ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "Made in Maryland" is provided by... Offering big bank capabilities and boutique bank care, CFG Bank supports businesses of all sizes and industries, including manufacturing across Maryland.

We are CFG Bank.

Your success is our business.

This program is in part made possible through a partnership with Kaiser Permanente, which has been serving the Maryland community with high-quality healthcare for over 35 years.

The Maryland Marketing Partnership amplifies all that makes Maryland a great place to live, work, and do business in, including our bright minds, diverse population, and connectivity.

Learn more at business.maryland.gov.

Chesapeake Employers Insurance.

Proud to support "Made in Maryland" and the exciting future for manufacturing in Maryland.

And by... (hammering) NARRATOR: Maryland makes things that matter.

Precision-crafted windows and doors.

High-end commercial pizza ovens and beautiful bespoke garments.

FRANCESCO MARRA: I believe for an immigrant that comes here with nothing and is able to create an organization, the fact that you're doing it with your family, it's even more rewarding.

NARRATOR: Creating opportunities for our diverse workforce.

KEN CLAY: Anybody can buy the equipment.

The value here is the knowledge base of the people.

NARRATOR: Manufacturers provide meaningful employment opportunities for underrepresented communities.

CHESTER FRANCE JR.

: This is what I was called to do.

NARRATOR: Celebrating their contributions to the creation of exceptional products right here at home.

Producing finished goods in Maryland adds billions of dollars each year to our economy and uplifts over 100,000 individuals from a rich blend of backgrounds, creating a dynamic and talented workforce.

Companies like Lifting Labels, Acadia Windows and Doors, and Marra Forni help make Maryland the state of opportunity.

(theme music playing) ♪ ♪ Baltimore's historic Pig Town.

Once bustling with livestock, now hums to the sound of sewing machines reviving the city's once thriving garment industry.

One stitch at a time.

Throughout the Baltimore Innovation Center on Wicomico Street.

Talented tailors and skilled artisans breathe new life into the city's needle trades.

Generating an atmosphere filled with creativity, craftsmanship, and opportunity.

Companies like Lifting Labels are producing custom handcrafted clergy robes, kitchen aprons, and more.

CHESTER: The mission of Lifting Labels is to create jobs for formerly incarcerated men and women coming back to Baltimore.

They're "lifting the labels" that people tend to put on them when they come home.

ALIANA GRACE BAILEY: It's supporting the idea that we all have something to provide, to give, to teach, and to learn.

NARRATOR: The Lifting Labels team manufactures custom clothing using precision, ingenuity, and creativity.

CHESTER: We'll get an order and develop the bill of materials with the wholesale costs, how much the fabric's gonna cost, how much the thread's gonna cost, what's the labor gonna cost to make one item.

We get the fabric in, they cut the pattern, they begin to put the pieces together.

Somebody's doing a sleeve, somebody may be doing, you know, some other part of the garment, and then it all comes together.

Aliana is a perfectionist.

She's the... ALIANA: I'm a recovering perfectionist.

CHESTER: She's the quality control person, and I love it because, you know, you don't want something to go out the door that's, that doesn't look right, and so she's the person.

ALIANA: We use Asana.

We also have new forms where we're able to collect all the data that we need from a potential customer before we even start their project.

Then we use the whiteboard, and we use other forms of organization within the studio to keep things efficient.

NARRATOR: The concept of Lifting Labels took shape when Reverend Chester France, Jr.

instructed a cognitive behavioral class at one of Maryland's maximum-security prisons.

CHESTER: A young man said to me, "Mr.

France, when I go home, I'm gonna start a sewing business.

I'm gonna make clothes and sell 'em."

And I said to him, "Well, why do you think you can do that, and why do you think that's a good idea?"

He said, "I worked in a sewing plant, I know how to sew."

I was like, "Oh my gosh, we got three sewing plants in the prison system in Maryland.

People come home with sewing skills, but there are no jobs."

NARRATOR: By bringing the production of clergy vestments back home from overseas, Lifting Labels meets community needs and boosts the local economy while crafting quality garments grounded in tradition and purpose.

CHESTER: We've been buying robes from everybody for decades.

No money comes back to the community.

People that make the robes don't look like us.

So, I said, "Wow, lemme see if I can pull these two things together, connect the dots," and that's how it started.

NARRATOR: The Lifting Labels community includes consultant and tailor, Greg Hardy, who is a fellow vendor at the Baltimore Innovation Center.

GREG HARDY: I consult on the construction of the garment, also pattern design.

I have about 50 years' experience in this field.

I thought it was interesting what they were doing in Lifting Labels.

