Business

Natty Boh said goodbye to Maryland years ago. Now production of Guinness’s Baltimore Blonde is also leaving the state. Diageo North America, Inc., the parent company for Guinness, filed notice that it will lay off 108 workers and shut down its plant in Relay in a work adjustment and retraining log submitted with the state. However, a spokeswoman for Guinness said around 97 roles would be impacted.

Tori King was battling gall bladder disease while her husband, Duane, dealt with high blood pressure. The couple knew they had to change their diets, and it started with making salads. What began as a clean eating lifestyle sparked the idea for the Prince George’s County salad chain Fresh Green, which is now expanding to Anne Arundel County — and possibly eyeing more locations in Greater Baltimore soon. A Crofton location is set to open by the end of April, while an Annapolis Fresh Green will be coming later this year.

Development giant Trammell Crow Co. has gained site plan approval for a trio of new life science buildings on Johns Hopkins’ Belward Campus in Rockville, bringing that erstwhile farm a step closer to what could wind up becoming a considerable amount of new development. “Life sciences and biotherapeutics is one of the most explosive industries, and it needs growth,” Eric Fischer, a Trammell Crow managing director, told the Montgomery County Planning Board at a public hearing March 30.

Shawna Stepp-Jones was living in Atlanta seven years ago when she first noticed the need for a quick, non-damaging hair dryer for wigs and extensions. “I had to travel 40 minutes to drop off my bundles of Arjuni Cambodian hair to my stylist so that she could bleach them blonde. I was told to return the next day so that the bundles could air dry overnight before installation,” she said. Stepp-Jones also thought her stylist’s technique of using overhead and handheld dryers was inefficient. “At that point, I decided I would build a solution,” she added.

As a bus full of children arrived to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in East Baltimore for a field trip, several politicians stood outside at a press conference meant to provide hope for the institution’s future. “Dreams grow, and when they are nurtured and watered, they grow into great things like the Great Blacks in Wax Museum,” which was founded by Dr. Elmer and Joanne Martin, said Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume.

When a stubborn pain in Nick van Terheyden’s bones would not subside, his doctor had a hunch what was wrong. Without enough vitamin D in the blood, the body will pull that vital nutrient from the bones. Left untreated, a vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis. A blood test in the fall of 2021 confirmed the doctor’s diagnosis, and van Terheyden expected his company’s insurance plan, managed by Cigna, to cover the cost of the bloodwork. Instead, Cigna sent van Terheyden a letter explaining that it would not pay for the $350 test because it was not “medically necessary.”

John Waters — the beloved Baltimore director best known for the movies “Hairspray” and “Pink Flamingos” — almost won a Baltimore Business Journal Family-Owned Business Award this year. If it wasn’t for that decision he made decades ago to not go into the business started by his grandfather, he would have scooped up an award that surely rivals any Grammy or Oscar. (OK, I’m biased.)

Years ago, Matt Thrasher and Paul Tinney, the co-owners of Rockwell Brewery, were just neighbors who would crack open a cold one on occasion. Then, they got into home brewing. Next thing they knew, they opened Rockwell Brewery on North East Drive in downtown Frederick in 2017. Now, they’re about to expand to a second location of Rockwell Brewery the first weekend of May, significantly boosting their operation.