ELTA Systems Set to Expand in Howard County
During a recent week-long economic development mission to Israel, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan met with executives of defense firm ELTA Systems and announced that the company’s U.S. affiliate, ELTA North America, is tripling its footprint in Maryland and adding up to 50 new jobs during the next two to three years.
The company, which opened a 7,500-square-foot facility in Howard County’s Maple Lawn community in 2012, has signed a new lease for 21,500 square feet in Annapolis Junction and plans to move next month.
ELTA North America leverages state-of-the-art technology from ELTA Systems, the world’s fourth largest radar company and a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, and produces the components for Israel’s famous “Iron Dome” anti-missile system, as well as border surveillance radars for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ELTA North America also is involved in helping warfighters and first responders combat the growing threat of unmanned air vehicles.
SHA Resurfacing Section of I-195 to BWI Marshall
Motorists travelling to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport will have a smoother driving surface on a section of I-195 (Metropolitan Boulevard) between the Anne Arundel County line and Francis Avenue (east of I-95), in Arbutus. The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has started a $2.8 million project to resurface 1.4 miles of I-195. Weather permitting, the project should be complete in spring 2017.
Last resurfaced in 1990, the 26-year-old road is in need of new pavement and general repairs to the surrounding infrastructure. In addition to patching, grinding (removing top layer of asphalt), paving and restriping, SHA will perform the following work.
- Repair drainage systems and inlets for improved drainage
- Replace fading highway signs
- Retrofit highway lighting with new LED lights
SHA’s contractor, Gray and Sons, of Baltimore, is permitted to close a single lane Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and two lanes Sundays through Thursdays between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. More than 46,000 vehicles use this section of I-195 daily, so motorists should plan extra travel time.
Capitol Technology University Opens Doors to ITT Students
Students left stranded by the recent closure of ITT Tech may be able to transfer their credits and complete their education at Capitol Technology University, in Laurel, representatives of the university said on Sept. 15.
Capitol is hosting virtual open houses through its distance learning platform each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in order to assist ITT Tech students, who found their educational paths suddenly blocked last month when the school shuttered its doors, and are accessible through Capitol’s website.
Many transfer students will be able to complete all their coursework online, via Capitol’s live virtual classroom. “Even if you were studying at an ITT Tech location in another state, Capitol may be an option for you. You can connect from your computer at home and finish your degree online,” said Justin Zickar, associate director of undergraduate recruitment. Students can also call the admissions office at 800-950-1992.
Columbia’s Newest Sister City Is Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Columbia now has a fourth sister city — Cap-Haitien, Haiti, a community on the northern coast of the Caribbean island of Haiti with a population of about 190,000 people. It is home to the Palace of Sans Souci and the buildings at Ramiers and the Citadel, which together have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cap-Haitien Mayor Jean Claude Mondesir signed the sister city agreement in July while joined by a delegation from Howard County, which is home to a large Haitian and Caribbean diaspora. That added Cap-Haitien to an expanding family that also includes Columbia’s sister cities in Cergy-Pontoise, France (since 1977); Tres Cantos, Spain (since 1990); and Tema, Ghana (since 2014).
A sister city relationship is a long-term partnership, approved by Sister Cities International, that allows both communities to get involved in citizen diplomacy, projects of mutual interest and international relations. It can lead to cultural enrichment, educational exchanges, business relationships and humanitarian contributions.
MyCoreBenefit Solutions Sponsors Startup Maryland’s STRT1UP Tour
Startup Maryland announced support from MyCoreBenefit Solutions as a tour sponsor of the STRT1UP Road Show and Pitch Across Maryland Competition, the fifth annual statewide tour and celebration of entrepreneurship and startup companies.
The STRT1UP Road Show, which started on Sept. 10 and runs through Thursday, Oct. 6, is again traversing the state in the name of celebrating Maryland’s communities of venture building. Through this partnership, entrepreneurs will be offered direct opportunities for benefits education.
“Maryland has historically been a power center for disruptive innovations and innovation-tilted entrepreneurs,” said Mike Binko, founder and CEO of Startup Maryland. “Maryland entrepreneurs are now tearing down old-guard methodologies in industry sectors like insurance, health care and financial planning. MyCoreBenefit Solutions embodies the culture of innovation and understands deeply that with the changing mindsets of employees, businesses need to take greater steps to improve their benefit offerings.”
BWI Marshall Ranked No. 1 Surprisingly Great Airport in America by Thrillist
The food, drink and travel website Thrillist recently announced that BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport ranked highest on its list of the “Top 10 Most Surprisingly Great Airports in America.” The website noted that BWI Marshall and the other top airports on the list are, “surprisingly, refreshingly great, offering opportunities for fitness, rest, relaxation, cultural enrichment, even outdoor activities.”
