Plans Revealed for New Hotel at Maryland Live!

The Capital has reported that the Cordish Companies, the developers of Maryland Live! Casino, want to build an 18-story hotel at the Hanover casino, and that plans for the project are before the county Office of Planning and Zoning.

According to The Capital, the long-discussed plans show a proposal for a 300-room, 20,000-square-foot hotel on a five-acre site behind the casino, which is next to Arundel Mills, to also include 370 parking spaces. The story went on to say that, because of the hotel’s height and proximity to nearby BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, the project required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which was granted July 7.

A restaurant and nearly 14,000-square-foot conference center are referred to as future considerations at the site, according to the plans. The development site spans 10 acres.

Hogan Fires Wiedefeld, Tabs Smith to Run BWI Marshall

Gov. Larry Hogan has fired BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport CEO Paul Wiedefeld, who was in his second stint in that position with the airport and the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), and replaced him with Ricky Smith, Sr., most recently the director of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Wiedefeld has served as BWI Marshall’s CEO since 2009; he previously served in that capacity from 2002 to 2005. Before returning to the airport, he had served as head of the Maryland Transportation Administration for two years, after working in the private sector for Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Smith, who served as director of port control (which oversees Hopkins, Burke Lakefront Airport and the Division of Harbors) for the City of Cleveland since 2006, worked for the MAA between 1990 and 2006, ending that run with a stint as operations chief at BWI Marshall.

Lawmakers Call for Stronger Protection From OPM Data Breaches

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, with Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, and others, have introduced legislation to better protect federal workers and all those potentially affected by the recent cyberattacks on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data system.

The senators found the response by OPM to be severely lacking in the duration and extent of coverage for those who had their most sensitive information stolen off the government system.

The RECOVER Act (Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2015) mandates expanded identity theft coverage for federal workers, contractors and other individuals affected, including lifetime coverage and not less than $5 million of identity theft insurance. This adjustment to what OPM has previously offered more adequately addresses the egregious nature of this federal cyberattack.

Giant Food Coming to Odenton Shopping Center

Nellis Corp. has signed a new lease with Giant Food for a 60,492-square-foot, full-service grocery store, including a pharmacy, at Odenton Shopping Center. Construction has begun and the store is expected to open in late 2015.

With the addition of Giant, which operates 168 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., the shopping center will secure its status as the largest neighborhood shopping destination in Odenton. Giant will join a tenant lineup that includes Advanced Auto Parts, Dollar Tree, Five Guys, the U.S. Post Office, Fresenius Medical Group, Old Line Bank and others.

“The addition of Giant to Odenton Shopping Center provides a much-needed, high-quality grocery store to the Odenton market,” said Nellis Corp Chief Operating Officer Pete Federowicz. “Nearby residents will finally have the diverse and fresh options that a full-size Giant supermarket offers.”

Rams Head’s Muehlhauser Receives Partially Suspended Sentence

The former president of Rams Head Group, a regional business that includes several taverns and performance venues, was given a partially suspended two-year sentence after he admitted to using a hidden video camera to record unsuspecting women using one of the club’s bathrooms during a three-year period.

The sentence calls for Kyle Muehlhauser to spend 90 days of his sentence in the Howard County Detention Center. Prosecutors were able to identify at least two victims from video seized when one of the women contacted police after noticing a small camera drop to the floor in a bathroom she was using at the Ram’s Head Tavern at Savage Mill, which the Muehlhauser family owns.

Prosecutors revealed there may be more locations where similar video was recorded. Muehlhauser and the group are now the targets of a class action lawsuit. The Ram’s Head Group operates dining and entertainment establishments in Maryland, including locations in Annapolis, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Maryland Live! Casino, among others.

DLC Announces Partnership With Clark’s Elioak Farm

Drama Learning Center (DLC) and Clark’s Elioak Farm have announced an official partnership to bring DLC’s entertainment to the farm for special events and birthday parties.

DLC’s character entertainment will be available to Clark’s event patrons as an optional add-on for summer rentals. Characters come on-site during the party to sing a song, pose for pictures and lead party guests in a song or interactive drama game. Available characters include Anna & Elsa, Rapunzel, Belle, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Doc McStuffins, Barbie, Despicable Me Minion and others. Character entertainment contracts are based on hour-long appearances.

DLC will also provide live entertainment on Aug. 15 and 16 for the Enchanted Forest’s 60th Birthday Event at Clark’s. Characters will be on hand both days to interact with guests for the duration of the event, which coincides with the unveiling of the renovations to the historic Enchanted Forest castle.

WOW Unveils Year-Round Connection From BWI to Dublin

WOW air is offering a new gateway to Ireland from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. Service to Dublin via Reykjavik, Iceland, is now available out of BWI two days each week, year-round, with flights out of BWI Marshall to Dublin available for prices as low as $99 one-way (including taxes).

