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Business Briefs
CPA Firm Moves, Goes Paperless
Partners Rajiv Mahajan and Shalini Gupta of the firm of Shalini Gupta & Associates (SGA) have moved to new offices at 8860 Columbia 100 Parkway, Suite 104.
The new Columbia office is more than 3,300 square feet. The growth of the company, in addition to a long-standing desire to become paperless, prompted the firm to custom-build its new office space.
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Howard County NeoTech Incubator Company Wins SHAVECASE
Recently, Columbia-based Dragon Development Corp. announced that it was the successful bidder for NSA's SHAVECASE program. Along with team members Praxis Engineering Technologies, ManTech, L-3 Titan and Dauntless, Dragon will provide software development, maintenance and deployment services in support of existing mission critical applications.
"Dragon, along with our teammates, is pleased to be chosen to support the government in this mission critical application. Each member of Team Dragon is committed to providing the mission continuity and innovation required to assure success," said Ed Grimes, senior vice president for Dragon Development Corp.
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Howard County's Web Site Moves to www.howardcountymd.gov
Howard County Government's web site will be moving from its old address, www.co.ho.md.us, to its new web address, www.howardcountymd.gov. In addition, county government employees have new e-mail addresses that will end with the new address.
For example, an employee named John Smith would use jsmith@howardcountymd.gov. "Howard County residents understand technology and this change will be a first step to creating a more user-friendly resource and service-oriented web site," said County Executive Ken Ulman.
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Arundel Growth Task Force Created Between County, City of Annapolis
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold announced a county/city Growth Task Force has been created to study municipal growth and an urban growth boundary. Leopold, Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer and County Councilmember Joshua Cohen all recently appointed representatives to the group.
The purpose of the task force is to begin discussion of the requirements passed in House Bill 1141 by the 2006 Maryland General Assembly. The bill makes several changes regarding local government planning in the state.
In general, it modifies provisions regarding the required elements of local comprehensive plans, modifies provisions relating to annexation, authorizes and encourages joint planning by local governments, modifies provisions governing priority funding areas and establishes a task force on Future Growth and Development in Maryland.
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MacKenzie Opts for Independence, C&W Looks to Baltimore City
MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services and Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) have jointly announced their intention to part ways after a three-and-one-half-year alliance, as the contiguous proximity between C&W's D.C.-based regional office and MacKenzie's Baltimore-based Maryland territory has created an increasing overlap of market coverage.
Recognizing the direction of the converging markets, Cushman concluded that its D.C.-based regional office needed to include a company-owned Baltimore office, which apparently led to acquisition overtures from Cushman to MacKenzie.
Gary Gill, president and CEO of MacKenzie, confirmed the acquisition discussions with Cushman & Wakefield. "We understand Cushman & Wakefield's strategic plan to have a company-owned office to serve the Baltimore region. Cushman & Wakefield is an outstanding company. We were flattered by their interest in acquiring us, but we have opted to continue our independent status."
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Exemplary Performance Graduates From CIC
Exemplary Performance, a Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC) incubator company, will soon move to larger offices in the West Woods Building, which is located across the street from the CIC on Admiral Cochrane Drive in Annapolis.
Exemplary Performance moved into the CIC two years ago. With several Fortune 500 companies as clients, the company expects to expand its staff from 12 to 34 employees, including consultants, through 2007.
The company provides software, training and consulting to maximize employee business performance. The new office will give the company room to grow from a small to a medium-sized company. "We are delighted about their graduation," said Laura Neuman, interim executive director of the CIC, who added, "Eighty percent of incubator companies succeed, as opposed to 20% who succeed without incubator assistance."
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CareFirst Pays $9.15 Million in Programmatic and Charitable Funding
After launching its three-year CareFirst Commitment initiative in January 2005, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) dedicated more than $9.15 million to programs, partnerships and charitable gifts designed to make the region a healthier place to live last year.
