Schuh Declares Anne Arundel Open for Agritourism Businesses
Recently at Y Worry Farm in Davidsonville, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh announced that Anne Arundel County is open for agritourism businesses. In September, the County Council passed legislation that officially defined agritourism in code and allowed it as a conditional zoning use; a second enacted bill exempts agritourism businesses from having to pay the amusement tax, eliminating an unnecessary financial burden on these businesses.
The legislation was the result of an 18-month workgroup organized by Schuh’s office consisting of stakeholders from government, agriculture and business. The county is also in the process of forming an agricultural business commission, which will advise the executive departments on policy and regulation.
“For far too long, our jurisdiction punished agritourism businesses with needless taxes and burdensome, outdated zoning restrictions,” said Schuh. “But now we have turned a corner as new laws will go into effect this weekend that ensure Anne Arundel County is state model for encouraging businesses.”
Colfax Sells Its Fluid Handling Business to CIRCOR for $860M
Annapolis Junction based-Colfax Corp., a diversified industrial technology company, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its fluid handling business to CIRCOR International for an estimated aggregate consideration of $860 million. The amount includes cash consideration of $542 million, approximately 3.3 million newly-issued shares of CIRCOR common stock and assumption of a net pension liability with an approximate value of $150 million as of Dec. 31, 2016.
“Over the past two years, we drove a step change in the fluid handling business performance and, after thorough review, determined that combining it now with CIRCOR is in the best interest of the business, its associates and the shareholders of Colfax Corporation,” said Colfax President and CEO Matt Trerotola.
“This transaction represents a strategic milestone for Colfax in the development of our portfolio and strengthens our balance sheet, providing more flexibility to execute our growth strategy,” said Trerotola. “Going forward, we intend to profitably grow our ESAB and Howden businesses and continue to strengthen them with complementary acquisitions, including the STE acquisition that is expected to close next month. We also expect to expand our portfolio over time by acquiring and building out attractive new business platforms.”
DoorDash Launches in Metro Baltimore
DoorDash, the technology company that connects customers with local businesses through door-to-door delivery, has launched in metro Baltimore. This announcement marks DoorDash’s expansion into 45 major metropolitan markets across the U.S. and Canada.
At launch, delivery through DoorDash is available from hundreds of restaurants to customers in the Baltimore area, including the suburbs of Baltimore, Arbutus, Catonsville, Ellicott City, Columbia, Halethorpe, Hanover and Elkridge.
DoorDash, which launched in Miami and Orlando earlier this year, will be available from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. from such Baltimore area establishments as Faidley’s Seafood, Sticky Rice, Honeygrow, Minato Sushi Bar, Sotto Sopra, Amicci’s, Water for Chocolate and Maiwand Grill; DoorDash’s national partnerships with P.F Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory, BRIO Tuscan Grill and Red Robin, will also extend to the Baltimore area.
Downtown Columbia Partnership Launches New Logo and Website
The Downtown Columbia Partnership (DTCP) has recently adopted a new logo and website designed to communicate DTCP’s focus on promoting the growth and vitality of the city’s new urban core.
Composed of simple, building block shapes, the logo symbolizes the union of various stakeholders that make Downtown Columbia a livable center of culture and commerce in the midst of natural surroundings. The blue of the logo represents the water of Lake Kittamaqundi, the teal green represents nature and the progressive personality of Downtown Columbia, and the grey is a nod to the new urban environment.
The DTCP’s new website serves as an introduction to Downtown Columbia with the intention of wooing prospective businesses and residents with the vision of state-of-the-art community amenities, arts and entertainment, shopping, range of housing choices and neighborhoods connected by pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists.
MCE Welcomes TeamWorx Security
TeamWorx Security, a software development company, has relocated to the Howard County Economic Development Authority’s (HCEDA) business incubator, the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE). TeamWorx delivers advanced technical solutions, focusing on applying machine learning to advance the cyber situational awareness mission across the Department of Defense.