Connections in Iceland take place in the same terminal, with connection times as low as 70 minutes and no need to re-enter security.

Vision Technologies Partners With Cyviz

Glen Burnie-based Vision Technologies, an information technology services provider, and Cyviz Inc., an innovator in Premium Display walls that is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, have announced a strategic reseller and integration partnership agreement that calls for Vision Technologies to market, sell, implement and support the full Cyviz product line.

“We are very excited to have a great, new partner in Vision Technologies, an integrator with a long track record of success and strong national coverage. Their emphasis on the mid-Atlantic is a strategic area for Cyviz,” said Jeff Eisenhard, Cyviz vice president Americas. “We are looking forward to working with Vision Technologies to assist them in expanding their product offering into premium display walls and complete collaborative telepresence environments.”

MPE Acquires DLH, Merges It With Bowles

Morgenthaler Private Equity (MPE) has acquired DLH Industries Inc., a designer and manufacturer of air and fluid management systems for the automotive industry based in Canton, Ohio. DLH has merged with MPE’s existing portfolio company, Bowles Fluidics Corp., of Columbia, to form dlhBOWLES, an engineered plastics and fluid flow solutions provider.

The Bowles and DLH management teams will join forces, with John Saxon of DLH assuming the role of CEO and Sri Sridhara of Bowles assuming the role of president. “On behalf of Karen Tuleta, Matt Yohe and Michael Duffy from the MPE deal team, we are excited to bring together two companies with talented management teams, as well as complementary product offerings, manufacturing capabilities and process knowledge,” said Peter Taft, partner at MPE.

SC&H Group Opens Columbia Office

SC&H Group, a leading audit, tax and consulting firm, has opened a new office in Columbia to support growth opportunities in the Corridor. The business is headquartered in Sparks and also includes an office in McLean, Va.

The new office will support SC&H Capital, an investment banking and valuation advisory firm that is an affiliate of SC&H Group, and the firm’s Hyperion EPM and Oracle BI consulting practice, nationally recognized as an Oracle Platinum Partner.

Society for Clinical Research Sites Welcomes Medidata as Sponsor

The Ellicott City-based Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS), a global trade organization, has announced that Medidata Solutions, a global provider of cloud-based solutions for clinical research in life sciences, has joined SCRS’s Circle of Sustainability Sponsorship program.

As part of this program, Medidata President Glen de Vries will serve on the SCRS Global Impact Board, working with the organization’s leadership council to determine strategic initiatives for the society. The effort is designed to facilitate critical dialogue between industry stakeholders and clinical research sites, furthering SCRS’s mission of unifying the site community for greater sustainability.

CVB Launches New Web Site Highlighting BWI-Area Businesses

The Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB) wants to make it easier than ever for individuals to discover the BWI region of the county, so it introduced a new $25,000 web site — TheHotelsAtBWI.com — that highlights the best of what northern Anne Arundel County has to offer visitors and area residents.

For the past two years, the CVB’s marketing efforts have focused largely on driving traffic to its VisitAnnapolis.org site, which highlights the entire destination. According to CVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore, “Under this scenario, the BWI region has had to share the limelight with Annapolis and the Annapolis countryside. The launch of the new site changes that. In [fiscal 2016, which began July 1], we’ll be marketing the TheHotelsAtBWI.com site to targeted audiences, including the corporate market.”

NCB Provides $22.5M in Financing to Baywoods of Annapolis

National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a financial services company dedicated to serving cooperatives and housing communities nationwide, announced it has provided $22.5 million in financing to Baywoods of Annapolis LLC, a 192-unit senior living facility at 7101 Bay Front Drive in Annapolis. NCB Senior Vice President Bob Montanari arranged the $16.5 million first mortgage, accompanied by a $5 million line of credit, for renovations and a $1 million working capital line of credit.

The continued care retirement home is structured as an age-restricted cooperative housing community. It consists of 147 independent living units and a medical facility with 45 beds that can be used for assisted living and nursing care. The cooperative worked with NCB to refinance its original development loans, taking advantage of lower interest rates and to fund future renovations to its health center.

Tecogen Sells Combined Heat/Power System to CA

Tecogen Inc. has sold a CM-60 combined heat and power (CHP) module to Columbia Association (CA), in Columbia. The 60-kilowatt unit will be installed at the Supreme Sports Club, the largest of three full-service fitness facilities operated by CA. In addition to providing electrical power to the facility, the CHP system will provide domestic hot water and pool heating at a far lower overall operating cost than the existing configuration.

Tecogen is providing the CHP system in an outdoor enclosure to be located adjacent to the fitness facility. Locating the unit outside is a cost-effective way to reduce cost of retrofitting mechanical areas for CHP. Tecogen will also provide skid-mounted plumbing assemblies that interface with domestic hot water and pool systems to allow cost-effective integration.

