Business

Allianz Trade had a short list of potential office space that included Harbor Point and Baltimore Peninsula as the global risk insurance firm sought to move from Owings Mills this year. Then came a trip to the landmark 100 International Drive tower in Harbor East tower for a “look-see” of space vacated by Raymond James, a financial firm.

In recognition of World Day against Trafficking in Persons on Sunday, Marriott International and the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom and Empowerment Center for Human Trafficking Survivors (the SAFE Center) Thursday announced the nationwide expansion of Future in Training (FiT) Curriculum that seeks to equip survivors of human trafficking interested in embarking on careers in hospitality with necessary information and resources.

The plunging value of downtown Baltimore’s office market is a crisis that could spread throughout Maryland and impact suburban tax revenue in the coming years, the head of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation says. Michael L. Higgs, director of SDAT, says he has warned city and state leaders for a year of the mounting pressure on property owners and stakeholders in Maryland’s commercial real estate market.

M&T Bank and the Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project Wednesday announced they will recognize 20 individuals and groups in Baltimore who foster community connection with $5,000 hyperlocal grants. In its third year, the Weaver Awards have recognized more than 30 Baltimoreans fostering emotional well-being and a sense of belonging in their neighborhoods. Among the 2022 awardees were west Baltimore resident Danielle Billups, who heads Compassionate Hearts of Care, offering crucial support to youth, families and new parents; and Charles DeBarber of Curtis Bay-Brooklyn, whose Filbert Street Garden revitalized vacant lots to unite neighbors through shared green spaces.

Bethesda-based global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The project will represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense.

A Carroll County meat producer is growing its headquarters and manufacturing operations and plans to double its workforce over the next five years, Gov. Wes Moore announced Wednesday. Westminster-based Hahn Bros., Inc., also known as Hahn’s of Westminster, is moving to a 10-acre plot in Hampstead, where it plans to construct a 54,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the company’s new headquarters and manufacturing plant.

Harbor East has snagged another new tenant — this time from Baltimore County. The Americas Region headquarters of Allianz Trade recently signed a lease to relocate its headquarters to 100 International Drive from Owings Mills. The Paris-based global insurance firm will move 200 workers to the city from the county late this year. Allianz Trade CEO James Daly said the move from Owings Mills was prompted by the LEED certification of the Harbor East office tower, formerly known as the Legg Mason tower, and a change of scenery.

A group of hemp processors and retailers whose businesses heavily relied on delta-8 products sued Maryland regulators on Monday, claiming that the state is boxing them out of the new recreational cannabis industry. Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed a law establishing rules for the new recreational cannabis industry that began July 1.