Baltimore Business Journal articles from March 2001

Baltimore Business Journal archives from March 2001

Taking on the governor.(state system that gives Maryland's governor unobstructed budget-writing power and dominant spending control is having trouble controlling spending)
March 2, 2001... Few willing to harness Maryland spending Despite exhaustive government growth under the Glendening administration, few lawmakers are willing to repair the state system that gives Maryland's governor unobstructed budget-writing power and...

Minority builders divided.(dispute within the Maryland Minority Contractors Association)
March 2, 2001... Contractors split on controversial bill Major players in the minority contracting community have splintered into rival groups during what some say is a critical state legislative session for Maryland's minority businesses. Officials at...

Biotechs push for tax breaks.(cash incentives and tax benefits to Maryland biotechnology companies)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Legislation that would offer cash incentives and tax benefits to Maryland biotechnology companies is being lauded by proponents as an innovative way to keep the state at the forefront of the country's biotech industry. Leaders of the Tech...

Northrop Grumman wins contract.(to supply $300 million worth of its radar equipment to Boeing)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Baltimore-based Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector received a contract to supply $300 million worth of its radar equipment to Seattle-based Boeing Co. Company officials said the deal involves installing radar...

Constellation to begin Calif. project.(Constellation Energy Group's new Victorville, California, power plant)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Constellation Energy Group announced plans to begin construction of a new power plant near Victoryville, Calif., in early April. The Baltimore-based company hired Kiewit Industrial Co. of Omaha, Neb., to build the 750-megawatt plant. It will be...

BGE Home workers turn down union.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... BGE Home, a subsidiary of the Constellation Energy Group that offers air conditioning, heating, plumbing, appliance and home electronic sales and services, will remain nonunion after a majority of the company's employees voted against union...

Quizno's signs two leases.(Quizno's Classic Subs to open two more restaurants in Baltimore-area)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Quizno's Classic Subs, a Denver, Colo., sandwich chain, signed leases for space in two Baltimore-area complexes. The franchise is planning locations for a 1,836-square-foot space at Gateway Plaza in Columbia, and a 1,566-square-foot space at...

Sinclair executive resigns.(Barry Drake, the chief executive officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group's television division)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s top television executive is leaving the company effective May 31. Sinclair announced that Barry Drake, the chief executive officer of its television division, resigned his position. Drake oversaw operations...

Seniors on the bay.(Chesapeake Bay area attracts retirees)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The Chesapeake Bay may be the next Florida for retirees. According to a new study by Demographics Daily, a sister publication of the Baltimore Business Journal, The Chesapeake Bay region -- specifically Maryland's Talbot County and...

Curbing college credit.(bill in Maryland House of Delegates would create credit card guidelines when marketing on college campuses)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... A group of legislators want to rein in banks that peddle credit cards on Maryland's college campuses. A bill that was introduced in the House of Delegates would require the Maryland Higher Education Commission (www.mhec.state.md.us) to...

New authority.(Aberdeen Stadium Authority to manage stadium planned for Aberdeen, Maryland)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The whirlwind of activity surrounding the Ripken baseball project in Aberdeen continues. As project organizers search for a minor league team to place in the 6,500-seat stadium, Aberdeen city leaders are planning to form a stadium...

Gainers & Losers.(miscellaneous news items from Baltimore area)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Calling all laid-off techies: New jobs are on the horizon at Northrop's Linthicum plant. Defense jobs Northrop Grumman gets a $300 million contract to build radar systems for the Australian Air Force. Sinclair Broadcast Group Barry...

Canton tech center nabs Barcoding.com.(for new headquarters)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Following a failed attempt to purchase a new building and a collapsed deal for downtown office space, Barcoding.com has found a new home in Canton. The Baltimore-based firm that develops software for the wireless bar-coding industry has...

'Best value' bill faces hard lobbying effort.(Maryland attempt to change way of awarding public contracts is opposed by contractors group)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... A bill aimed at changing the state bidding system for taxpayer-funded construction projects may have hit a road block: Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. of Baltimore. The organization (www.abc.org) is lobbying heavily against the...