The Thrillist recognition highlighted BWI Marshall’s location and proximity to both Washington and Baltimore, the low airline fares that are prevalent at the airport, its concessions program and the abundant fitness and healthy options for BWI Marshall travelers, including the BWI Trail and the airport’s bike share partnership with Zagster. The entire Thrillist list of the “Top Ten Most Surprisingly Great Airports in America” is available at www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-airports-in-the-us-air-travel.
GP Strategies to Acquire Maverick Solutions
Global performance improvement solutions provider GP Strategies Corp., of Columbia, has signed a definitive agreement (subject to closing conditions) to acquire Maverick Solutions, a provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) product training services. The acquisition will extend GP Strategies’ ability to deliver ERP systems training and user adoption services to its health care customer base and expand into the higher education sector.
“The acquisition of Maverick will further enable GP Strategies to provide cloud-based ERP training services. We believe that Maverick’s services will be a strategic fit to our approximately 120 Global 500 customers,” said Scott Greenberg, GP Strategies’ CEO. “It is a great start to resume our acquisition strategy, which has been a part of GP Strategies’ past success.”
WellDoc Announces Agreement With LifeScan
Columbia-based digital health technology leader WellDoc has entered into a commercial partnership agreement with LifeScan Inc., a Johnson & Johnson diabetes care company, to deliver across the United States a best-in-class digital health solution for Type 2 diabetes.
The companies will integrate WellDoc’s clinically validated BlueStar diabetes management platform and mobile application, the first digital therapeutic approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with Type 2 diabetes, with LifeScan’s OneTouch Verio Flex blood glucose monitoring system with built-in Bluetooth Smart Technology and the OneTouch Reveal digital system. The combined offering will seek to create a comprehensive, data-driven and payer-reimbursed program for Type 2 diabetes management.
Inovalon to Acquire Creehan & Co.
Bowie-based Inovalon, a technology company providing cloud-based analytics and data-driven intervention platforms to the health care industry, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Creehan Holding Co., the parent company of Creehan & Co., of Canonsburg, Pa., an independent provider of specialty pharmacy and specialty medications management software-as-a-service platforms.
“Specialty pharmacy is a uniquely high-value subsegment of the health care ecosystem that is of increasing importance to payors, pharmaceutical companies and patients alike,” said Dr. Keith Dunleavy, Inovalon chairman and CEO. “This complex segment of the market benefits greatly from a data-focused approach as the mutual goal of all parties is to achieve greater quality, outcomes and financial performance. The clear leadership position of Creehan & Co. and the vital nature of this strongly growing market segment, coupled with significant data and technology synergies with Inovalon’s platforms and client base, make this an exciting and powerful combination.”
C.L. Russell Participates in Foreign Trade Mission
C. L. Russell Group, a woman veteran-owned small business specializing in workforce learning and training development based in Largo, was selected among seven other small and medium-size American companies and participated in the recent United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) U.S. Trade Mission to Azerbaijan, which was organized in partnership with ExportDC.
The mission, which took place in mid-September, featured small and medium-sized American companies that specialize in diverse industries.
The mission featured country economic and sector-specific briefings, a networking reception, exclusive meetings with relevant officials, B2B appointments with prospective agents, distributors, partners and end-users.
UMBC, TAU Sign Memorandum Of Understanding
Gov. Larry Hogan recently joined officials from the UMBC and Tel Aviv University (TAU), in Israel, for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that promotes academic cooperation between the two universities. The agreement, the first between the two universities, establishes a framework for the joint development of research, exchange of academic and administrative staff and students, and the exchange of academic information and publications.
The agreement, which came as UMBC celebrated its 50th anniversary, will be in place for five years with the potential to be extended as special projects develop. Antonio Moreira, vice provost for academic affairs, signed the agreement for UMBC, and Dr. Raanan Rein, vice president, signed for TAU.
Bicentennial Plaque Dedicated at Savage Mill
Historic Savage Mill Managing Partner Jay Winer unveiled a bicentennial plaque in mid-September marking the Mill’s bicentennial. “The first construction here occurred when James Madison was president, which gives some sense of the historic tradition we have here,” Winer said.
State and local dignitaries participated in the dedication ceremony, with Maryland Planning Secretary Wendi Peters presenting Winer with a Governor’s Citation and State Sen. Guy Guzzone presenting an accompanying citation from the Maryland General Assembly.
“We know how important this institution is to the community,” Guzzone said. “It serves as an important draw for business and tourism … and we recognize that it took enormous work to make this place the success that it is.” The new plaque is located at the western entrance of the mill’s New Weave Building, near Terrapin Adventures.
Correction
In the profile of Turf Valley General Manager Pete Mangione that appeared in the May issue of The Business Monthly, the name of Joe Barbera, co-owner of AIDA Bistro, was misspelled. We regret the error.