The CareFirst Commitment is based on targeting health care affordability and improving access; improving patient quality and standards of care for CareFirst members and non-members; and working to close gaps in health care delivery by addressing health disparities in the diverse communities the company serves.
For example, CareFirst Commitment contributed to Hair, Heart and Health, a program designed to bring heart disease awareness to African-Americans in area beauty salons and barbershops. It calls for trained barbers and hair stylists to administer blood pressure readings and offer clients information and referrals to physicians for follow-up care.
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Verizon Wireless Network Enhancements Continue in 2007
Verizon Wireless has announced it completed more than $290 million in enhancements to its D.C., Maryland and Virginia network in 2006.
That news comes after the company had already invested $35 billion during the last seven years to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services, including high-speed, wireless broadband Internet access and downloadable video and music-on-demand services.
During the third quarter of 2006, the company added 1.9 million net new customers and improved upon its industry-leading customer retention rates. Verizon Wireless now serves 57 million customers nationwide.
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GP to Buy Automatic Data Processing's Sandy Corp.
General Physics (GP) Corp., the operating subsidiary of GP Strategies Corp., has entered into an agreement to acquire certain operating assets and business of Sandy Corp., a part of the ADP Dealer Services division of Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Inc.
Under the terms of the agreement, the price will be approximately $11.7 million, consisting of $6.7 million in cash and approximately $5 million of assumed liabilities to complete contracts. In addition, GP may be required to pay ADP up to an additional $8 million, contingent upon Sandy achieving certain revenue targets during the two years following completion of the acquisition.
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Columbia's Cera Products Reports Increased Demand
Cera Products, manufacturers of CeraLyte, an oral therapy which corrects dehydration from diarrhea, has reported increased orders for CeraLyte oral rehydration solution due to outbreaks of diarrhea (norovirus) in college dormitories, on cruise ships and nursing homes, and from E. coli cases linked to green, leafy vegetables in fast food restaurants.
Both norovirus and E. coli are transmitted via the fecal-oral route (through poor handwashing), and if left untreated, the resulting diarrheal illness can cause severe dehydration and sometimes lead to kidney failure and death. Hydrating a severely dehydrated person with IV hydration in the hospital can cost $2,000 per day, said Cera CEO Charlene Riikonen.
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Howard County's NeoTech Incubator Graduates Two
Two companies, Genesis Technologies Inc. and NetGlo Corp., recently graduated from the Howard County Center for Business and Technology Development's NeoTech Incubator.
Genesis Technologies Inc., a woman-owned, full-service network cabling and infrastructure installation firm, specializes in backbone termination, cable management, implementation planning and on-site project management. NetGlo Corp., a supply chain software company, delivers short economic payback in order entry, warehousing and delivery functions to the wholesale, manufacturing and distribution verticals.
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General Physics Expands Operations Into India
Elkridge-based General Physics Corp. (GP), which provides training, management consulting and engineering services, has expanded its Asia-Pacific operations by establishing a consulting subsidiary in India with a new office in Chennai, India, with 15 employees.
The new office will provide technical services for the semi-conductor manufacturing industry. GP's Asia-Pacific operations also include offices in Malaysia and Singapore. The office will be run by Sanjay Mandel, country manager for India, who brings 20 years of consulting and managing experience to the position.
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GP Awarded Environmental Services Contract by State of Tennessee
Elkridge-based General Physics Corp. (GP) was recently awarded a five-year, $2 million contract by the state of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to provide Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) services.
The services will include investigation, containment and remediation at sites where petroleum products have leaked from underground storage tanks. The work will be funded by the LUST Trust Fund, which provides money to states for overseeing and enforcing corrective action and cleanups at LUST sites. Additionally, GP will provide emergency response services to mitigate the potential risks to human health and the environment.
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KAWG&F Welcomes Siebert Kullman Through Merger
Regional accounting and consulting firm Katz, Abosch, Windesheim, Gershman & Freedman (KAWG&F) has announced that Annapolis-based Siebert Kullman has merged with the firm.