Trial lawyers push legislation to allow parent-child lawsuits.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The insurance industry is up in arms over legislation being considered by the House of Delegates that would open the door for parents and their children to sue each other. The bill, which has the backing of the Maryland Trial Lawyers...

Business lukewarm on Baltimore marathon.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The excitement that propelled the idea of a Baltimore City marathon four months ago is now buffing heads with the threatening economic slowdown. While event organizers and city officials continue to plan Baltimore's first marathon in more...

Mercy gets moving on new center.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Mercy Medical Center is going ahead with once-shelved plans to upgrade its women's health center. Gary Michael, the hospital's senior vice president for marketing, confirmed the 125-year-old downtown Baltimore hospital (www.mercymed.com)...

Publisher challenging Washington Post deal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... An independent newspaper publisher is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the recent sale of Chesapeake Publishing Corp.'s Southern Maryland division to a division of the Washington Post Co. Kenneth C. Rossingol, publisher...

Downtown office market getting stronger.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Office vacancy rates in the Baltimore metropolitan area climbed slightly in 2000, compared to the previous year, according to a year-end market study recently released by the Trammell Crow Co. At the close of 2000, office vacancy rates...

Poll: Lawsuit liability endangers health care.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Nearly half of the country's employers would stop providing health care coverage if legislative changes expose employer health plans to greater liability and higher costs, according to a new poll The survey -- by Hewitt Associates LLC...

Venture capitalists come up dry in quarter.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Facing an anemic initial public offering market, Maryland's venture capital community failed to raise any money during the fourth quarter of 2000, according to the latest figures from the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (www. mava.org) and...

Eisner seeks larger deal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Eisner Communications is looking to increase billings on the $10 million AMF Bowling Inc. account it won in January. The agency (www.eisner-communications.com) is in discussions about pursuing other business relationships with AMF...

Hunting for sponsors.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Port Discovery has tapped Gilco Sports and Entertainment Marketing LLC in an effort to generate sponsorship revenues from a new attraction opening this spring. Gilco has been hired to find four companies willing to shell out $100,000 a...

Lockwood proceeding.(Office tower at Lockwood Place in Baltimore)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The Trammell Crow Co. is proceeding with plans to develop the office tower at Lockwood Place, even though a lead tenant has not been secured. The Baltimore real estate company is negotiating with two financiers, neither of whom would...

UM opens in Timonium.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The University of Maryland Medical System finally announced plans for its new office space in Timonium. The health system intends to open a sports medicine and physical therapy center at the new Texas Station building off Interstate 83. ...

Arundel settling in.(Anne Arundel Medical Center moves)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Anne Arundel Medical Center's move from downtown Annapolis to its new medical campus is almost complete. Last month, the hospital moved the computer system that currently supports the existing downtown hospital and will support the new...

State invests in Carroll.(County hospital to receive $640,000)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced last week that the state plans to invest $640,000 into an expanded birthing facility at Carroll County General Hospital (www.ccgh.com). The $1.3 million expansion of the hospital's birthing facility...

Magellan Behavioral Health.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... * Columbia-based Magellan Behavioral Health (www.magellanhealth.com) recently landed a contract to provide service for about 90,000 members of AT&T's employee assistance program. The deal to manage the program is an expansion of Magellan's...

Columbia enters leasing.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The Columbia Bank (www.thecolumbiabank.com), which recently announced the formation of an investment services unit, also has created a leasing subsidiary called Columbia Leasing Inc. Scott A Wheeler has been named president of the new unit,...

Bay National Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... * Bay National Corp. (www.baynational.com), the bank holding company for Bay National Bank, ended 2000 with $24 million in total assets, according to recently-released unaudited financial results. As is expected of a bank that just went...

Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants Inc.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... * The Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants Inc. (www.macpa.org) has expanded its business relationship with Richard J. Princinsky & Associates Inc., a Baltimore-based insurance broker. The statewide CPA advocate group signed...

Fidelity and Deposit Cos.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... * Fidelity and Deposit Cos. (www.fidelityanddeposit.com) was selected as the preferred insurance provider of the California Bankers Association and its Bankers Benefits Insurance Services subsidiary. The Baltimore bonding and insurance company...

