Baltimore Business Journal articles from October 2000

Baltimore Business Journal archives from October 2000

High stakes.(some Baltimore museums in financial difficulty)(Statistical Data Included)
October 6, 2000... Area museums struggle for financial health Nearly two years ago, Port Discovery was ushered into Baltimore with a month-long celebration, ending in a parade from the National Aquarium to its own doors. But soon the museum found itself very...

Ajilon invests $1 million in Incube8.com.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Towson's Ajilon LLC is pumping $1 million into a growing Baltimore venture capital and business incubation firm. Incube8.com, which funds and provides management services to mostly high-tech startup firms, will also get executive recruiting...

Arundel may lose Webvan.(Anne Arundel County, Maryland; Webvan Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... A California Internet grocer that planned to open a massive distribution center in Glen Burnie has postponed its expansion, casting doubt on whether Anne Arundel County will land the promised 900 jobs. Webvan Group Inc. confirmed this week...

Harford seeks use of airfield.(Harford County )(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... County: Army facility may attract business Greater Baltimore may soon gain access to another airport. Harford County economic development officials, in hopes of attracting a "large aerospace and aviation company," are working closely...

City approves money for merchants.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The Baltimore City Board of Estimates approved a $2 million loan fund for west side merchants who will be displaced because of redevelopment there. The WestSide Renaissance Corp., a nonprofit organization formed last year by Orioles owner Peter...

NEA closes $2.2 billion fund.(New Enterprise Associates)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... New Enterprise Associates, a Baltimore venture capital firm, announced the closing of $2.2 billion in funding, more than doubling the firm's previous fund size of $880 million. Officials said the fund is the largest early stage venture capital...

RewardsPlus buys Pennsylvania firm.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... RewardsPlus, an online employee benefits firm, announced it has acquired software development firm Ohana Systems Inc. headquartered in Kennet Square, Pa. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Virginia firm buys Columbia Realtor.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Virginia real estate brokerage Coldwell Banker Stevens announced that it is buying Coldwell Banker Melbourne, Feagin & Hammersmith, Real Estate Inc. in Columbia for an undisclosed amount. The buy will give Coldwell Banker Stevens 39 offices in...

Amazon.com to sell Aether services.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Online retailer Amazon.com has agreed to sell BlackBerry Wireless HandHelds on its Web site with service provided by Owings Mills-based Aether Systems Inc.

RTKL buys Miami firm.(RTKL Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc. acquired Howard Snoweiss Design Group, of Miami, as part of a strategy to expand into Latin American and Caribbean markets. The Miami firm employs 50 design professionals. Terms of the deal were not...

Baring your bra straps.(BraGems.com)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Lauren Wedekind has been showing off her bra straps lately and garnering much attention because of it. The Ellicott City entrepreneur launched her business, BraGems.com, in May, and has not only been drawing dozens of customers to her Web...

Out of the freezer.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... In case you haven't noticed, Circuit City Group is getting out of the appliance business. That means no more refrigerators and no more dishwashers. And, if you're Colliers Pinkard, the Baltimore commercial real estate firm, that means a...

Broker disciplined.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... A Baltimore broker was disciplined by the National Association of Securities Dealers following an investigation of the Lutherville office of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Brooks David Robinson, son of Orioles Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson,...

Gainers & Losers.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Already bored with the new fall schedule and the presidential debates? Well, there's plenty going on around here, particularly if you're a fish. Ravens The team should have given up that autographed helmet. Now it may have to cough up $10...

Texas company leases BWI industrial space.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Eagle Global to open distribution center at Park 100 Eagle Global Logistics Inc., a Houston air freight company that recently acquired a larger competitor, has leased 109,700 square feet of space near Baltimore/Washington International...

Barcoding nixes acquisition of Fells Point site.(Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Barcoding.com has backed out of its deal to buy a 7,000-square-foot building in Fells Point for its new headquarters. Chief Executive Officer Jay Steinmetz cited "availability problems" in why the company decided against the building at 509...

