Western Maryland Initiative Launches Succession Planning Training for Local Business Owners

A virtual training series launching Sept. 2 will deliver succession planning instruction to business owners across Maryland's western counties through an eight-session program organized by the Maryland Small Business Development Center, according to a community announcement reported by The Herald-Mail. The program addresses a structural risk in rural commercial land use: unplanned ownership transitions that produce vacancy, abandonment, and subsequent redevelopment pressure on local zoning frameworks.

Program Structure and Eligibility Criteria

The "Legacy Planning for Your Business" series runs through Oct. 28 and targets owners preparing for retirement, sale, or intergenerational transfer of ownership. Registration is set at $79 per participant. Instruction covers business transition mechanics, delivered by subject-matter experts retained for the series. Participants completing all eight sessions receive an invitation to an in-person workshop that includes a networking component with regional resource partners.

Jodi Broadwater, regional director of Western Maryland SBDC, stated in the announcement that the program reflects a cooperative effort among organizations across the region. Broadwater framed the initiative's expected return as extending beyond individual transactions: not solely for individual entrepreneurs, but for the vitality, resilience, and long-term prosperity of the western region.

Funding Mechanism and Administrative Review

Partial sponsorship is provided by the Tri-County Council for Western Maryland and Allegany County. Supporting partners include chambers of commerce in Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. Completing participants may apply for up to $500 in technical-assistance funding, contingent on committee review and approval. Broadwater identified the funding source as a Tri-County Council grant, with chamber partners handling direct outreach to member businesses. Registration and additional program details are available through the Maryland SBDC event portal.

The administrative structure separates three functions: the Tri-County Council acts as fiscal conduit for grant funding; the SBDC delivers curriculum and subject-matter expertise; and county chambers operate as the direct-to-business outreach layer. This division concentrates technical capacity at the regional level and channels county-specific delivery through local chambers.

Jurisdictional Note

The program operates exclusively within Maryland's western region and does not extend to Somerset County. The multi-jurisdictional model — regional council administration, county-level sponsorship, and chamber-based delivery — nonetheless documents the administrative channels through which comparable retention programs are constructed elsewhere in the state. For jurisdictions monitoring commercial vacancy as a land-use indicator, the Western Maryland SBDC framework provides one reference structure.