Rickard Named New Garrison Commander at Fort Meade
With the end of Col. Brian Foley’s three-year stint as garrison commander at Fort Meade celebrated at the Fort Meade Alliance’s sendoff at the BWI Airport Marriott in late June came news of Foley’s next assignment and the name of his replacement.
Foley and his family will be staying in the area, with the colonel preparing to become the chief of the strategic initiatives group under the U.S. Army’s Office for the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. Taking his place as garrison commander will be Col. Tom Rickard. A formal announcement and introduction of Rickard will be made in the coming weeks.
Franchot Rides Out in Search of Unclaimed Property Owners
“Sheriff” Franchot — a.k.a. Comptroller Peter Franchot — and his trusted steed Abacus are hitting the trail in search of the rightful owners of abandoned bank accounts, security deposits, insurance benefits and safe deposit boxes. They’re planning stops with agency staff at local fairs and festivals this summer and fall to help reunite Marylanders with Unclaimed Property accounts worth more than $1 billion.
Last summer, more than 4,200 people discovered and received more than $485,500 in unclaimed funds after visiting the agency’s booth at fairs and festivals. One visitor to the Maryland State Fair discovered an unexpected windfall of $13,204. There were similar occurrences at the Montgomery County Fair, where someone found $23,036, and at the 50+EXPO in Howard County, where an attendee claimed $35,186.
In fiscal 2015, the Comptroller’s Office honored nearly 56,000 claims totaling more than $66 million. Since 2007, the Comptroller’s Office has returned more than $450 million in unclaimed property. To search the database, visit www.marylandtaxes.com.
PharmAthene to Join Russell 3000 and Global Indexes
PharmAthene, an Annapolis-based biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against anthrax, has joined the broad-market Russell 3000 Index.
Annual reconstitution of the Russell U.S. indexes captures the 3,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization. Membership in the U.S. all-cap Russell 3000 Index, which remains in place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the large-cap Russell 1000 Index or small-cap Russell 2000 Index as well as the appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell determines membership for its Russell indexes by objective market capitalization rankings and style attributes.
Indexes provided by FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider, are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. Approximately $6 trillion in assets are benchmarked against the Russell U.S. indexes.
Quotient to Work With NIH’s National Library of Medicine on Software Development
Columbia-based Quotient Inc. has announced a contract awarded by the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine (NLM) to provide support on its numerous health information technology-related applications and systems. Quotient will be responsible for various web development, application development, database administration and system administration efforts supporting the Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS). “Quotient is excited to continue to play a role in support of the important work at the National Library of Medicine. Ours is a collaborative relationship with the library and specifically with OCCS leadership, and we look forward to making a contribution to the mission now and well into the future,”’ said Jodi Lare, founder of Quotient.
BWI Marshall Sets April Record, Cites 10th Straight Record Month
Passenger traffic continued to climb at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport in April, with 2,095,013 passengers for the month. The figure, an increase of 3.7% from the same month last year, represents a new April record for passenger traffic at BWI Marshall. It also was the 10th straight monthly record for the airport.
A number of airlines at BWI Marshall experienced passenger growth for April 2016, including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines. International traffic at BWI Marshall continued its strong growth, increasing 10% in April. Consistent growth led to a new all-time annual record for passenger traffic in 2015, with more than 23.8 million passengers.
Loyola’s Financial Management Association Student Chapter Recognized
Loyola University Maryland’s student chapter of the Financial Management Association attained the “Superior Chapter” designation for 2016. The association’s international headquarters oversees more than 175 active student chapters, and fewer than 10% receive the Superior Chapter honor each year.
The Loyola student chapter of the organization provides opportunities for professional interaction between and among academics, practitioners and students, while promoting the development and understanding of basic and applied research and sound financial practices. It also hosts campus events throughout the academic year. Loyola’s chapter is moderated by Tuugi Chuluun, assistant professor of finance.
Geralis, Kidera Present at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
Maryland Artists Rana Geralis and Brenda Kidera will both reveal their love for painting the intimate and subtle beauty of wildlife, coupled with the strength and power of the horse at their show at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery, 8090 Main Street, Ellicott City; it will run from July 10–21, with the opening reception on Sunday, July 10, from 4–6 p.m.
Their artwork includes oil, watercolor and pastel paintings. Geralis enjoys working in oil, watercolor and pastel. Her most loved subjects are horses; Kidera is a contemporary realist who paints landscapes and wildlife in her backyard and in conservation areas, parks and waterways across the United States. She has a passion for the birds, animals, plants, trees and waterways.
Tenable, Bozzuto Place Among The Washington Post’s Top D.C. Workplaces
Tenable Network Security, of Columbia, and Bozzuto, of Greenbelt, have been selected among the Washington Post’s Top Workplaces, based on ratings from their employees.
Tenable, in 2015, hired more than 200 employees and plans to add 200 more in 2016. The company has expanded its global footprint with offices in Ireland, London and Singapore. It has earned numerous accolades during the last 12 months for its company culture, leadership and growth, including “top workplace” recognition by the Baltimore Sun and Glassdoor. The company was recently awarded the Governor’s Award by the Chesapeake Regional Tech Council.
In addition to the overall well-being of its 2,000 employees, Bozzuto focuses on creating a diverse, inclusive environment that encourages innovation and impacts society in a meaningful way. Most recently, the company launched Bozzuto Voices, an employee feedback program that encourages employees of all levels to submit concerns, innovations, questions or compliments about the company or its worksite.