Aberdeen baseball in limbo.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... In this case, no news is bad news for the city of Aberdeen. More than a month after Aberdeen Mayor Doug Wilson reaffirmed plans to build a 6,000-seat baseball stadium and six-field training facility named after the town's favorite son, Cal...

Survey: Ravens games are a relative bargain.(Baltimore, Maryland Ravens football team)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The next time you pay $7 for a small pizza and $6 for a beer at a Baltimore Ravens football game, consider this: It could be worse, much worse. A survey that estimates the cost for a family of four to attend a National Football League game...

MetaMorphix looking to move out of UMBC.(University of Maryland, Baltimore County)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The small office space occupied by MetaMorphix Inc. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's Technology Center may soon be on the market. Dr. Edwin C. Quattlebaum, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the...

Hopkins groups merge.(Johns Hopkins Community Physicians)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... In an attempt to streamline its operations, Johns Hopkins Medicine (www.hopkinsmedicine.org) has merged the primary care practice of Johns Hopkins Bayview Physicians and the Johns Hopkins Medical Services Corp. into Johns Hopkins Community...

Novavax lands contract.(National Cancer Institute)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Novavax Inc. (www.novavax.com), a Columbia-based biopharmaceutical drug delivery company, has received a contract from the National Cancer Institute to produce an experimental, therapeutic cancer vaccine that is designed to stimulate an immune...

Clarke says tower will replace pile of rubble.(J.J. Clarke Enterprises Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Curious about the rubble at the corner of Light and Redwood streets? Well, J. Joseph Clarke, the developer of the former Southern Hotel site and adjoining properties, said his hotel and office project is moving forward -- even without a...

Convention coming.(Trade Press Publishing Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The Building Owners and Management Association International isn't the only group bringing a facilities management convention to Charm City. Trade Press Publishing Corp. of Milwaukee is debuting its "National Facilities Management and...

Carroll complex planned.(Sterling Cos.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Sterling Cos., a Finksburg-based regional, home builder, is taking a stab at the office market. Sterling L. Leppo, owner and president of Sterling Cos., plans to build a two-story office building off Route 140 in Carroll County. Called...

Atlantic building new HQ.(Atlantic Builders Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Atlantic Builders Group Inc., a Baltimore general contractor, is building a new corporate headquarters in White Marsh. The new location at 9635 Philadelphia Road will house larger offices, a maintenance shop and an equipment storage yard, which...

Columbia Lakeside.(office building)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Construction has begun on Columbia Lakeside, a 75,000-square-foot, six-story office building on Wincopin Circle, formerly the site of the Rusty Scupper restaurant. The project marks the first redevelopment of a property in downtown Columbia. No...

Bovis Lend Lease.(St. John's College contract)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Bovis Lend Lease of Washington, D.C., was awarded the pre-construction and construction contract at St John's College in Annapolis. The project includes renovations of Mellon Hall and Francis Scott Key Auditorium, the addition of classrooms,...

Hess Construction Co.(Maryland, University of)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Hess Construction Co. of Gaithersburg was selected to construct the 20,844-square-foot addition to the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park. The $4.7 million project will include an auditorium,...

A. Morton Thomas and Associates Inc.(United States Naval Academy contract)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... A. Morton Thomas and Associates Inc. of Rockville was awarded a one-year contract to provide on-call civil and structural engineering services to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Projects -- worth $500,000 -- include roads, parking areas,...

Ulla Popken launching clothing line in stores.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 6, 2000... Regular shoppers of the Ulla Popken women's apparel catalog soon won't have to wait for shipments of their orders. The women's wear catalog retailer, which maintains a U.S. headquarters in Baltimore, is opening its clothing lines to retailers...

Centreville shops filling up.(KLNB Inc. reports)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... About 85 percent of the available space in the planned Centreville Park Centre is already leased, officials at commercial real estate brokerage KLNB Inc. confirmed. The coming retail development could relieve a dearth of available shopping...

Art on the Web.(Fingigo.com)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The operators of Severna 114 Park specialty retail Web site Findigo.com are attracting a large number of artists these days. It's not by accident. It's part of a strategy whereby the Web site strikes an exclusive distribution agreement with...

