What motivated a girl from New Jersey to study journalism in Maine, theatre arts in the nation’s capital, and then move to the Eastern Shore to eventually become Talbot County’s economic development director?
Paige Bethke says her youthful career transitions and diversified responsibilities in private industry and state government over the years help her do her job every day. She’s been director since 2006.
The oldest of six children, Bethke grew up in New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia, and has worked since she was 14. “My first job was a part-time telephone bill collector for a hospital. I learned I never wanted to do that again,” she laughs.
She attended college in Maine chiefly because living in New England had always appealed to her. “But my dad, an engineer with advanced degrees, lost his job when I was in my second year. I learned from his experience that no job is absolutely secure, and that the general economy, more than one’s degrees, governs stability.”
Her father’s new job brought the family to Maryland. Bethke entered Montgomery Community College before studying theatre arts at Catholic University, graduating in 1977. “Between journalism and theater, I learned how to present ideas creatively.”
She developed training materials for satellite tracking stations for a NASA contractor, maintained retail and commercial accounts for a newspaper chain, provided marketing and sales expertise for a tri-sate computer company, directed the Center for Business and Industry at Chesapeake College, and was business development representative for the State of Maryland’s Department of Employment and Economic Development. “I learned that success comes from how well one listens.”
She was regional manager for Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development in the 1990s. and worked as a commercial real estate appraiser before being named Talbot County’s economic development director. “I’ve had good mentors, perhaps the very best mentor was Jim Brady, Secretary for Maryland’s Department of Economic Development. I’ve always tried to live up to a sign he had on his desk: ‘No whining. No Surprises’.
“I fell in love with the Eastern Shore years ago and decided to move here in 1982 with no job offer. I’ve never had second thoughts.”
As Talbot’s economic development director, Bethke manages an office of one, and says all of the experience she’s acquired is put to use planning future activities, contacting prospective industries, creating new jobs and increasing revenues for the county. “The principal task is building partnerships with current employers, prospective investors, town, county and state officials, educational institutions, Chambers of Commerce, and the real estate industry.
“We won’t be disappointed if we’re realistic about the kinds of firms we can attract,” she says. “Environmental companies and research groups are well established here and their expansion is important. Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and maintaining its health is a top priority for business and government, working together.”
While each county is focused on boosting its own economic base, sometimes the best way to do that, Bethke says, is to collaborate to bring a major industry to the Eastern Shore, no matter where that industry might settle and build. “A big employer is going to benefit all of us.”
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Carlton E. Spitzer
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