Our paths didn't meet before here, but we had worked in a similar environment that was with the state of Maryland as a assistant plant manager as a tailor designing patterns for various state agencies.

And I just try to give something back and pass something on.

Some of the people I've worked with in the system they develop a certain discipline for the craft.

They get out and society is not benefiting from them.

CHESTER: It's an older population for the most part that comes out of prison.

And so, these folks are not interested in doing anything crazy.

They're older now, wiser now if they're on parole, then they have to be able to go to the parole officer once a week or once every two weeks, and without transportation, it's a pretty tough task to do, but they do it.

And they just want a opportunity to, you know, to continue a life that they feel good about themselves.

NARRATOR: Securing a job at Lifting Labels goes beyond work.

It means joining a supportive community.

ALIANA: I believe that everyone deserves healing, and everyone deserves an opportunity to change for the better.

Everyone deserves access to resources.

Everyone deserves the access to a quality life.

NARRATOR: Success is accomplished one garment at a time.

ALIANA: Our current employees are really good examples of what changing your life can look like by having people who believe in them.

It makes such a big difference on their mindset, on their joy.

It makes such a big difference on the way that they work.

Anthony's just very committed.

Angel loves this job.

NARRATOR: This work holds a great deal of personal significance for Reverend France.

CHESTER: I could have been behind the bars at, at some point in my young life.

It is personal because I also grew up in a community in West Baltimore, where maybe five, six years ago, the "Baltimore Sun" front page article was the most incarcerated men come outta Sandtown, and I grew up in Sandtown.

It's very personal because I have friends also incarcerated, and I was there to, to try to help them have a good transition when it, when it did happen.

So yeah, it's personal.

NARRATOR: The impact of steady employment extends beyond earning a paycheck.

It's a critical turning point, especially for individuals seeking a second chance... ...or their first real opportunity to thrive like those offered at Acadia Windows and Doors in Baltimore County.

Acadia provides dignity, purpose, and empowerment through meaningful work, manufacturing custom windows and doors with a team of 100 people.

NEILL CHRISTOPHER: We've been in eastern Baltimore County since 1947.

KEN CLAY: Our primary focus is multifamily.

However, we do have a good number of residential contractors that are oftentimes doing replacement windows locally.

As you look through the plant, everything has been custom-measured.

Everything here has already been sold.

NARRATOR: Acadia manufactures tens of thousands of windows and doors for the Mid-Atlantic region every year.

Their workplace culture is rooted in their motto, Never settle.

KEN: We're able to use people who are experienced in making the product.

The accuracy is there, their focus is there, and the automation makes it easy for them to be successful.

NARRATOR: Manufacturing at this level requires perfect coordination and precision in teamwork.

NEILL: Everything's custom-made.

The first operation for all of our products is the installation of weather stripping.

Weather stripping is the part of the product that keeps the cold air and the water from entering your home.

Cutting the material to size is the next step.

From that point, we process it by punching a hole in it, either to let water out or to add hardware, and then it goes into a welder.

A welding machine using pressure and heat takes separate parts and fuses them together, stronger than if it were mechanically assembled.

There's a little excess material on there, so it goes into an automated corner cleaner that removes all that and makes a product that you would want in your home.

Here, we get the frame ready to receive the glass.

In this specific step, a meeting rail is added at the midpoint of the window.

While all that's going on, another crew is making insulated glass.

The glass will fall and be caught by a cushion of the air, brought forward, enter the robot, and be cut to size.

Once the glass is cut to size, we will prepare it for insulation by deleting the heat reflective coating and then washing it.

It's like a giant car wash for glass.

Once the glass is clean and dry, it's ready to be insulated.

We will apply the insulating material, put the top layer of the glass on, and then load it into the sealing oven for sealing.

Once the glass comes out of the sealing oven, it's ready to be filled with argon and be hermetically sealed.

Once the frame is prepared, it's time for silicone.

The silicone will allow the glass to be watertight when it's installed in the frame.

The next step in the process is installing the glass into the finish frame.

We call that glazing.

The final step is inspection where everything comes together.

The hardware is attached, and the windows inspected for quality control purposes.

NARRATOR: In 2003, Acadia set out to expand its talent pool beyond Baltimore County, and soon its unwavering, never settle mantra faced a crucial test.

NEILL: The ad was answered by a lady who said she was a job developer for The Arc of the Northern Chesapeake Region, and she said that the people she represented were differently abled.

We thought this was too dangerous an environment, too fast-paced an environment.

NARRATOR: The job developer was persuasive, and Acadia wanted to understand how this opportunity could benefit their team.

NEILL: They, at that time, were inserting the weather stripping, the first step in the process, and they said, "If you can get somebody to put this weather stripping in, we can fly."