TeamWorx Security’s founding team developed the Mission Analysis and Research of Threat Intelligence (MARTI) while working at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), but left APL to pursue a commercial version of MARTI called Hive-IQ. The company employs four workers and plans to add several more positions to its roster during the next 12 months. It has received a VLT loan from the HCEDA for further upscaling.
MDOT SHA Improving Safety Along Corridor Roads
Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is beginning a $3.4 million project to upgrade existing and install new guardrail in several locations across Carroll, Howard and Frederick counties. Each corridor will take up to one month to complete.
In Howard County, crews will replace guardrail along two locations on Route 1: between Assateague Drive and Gatewood Way, and between Kit Kat Road and the Baltimore County line.
Motorists should expect daytime single lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. Sunday nights until Friday mornings. MDOT SHA’s contractor, Guardrails Etc. Inc., of Baltimore, will use cones, barrels and flaggers to guide motorists through the work zones.
Maryland drivers can also know before they go by calling 511 or visiting www.md511.org for live traffic updates, including construction delays and lane closures, and view e-Road Ready 2017 for an interactive listing of all major highway projects. Those who have further questions may call the MDOT SHA District 7 Office at 301-624-8100, toll-free at 1-800-635-5119 or send email to [email protected].
Dredging at Wilde Lake to Begin Soon, Completion Slated for December
Wilde Lake will have approximately 15,000 yards of sediment removed from the upper portion of the lake and the cove area before the end of 2017. This project also will involve stabilizing the edge of the lake.
Lake Services Inc. has begun setting up its equipment in a staging area. The firm will operate on weekdays, from 7 a.m. to dusk, loading sediment into a barge, transporting it to the staging area, and then loading it into sealed trucks that will bring the sediment to an off-site placement area that has been developed by Columbia Association (CA) and approved by the Howard County Government. There also will be minor maintenance work on weekends.
The actual dredging work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Once the dredging begins, there will be a detour so that people may continue to walk, jog and bike around the lake. The project is part of CA’s Sediment Management Plan. CA expects to remove sediment from these areas of Wilde Lake every three to four years, which will keep the volume of sediment manageable and will prevent it from migrating into the main body of the lake.
Program Open Space Money Approved by Annapolis BPW
Mayor Michael Pantelides has announced the City of Annapolis will purchase a portion of the proposed Parkeside Preserve development and maintain it as a nature area for Annapolis residents, now that the Board of Public Works (BPW) has approved the requested Program Open Space funding.
The city will purchase 22 platted and recorded lots, along with the roadways/access areas associated with the lots, in the southwest portion of the Parkeside Preserve subdivision for $1.5 million. Program Open Space funds will be used to purchase and preserve one of the largest contiguous forested tracts in the city, next to Quiet Waters Park, as a nature area.
This is the second time in the city’s history that Program Open Space funding has been used to purchase land in Annapolis. The other instance occurred about 30 years ago for a project at nearby Truxton Park.
CSRA to Acquire Praxis Engineering for $235M
Falls Church, Va.-based CSRA Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Praxis Engineering Technologies for $235 million in cash. Praxis runs mission applications development and engagement operations within the intelligence community.
Headquartered in Annapolis Junction, Praxis is a consulting and solutions firm dedicated to the practical application of software and systems engineering technologies. It creates business solutions aimed at helping customers meet mission-critical needs, and brings more than 350 highly-cleared employees to the deal.
“Cultural fit was of paramount importance as we selected a partner for the next phase of Praxis’s evolution,” said Praxis President and Co-Founder Bill Dunahoo. “Combining with CSRA will enable us to accelerate our growth, provide more opportunities for our employees and significantly increase the value we bring to our customers’ most critical missions.”
Nightmare Graphics Inks Deal to Be Exclusive Outfitter of Wilde Lake High School
Nightmare Graphics, a Columbia-based screen printing, embroidery and clothing manufacturing company, has signed an agreement with Wilde Lake High School to outfit all sports teams through 2022. The deal declares that Nightmare Graphics will design, create and produce the uniforms, warm-ups, shooting shirts and team spirit wear for the 27 varsity sports teams at Wilde Lake High School starting in the 2017 winter season.
