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Bold Moves Regional Economic Brand

The Bold Moves Regional Economic Brand is a multi-year, regional platform designed to reposition how the Baltimore Region is perceived locally, nationally, and globally. The unified messaging platform is designed to attract capital, companies, and talent by telling the story of our civic progress and raising awareness of the region's capacity for pioneering innovation.

The launch of the Baltimore Region economic brand is a transformative step in elevating our region's profile. A strong, unified identity is key to attracting investment, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth. Built on two years of collaboration and data-driven insights, this initiative presents a compelling narrative of our region's talent, industries, and opportunities.

—Augie Chiasera, Co-Chair of the GBC Regional Branding Initiative Steering Committee and President, Greater Baltimore Region of M&T Bank

The Need for a Clear Narrative

The need for a clear and consistent narrative that communicates the story of the Baltimore Region’s strengths while also amplifying the region’s continued civic progress was identified as a core need for the private sector and civic leaders. Our merger with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore in 2023 alongside the existing financial support provided by area jurisdictions to market the region left the GBC well-positioned to address this area of opportunity.

About the Region

An Experienced and Capable Choice

After a lengthy and thorough selection process, GBC arrived at a creative team comprised of the place-based branding firm Resonance, the marketing research firm Ipsos, and the Baltimore-based strategic communications firm Timbre Strategies. They embarked on an extensive discovery process, engaging more than 100 partners across dozens of industries, conducting benchmarking surveys of national business decision makers, and coordinating several field tours of strategic sites across the region.

A Call for Regional Brand Ambassadors

On March 17, 2025, GBC officially launched the Bold Moves Economic Brand at Towson University. The brand distills more than two years of in-depth qualitative research and market intelligence to elevate the narrative that the Baltimore Region is defined by constant invention, transformation, and the “Bold Moves” it takes to serve as the home to fearless innovators and entrepreneurs. Today, through our partnership with the highly-regarded public relations firm Violet PR, we are telling the region’s story across national and international media. We are aggressively ramping up a Regional Ambassador program of stakeholders willing to integrate Bold Moves messaging in their marketing collateral or support the next phase of telling our region’s economic story.

Relevant Media Coverage

The People Betting on a Baltimore Comeback
The Wall Street Journal

For years, a housing-and-retail complex northwest of downtown was so crime-plagued it was dubbed the “Murder Mall.” Today, Ashleigh Choi Cross and John Cross are living at that location in a brand-new $400,000 townhouse. Read More.

Baltimore-area Startups Defy Investment Declines
The Baltimore Sun

Startup founders point to regional advantages such as proximity to defense and research facilities, a strong base of contractors and access to specialized talent. Read More.

The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs
The Wall Street Journal

Memo to job-hunting college grads: It pays to take your search to cities just beyond America’s biggest metro areas. For the second-straight year Baltimore was named as among the best markets for recent college grads. Read More.

Can the business community brand Baltimore's renaissance?
WYPR

The Greater Baltimore Committee is holding their 2025 Pulse Check event which brings together leaders of the region’s economic landscape to unveil a new brand for Baltimore’s business renaissance. Midday hears from the Greater Baltimore Committee’s CEO Mark Anthony Thomas about the importance of branding the city nationally and globally for its current development success and future growth opportunities. Listen to Interview

Baltimore’s rebranding finds ‘friendly’ perception of city, but work to do on safety image
The Baltimore Sun

Early results of an initiative to improve the Baltimore region’s business and social reputation has found that U.S. business leaders who are familiar with Baltimore tend to rate it positively and describe it as “friendly,” “connected” and progressive-leaning. Read More

Baltimore region unites behind ‘Bold Moves’ economic brand to spur growth
The Baltimore Sun

Decision makers looking to invest in U.S. cities have a clear sense of places such as New York and Philadelphia, but not Baltimore, area business leaders say. But they’re expecting that to change. The Greater Baltimore Committee is rolling out an economic brand designed to sum up reasons to invest in Baltimore in two words: “Bold Moves.” Read More.

