The Johns Hopkins BUILD College ushered in its 11th class of local businesspeople earlier this spring for a program that helps Baltimore entrepreneurs in the design and construction field grow their enterprises—precisely the type of assistance that allowed Cheo Hurley to expand his firm over the past decade.
Hurley said that since he graduated from BUILD in 2017, his Baltimore-based THG Companies has parlayed its experience and connections as a construction subcontractor into about $6 million in Hopkins-related contracts—work he qualified for faster thanks to the lessons learned through the BUILD program.
"My relationship with Johns Hopkins continues to evolve in a positive direction through real mentorship with larger prime contractors," Hurley said. "I continue to grow my business by taking on more responsibilities on JHU-related projects that will eventually help THG Companies to execute larger projects on our own in the near future."
The BUILD College is just one part of the growing constellation of community-based programs Johns Hopkins supports to harness its purchasing, spending, and hiring decisions to benefit Baltimore businesses and residents. A new website details the myriad ways that its $19.4 billion economic impact in Baltimore translates into meaningful benefits for its many neighborhood and community partners.
The Johns Hopkins Committed to Community website serves as a comprehensive hub for explaining the intentional efforts that the city's largest anchor institution makes to support Baltimore and Maryland residents as well as their community organizations and businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Johns Hopkins has a $40 billion economic impact across Maryland and $19.4 billion in Baltimore.
- Johns Hopkins harnesses its purchasing and hiring efforts to benefit Baltimore businesses and residents.
- A new website chronicles the multiple ways that Johns Hopkins works to benefit the community.
Since launching its marquee community program, called HopkinsLocal, a decade ago, Johns Hopkins University and Health System has spent more than $1.2 billion with local businesses and has committed $490 million to local firms such as Hurley's that are involved in design and construction.
"Our success as an institution is inextricably tied to that of the city that we call home," JHU President Ron Daniels says. "Johns Hopkins has a unique obligation and opportunity as an anchor institution in Baltimore and Maryland to ensure our spending decisions help our communities flourish, and we are working with our neighbors and partners to make a meaningful impact in our city and state."
Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System delivered a $40 billion economic impact across Maryland—including $19.4 billion in Baltimore—last fiscal year, according to a recent analysis by an independent firm.
The website breaks that impact down among five categories: Economy & Jobs, Community Partnerships, Discovery & Innovation, Capital Investment, and Healthy Communities.
Each section includes short profiles of the real people behind the nonprofits and businesses that partner with Johns Hopkins, including:
Jeff Hargrave, president of Mahogany Inc., a Baltimore-based construction company. "Johns Hopkins made it possible for my company to grow from a subcontractor to a prime contractor," says Hargrave, whose company is a contractor for the Johns Hopkins Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute. "They really support local businesses."
Mitchell Turley, co-founder of Somnair Sleep, a technology company. "The growing entrepreneurship community at Hopkins and in Baltimore has been extremely helpful, both in terms of connections for the company as well as providing a supportive community," says Turley, whose company worked with Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures to secure financing.
Chef Jasmine Norton, owner of Urban Kitchen, an eatery in JHU's new Bloomberg Student Center. "I'm excited and I'm honored and I'm grateful that [Hopkins] thought enough about being a part of the community to reach back," says Norton.
The community impact website also provides the big ticket data that conveys the size of Hopkins' investment in community endeavors, including through its health care system. The Johns Hopkins Health System provided $562 million in community benefits in Maryland in fiscal year 2024, with most of it, $491 million, spent in Baltimore.
Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, which helps commercialize discoveries, has facilitated the creation of 135 startups that have raised $4.8 billion in venture capital over the past decade—43% of which has remained in Baltimore.
In addition, between fiscal years 2025 and 2028, Johns Hopkins is planning to spend approximately $4.4 billion on capital projects across Baltimore. More than physical upgrades, these projects are foundational to Johns Hopkins academic and health care missions, and they reflect a broader commitment to neighborhood revitalization, long-term community impact, and job creation.
"This is certainly exciting for me and my team," Hurley said. "We look forward to continuing to work together with JHU."