Board of Public Works.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... * Maryland's Board of Public Works has successfully sold $200 million in bonds to a syndicate led by Merrill Lynch & Co. at a 4.37 percent interest rate. The sale is being used to finance public school construction, water quality projects,...

Merger melds two farm sites.(Pradium Inc., Rooster.com)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... As the $125 billion grain trading industry continues to embrace the Internet, an Annapolis firm is merging with an outfit from the Midwest in an attempt to become the market leader in online business-to-business exchanges. Pradium Inc., an...

eOriginal goes Irish.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... A Baltimore tech company is teaming up with an Irish firm that has a familiar name. Baltimore's eOriginal Inc.(www.eoriginal.com), a developer of digital signature products, is using online security technology developed by Dublin-based...

Telecoms want law enforced.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Bell competitors say established firms are stifling free market Local telecommunications companies, in the midst of the worst industry turmoil in years, have decided they're not going down without a fight. A coalition of competitive...

BBJ Tech 25: A glance at Greater Baltimore's leading technology companies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... BBJ Tech 25: A glance at Greater Baltimore's leading technology companies This Last Week's Week's Net...

Amy Vansant.(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 2, 2001... Vansant Creations BBJ: Where did you get the idea for your business? Vansant: In 1993 I was the East Coast Editor of Surfer Magazine and had just written a book called "The Surfer's Guide to Florida." I had done so much research for...

Courtroom to classroom.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Many lawyers change career paths despite pay cuts When he was cramming for the bar exam, Christopher Lambert probably expected to be trying high-profile cases 10 years down the line. But, after spending 11 years with Whiteford, Taylor &...

Market Facts.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The word is in: Businesses in Maryland feel darned good about their home state. About 1,000 companies were asked in the University of Baltimore/Jacob France Center annual poll for the Maryland Business Research Partnership what was good about...

Thurman Zollicoffer.(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 2, 2001... Baltimore City solicitor's office When Mayor Martin O'Malley made his first cabinet picks after his 1999 election, he chose Thurman W. Zollicoffer Jr. for the position of city solicitor. The choice was not without good reason. The job is...

Most active office developers in the Baltimore area.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Most active office developers in the Baltimore area (ranked by Baltimore area total square feet of office developments in 2000) Rank/ Name ...

Largest office product retailers serving the Baltimore area.(Illustration)
March 2, 2001... Largest office product retailers serving the Baltimore area (Ranked by 2000 office Supply sales in the Baltimore area) Rank/ Name 2000 office 2000 total last Address ...

People.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The People section publicizes management-level hirings and promotions of area business people. We also publicize elections to nonprofit and charitable organizations. We do not run professional certifications or designations. Send announcements...

Wyman Park Bancorporation Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... II West Ridgely Road / Lutherville 21094 /410-252-6450 / www.wymanpark.com Corporate profile Wyman Park Bancorporation Inc. is the holding company for Wyman Park Savings and Loan Association, a federally chartered savings association...

Ellicott City firm wins government contract.(Project Masters Inc. contract with the National Institutes of Health)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... The National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., recently awarded a 10-year, $19.5 billion contract to a group of companies, including Ellicott City-based Project Masters Inc. (www.projmasters.com). The contract allows NIH and other...

Ergonomics foes want quick vote to void rule.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Opponents of OSHA's ergonomics regulation are pushing Congress for a vote by mid-May on a resolution that would use the Congressional Review Act to void the rule. The "tight time frame" is good news for employers because it would "nip this...

Tax parity tap priority for small business group.(National Small Business United)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Members of National Small Business United (www.nsbu.org) rank tax parity -- changing the tax code so that small businesses and big businesses are treated alike -- No. 1 on their list of top legislative priorities. For example, NSBU said...

Laying a solid foundation.(Baywood Design/Build Group Inc. founder hires business mentor)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... Owner gets help designing, building business end of company As owner and founder of a remodeling company struggling through slow economic times in 1994, Brett Schoolnick realized that he lacked knowledge in one important area: business. ...

Make your assistant more than a gatekeeper.(administrative assistants are valuable)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... What position is often involved in choosing the new phone system, tackling human resources problems and purchasing equipment and new software training? The answer may surprise you. In many organizations, it's an administrative assistant...

