Biz Roundup

CMI Reports Growth for Third Consecutive Month
The seasonally adjusted Credit Managers' Index (CMI), which is distributed by the Columbia-based National Association of Credit Management (NACM), rose another 1.3% in April after rising by 2.5% in February and 0.5% in March. This marks the third month in a row for growth after six months of contraction.
"There had been concern that the April numbers might have been lower, but they came closer to matching the more robust pace in February," said NACM Economist Chris Kuehl.
As in past reports, there are still a number of components below the 50 level, but more of them are trending in a positive direction. Sales have continued to rise, as have new credit applications, dollar collections and the amount of credit extended.
"All in all, the index of favorable factors increased quite substantially from 43.1 to 44.8, marking the highest reading since November 2008 when the real economic collapse began to manifest itself," said Kuehl, adding, "There are no index values above 50 as of yet, so are all still in the contraction zone - but the trending is in the right direction."
The unfavorable factors did not show as much positive change, but there was some movement in the right direction, notably fewer bankruptcies and a reduced dollar amount of customer deductions.

Ulman Announces Launch of Route 40 Streetscape Master Plan Effort
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and County Council Member Courtney Watson have announced the initiation of the Route 40 Streetscape Master Plan. The community planning effort will build on previous studies completed for the Route 40 corridor and help preserve and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the corridor.
"For many residents and visitors, Route 40 is a gateway to Howard County," said Ulman. "This project will enhance our scenic and historic resources, as well as strengthen the vitality of our commercial centers and neighborhoods."
The Streetscape Master Plan will identify opportunities for improving the visual quality and pedestrian connectivity of the Route 40 corridor through the addition of streetscape elements such as high-impact and visually innovative landscape displays, street trees, sidewalks and crosswalks, and median enhancements.
The process will be managed by the Department of Planning and Zoning with input from the Maryland State Highway Administration. A local consulting firm will begin developing the plan immediately and guide the public process during the next several months.

Howard County Agricultural Land Preservation Application Period Begins
Acceptance of applications for the sale of agricultural land preservation easements is underway in Howard County and will continue through July 31 as part of "Batch 14" of the Agricultural Land Preservation Program.
"The General Plan calls for the preservation of 30,000 acres in the Rural West, of which 25,000 should be Agricultural Preservation easements," said Marsha McLaughlin, director of the county Department of Planning & Zoning. "During the 'Batch 13' application period in 2006, the county acquired easements on two farms, bringing the total number of agricultural acres in the preservation program to nearly 20,500."
Howard County offers property owners a maximum of $40,000 per acre for agricultural easements. Landowners who meet the eligibility requirements may submit an application to sell an agricultural easement to the county. All applications will be scored based on characteristics such as size, soil capability and productivity, and adjacency to previously preserved properties to determine the offer price.
Applications will then be ranked by the county's Agricultural Land Preservation Board. It is anticipated that the average offer will be in the $25,000 to $35,000 per acre range.
Applications and informational materials regarding this program are available from Joy Levy at 410-313-5407, by e-mailing her at jlevy@howardcountymd.gov or writing to her at Howard County Department of Planning & Zoning, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/DPZ/Agricultural.

Integral Systems Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Columbia
Integral Systems has relocated its headquarters from Lanham, its home for more than 15 years, to Columbia Gateway Business Park. The company gained an additional 46,000 square feet of new space in which to grow its expanding global satellite technology business.
The new office space is being leased by Columbia-based Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT), which also supports Integral's properties in Chantilly, Va., and Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Residing in the greater Washington, D.C., area is critical to our business," said John Higginbotham, Integral's CEO. "Moving to Howard County provided us with an easily accessible location for customers and employees and a professional work environment. Our strong partnership with Howard County and our business partner, COPT, was absolutely critical to the success of this move."
Integral develops integrated technology solutions for satellite interfaced systems for government and commercial customers. The company has served the U.S. Air Force, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and satellite operators around the globe for more than 25 years and has completed more than 200 satellite missions for communications, science, meteorological and other applications.

Ellicott City Among Top 25 Cities With the 'Best American Values'
Newsmax magazine recently ranked Ellicott City 17th on its list of top U.S. cities with the "Best American Values." The magazine commissioned Peter Greenberg, best-selling author and travel editor of NBC's "Today" show, to compile a list of the nation's most "uniquely American communities."
According to the May 2009 issue of Newsmax, Ellicott City's "focus on conservation efforts, education and affordable health care make one of the country's oldest settlements a great place to be. ... The city has one of the best library systems in the country, with extremely high patronage. The library runs the Choose Civility Program, a community initiative to enhance respect and tolerance. ... It is among a variety of programs that have been recognized nationwide, including affordable health care for the uninsured."
The magazine went on the say that "County Executive Ken Ulman also created a sustainability committee which led to solar panels on the library, community recycling initiatives and the largest public fleet of hybrid vehicles in Maryland."
Greenberg looked for cities that embody America's core values and based his ranking on nine different categories including hospitality, culture, scenic beauty and business friendliness.

Grace Acquitted in Montana
Asbestos Case
A federal jury in Montana acquitted Columbia-based W.R. Grace & Co. and three of its executives on all counts in an asbestos environmental case.
The chemical company and the three executives had been charged by a division of the Justice Department with knowingly endangering the lives of mine workers and other residents of Libby, Mont., a small town near the Canadian border where Grace owned a mine, and ignoring warnings by state agencies.
"We at Grace are gratified by today's verdict and thank the men and women of the jury who were open to hearing the facts," said Fred Festa, Grace chairman, president and CEO, in a statement. "We always believed that Grace and its former executives had acted properly and that a jury would come to the same conclusion when confronted with the evidence."
"During the time that Grace owned and operated the mine in Libby, Mont., the company worked hard to keep the operations in compliance with the laws and standards of the day," Festa said. "Grace is committed to continually improving its environment, health and safety performance."