Founded in 1981, Siebert Kullman provides accounting, tax and audit services for clients in the Anne Arundel County area as well as on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Established in 1969, KAWG&F provides tax, accounting and audit services for clients in a variety of industries, as well as nonprofit organizations. It has an office in Columbia.
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Comcast to Increase Workforce
The Eastern Division of Comcast Cable Communications is planning to hire 2,800 additional workers during the next year across the mid-Atlantic region, including Maryland, primarily to fill customer service positions that have been deemed necessary due to increased demand for its cable, Internet and voice offerings.
The staff boost will bring the number employed by the Pennsylvania-based unit of Comcast Corp.'s principal subsidiary to more than 17,000 in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. The increase comes just four months after the division announced it would hire 1,600 more workers by the end of last year.
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Essex Shareholders Approve Sale to NGC
Shareholders at Essex Corp., of Columbia, have voted in favor of the proposed acquisition of the company by Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp. (NGC). Of the 80% of outstanding Essex shares voted, approximately 97% were cast in favor of the proposed acquisition.
Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement for the proposed acquisition, holders of Essex common stock will receive $24 in cash for each share of common stock they own at the closing of the transaction. The transaction also requires clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
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Brookfield to Buy Mills Corp.
Mills Corp. and Brookfield Asset Management have announced a definitive agreement for Brookfield to acquire The Mills for $1.35 billion for all of the outstanding common stock of The Mills and common units of The Mills Limited Partnership, and approximately $7.5 billion including assumed debt and preferred stock.
Brookfield is a global asset manager focused on property and other infrastructure assets with more than $50 billion of assets under management. Under the terms of the agreement, The Mills will merge into a newly formed subsidiary of Brookfield, and The Mills common stockholders will receive $21 in cash for each share of Mills common stock.
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COPT Closes on $363.9 Million Office Portfolio
Columbia-based Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) has closed on the acquisition of 56 operating properties containing more than 2.3 million square feet and 187 acres of land at a cost of $363.9 million, including approximately $1.4 million in transaction costs.
The buildings are all located in Maryland and are part of the submarkets in White Marsh, Columbia, the BWI Business District, Towson and Hunt Valley. They are approximately 85% occupied. Major tenants in the portfolio include Comcast Corp., MedStar Health, Orbital Sciences Corp. and The Johns Hopkins University. The 187 acres of entitled land can support a minimum of 2 million square feet of office development.
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Two More Life Science Companies Move Into techcenter@UMBC
The techcenter@UMBC has announced the addition of Tradezyme LLC and Biomedica Management Corp., both privately held biotech companies.
Tradezyme is developing a registry and exchange for plasmids, which are specially designed pieces of DNA used in scientific research. It will also provide a gene-cloning service to biotech companies and academic labs. Biomedica Management Corp. assists small businesses to move their research innovations into the commercialization path. It focuses on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and other agencies under the auspices of the federal Public Health Service.
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CommerceFirst Releases 2006 Results, Announces Severna Park Branch
CommerceFirst Bancorp, the holding company for CommerceFirst Bank, reported a consolidated net profit of $1.28 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2006, as compared to a consolidated net profit of $1.03 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2005.
The company reported a consolidated net profit of $343,000 for the three-month period ended Dec. 31, 2006, as compared to a consolidated net profit of $296,000 for the three-month period ended December 31, 2005. It also announced that it will open a new branch in Severna Park during the second quarter of this year.
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BAA Maryland Offers Travelers Wi-Fi Service at BWI
BAA Maryland, developer and manager of the Airmall at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, is working with Concourse Communications Group to offer high-speed Wi-Fi service in the Southwest Airlines terminals to travelers who want to stay connected while on the road or in the airport.
