This week is the Farnborough International Airshow and I am excited to join Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford and nine outstanding small and mid-sized Maryland companies as we promote Maryland's unparalleled assets and strategic location to a global audience.

Farnborough is truly a "not-to-be-missed" show. With more than 100,000 visitors and 1,500 exhibitors from around the world looking to buy and sell products and services, this is a unique opportunity to connect our Maryland businesses with partners and customers they may not have otherwise had a chance to meet.

This show also puts us in front of the senior decision-makers of the world's top aerospace companies. Lt. Governor Rutherford and I have a number of meetings with companies to promote Maryland and all we have to offer, particularly our proximity to key federal agencies that are important to the aerospace industry, our highly-educated workforce and the fact that we are home to eight of the top 10 aerospace companies in the U.S., including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, BAE Systems, and General Dynamics.

We also had a chance to check out the next generation of drone technology. A full-scale model of the Hoverbike is on display at our Maryland Pavilion. The Hoverbike is being developed for the U.S. Department of Defense by SURVICE Engineering Co., a Belcamp, Md.-based defense firm, and U.K.-based Malloy Aeronautics, an aeronautical engineering firm in cooperation with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). Among its many applications when operational, the Hoverbike will be able to transport up to 600 pounds of critical supplies to soldiers in the field.

We are looking forward to some great connections and partnerships as a result of this show. If you are interested in taking your business global, we'd like to help. I encourage you to learn more on our website or call us at 410-767-3542.

-Mike