NARRATOR: Management presented the possibility to expand employment opportunities at Acadia's weekly all-staff meetings.

NEILL: It took three meetings over about four months for us to decide to try to hire one person.

The saw operators were more efficient, everybody was happy, and we were amazed we had hired somebody that was differently abled.

NARRATOR: Acadia's partnership with The Arc found new ways to customize roles.

The job developer then recommended a recent high school graduate.

NEILL: I figured if she's come and recommended from the job developer, she's gonna be awesome.

I said, "What high school does she graduate from?"

And Jan said, "The Maryland School for the Blind."

And I was just like, you remember what we do here, right?

She said, but she's got manufacturing experience.

She made some parts of automobile headrests.

NARRATOR: Acadia hired Jessica to install weather stripping.

NEILL: Jessica is legally blind, and she has an intellectual and developmental disability, and we have her permission to talk about that.

KEN: So, talking to her parents, she got her first paycheck, went home, and what she told them is, I wanna buy you dinner.

It's an understatement to say those are life-changing things for people.

NEILL: Jessica has been recognized statewide because it's a story that resonates with all employers, not just manufacturers.

NARRATOR: Acadia's relationship with The Arc is a success.

NEILL: Sanjay has been here for seven years.

He's at a point where he trains people who come in new.

If they're gonna be working in that department, he works with them to make sure they understand why we do what we do.

NARRATOR: Sanjay doesn't just train others, he also trains as an athlete representing the U.S.

at the Special Olympics, NEILL: Really a great athlete.

He comes back from the Special Olympics with his medals, and he wears 'em all day out on the line, and it's just cool to see that and the support that he gets from his coworkers.

KEN: They've had limitations, and when given an opportunity and given training to come in and be successful to help us with our productivity, it's the best thing that could happen for them also.

NEILL: We're always raising the bar on ourselves.

We're always trying to make better-performing products.

We're always trying to hire people in a more diverse workforce.

We never want to stop.

NARRATOR: By focusing on job-specific skills, employers are opening doors for overlooked individuals.

And, as demonstrated by companies like Marra Forni, creating opportunities for people building new lives in Maryland.

The perfect Neapolitan pizza calls for finely milled flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella, finished in a blazing hot oven that brings it all together.

For hundreds of years, pizzaioli have relied on traditional brick ovens to cook their pies at nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maryland is home to the first manufacturer outside of Italy, awarded for the craftsmanship of its Neapolitan pizza ovens.

FRANCESCO: I am the co-founder and CEO of Marra Forni.

Marra is our last name.

Forni means "ovens" in Italian.

We are an American manufacturer of food equipment inspired by Italians.

NARRATOR: Marra Forni's headquarters in Prince George's County is where innovation meets craftsmanship, and they produce the Ferraris of pizza ovens.

Each one is built with high-quality materials through a careful multi-step process that's as much art as it is engineering.

FRANCESCO: We build all the metal parts.

Besides the metal fab and welding, the oven is built the brick by brick, and so the only two machines that we have here is a wet saw and a concrete mix, and everything else is made by hand.

The raw materials allows us to create the thermal mass inside the oven so you can have even cooking.

Very consistent.

NARRATOR: Sourcing raw materials is the first step in Marra Forni's journey to create their world-renowned pizza ovens by blending old-world Italian baking with state-of-the-art innovation.

All inspired by the volcanic ash of Vesuvius.

FRANCESCO: Vesuvius also very dear to us because we are from Naples, we use volcanic rock to preserve the heat and retain the heat.

You look our "M", you could see that there is basically a shape of the volcano, and that was very important for us because we wanna stay connected to our roots.

NARRATOR: The Marra brothers have been perfecting the Neapolitan pizza oven since 2011.

FRANCESCO: We're making a great product because we're really passionate to what we do.

Enzo is the driving force with new design, new product, looking always to innovate.

NARRATOR: Craftsmanship is at the heart of every Marra Forni pizza oven.

FRANCESCO: First process is to cut the pieces, and we're gonna use a laser machine.

Jesse, today, is cutting the box for our digital touchscreen.

Then, we're gonna move over to the second step, which is using our press brake.

Where the operator here is gonna take the pieces, bend it, which will be used to utilize the oven.

Now, we are at the welding department.

We are building traditional Neapolitan brick ovens.

This is the base.

We're talking about eight pieces that been welded together, and this is the beginning of the foundation.

This is Marra Forni second manufacturing plant.

This is where all the magic happens to make a, a true brick oven.

This particular brick is the heart to our dome.

