Tobacco Barn Distillery—Community and Innovation at Work

Posted: 04/02/2020

Sunday March 29^th, Tobacco Barn Distillery delivered over 1,400 bottles of hand sanitizer to our St. Mary’s County Emergency Services Department. Owners Scott Sanders, Dan Dawson and Sean Coogan stepped up in the way that Governor Hogan has asked many businesses throughout the State of Maryland.

At a recent press conference, Governor Larry Hogan talked about Maryland businesses stepping up when people need them most. "A number of our distillers from across the state are now, instead of producing alcohol, they're producing hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizer for the local communities," Governor Larry Hogan said.

The creation of the hand sanitizer showed how small businesses are showing up in big ways for our emergency service providers and our community.

Scott Sanders noted, "We are providing the hand sanitizer to the county at cost. The money we receive is being put right back into the community via gift cards from local businesses, that are then given to county emergency service professionals." Sanders also emphasized that without the St. Mary’s community, they would not have been able produce the quantity of hand sanitizer needed for our EMS workers. Tobacco Barn Distillery ran low on the hydrogen peroxide needed for production and swarms of donations from the community came pouring in. This distillery is grateful to be a part of the St. Mary’s Community and are "willing to do what we can. And if everyone does a little bit. It goes a long way"

Tobacco Barn Distillery has joined the ranks of other Maryland distilleries who have started making this high demand product with materials on hand. This need is only growing greater as the coronavirus pandemic continues to reveal shortages of the product throughout the United States. A big “Thank You” to Tobacco Barn Distillery!

JF Taylor – Three Generations of Success

Posted: 11/26/2019

J.F. Taylor, Inc. (JFTI) is a Southern Maryland based company, founded in Lexington Park in 1983 by John F. Taylor, Sr. and his wife, Helen. The small, family business began as an engineering firm focused on supporting requirements at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pax River. Over the past 35 years, JFTI has grown to over 500 employees, with over 200,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities, and over $150 million in annual revenue. Today, Mr. Taylor continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer, while transitioning daily business operations to his four sons. His dedicated workforce, including some of his grandchildren, also support customer and business needs.

From its inception, JFTI has been guided by three simple principles: 1) honesty; 2) commitment to quality and customer satisfaction; and 3) dedication to an employee-friendly culture that offers professional growth. These principles are the driving force behind the success of JFTI, and will continue to be the unyielding priorities of the company’s future. From its initial work in the testing of avionics equipment, JFTI has continually leveraged its engineering foundation to expand into systems engineering, software development, and the design, manufacture, and fabrication of complex military systems. These systems include high-fidelity training devices, single prototypes, and high-volume production of aircraft and maritime kits and components.

JFTI opened its first production facility 20 years ago, and has since expanded its operation to over 10 multi-purpose engineering and manufacturing facilities throughout the Lexington Park area. These facilities are outfitted with state-of-the-art engineering design tools and manufacturing equipment. JFTI also has approval to build an 84,000 square foot engineering and integration facility just three miles from NAS Pax River. By investing in facilities and building a local, talented workforce of engineers, technicians, and production personnel, JFTI has successfully brought domestic and foreign military work to St. Mary’s County.

The ability to manufacture products, from concept development through production and delivery, makes JFTI competitive with companies nationwide. This competitiveness is bringing new employees and new customers to St. Mary’s County. In the past year, JFTI has hired over 100 new employees, with nearly 80% being engineers, scientists, technicians, and IT specialists. These employees include an influx of young professionals under the age of 30.

As JFTI has grown, the company has maintained its commitment to employees and the community. JFTI actively supports the local organizations, charities, and youth activities that its employees are involved in. JFTI also establishes corporate community outreach initiatives, such as supporting events with George Washington Carver Elementary School and Fairlead Academy, upgrading simulators at the Pax River Naval Air Museum, and helping to develop curriculum and internship programs with the James A. Forrest Technology Center.

JFTI has enjoyed success in St. Mary’s County for more than three decades, and is excited about the opportunities ahead for the business, its employees, and the community.