Budget plan puts state at risk.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 2, 2001... Gov. Parris N. Glendening is likely spending Maryland into a hole -- and no one wants to do anything about it. Someone in the General Assembly, besides a handful of relatively powerless Republicans, needs to act fast if a future state...

Prime real estate.(editorial concerning furhter development of the Columbus Center in Baltimore's Inner Harbor)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 2, 2001... If you searched the world over, you probably couldn't find laboratory space that is more expensive per square foot than in the Columbus Center, which was built on 11 acres of prime Inner Harbor real estate and cost the taxpayers upwards of $130...

Redistricting war set for 2002 General Assembly.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... Reapportionment and redistricting are legalized body snatching. The twin scourges arrive on schedule and by law like a 10-year itch. And the exercises in mapmaking involve not only race but whole cities, counties, neighborhoods and...

Smart growth advocates push federal bill.(to control urban sprawl)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2001... When Al Gore was running for president, smart-growth advocates got their hopes up. They thought they soon would have an ally in the White House. But even though he lost, these smart-growthers' hopes aren't dashed. Instead, they're pinned...

Stock Snapshot: Corvis Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 2, 2001... NASDAQ: CORV Columbia-based Corvis Corp., a developer of high-end optical switching equipment for the fiber-optics industry, had one of the most successful initial public offerings in recent history when it raised $1.1 billion July 28. ...

Do you use consultants, why or why not?(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
March 2, 2001... Elaine Buderer President, Restoration Interior Design LLC / Columbia "I save my clients money and myself valuable research time when I use consultants. The advice of artists and specialists in the fields of kitchens, flooring, rugs,...

Catching up.
March 9, 2001... TEDCO, on a roll, seeks more money When Phillip A. Singerman needed money last year, his supporters came out in full force. The executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) was begging the General Assembly...

Conn. company moving HQ to Arundel.
March 9, 2001... First Service Networks Inc., a site-management company with large clients that include General Electric and Wal-Mart, is relocating its headquarters and service center from Stamford, Conn., to Maryland. The private company, formerly known...

Ruling favors business.
March 9, 2001... Law shields board members from suits A ruling by Maryland's highest court could lead to Fortune 500 companies moving their incorporation from Delaware to Maryland. A little-publicized ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals favored...

Janus woes give boost to T. Rowe.
March 9, 2001... Baltimore's T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. is reaping the benefits of a market downturn that has decimated one of its fiercest competitors. Janus Funds (www.janus.com), once the king of the 1990s growth stock boom, has seen its franchise...

Corrections.
March 9, 2001... * In the List of Most Active Office Developers in the Baltimore Area, [Vol. 18, March 2-8, Page 20], the phone and fax numbers for Nottingham Properties Inc. were incorrect. The correct phone number is (410) 825-0545 and the fax number is (410)...

Townsend's top choice?
March 9, 2001... The election is still more than a year away, but speculation is already at fever pitch over Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's running mate in 2002. Now, a new name has emerged: Terry Lierman. The former congressional staffer,...

New digs for Ray?
March 9, 2001... All-pro Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is not looking to buy the pricey home of former Rite-Nd Corp. chairman Martin L. Grass, a spokesman for Lewis said. It was rumored that Lewis was considering purchasing Grass's 16,000...

New meaning of 'blood red'.
March 9, 2001... Wondering how to encourage your employees to be more civic-minded? Try bribing them with alcohol. That's the approach one local firm took when its landlord hosted a Red Cross blood drive. Pinnacle Communications Resource Company...

Gainers & Losers.
March 9, 2001... Yes, we know the weather forecasters are losers this week But they definitely took their lumps already. Trent Dilfer He'll always have Disney World -- and a Super Bowl ring of course. EarthShell The Baltimore company that makes...

Old city buildings to get high-speed wires.
March 9, 2001... A Virginia telecommunications firm is making a play to wire Baltimore with high-speed Internet access. Wired Business, based in Vienna, has signed a deal with Houston-based Boxer Property to install high-speed Internet networks in six of...

Nurses win reprieve on anesthesia legislation.
March 9, 2001... Nurses who administer anesthesia are celebrating the withdrawal of a bill that would have placed them under the watch of other health care providers. The bill (H.B. 986), which would have required a nurse anesthetist to collaborate with...

