Ken Ulman's State of Howard County address Thursday included a focus on jobs and innovation, touting a geographical area he says nurtures ideas that can lead to new businesses.

The county executive pointed to new efforts in county government, such as the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship within the Economic Development Authority, dedicated to helping new businesses.

“Our opportunity, and the one we must commit ourselves to seizing, is creating an environment where the big ideas that surface are nurtured, supported and given the resources they need to become the next big thing in the market place," he said.

Ulman added: “Let me be clear: We don’t want just high tech jobs or low tech jobs. We want jobs. Period.”

To see other topics covered during the State of the County address, see the recap of the Patch live blog.

Ulman addressed county schools, emergency response, connectivity with other counties and more. The full text of his speech can be found here.

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