This deal comes 21 years after Rob Andelman, president and owner of Nightmare Graphics, graduated from Wilde Lake High School. While Nightmare Graphics works with almost every school in Maryland in some capacity, Wilde Lake is the second school in Howard County and seventh in Maryland with which Nightmare Graphics has an exclusive contract.
SECU Launches Business
Cash Back Visa Card
Responding to a marked increase in credit card use by businesses, Linthicum-based SECU is launching a new Business Cash Back Visa credit card for use on day-to-day business purchases. “Ease of use, wide acceptance, reduced costs and security features are all responsible for credit cards and electronic tools, such as ACH payments, now comprising more than 85% of all payments, as compared to only 42% in 2000,” said Steve Hazan, director of business lending at SECU.
From a cash flow perspective, credit cards should improve the payables side of the business ledger “by an average of 30 days” as a result of the free float period in the credit card cycle, Hazan said. He added, “Because other forms of payment are often immediate or in just a few days, any business using a credit card is, in essence, granting itself 30-day terms interest free.”
UMD’s Center for Public Policy Awarded Funds to Examine Cybersecurity Resiliency, Elections
The University of Maryland’s (UMD) School of Public Policy’s Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise has received a project grant from the Democracy Fund to study how cybersecurity best practices can be adapted to enhance the resilience of the state of Maryland’s election systems.
Leveraging best practices and innovations developed in established critical infrastructures, this study will make recommendations on how best to enhance state elections cyberrisk management, and identify areas where federal assistance to the states should be targeted. In doing so, the study will analyze both the technological and organizational aspects of the election system’s critical infrastructure in partnership with officials at the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Hudson Coastal Opens in
Maple Lawn
Hudson Coastal, a locally-owned, family-run “beach house” restaurant led by the husband-wife team of Brad and Tricia Hudson, has opened as a fresh seafood concept in Maple Lawn. Hudson Coastal’s philosophy is to celebrate the best of the Eastern Seaboard from the tip of Canada to the Florida Keys.
The fish that it sources is from Atlantic waters and is purchased whole (or as whole sides) and butchered in-house. The oysters on the raw bar are, in some cases, received the day that they are harvested. Hudson Coastal features local favorites, such as crabcakes, Delmarva chicken and Maryland crab soup.
The restaurant also offers a private dining room that is large enough to host up to 48 seated or 65 standing patrons. It is equipped with wireless plug-and-play, an in-ceiling LCD projector and separate surround sound.
CarneyKelehan Ranked Among 2018 Best Law Firms
Columbia-based Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett and Scherr was again ranked among the Best Law Firms by U.S. News & World Report magazine and Best Lawyers, the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession. CarneyKelehan was ranked in Baltimore’s first tier for real estate law, second tier for business organizations law and third tier for construction law.
To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” which recognizes practicing attorneys in the U.S. The publication selected Kelehan and Tom Meachum for 2018. Kelehan’s real estate practice focuses on representing lenders and borrowers throughout the acquisition, development and lending process; Meachum focuses on zoning and development law, general real estate, business law, employment law, estate administration and litigation and alcohol beverage licensing.
Zinburger Makes Maryland Debut at Arundel Mills
A new upscale boutique burger restaurant that was recently named to Full Service Restaurant Magazine’s “The Top 50 Emerging Restaurant Chains” has made its Maryland debut. Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, which offers gourmet burgers combined with wine selections, is now open at Arundel Mills.
The chain has 14 other locations, spanning from New York to Florida. Since opening the East Coast’s first location in Clifton, N.J., six years ago, Zinburger has developed a following for its made-to-order gourmet burgers, hand-dipped shakes and floats, pies and 25 wine varieties. It joins additional food concepts that will be introduced to Arundel Mill’s new food pavilion during a grand opening that is set for winter 2017/18.