MDOT to study BWI ownership.
March 9, 2001... The Maryland Department of Transportation will investigate the possible privatization of the state-owned Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Officials of the state agency confirmed that it will form a group to evaluate the...

Women shut out of fed contract dollars.
March 9, 2001... Women own nearly 40 percent of America's businesses, but they received only 2.5 percent of the federal government's contract dollars in fiscal 1999 -- only half of the 5 percent goal for women established by Congress in 1994. This...

Budget cuts may hurt Medicaid increase.
March 9, 2001... The state's nursing home industry is in jeopardy of losing a quarter of an anticipated $20 million Medicaid reimbursement increase. In its quest to reduce Gov. Parris N. Glendening's $21.3 billion budget by at least $200 million to get it...

Growth brings changes.
March 9, 2001... Population growth in portions of Anne Arundel County has forced North Arundel Hospital to reconfigure its pediatrics services and rethink its women's health programs. The community hospital already has started a pediatric hospitalist...

Martek secures funding.
March 9, 2001... Columbia-based Martek Biosciences Corp., which develops, manufactures and sells products from microalgae, announced that it has completed approximately $20 million in financing with a group of investors, many of which are current shareholders...

Securing emergency care.
March 9, 2001... Legislation that would create uniform emergency security codes for Maryland hospitals could be headed for the law books, state hospital officials say. Security codes are used in hospitals to notify staff of emergency or urgent medical...

Salisbury officials decry lack of upscale hotels.
March 9, 2001... The opening of a new hotel in Salisbury will not satisfy the Eastern Shore city's need for an upscale place for travelers, the manager of the area's convention and visitor's bureau says. A 59-room Microtel Inn & Suites hotel is set to open...

Hotel construction slowing.
March 9, 2001... The number of hotels being built nationwide is going down. There were 320 fewer hotel projects under construction or in permitting stages across the country in the fourth quarter of 2000 compared to the third quarter, according to a report...

Taking on foreign travel.
March 9, 2001... An Annapolis travel information company targeting the foreign tourism market is preparing to launch a consumer information service next month. iJet Travel Intelligence Inc. will begin providing travel agents with reports on security and...

Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.
March 9, 2001... The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (www.baltimore.org) tapped two new convention sales executives. Dave Synan was named national sales manager, and Linda Latts was named sales manager for the Midwest region. Synan is...

Irish pub, Cuban grill on tap for downtown.
March 9, 2001... Those with palates for Irish and Cuban cuisine are going to like Power Plant live, the Cordish Co.'s $5 million redevelopment off Market Place that is beginning to spring to life. The Baltimore development company recently signed two new...

Obrecht buys Harford site.
March 9, 2001... An investment group headed by local development firm P. Fred'k Obrecht & Son has acquired roughly 40 acres formerly known as the Greater Harford Industrial Center. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Located at Granary Road and the...

Computer center planned.
March 9, 2001... New Horizons Computer Learning Center Inc., an independent information technology training company, has acquired almost four acres in Woodlawn for a new computer-training center. The cost of the land was roughly $700,000, said J. Scott...

Bill would force banks to cash money orders.
March 9, 2001... Banks and other financial institutions in Maryland could be forced to cash money orders for noncustomers beginning in October if a new bill introduced in the House of Delegates is passed. Del. David M. Valderrama, D-Prince George's,...

Provident cold calling.
March 9, 2001... Provident Banks commercial banking division wants to increase its $270 million commercial banking loan portfolio by 15 percent this year and is using cold calling as a way to drum up the new business. Robert H. "Hugh" Newton Jr., managing...

Sandy Spring's new plan.
March 9, 2001... Bolstered by a high-soaring stock price, Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (www.ssnb.com) is beefing up its advertising and marketing strategy. The bank recently named Sharon L. Murphy Sandy Spring National Banks director of corporate...

Annapolis bank moves in.
March 9, 2001... BankAnnapolis (www.bankannapolis.com) is moving its new headquarters and main branch to 1000 Bestgate Road on March 10 and will open the new digs to customers on March 12. The move is a big relief for BankAnnapolis President and Chief...