O'Malley Signs Workplace
Fraud Act of 2009
Gov. Martin O'Malley has signed new laws to protect and empower Maryland workers and level the playing field for employers who play by the rules.
The Workplace Fraud Act of 2009 provides the state with tools to crack down on workplace fraud, which involves employers who wrongly classify their employees as independent contractors or do not classify them at all.
This practice allows employers to cut payroll costs significantly, leaving workers unprotected by critical workplace protection laws and creating a competitive disadvantage for those employers who play by the rules.
Workers who are misclassified as independent contractors are denied access to unemployment insurance, workers' compensation and other protections, and the taxpayers are deprived of millions of dollars to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the State General Fund.

HBAM Forms Maryland
Green Building Council
The Home Builders Association of Maryland (HBAM) has established the Maryland Green Building Council, a group within the association charged with implementing a green building certification program.
HBAM's members will adhere to the recently completed National Green Building Standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
As part of the stringent process required by ANSI for its only green building standard, NAHB and the International Code Council assembled a fully-inclusive and representative consensus committee composed of a broad spectrum of builders, architects, product manufacturers, regulators and environmental experts.
"One of our key objectives in establishing the council is to help consumers find certified green builders and remodelers and green products and services," said John Kortecamp, executive vice president of HBAM. There are two categories of certification in the council: one for builders, remodelers and developers; and one for providers of green products, materials and services.

UM Announces New Startup
Lab for Entrepreneurs
The University of Maryland (UM) and local technology entrepreneurs have a new place to explore starting new ventures: the Tech Entrepreneur Research and Prototyping (TERP) Startup Laboratory.
Located in the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) Technology Advancement Program (TAP) building, the university's incubator for high tech startup companies, the TERP Startup Lab is designed for entrepreneurs who need a place to quickly develop technology prototypes and get some help in starting their companies.
"TERP Startup Lab is the next logical step for students and researchers who have been tinkering in the off hours in a dorm room, an academic lab or a garage and now need a space dedicated to moving their idea to the prototype or product stage," said Dean Chang, director of Mtech's venture and education programs and director of TAP.
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) provided $35,000 in funding for software and equipment for the lab. "Funding TERP Startup Lab further strengthens the relationship SAIC has built with the University of Maryland through Mtech," said Dr. John Ferriter, a senior vice president and general manager for SAIC.

Foundation Coal Holdings, Alpha Natural Resources Merge
Linthicum-based Foundation Coal Holdings and Alpha Natural Resources of Abingdon, Va., have signed a definitive agreement under which the two companies will merge in an all-stock transaction. The new entity will be the third-largest coal producer in the U.S., with 2008 pro forma revenues of $4.2 billion.
Foundation is a diversified producer of thermal coal used by electric utilities, with nine active mines, four preparation plants and coal reserves in Northern Appalachia, the Powder River Basin and Central Appalachia, as well as reserves in the Illinois Basin. Alpha is a leading Eastern coal producer and the nation's largest supplier of metallurgical coal to the steel industry, operating 50 mines and 10 coal preparation plants in four states.
Alpha and Foundation, together, will operate 59 coal mines and 14 preparation plants and will have one of the most expansive geographic footprints in the industry, reserves of more than 2.3 billion tons of coal and an attractive growth profile.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Foundation stockholders will receive 1.084 shares of the new company for each share of Foundation, and each share of Alpha will automatically become one share of the combined company; the combined company would have an equity market capitalization of $3.5 billion and enterprise value of $4 billion.

GBC Applauds Release of
Bioscience Report
The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) has applauded Gov. Martin O'Malley's release of the Life Sciences Advisory Board report in Atlanta.
"The Life Sciences Advisory Board process has been of great value to the bioscience industry and Gov. O'Malley's leadership on this issue is appreciated by the business community," said GBC President Donald Fry. "He is the first governor to go to the national BIO conference, much less to convene a group to prepare a strategic plan."
Fry noted that it will be critical in this economic climate to focus on the report's second priority to "support the creation and growth of innovative bioscience companies by ensuring access to capital. Bioscience is a tremendously capital intensive industry," he said.
"Without a strong commitment from the state to help our emerging companies bridge the jump from discovery to product, known as the Valley of Death to industry insiders," said Fry, "we could see as many as a third go out of business this year."

FSF Report Finds StateStat Effective Management Tool, But Not Accountable Enough to Public
The StateStat performance-measurement process developed by Gov. Martin O'Malley and his staff appears to be an effective tool for day-to-day management, but is not open or accountable to the taxpayers in the way originally promised, according to a new Free State Foundation (FSF) study.
The study, entitled, "How Is StateStat Working? A Good Management Tool, But Defective on Accountability," is based on StateStat meetings, interviews with participants and observers, and reports by performance experts.
FSF Visiting Fellow Len Lazarick, a long-time State House reporter (and a contributor to The Business Monthly), found that "StateStat does provide O'Malley and his government with an often useful management tool to make sure agencies are operating efficiently and effectively, though it falls short in some areas.
"StateStat does not yet come close to delivering on its promise to provide Marylanders 'with open, transparent and timely information and data on state government agencies' because the information is indecipherable detail without analysis," Lazarick said. "The governor's staff needs to supply the analysis it performs or provide information in some other more comprehensible form for the StateStat program to be accountable to the public."