Maryland Secretary of Commerce Coker Addresses the SACC Membership

The Salisbury Aea Chamber of Commerce welcomed Maryland Secretary of Commerce Harry Coker, Jr. as the September General Membership Luncheon keynote speaker. The luncheon was held on the beautiful Wicomico River at the newly refurbished Green Hill Country Club in Quantico, Maryland.

Secretary Coker was appointed by Governor Wes Moore as Maryland’s Commerce Secretary on February 5^th of this year. Coker, a United States Naval Academy graduate, previously served as a senior executive with the Central Intelligence Agency, senior executive with the National Security Administration and was a career Naval officer.

The Secretary spoke about his department’s “One Maryland” initiatives and also shared “Our department also places focus on our lighthouse industries in parts of Maryland that generate economic multiplying effects for the communities where they reside.”

Secretary Coker recognized Wicomico County and Salisbury as an area of the state that “is doing it right.”

“This area has Perdue, exceptional higher education institutions and state of the art healthcare facilities. Those and other assets help keep talent and recruit talent to this region.”

Secretary Coker acknowledged that Maryland faces challenges, “Twelve-thousand Federal jobs have been lost representing over $2.7 billon in payroll. Affordable housing, an uncertain national economy and the possible closure of NASA Wallops Island are all areas we need to monitor closely moving forward.”

Making Maryland more business competitive, recognizing the state’s assets in recruiting new business investment is of paramount importance. The Secretary emphasized, “Maryland cannot thrive without meaningful economic growth which will make Maryland more competitive.”

Secretary Coker closed his presentation quoting Maryland Governor Wes Moore, “Partnerships produce progress.”

The October General Membership Luncheon will feature the Mayors of Delmarva Forum, on Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin, MD. Register online at www.salisburyarea.com.