Grumbling is the first step to making Baltimore better | EDITORIAL
The Baltimore Sun

It’s also important to maintain a proper perspective. The region has issues, it also has assets. Take, for example, the new “Bold Moves” campaign sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Committee. The effort is meant to better promote what makes the Baltimore area special, not just institutions like Johns Hopkins University, the Port of Baltimore or Under Armour’s brightly lit global headquarters, but our fearlessness, history and compassion. There is serious talent and energy here. Too often, we take that for granted. We need to do a better job of selling it. Read More.

Is Place Branding the Toughest Creative Task
DesignWeek

Walter Landor famously and quite rightly, said that, “products are made in the factory but brands are created in the mind.” This has historically led to an overwhelming drive to “own” the brand – if not police it – so that recognisable visual, verbal and audible elements are imprinted upon our brains and associated with certain qualities. Read More.

Baltimore is sending an economic message to the world
The Baltimore Sun

Under Armour’s celebratory launch of its new Baltimore Peninsula flagship store this month was much more than a typical retail ribbon cutting. Amid student marching bands, sports mascots and skyrocketing smoke, a mix of business leaders and elected officials joined athletes to get a first look at the new development project. Read Op-Ed.

Is Baltimore on the Cusp of a Renaissance
Baltimore Magazine

AT THE STATION NORTH event venue known as The Garage this past November, the nonprofit Youth Advocate Programs held a brunch to honor the recent accomplishments of its participants in the city’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy. It was not a particularly elaborate affair and not widely covered by local media, but the celebration did prove moving at times, and hopeful. It also offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the city’s still new—and by all indications, quite effective—approach to our half-century struggle with gun violence. Read More.

A Baltimore Renaissance? Baltimore Magazine Weighs In
WBAL-TV

Growth, development, and public safety: all factors contributing to a possible Baltimore renaissance according to Baltimore Magazine writer Ron Cassie. Watch Video.

Baltimore reports more tax revenue and big-ticket development deals in 2024
Technical.ly

One of the region’s main economic growth-focused nonprofits used the occasion of a brand reveal to highlight what 2024 brought in investments, ongoing development projects, real estate and job growth. Read more. 

A bold move: Baltimore region’s leaders hope that future favors the agile and resilient
Baltimore Fishbowl

Private-sector leaders focused on economic growth are set to reintroduce the Baltimore region to the nation and across the globe to attract investment. Read more.

GBC branding push aims to bring new manufacturing, tech to city
Baltimore Business Journal

A new marketing campaign for Greater Baltimore aims to build a regional brand for the city and its neighboring counties in the hopes of drawing fresh investment and entrepreneurs. Such a drive will take “Bold Moves” — the theme of the new push — said Mark Anthony Thomas, president of the Greater Baltimore Committee, or GBC, on Monday. Read more. 

GBC Unveils “Bold Moves” Brand Positioning and Highlights $4.4B in Investment at 2nd Annual Pulse Check Event
CityBiz

The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) debuted the much-anticipated Baltimore Region economic brand and unveiled the 2024 Annual Investment Scorecard at its second annual Pulse Check: Regional Brand Premiere event today, March 17, at Towson University. Read more. 

GBC’s new regional brand leverages Baltimore’s ‘Bold Moves’
Business Monthly

The Greater Baltimore Committee introduced a new, unifying economic brand for the Baltimore region on March 17 during its second annual Pulse Check event, held at Towson University. Read more. 

8 Things to Know: GBC Woos Investors with better Baltimore 'brand'
The Baltimore Business Journal

Jeremie Feinblatt, vice president of strategy for Resonance Consultancy Ltd., talked about how his organization was working with the GBC on raising Baltimore’s profile — and changing its reputation by creating a better brand. “Brands matter,” he told the packed auditorium at Maryland Institute College of Art’s Brown Center. Read More.

GBC's Mark Anthony Thomas calls for better Baltimore brand
The Baltimore Business Journal

Greater Baltimore Committee CEO Mark Anthony Thomas writes about his group’s goals for establishing a better economic narrative for the region. Read More.

Interview with Greater Baltimore Committee
Brand Finance

With the launch of our Regional Branding Initiative, we are setting the table to frame and amplify the overarching economic narrative and the many points of light contributing to the current momentum and efforts underway. There has been a long standing appetite for this type of initiative, so we have received tremendous support and I am excited about the impact. Read More.