April 17 , 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
William Burns, Director of Communications
(410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 | Cell: (410) 733-9945

Maryland Chamber of Commerce to Induct Three Into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame

Annapolis, MD (April 17, 2008) - The Maryland Chamber of Commerce will induct three outstanding business leaders into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame on April 22, during its Annual Membership Meeting and Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore.

“This year’s honorees represent Maryland business at its finest. Through their leadership, creativity and determination, this year’s honorees have made a lasting impact on their businesses and in their communities,” said Chamber Chairman Betty Buck, President of Buck Distributing Co., Inc. "The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is pleased to honor them by inducting them into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame."

This year’s inductees are:

Linda Gooden, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services: Since January 2007, Gooden has served as Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services, a business area that employs approximately 52,000 people worldwide and generated $8.4 billion in equivalent sales for Lockheed Martin. She served previously as President of Lockheed Martin Information Technology, a business unit she grew over 10 years to become a multibillion dollar business. Gooden has a long record of achievement. She was selected as the 2006 Black Engineer of the Year by U.S Black Engineer and IT Magazine, and was featured as one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s Women of Power in Business for 2006. She was voted one of Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” in 2004.

Karen H. Oertel, President, W.H. Harris Seafood Inc. and Harris Crab House: Oertel is a native of the Eastern Shore. At least seven generations of the Harris family have lived and worked on the shore, and along with her brother Jerry Harris, Oertel grew up in the seafood business. The Harris family owns and operates W.H. Harris Seafood, a seafood processing plant now being run by Harris Seafood, LLC. The family also owns and operates Harris Crab House, a 350-seat seafood restaurant at the Kent Narrows. Oertel serves as CEO of Harris Crab House, coordinating a management team for day-to-day operations. She also assists in the office of W.H. Harris Seafood. She handles public relations and legislative concerns for both businesses. Oertel is a leader on issues of importance to the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s seafood industry, working to balance economic and environmental concerns.

John J. Oliver Jr. (Jake), Publisher & CEO, The Afro American Newspapers: Oliver is the great-grandson of John H. Murphy, founder of the Afro-American Newspapers. He has served as the Publisher and CEO of the Afro-American Newspapers for nearly 20 years, where he oversees the company’s business and editorial operation. Through his leadership and innovation, he’s taken the AFRO from an historic print publication that serves more than 100,000 readers to a media enterprise that delivers information through print, Web and most recently online video. Oliver is the former president of the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade organization for publishers of Black owned and operated newspapers in the United States.

The Maryland Business Hall of Fame was established by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce in 2000 to recognize the accomplishments of entrepreneurs and business executives whose contributions, in business and in the community, have helped advance the quality of life for Marylanders and improve the state's business climate. Individuals are nominated throughout the year by members of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber's Executive Committee selects the inductees, who are honored each year during the Maryland Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting and Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner.

Including this years inductees, there are 26 members of the Maryland Business Hall of Fame. Previous inductees include:

• Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Mercy Health Services
• Jeong Kim, Ph.D., Bell Labs at Alcatel-Lucent
• Walter Sondheim, Jr. (posthumously), Greater Baltimore Committee
• Susan J. Ganz, Lion Brothers Co., Inc.
• Stephen A. Geppi, Diamond Comic Distributors
• John P. McDaniel, MedStar Health
• Roger R. Blunt, P.E., Blunt Enterprises, LLC
• Ronald R. Peterson, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Marge Thomas, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.
• John M. Derrick, Jr., Pepco Holdings, Inc
• Eddie C. Brown, Brown Capital Management, Inc.
• Robert J. Lawless, McCormick & Company, Inc.
• Wayne T. Hockmeyer, Ph.D., MedImmune, Inc.
• Brice and Shirley Phillips, Phillips Seafood
• Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Henry S. Rosenberg, Jr., Rosemore, Inc.and Crown Central Petroleum
• John Paterakis, H&S Bakery,Inc and Northeastern Foods, Inc.
• Stephen A. Burch, Comcast Mid-Atlantic Division
• J.W. Marrott, Jr., Marriott International, Inc.
• Christian H. Poindexter, Constellation Energy Group
• Cathy L. Hughes, Radio One
• Raymond A. “Chip” Mason, Legg Mason
• Frank Perdue, Perdue Fames, Inc.

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit coalition of 850 businesses who employ more than 440,000 people in the state. Its mission is to maximize opportunities for its members and their employees to grow and prosper. For more information about the Chamber, visit its website, www.mdchamber.org or call (410) 269-0642 or (301) 261-2858.

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