Lt. Governor Tours New Tech Business In Berlin

Lt. Governor Tours New Tech Business In Berlin
Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, right, speaks with Electronic Transaction System Business Development Manager Ryan Pappas during last Friday’s tour of his new business. Photo by Charlene Sharpe

BERLIN – Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford joined local officials for a tour of Berlin’s newest technology business last week.

On Friday Worcester County and Town of Berlin leaders joined Rutherford as he visited Electronic Transaction System (ETS) in the former South Moon Under offices in Berlin. Since securing the space last fall, ETS, a mobile technology company, has renovated the office and is in the process of expanding the business.

Ryan Pappas, business development manager at ETS, described his motivation in asking the company’s CEO to help him set up a satellite office in Berlin.

“I knew there were so many smart students leaving Salisbury (University) that were just untapped,” Pappas said.
“Everyone was grabbing their diploma and running north to Jersey or to Baltimore and D.C. They didn’t have a choice.”

And so in November, ETS took over the former South Moon Under building. While Pappas initially envisioned hiring close to 80 employees to fill the office, he says now that he’s realized it will take some time to grow the business. He said this summer there were 20 people in the office, though several of them were interns.

Mayor Gee Williams asked Pappas what his vision was for ETS in Berlin going forward.

“In the next 5-10 years we’ll have absolutely more than 35 people in here,” Pappas said. “It’s just a matter of refining what we’re currently doing with the core group we have right now so that way organizationally, as we grow, there’s no hiccups.”

Pappas also talked about the company’s various projects, including its iPad-based point of sale system.

“It’s platform agnostic meaning that it can run on any device,” Pappas said. “That’s obviously going to be big around this area … We have ways to collect money anywhere it’s needed. Our tagline is we make commerce happen. It’s true though.”

Pappas said the company was also working with John Gehrig of D3Corp.

“Basically we’re going to be the payment gateway for his websites now,” he said.

Williams praised Pappas’ efforts and encouraged him to continue to form partnerships within the community. He said Berlin was looking toward the future.

“What we’re trying to do as a community is embrace the 21st century, not fight it …,” Williams said. “It’s a transition to understanding there’s so much opportunity here but you can’t just do the same thing and expect different results. It’s an old cliché but it applies more today than ever.”

After leaving ETS, officials walked through downtown Berlin, with Rutherford visiting Burley Oak’s Brewer’s Café and World of Toys, among other shops. Merry Mears, economic development director for Worcester County, said the visit gave Rutherford the chance to see some of the area’s successful local businesses firsthand.

“It’s so important for local businesses to give one on one input to our law makers,” Mears said. “This unique opportunity provided them with a platform to discuss timely issues with the second highest ranking official in the State of Maryland. Lt. Gov. Rutherford took the time to learn more about each business, to have those important discussions, and to see firsthand what makes Worcester County a tremendous place to do business.”

Laura Allen, Berlin’s town administrator, said the town’s merchants appreciated Rutherford taking the time to speak with them.

“It’s always great when we have the attention of the state of Maryland on our small community,” Allen said.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.