cathy Cassell explains. “We want to partner with the hospitals and other resources in the community to prevent people from continually going to the emergency department.”

Chesapeake Landing Restaurant

Chesapeake Landing Restaurant in McDaniel was recognized for nearly 40 years of service and commitment to the community under the continuous leadership of the Spurry family.

Joe Spurry Sr. started working on the water when he was just 16 years old and opened Bay Hundred Seafood in 1984, followed by Chesapeake Landing Seafood Restaurant in 1991. Spurry’s son Joe Jr. and daughter Erin, as well as his wife Nida still work in the family business today. The family sells seafood throughout the East Coast through Bay Hundred Seafood, and their restaurant is considered “the local’s favorite” in Talbot County.

The Spurrys give back to the community by volunteering and contributing to fire department dinners, food drives, Little League baseball teams, and more. During the pandemic, local food banks used the company’s refrigerated trucks to store and deliver food.

Choptank Community Health System

A Federally Qualified Health Center, Choptank Health ensures that quality healthcare is available to everyone. FQHCs provide an important safety net in rural communities like those on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Headquartered in Denton, Choptank Community Health provides medical, dental, and school-based health care for children and adult patients in Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties. It began serving the Mid-Shore in 1980, and in 2003, expanded into Talbot County when it opened the Bay Hundred Health Center in St. Michaels.

“We serve about 25% of Talbot County residents, and across our five mid-shore counties about 30,000 patients. We have about 260 employees. In Talbot County we have locations in St. Michaels, Tilghman Island, and Easton,” Rich explains. “We’ve recently expanded our services in Easton to include not only pediatrics, but primary care, behavioral health, and women’s health services, and that includes prenatal and on-site lab services.”

Ferry Cove Shellfish

Located at the edge of the Chesapeake Bay in the village of Sherwood, Ferry Cove Shellfish occupies a state-of-the-art facility that is poised to become one of the largest oyster hatcheries on the East Coast. The goal: plant one billion oysters in the Chesapeake Bay every year.

Ferry Cove uses cutting-edge technology and the latest scientific discoveries to maximize efficiencies and lengthen the growing season. This increases the number of oyster larvae and seed they can produce and sell over the growing season.

An entrepreneurial approach to producing oyster larvae is unique, says Executive Director Stephan Abel, but he is confident the concept will work. The nonprofit has just begun its second season of successful production.

William H. Shrieves

A Community Impact Award is presented each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to Talbot County. This year’s winner is community volunteer and leader Bill Shrieves of McDaniel.

Shrieves and his wife Jean moved to Talbot County in 1999 and later opened Comfort Keepers, a for-profit senior homecare business in 2005. Shrieves currently serves as the president of Upper Shore Aging, Inc., a non-profit agency serving Caroline, Kent, and Talbot counties. He helped found the Mid-Shore Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and is a pancreatic cancer survivor.

In addition, Shrieves is active in Bay Hundred Community Volunteers, a group that focuses on providing home repairs for the underserved and building ramps for seniors. An active Rotarian, Shrieves practices the Rotary motto: Service Above Self. “I try to live that motto,” he said. “I get great pleasure out of helping other folks.”

The Talbot County Business Appreciation Summit is hosted annually by the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism in partnership with the Talbot County Economic Development Commission.

This year’s summit sponsors include Platinum Sponsor APG Chesapeake, Gold Sponsor BSC Group, and Silver Sponsors Easton Utilities, Frost Law, Provident State Bank, Shore United Bank, and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce.

Videos and more about this year’s Community Impact Award winners can be found at www.talbotworks.org.

Mid-Shore Board of REALTORS (MSBR) is excited to announce a down payment grant program to assist local families who work in our area to be able to live near their employer.

The Mid-Shore Love Down Payment Grant program is the brainchild of Megan Rosendale, MSBR President. Rosendale wanted to do something to help local trades and service providers afford to live close to where they work.  “All too often, we see electricians, servers and nurses commute long distances, even from Delaware, to work in our local counties”, noted Rosendale.

Mid-Shore Love Down Payment Grant is for people working in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, or Talbot Counties, who are also buying a primary residence in these same 5-counties. The income limit is based on the USDA amounts and the applicant’s buyer’s agent, or the seller’s agent needs to be a Mid-Shore REALTOR®.

As a third generation REALTOR, Megan Rosendale saw all too often individuals and families who want to buy a home in the county where they are employed only to find nothing they could afford.  Maryland has a housing shortage of 120,000 units, so finding an affordable home is a struggle.  This down payment program won’t end the housing shortage, but it can make a difference to a family trying to buy locally.

The Mid-Shore Love Down Payment Grant program is administered by Mid-Shore Board of REALTORS and the funds run through the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501C (3).

The program is funded through fundraisers that are open to the public, and the first fundraiser is a Casino Night on May 5, 2023, at the Elks Lodge in Easton, MD.  After this fundraiser, MSBR will hold additional events to raise funds and awareness. The grant is a first come, first served program and when the funds run out then no additional grants are disbursed until the grant program is refunded.

For tickets to the fundraiser go to the MSBR website: www.midshoreboarforealtors.com or you can donate directly to the program through the Mid-Shore Community Foundation at www.mscf.org.

The eligibility information and application can be found on the website at: www.midshoreboarforealtors.com and applications can be e-mailed to [email protected] or brought to or mailed to Mid-Shore Board of REALTORS, 8615 Commerce Dr. Suite 2, Easton, MD 21601. For help or additional information contact MSBR at [email protected] or call 410-822-8767.

Rosendale is all about being local, and believes it is important that people have a vested interest in their community. “What better way to be vested if they are living and working in the same community”, said Rosendale. “We hope local businesses and industries will participate in this program or match the MSBR down payment with one of their own”, per Rosendale.

The Mid-Shore Board of Realtors has over 600 Realtors and Affiliates from Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties. The mission of the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors is to advocate for its members and the public to preserve the right to own, transfer and utilize real property.  See www.midshoreboarofrealtors.com for more resources and information.