NARRATOR: The volcanic rock in these Italian-made bricks helps them handle constant heating and cooling, so they last longer.

ENZO: This one we start, they start with the dome; they start first with the big one after they go with the small one.

Everything is precut with the dimension, and this is the way we start the oven.

Ernesto, you, you work with us... right now, it's 10 year and he have an experience of masonry for 45 year.

FRANCESCO: Each oven is different.

This is a big oven because it's a big, the dome become really big, and there is a little bit more complicated to do it.

With experience, it's fine.

If you see this oven is almost finished, you can see the sand in the bottom.

They prepare all the piece and little by little they cut it and they see all the position.

It's an art.

This oven is already finished the dome, and they put another layer of mesh on top.

After this mesh, we refill with the concrete again, to make it all the dome strong.

They put insulation.

The insulation is a special insulation and is made for a high-temperature insulation.

After they put insulation, they put another mesh and another mesh.

Is more thin.

And this one is more strong.

The strong one is the one that they give the shape of the oven.

And now it's time to put a concrete on top and finish the oven with the concrete.

And this is all done by hand.

Here is basically applied the concrete that he has to sand it and he has to clean it.

This is one of the last process we do.

After we remove all the sand from the oven, there is a really special person because you need to have a, a really skinny person to get in inside of the oven.

They get in inside of the oven and they see all the imperfection that is in the oven and they clean all the dome because we want all the dome really nice and smooth inside.

Here we are in the aging room.

All the oven we put in the shelf for at least 25 days just for dry because the concrete it take almost a month to really dry.

And now we're gonna go to the design and tiling department.

And the step really starts by making a mock-up.

This new project right now is really hard job to do because every sheet of tile, they have a number, and we need to put in the position for each sheet.

It's a really complicated job.

Then our specialist, they're working on it to do it.

And now we are at the assembly line.

You see a couple ovens here displayed.

My brother is showing our proprietary four-star technology burner.

Here we also assembly our touch screen.

We were the first, you know, company in the world to put a touch screen on a traditional brick oven.

And this is very innovative.

The know-how is ours.

It's all engineer in the house.

And then the last step is the quality control with a checklist, and make sure that everything works.

NARRATOR: The journey to perfecting these Maryland-made pizza ovens is a quintessential American story.

FRANCESCO: My family is from Naples, Italy, and came here in United States in the 1995.

We come from a, a middle-class family.

My mom married again, and she moved here.

At the time, I was serving the Italian military and when I finished my service, I decided to move here with my brothers.

If you had asked me when I was 18, 19, that I would've been living in the United States by the age of 22, I will probably say that you are nuts, but I think the destiny brought us here.

But I'll tell you it wasn't easy.

We came here with nothing and through a lot of sacrifice and challenges and obstacles, we made the United States our one new home, and today we're very proud to be American citizen and also Italian citizens, still.

NARRATOR: Their journey reflects the courage and determination of millions who've come to the United States.

FRANCESCO: One of the great things about the United States is that there are so many immigrants that come with a different tradition, and we are a mix of many traditions, and that's what I think it makes us very successful as a country.

I think you're destined to become what you want to become.

And this is just the beginning of our journey.

What's most inspiring for me is what has yet to come.

NARRATOR: Maryland businesses like these thrive by blending, craftsmanship with innovation and embracing inclusion, all driven by dedicated teams who take pride in their work.

REBECCA ROSENBERG: ReBokeh is an accessibility tool that lets people with vision impairments make the most of their functional sight.

So, it's basically an augmented reality tool that lets you shift things like contrast, brightness, colors in real time so that that space becomes as viewable to you as possible.

About 85% of people with vision impairments have some amount of functional vision, and that includes people who are considered legally blind.

But I found that all of the accessibility tools before we came along were really geared toward replacing sight.

We actually held an entire beta test of our technology for about a year, and we tested it with about 150 different people, either with low vision or associated with the low vision world.

But I'm really proud that we involved people with disabilities early enough in the conversation because we were able to engage with the people who were, were going to be supported by this technology really early on.

ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "Made in Maryland" is provided by... Offering big bank capabilities and boutique bank care, CFG Bank supports businesses of all sizes and industries, including manufacturing across Maryland.

We are CFG Bank.

Your success is our business.

This program is in part made possible through a partnership with Kaiser Permanente, which has been serving the Maryland community with high-quality healthcare for over 35 years.

The Maryland Marketing Partnership amplifies all that makes Maryland a great place to live, work, and do business in, including our bright minds, diverse population, and connectivity.

Learn more at business.maryland.gov.

Chesapeake Employers Insurance.

Proud to support "Made in Maryland" and the exciting future for manufacturing in Maryland.

And by...