Business

Columbia cyber company Sealing Technologies Inc. is now part of one of the country’s largest government contractors after a deal worth up to $200 million. Centreville, Virginia-based Parsons Corp. (NYSE: PSN) hopes to leverage Sealing Tech’s expertise to boost its artificial intelligence products, add new government clients and establish a stronger foothold in the expanding cybersecurity industry. Sealing Tech will be a standalone subsidiary within Parsons.

Sports betting has finally come to Montgomery County — just in time for football season. Sports & Social, a large sports-themed restaurant in North Bethesda, began taking bets over Labor Day weekend after the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission issued a wagering license to Whitman Gaming Inc. and FanDuel, the entities operating the sportsbook within Sports & Social.

The view from the 11th floor of a Harbor East office tower has given new perspective to the nearly 100-person DLA Piper Baltimore office. The firm ended a 23-year stay on a leafy, sprawling campus in Mt. Washington to move to 650 S. Exeter St. in June. DLA’s 10-year lease there allows the firm to join Gordon Feinblatt LLC, Hogan Lovells LLP and Saul Ewing LLP at the upscale waterfront enclave that seems like a world away from some older office buildings in the nearby central business district.

Ten Lockheed Martin-built satellites have successfully been deployed into low-Earth orbit (LEO) in support of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 0 Transport Layer (T0TL) mission. SDA’s T0TL is a proliferated LEO constellation that will demonstrate low-latency communication and provide a resilient network of integrated capabilities.

Howard County has it all — affluence, quality education, health care and recreation — but no community escaped the Covid-19 pandemic unscathed. As local businesses confront fluctuations in employment, rising interest rates and changing work habits, Jennifer Jones, a Howard County native and player in local politics, is bringing new eyes to the challenges of post-pandemic business as CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.

The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 jobs, above expectations of 170,000 jobs from economists polled by Reuters. In July, 157,000 jobs were added.

Maryland ranks as one of the best states for workers, but there is still room for improvement, according to an annual ranking from Oxfam, a global organization focused on inequality and poverty. Maryland ranked 14th overall in the 2023 Best States to Work Index. California ranked first; North Carolina ranked last. Oxfam’s index takes into account worker-friendly policies in three areas: wages, worker protections and the right to organize.

Bethesda-based hospitality giant Marriott International Inc. on Friday announced the milestone opening of its 50th hotel in Thailand with the Madi Paidi Bangkok, Autograph Collection. Marriott expects to add a further 10 hotels by the end of 2024 across its luxury, premium, select and longer-stay brands. The company’s Ritz-Carlton brand is set to debut in Bangkok in 2024 with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, occupying the first 24 floors of a 50-story tower in the upcoming One Bangkok mixed-use development.