Gaines McHale's Antiques & Home.(new showroom)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Antique importer Gaines McHale's Antiques & Home is set to open a new showroom at its Federal Hill headquarters. The company, which imports and sells antique furniture, will cut the ribbon on the 4,000 square foot showroom Oct. 6.

Annapolis National changing name, charter.(BankAnnapolis)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Annapolis National Bank is dropping the "national." The $125 million-asset bank decided to do away with the national in its name and call itself BankAnnapolis. It is also switching from being a federally-chartered bank to a state-chartered...

Feds issue bank warning.(Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on loans)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Federal banking regulators are telling banks to lighten up the standards they use to make commercial loans. In recent months, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (www.fdic.gov) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency...

T. Rowe Price unveils fund.(new global tech fund)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 6, 2000... It isn't the best time for technology stocks. But that did not faze T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. when it decided to launch its new global technology fund this week. It was only a few weeks before the October 1987 market crash when the...

T. Rowe Price Associates Inc.(new space)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. doubled the size of its downtown investment center by moving into the spot once occupied by the now defunct The Strand cyber-cafe. The new 3,137-square-foot space, which is located at 105 E. Lombard St, is one of...

Columbia gets new tech firm.(Data Dimensions Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Starbucks isn't the only Seattle-area firm opening up shop in Greater Baltimore. Data Dimensions Inc., a Bellevue, Wash., software development firm, established a new testing center in Columbia last week. Company officials said the...

Supporting the young.(Maryland Technology Development Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) is now taking applications from non-profit and university-affiliated incubators for $25,000 matching grants. Dr. Phillip Singerman, president of TEDCO (www.marylandtedco.org), said the...

USi goes for the gold.(Usinternetworking Inc. hired by Carlson Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Annapolis-based Usinternetworking Inc. (www.usi.com), an applications service provider, has been hired by Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies Inc. to manage the Web site for its 24K Gold Points (www.24k.com) subsidiary. The site acts as an...

Navigating the federal maze.(EZcertify software)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... EZcertify provides a software answer to complex issue After spending decades building traditional companies, Richard J. Otero Sr. recently launched a technology firm that aims to help minority and women-owned businesses tap into federal...

Web Site of the Week I www.bbb.org.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Checking up on a company's record For decades the Better Business Bureau has served the local and national business community by promoting fairness in the marketplace. The organization's Web site continues along that theme by allowing...

Wireless Web is a worthy service for busy folks.(OmniSky)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Today, I replied to three e-mails waiting for lunch, checked stocks in a customer's parking lot and perused some of my favorite Internet sites lying in bed. I did these things using my Palm Pilot V and a new wireless service from OmniSky. ...

Larry Fiorino.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... G1440 (formerly NetFanatics) BBJ: Where did you get the idea for your business? Fiorino: After working on a Web site for a former employer, I decided that I wanted to be able to build Web applications for other companies that wanted to...

Sister Helen Amos.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Mercy Health Services Inc. Age: 62 Residence: Baltimore City The former CEO of Mercy Medical Center and present executive chair of the board of trustees at Mercy Health Services Inc., Helen Amos is not your typical health care...

Dr. Georges C. Benjamin.(Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene State of Maryland)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene State of Maryland Age: 48 Residence: Gaithersburg Dr. Georges C. Benjamin this spring marked his first full year as Maryland's Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene -- and a busy year it...

Judith A. Britz.(Cylex Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, Cylex Inc. Age: 49 Residence: Scaggsville Judith A. Britz has been on both sides of the science fence. Though the early part of her career was spent in the world of academia, Britz today is entrenched in...

Dr. Benjamin S. Carson.(Johns Hopkins Children's Center)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Pediatric-neurosurgeon, Johns Hopkins Children's Center Age: 47 Residence: West Friendship As if Dr. Benjamin S. Carson was not already a world-renowned pediatric surgeon before the debut of "Hopkins 24/7," the ABC-TV mini-series...

John Colmers.(Executive director, Maryland Health Care Commission)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Executive director, Maryland Health Care Commission Age: 47 Residence: Guilford "It's sort of like being a parent with several children. You don't want to select one -- they're all very important." That's not the sort of...