The Wi-Fi project, that began construction in mid-November 2006, will provide high-speed accessibility to travelers flying in and out of every concourse location within the airport. Wi-Fi service became available in Concourses A/B and A on Dec. 18, 2006, and in Concourse B and the Observation Gallery on Jan. 5. The entire Wi-Fi system is expected to be fully implemented by March 2007.
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MEDA Calls for Entries for 2007 Economic Development Awards
The Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) is seeking submissions for the 2007 MEDA Awards. The awards will be presented for Economic Development Project or Program; Economic Development Redevelopment Project or Program; Economic Development Overall Marketing Campaign; Life Member; Hall of Fame; and Volunteer of the Year.
Deadline for submissions is March 16. Judging for the awards will be conducted by economic development professionals who will follow specific criteria in each area. For more information, go to www.medamd.com.
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Applications Available for Incubator Company of the Year Awards
The coordinators of the seventh annual Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards have announced that award applications are now available to Maryland incubator companies and graduate companies.
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Maryland Technology Development Corp., RSM McGladrey and Saul Ewing LLP sponsor the event. Nomination forms and instructions for submission are available via www.mdincubatoraward.com. Applications are being accepted through Feb. 14 for the awards, which will be presented at a ceremony in June.
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Frank Strategic Marketing Wins Two Awards at CES
Frank Strategic Marketing of Ellicott City has announced that its campaign for the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has won two awards for excellence in attendee and exhibitor marketing.
The two campaigns for CES were selected from among 137 entries for their combination of several essential show marketing elements. The convention drew more than 152,000 attendees and 2,700 exhibitors from more than 115 countries, breaking records for both attendance and exhibit space sold.
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MinuteClinic Adds Center at CVS in Ellicott City
MinuteClinic has opened a new location at the CVS pharmacy at 3300 Centennial Lane in Ellicott City. The new health care center joins 11 other company locations in Maryland.
The health care centers are staffed by board-certified nurse practitioners. They specialize in family medicine and are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses, such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as flu shots, tetanus, MMR and Hepatitis A & B.
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New M&T Bank Branch Allows Banking on the Fly
BAA Maryland, developer and manager of the Airmall at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, announced that M&T Bank will open its first ever full-service bank branch near the Southwest Airlines terminal later this year. The new branch (located pre-security) will gives travelers, visitors and airport
employees the opportunity to conduct an array of banking activities at BWI.
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Area Eateries Cited Among Baltimore Magazine's Best
A number of local restaurants were named to Baltimore magazine's annual "Best Restaurants " list, which appears in the February issue. The 47 restaurants cited include Aida Bistro & Wine Bar and Iron Bridge Wine Co. (Columbia), Joss Café & Sushi Bar (Annapolis), Jordan's Steakhouse (Ellicott City), Metropolitan and O'Leary's Seafood Restaurant (Annapolis), Rooster Café (Elkridge), Ruth's Chris Steak House (Annapolis and other locations), Tersiguel's (Ellicott City), Trattoria Alberto (Glen Burnie), The Wild Orchid Café and the Yin Yankee Cafe (Annapolis).
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NIH Renews Grants Management Contract with QAI
Quality Associates Inc. (QAI) has announced that its contract to provide document conversion and management services in support of The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants program has been renewed. The five-year contract is potentially worth more than $10 million.
The contract calls for QAI to supply all imaging components, staff and services required to deliver the scanning, PDF conversion and CD-ROM production that produce electronic copies of tens of thousands of proposals for distribution to NIH grant review teams worldwide. In 2006, QAI processed more than 54,000 grant applications exceeding more than 4 million pages.
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Former Pharmacy Owner Returns to Columbia Medical Campus
Joel Feldman is re-assuming ownership and management of Columbia Medical Pharmacy at 5500 Knoll North Drive on the Columbia Medical Campus. He operated the pharmacy for four years when it was known as Twin Knolls Pharmacy and sold the business in 2004.
