Everyone has heard of Xerox, the global company with more than 130,000 employees in 180 countries. But what you might not know is how Xerox is helping to change the way the world works through its significant presence in Maryland.

A recent interview with Don Hubicki, group president of State Government Services at Xerox in Germantown, provided an opportunity to discover the diverse, innovative and impactful business operations that are part of the Xerox portfolio in Maryland.

In Maryland for 60 years, Xerox locations around the state currently employ a total of more than 1,400 people. Generating an estimated $15 million in tax revenue for the state, Xerox exerts a substantial presence in the lives of many Maryland workers and their families. And, the ripple effect extends far beyond the workplace.

Tell us about some of the various locations and services Xerox maintains around the state?
DH: Our Germantown location is the headquarters for Xerox's Public Sector services, where approximately 200 employees design, build, deploy and support integrated transportation and government solutions for clients at the federal, state and local level across the U.S. In Maryland, we contract with many state agencies to provide services such as running the Electronic Benefit Transfer program and Maryland E-ZPass, as well as providing data center management, system hosting and more.

We also have a facility in Crofton, where our experts test some of our newest transportation innovations. Most recently, we have been testing our Vehicle Passenger Detection System that uses video analytics to identify the number of occupants in a vehicle.

Our technology center in Columbia is where Xerox engineers and programmers design products used on bus fleets to locate and dispatch vehicles as well as provide riders with up-to-the-minute bus arrival times.

And, we have a data management center in Frostburg that employs 500 people, primarily servicing health insurance contracts.

How has Maryland helped Xerox meet the needs of its expansive array of innovation and business services?
DH: Maryland is a terrific location for us. The diverse workforce offers a multitude of skills in both technology and production work while the proximity to Washington, D.C. puts us squarely in the mix to secure federal contracts. We have also been very successful working with the small business community, especially providing opportunities to minority businesses. Maryland is a great microcosm of our company. We live here, we work here and we participate here.

What can you tell usabout Xerox as a partner in the community?
DH: As I mentioned, we live and work here, so it's important to us that we get involved in the community and give back. Over the holiday season, we volunteered at the Maryland Food Bank for its seventh annual "Pack to Give Back" event. We helped box up holiday meals to get involved beyond our sponsorship. More than 20,000 boxes set to feed 80,000 people were packed that day, and participating was fun and felt good. Xerox employees also contribute to Kids in Need During the Holiday, which is a non-profit in Montgomery County that collects gifts, food and clothing for more than 800 families each year.

Knowing we are actually doing work that impacts the lives of the people in the state where I live is a great feeling.