BGCA Tabs Merkle as Agency of Record
Columbia-based Merkle has been selected by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) as agency of record to launch the organization’s direct response strategy. BGCA, one of the nation’s largest, longest-running youth development organizations, looks to Merkle as a strategic adviser as the organization seeks to advance its mission and build meaningful donor relationships.
Merkle’s agency-of-record engagement with BGCA entails managing the direct marketing program, which includes direct mail, campaign strategy, creative design, program management, data processing, print production, execution and analytics. BGCA will complement its direct marketing engagement with Merkle by adding a digital fundraising program that includes email, search, paid social and digital display services.
Line of Sight Selected by U.S. Treasury Bureau
Line of Sight, of Ellicott City, has announced that the U.S. Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s Fiscal Accounting Operations has selected the company to manage a project implementing an Enterprise Service Bus for its Oracle infrastructure, using service-oriented architecture principles and design patterns. The project will result in improved web-enabled services and enhance existing tools for Fiscal Service’s customers.
“Our work with various organizations within BFS reflects a true partnership,” said CEO Margaret Weinstein. For [more than] five years, Line of Sight has supported various projects and initiatives, providing project management, change management, business process improvement and strategic consulting services. “This partnership has resulted in successful projects, improved processes, and increased staff expertise at BFS.”
Local Business Center Sold
NAI KLNB recently brokered the sale of the Stonewood Business Center, a four-building office/warehouse project consisting of nearly 150,000 square feet, in Columbia, to J2J LLC for $19.6 million. Christopher Kubler, principal and director for investment sales of NAI KLNB, and Bob Smith, principal of NAI KLNB, represented the seller, an affiliate of The Sanford Companies. The buildings are situated at 7165–7195 Oakland Mills Road.
Stonewood Business Center’s 7165 and 7175 buildings were constructed between 1983 and 1985. In 2009, the seller renovated these buildings, delivered two new buildings and expanded the parking lot. The buildings feature 18- and 24-foot ceiling heights and are surrounded by a free, surface parking lot. Eight tenants occupy the four buildings. The sale included a parcel that will support development of a fifth building.
Anne Arundel County Wins Financial Reporting Award
Anne Arundel County and Controller Julie Mussog have been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for their comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. The award is given by an impartial panel that judges whether a CAFR demonstrates a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” that clearly communicates a government entity’s financial story.
MCE Affiliate Selected to Nation’s Top Accelerator Program
Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE) affiliate company Pair, an augmented reality startup founded by Air Force Academy grad and Iraq War veteran Andrew Kemendo, has been selected to take part in the 500 Startups Accelerator, an incubator accelerator program.
Pair, formally known as Visidraft, is a company that has developed a mobile augmented reality application that lets any consumer with an iPhone or iPad try out more than 1,400 furnishings and rugs in their home like the products are real. The software was first designed by Kemendo in 2010 to provide an interactive rendering of a building being built in Guam during his time in the Air Force. The software would allow builders the chance to interact with a designed space digitally, before shipping the materials.
Schuh Rescinds 64 Outdated Executive Orders
In an effort to continue reforming and modernizing county government, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh has announced the rescission of 64 executive orders spanning nearly 20 years. “This removal of unnecessary and outdated executive directives demonstrates our continued commitment to modernize and streamline county government,” said Schuh.
After a thorough review of the entire catalog of 84 executive orders in effect, 64 executive orders were deemed outdated, ineffective and unnecessary to operate county government efficiently. The remaining 20 were combined, altered and reissued by the county executive.
Lowe Selects New Name for Firm
Citing evolution and growth, the principals of the Columbia-based financial services firm will now market the company under the name Lowe Wealth Advisors. They also have established a new web address, which is www.lowewealthadvisors.com.
TFCU Named Credit Union Partner of the Year by TRUECar
Laurel-based Tower Federal Credit Union (TFCU) was recently named Credit Union Partner of the Year by TRUECar. The credit union received this recognition in large part due to the continued success of the Tower Car Buying Service, an online car buying service offered to Tower members and powered by TRUECar.
In 2015, 1,292 Tower members purchased a vehicle through the Tower Car Buying Service, and of those, 917 financed their auto loans with Tower, representing a closing ratio of 71%. Tower also had the highest percentage — almost 10% — of member purchases to unique visitors to the TRUECar Web site across all TRUECar partners.
Tower members purchasing a vehicle through the new Tower Car Buying Service at towerfcu.org receive a special discount on new and used vehicles. The average savings off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for new vehicles is $3,279. In addition, Tower offers a 0.25% discount on auto loans for members who use the Tower Car Buying Service and finance their auto loan with Tower.
Northrop Team of Long & Foster Ranked First in Maryland
The Clarksville-based Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate was ranked first in Maryland for the 10th consecutive year based on sales volume and transaction sides. The Northrop Team ranked third overall in the nation based on sales volume and fifth based on transaction sides, according to REAL Trends, which provides statistical analysis for the residential real estate industry. The Northrop Team achieved a sales volume of $577.6 million and completed 1,336 transaction sides in 2015.
The Northrop Team’s ranking is part of REAL Trends 1000, which was developed jointly by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends. REAL Trends compiles rankings based on surveys of previous applicants, as well as 900 of the largest United States brokerage firms. An independent third party verifies all submissions, and staff from REAL Trends also reviews these submissions for accuracy.