"This particular pharmacy has a special history unlike any other in the Howard County region," said Feldman, "as it was considered the pharmacy of choice since James Rouse first established the town of Columbia and the Columbia Medical Plan."
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Liberty Tax Service, Peninsula Envy Business Center Get ABL Loans
The Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. has approved a $48,000 loan for Liberty Tax Service and a $150,000 loan for Peninsula Envy Business Center through its Arundel Business Loan (ABL) Fund.
Liberty Tax Service, of Odenton, offers tax preparation services, electronic filing of federal and state tax returns, tax training seminars and loans on refunds for those who qualify. Peninsula Envy Business Center, of Edgewater, combines a coffee house with copy and business services.
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Maryland Green Power Co. to Issue Private Placement Memorandum
The Columbia-based Maryland Green Power Co. is preparing to raise $2 million in funds through a private placement memorandum. The funds will be used for construction of a biodiesel production plant near Baltimore.
The company will deliver a price-competitive biodiesel product by using low-cost feedstocks, including waste products, and strategically locating its production facility close to both its feedstock suppliers and major customers.
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CertaPro Painters Expands into Columbia
CertaPro Painters, the largest painting contractor in North America, has expanded to Columbia. Meta Lankford, the local franchise owner, has more than six years of construction management experience building state-of-the-art medical laboratories for Yale University, as well as the National Institutes of Health.
The company specializes in residential or commercial, as well as interior or exterior, painting needs.
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Atlantic Builders to Construct Three Wal-Marts
Wal-Mart Stores has awarded Atlantic Builders Group contracts to construct three Supercenters in Maryland.
The new stores will be located in Glen Burnie at Route 97 and Quarterfield Road, Arbutus and Hunt Valley, and all three will be in excess of 200,000 square feet. The total construction cost is in excess of $40 million and building at each location is scheduled to begin this month.
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BWN's Wandell Produces CD
Heather Wandell, a member of the Business Women's Network for the past six years, has just produced her first CD, "Monkey Business Better Business Practices Learned Through Monkeys."
Wandell, a certified laughter leader through The World Laughter Tour, is the CEO of her own company, Another Way To See It. Its goal is to help clients transform their outlooks via workshops, such as Healing Laughter and Laughter Is Serious Business.
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Reschedule for the Howard Corridor Technology Forum
The Howard Corridor Technology Forum has changed the date of its tech briefing that was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 25, to Thursday, Feb. 22. The event will be held at Howard Community College's Gateway Campus at 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m., with the panel of speakers who will discuss web marketing and business to begin their discussion at 8 a.m.
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Capmark Arranges $27 Million Office Acquisition
Capmark Finance Inc. has arranged $27 million in permanent, fixed-rate financing for the acquisition of the Cellco Building, a single-tenant office building located on a 31-acre site at 7401 Coca Cola Drive in Hanover. The Cellco Building, with a total net-rentable area of 139,424 square feet, is fully occupied by a subsidiary of Verizon Wireless and is being utilized as a call center.
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TECORE Named As 2007 GSM Awards Finalist
Columbia-based TECORE Wireless Systems has been nominated as a finalist for the prestigious 2007 GSM Association's Global Mobile Awards. The company's Over-the-Air Local Prepaid Roaming feature has been selected for the award category of Best Roaming Product or Service. The winners will be announced on Feb. 13 at the 3GSM World Congress 2007, a large mobile communications event.
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UMBC ACTiVATE Finalist for Award
The UMBC ACTiVATE program is a finalist for the Stevie Awards in the "Women Helping Women" category.
The Stevie Awards were created to honor and generate public recognition of the efforts, accomplishments and positive contributions of companies and business people worldwide.
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Corrections from the January issue:
Quality Associates Inc., the winner of the Howard County Tech Firm of the Year award, is moving into a new facility that encompasses 27,000 square feet.
The photo credit in the article about the NBC-TV program "The Apprentice" should have been credited to Lance Taylor Photography.
The Business Monthly regrets the errors.
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