Active-Duty Military to Receive In-County Tuition Rate at AACC

Active-duty military, regardless of where they live or where their duty station is, will be charged tuition at the county rate when enrolled at Anne Arundel Community College under a new policy approved by the college’s board of trustees at its June 9 meeting. To be eligible for this special tuition rate, the student must present evidence of his/her active-duty status to the cashier prior to making the first payment of tuition and fees and when adding a class.

Although some military students have been eligible in the past for in-county tuition rates, this change is the first time the college has defined active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces as in-county residents, regardless of where they live or are stationed. For information, visit www.aacc.edu/aid/veterans/default.cfm or contact the AACC Veterans Benefits office at 410-777-2203 or [email protected].

Howard, Patapsco Bank Merger Receives All Necessary Stockholder Approvals

Ellicott City-based Howard Bancorp announced that its stockholders approved the issuance by Howard of its shares of common stock to the stockholders of Patapsco Bancorp Inc. in connection with the merger of Patapsco into Howard, with Howard as the surviving entity, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger between Howard and Patapsco dated March 2.

Howard’s stockholders showed overwhelming support for the merger-related share issuance, with more than 99% of the votes cast voting in favor of the proposal; Patapsco stockholders also overwhelmingly voted in favor of the merger agreement and the merger. The close of the transaction is slated to occur on or about Aug. 28.

HHF Donor Funds Purchase of Vein Viewer

Howard Hospital Foundation (HHF) received a pledge from Kupcakes & Co. to fund Howard County General Hospital’s purchase of a vein viewer, which helps clinicians quickly pinpoint veins and administer intravenous (IV) therapy. The vein viewer will benefit the hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department, which treated nearly 18,000 children last year.

The vein viewer uses near-infrared light to provide real-time, high-definition digital visualization of the veins and valves on all skin tones. The information is captured and projected on the surface of the skin so clinicians can choose the best vein and avoid multiple, unnecessary punctures.

Securis, Recycling Franchise, Hosts Grand Openings

Securis, a franchise operation in the electronic recycling and data destruction services industry, recently hosted grand openings in Baltimore, Laurel and Elkridge. For years, information technology (IT) asset disposal has been considered a logistical and operational challenge. Due to the explosion of data breaches associated with lost, stolen or compromised data storage devices, IT asset disposal is now a full-fledged element of global data and cybersecurity.

Securis provides a full range of secure disposal services for private and public sector companies and government entities. This includes ultra-secure electronics recycling, auditing, hard drive shredding and other data destruction services for PCs, laptops, mobile phones, servers, monitors, copiers, printers and other data storage devices and electronics waste.

SHA Using Recycled Materials on Route 29 Widening Project

The new travel lane on Route 29 was constructed with “green” asphalt, even though drivers can’t see a difference. The State Highway Administration (SHA) used 2,600 tons (5.2 million pounds) of recycled material on the $32.7 million widening project on the section of northbound Route 29 between Seneca Drive and Route 175, in Columbia.

The recycled material is called foamed asphalt, which is composed of reclaimed asphalt pavement and cement. Foamed asphalt production involves injecting water into a special chamber that contains millings from other resurfacing projects, which causes the asphalt to foam and bind together. This produces a useable material that is 10 to 15 times the original volume of the millings. Crews then mix the material with Portland cement to create foamed asphalt.

Long & Foster’s Northrop Team Ranked Near Top in Nation

Long & Foster Real Estate has announced that its Creig Northrop Team, based in Clarksville, earned the No. 4 spot for real estate teams nationwide, based on transaction volume in 2014, as ranked by REAL Trends, a source of statistical analysis for the residential real estate industry.

The Northrop Team, which has offices in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Howard and Montgomery counties in Maryland, also ranked seventh on the list based on the number of closed transaction sides in 2014.

Coalition Releases Pediatrician’s Behavioral Health Online Toolkit

The Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition has developed an online toolkit for physicians and health care providers that offers behavioral health resources to assist children, adolescents and their families. The kit, www.aaphysicians.org/KidsToolkit, contains early intervention, treatment and support tools that address mental health and substance use issues.

The toolkit features local, state and national services for assessment and screening; health advocacy; family and crisis support; legal assistance; loss and bereavement; training; treatment; and recovery.

“The Pediatrician’s Toolkit serves as a comprehensive tool for medical professionals to use when providing behavioral health support to their clients,” said Mary Whitehouse, facilitator for the Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition’s Co-Occurring Disorders Subcommittee.

For more information about the Pediatrician’s Toolkit, call the Healthy Anne Arundel Promotion and Publicity Subcommittee at 410-222-4508.