Martha J. Connolly.(Senior Biotechnology Specialist, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Senior Biotechnology Specialist, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Age: 47 Residence: Baltimore City In 1997, Martha J. Connolly became the state's first "Senior Biotechnology Specialist" In that role,...

Donna Dorsey.(executive director, Maryland Board of Nursing)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Executive director, Maryland Board of Nursing Age: declined to disclose Residence: Columbia As executive director of the Maryland Board of Nursing, Donna Dorsey is on the front lines of the state's nursing crisis. "One of the...

John C. Erickson.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... CEO, Erickson Retirement Communities Age: 57 Residence: Baltimore City John Erickson is working to improve the lifestyles of seniors in Maryland as founder and CEO of Erickson Retirement Communities. Today, nearly 7,000...

Warren Green.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, LifeBridge Health Age: 56 Residence: Owings Mills If there's one thing that LifeBridge Health president and CEO Warren Green has become known for, it's the deals he makes. Since joining Sinai Health System...

Dr. Henry T. Harbin.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, Magellan Health Services Age: 53 Residence: Baltimore Dr. Henry Troutman Harbin, president and CEO of Columbia-based Magellan Health Services, is both a medical doctor and a healthcare management executive --...

Lisa Hillman.(Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Vice president of development & community affairs, Anne Arundel Health System Executive director, Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation Age: declined to disclose Residence: Annapolis Lisa Hillman does not deserve all the credit...

William L. Jews.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Age: 48 Residence: Pikesville The early 1990s were a cheerless time for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland. Low customer-service ratings, stagnant contract growth and a...

Dr. Anthony J. Kameen.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Regional medical director, TLC Laser Eye Center's Baltimore and Annapolis locations Age: early '40s Residence: Baltimore City Nowadays, advertisements for laser eye surgeons can be found just about anywhere. But only a handful of...

John P. McDaniel.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... CEO, MedStar Health Age: 58 Residence: Highland MedStar Health is the 20th largest not-for-profit system in the United States. A community-based health care organization, it is comprised of 30 integrated businesses including seven...

Bob Murray.
October 6, 2000... Executive director, Health Services Cost Review Commission Age: 44 Residence: Lutherville As the executive director of the Health Services Cost Review Commission, Bob Murray makes health care prices his business. And that puts him...

Ronald R. Peterson.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President, Johns Hopkins health System, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical center and Executive Vice President of Johns Hopkins Medicine Age: 51 Residence: Bel Air Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Health...

Calvin M. Pierson.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, Association of Maryland Hospitals & Health Systems Age: 53 Residence: Sparks He previously served for eight years as head of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, and before that he dealt with financial and...

Dr Edwin C. Quattlebaum.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer of MetaMorphix Inc. Age: 50 Residence: Annapolis It is not unreasonable to think of Dr. Edwin C. Quattlebaum the Colonel Sanders of Charm City's biotech industry. After all, even...

David J. Ramsay.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President, University of Maryland, Baltimore Age: 61 Residence: Severna Park As president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, David J. Ramsay has one finger on the pulse of the area's throbbing health care industry and...

Dr. Morton I. Rapoport.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, University of Maryland Medical System Age: 64 Residence: Brooklandville Running a hospital is a hefty task within the tight constraints of today's health care world. But some say that successfully operating a...

Dr. Scott M. Rifkin.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Internist, entrepreneur Founder Doctor's Health Inc., AmericasDoctor.com Age: 41 Residence: Owings Mills One of his brothers called him a genius. A business partner calls him a visionary. Those familiar with his business...

Dr. Stephen C. Schimpff.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Chief Executive Officer, University of Maryland Medical Center Executive Vice President, University of Maryland Medical System Age: 58 Residence: Columbia Stephen C. Schimpff is known in health care circles as one who "pushes...

Craig R. Smith.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... President and CEO, Guilford Pharmaceuticals Age: 54 Dr. Craig Smith is an exemplar of the transformation of a physician into biotechnology entrepreneur. In July 1993, he co-founded Guilford Pharmaceuticals, soon afterwards gaining the...

