Business

Maryland’s cannabis industry is less than two months old and lawmakers and regulators are already contemplating tweaks in the coming General Assembly session. Since July, the new recreational adult use industry has recorded sales of almost $90 million. The expectation is that sales will surpass $1 billion. Will Tilburg, acting director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration, said the new law — which runs roughly 100 pages — was an attempt to learn from the mistakes of other states that legalized recreational use before Maryland.

Companies are struggling to get workers to return to the office, and those choosing the most heavy-handed return policies are seeing an impact on retention. That’s one of the big takeaways from a new survey by The Conference Board, which found about 73% of organizations reported challenges getting workers to return to the office. Another takeaway? Hybrid setups still represent a critical tool for businesses looking to balance their desire for in-office work with turnover concerns.

A logistics company plans to lay off 176 employees at a warehouse in Aberdeen, the second time the warehouse has seen mass layoffs in the past four years. GXO Logistics Inc., one of the largest contract logistics providers in the world, is shutting down its operations at 610 Chelsea Road in Aberdeen. The closure and layoffs will take place on Sept. 30, according to a notification filed with Maryland’s Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification log.

Montevue Assisted Living in Frederick will temporarily close its doors for renovations next year, forcing all of its current residents to find new care arrangements. Officials from Frederick County and Aurora Health Management, which manages Montevue on the government’s behalf, announced in May that the facility will undergo renovations to transition its second story from assisted living occupancy to skilled nursing occupancy.

A major Baltimore grocery store location is shutting down temporarily while they handle a pest problem. The Harris Teeter in Locust Point at 1801 Whetstone Way is closed. The grocery chain’s director of corporate affairs shared a statement with 11 News Thursday. “Harris Teeter takes the health and safety of our valued customers and associates very seriously and has voluntarily chosen to temporarily close the McHenry Row location while we work to correct a pest issue.

A once fast-growing moving and storage company is laying off 76 people in the Baltimore suburbs as part of a restructuring that will see it shutter the majority of its operations across the country. WayForth filed a notice with the Maryland Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) log on Wednesday indicating employees of its facility at 7020 Dorsey Road in Hanover will be laid off on Friday. Maryland is just one of the states that will be impacted as WayForth begins shutting down its operations everywhere except Richmond, Virginia, where it is based.

Building on strong bookings this summer, American Airlines said Thursday it will add three new European destinations next summer and revive another international route that it last flew in 2019. The announcement comes one day after Delta Air Lines said it will expand service to China later this year. The news from two of the biggest U.S. carriers underscores the airline industry’s confidence that its strong recovery from the pandemic will continue and that planes will remain packed.