Business

A new yacht has sailed into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and its owner plans to use the ship to meet increased demand for corporate events. City Cruises, a boat tourism company that offers dinner cruises and sightseeing excursions across the country, this week unveiled a 145-foot ship called the Majesty that will bring its Baltimore fleet back up to two yachts just as event bookings begin to pick back up.

PayMore, America’s only buy, sell, and trade electronics franchise, is bringing its technology resale concept to Ellicott City with a new location expected to open in the third quarter of 2023. The Massapequa, New York-based company’s inaugural Maryland location will be located at 8457 Baltimore National Pike #19.

Leadership Howard County, which seeks to empower leaders to strengthen and transform the community, announced the graduation of its Leadership Premier class of 2023, which consists of 38 professionals from the county’s businesses and nonprofit organizations. The ceremony took place June 13 at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock.

A local educator is looking to give children and their families the tools they need for development through a new consulting service. Last year, Gina Russell launched Tiny Sparks, a private coaching and consulting service for childhood development. Serving children ages 18 months to five years, she said her company aims to help young kids with unique needs reach their full potential.

Encompass Health Corp. and the University of Maryland Medical System Tuesday announced they have executed a joint venture agreement to own and operate Rehabilitation Hospital of Bowie. The 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital, located at 17351 Melford Blvd., began serving patients in June. The joint venture combines the expertise and resources of Encompass Health, the nation’s largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, and the University of Maryland Medical System, one of the largest private employers in Maryland, with 11 primary and specialty care hospitals and more than 150 locations across the state.

The longtime chief financial officer of the Maryland Stadium Authority is set to retire after 30 years with the agency, 20 of those as CFO. David Raith will retire at the end of the month, according to a notice filed by the authority with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and confirmed by the authority. A spokesperson for the stadium authority said Raith’s successor will be introduced at its next meeting on Aug. 1.

Crimson Coward Nashville Hot Chicken, a national fast-casual chicken franchise based in Downey, California, began an ambitious expansion plan for Maryland Tuesday, announcing it has signed leases for its first three locations in the state. Crimson Coward has plans to open 25 locations statewide, with the first three leases already executed in Owings Mills, Columbia and Pasadena through Annapolis-based real estate firm Hyatt Commercial.

As artificial intelligence finds its way into aspects of everyday life and becomes increasingly advanced, some state legislators feel a new urgency to create regulations for its use in the hiring process. Artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, has been adopted by a quarter of businesses in the United States, according to the 2022 IBM Global AI Adoption Index, a jump of more than 13% over the previous year. Many are beginning to use it in the hiring process.