Patrick C. Walsh.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Director, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Age: 62 Residence: Baltimore County Sometimes the treatment is only marginally preferable to the disease. That used to be the...

Dr. Donald E. Wilson.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine Age: 64 Residence: Owings Mills When Dr. Donald E. Wilson was hired as dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine nine years ago, he...

Put your small biz on the Web.
October 6, 2000... Dear Business Doctor: My nine-year-old business specializes in retirement planning services for several industry-specific employers and workers. Should my company become Internet active? I've read and heard so many opinions that I can't decide...

Book wars.
October 6, 2000... Niche shops compete with chains, Internet Conventional wisdom has it that independent bookstores are doomed by the onslaught of chain stores like Barnes & Noble, Borders and Bibelot, with the arrival of Internet booksellers like Amazon.com...

How do you control your company's growth?(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Shannon Mayhew President, IMS Group llc/Baltimore "I know the areas where I can best serve my clients, and I know the areas where strategic alliances can get the job done better with my management Using strategic alliances, but...

People.
October 6, 2000... * Advertising Doner Direct hired Terrilyn Tourangeau as account director for its Aegon Insurance account, Delica Seibert as print production manager and Don Schramek as senior art director. * Banking Thomas L. Rinker has joined...

Steve Barstow.
October 6, 2000... Steve Barstow, a senior portfolio director, will celebrate his 10-year anniversary with Network Publications Inc., a full service print and electronic publication management company in Hunt Valley. Barstow has been instrumental in the growth of...

Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
October 6, 2000... The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital has been named the best overall ophthalmology program in the country for the fifth year in a row by Ophthalmology Times magazine.

Stephen J. Salamon.(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Stephen J. Salamon of Hunt Valley was appointed chairman of the National Association of Health Underwriters Legislative Council for 2000-2001. Salamon owned and operated The Salamon Agency for 13 years before joining Heritage Financial...

Rubeling & Associates Inc.(to design building for Manekin L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Rubeling & Associates Inc. a Towson architecture and interior design firm, has been contracted to design a 100,000-squane-foot office building in London County, Va., for Manekin Corp. The $4.7 million project is scheduled to be completed by...

Deloitte & Touche LLP.(moves to new location in Baltimore, Maryland)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The Baltimore office of Deloitte & Touche LLP has moved to the 12th floor of the Bank of America building in the central business district. Deloitte &Touche's new address is 100 S. Charles Street.

American Society of Interior Designers presented Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
October 6, 2000... The American Society of Interior Designers presented Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital with the first-place award for the design of its new Jack & Mae Rosenberg Center for Pediatric Respiratory Medicine. The center was selected as best in...

Crown Central Petroleum Corp.(corporate profile)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... 1 N. Charles Street / Baltimore, 21201 / (410) 539-7400 / www.crownfleet.com Corporate profile While Crown Central Petroleum Corp.'s revenues, earnings and stock price sag over the last few years, two of the company's largest...

The city's hotel dilemma.(Baltimore, Maryland)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... Baltimore needs a convention headquarters hotel. Period. This isn't a new message from us; we've been beating this drum for three years. And the city-owned parking lot just north of Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a location blessed by...

A matter of survival.(Baltimore, Maryland)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... The super-controversial plan to locate former public housing residents in the middle-class neighborhoods of Northeast Baltimore may not seem like, a business issue. But make no mistake about it: The long-term health of Baltimore City and...

The lobbying game shows that buddy system lives.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 6, 2000... Gerard E. Evans flew high and fell fast. He crashed and burned with the same territorial imperative as Bruce C. Bereano, another high-flying lobbyist with bodacious habits and an instinct for flair. And will somebody please explain why...

Unisys closes its P.G. office.(Prince George's County, Pennsylvania)(Brief Article)
October 6, 2000... A Pennsylvania-based technology firm that lost a federal government contract has shuttered its Lanham facility. Unisys, headquartered outside Philadelphia in Blue Bell, Pa., employed 87 people in its Prince George's County office, mostly in...