Business

Next month, Difference 2-17 — a “skills enrichment center” in downtown Mount Airy for adults with autism — will open at a second location, in downtown Frederick. Difference 2-17 promotes life skills while letting the adults explore their interests on their own schedule. The new Frederick location will be at 106 N. Market St., an intentional decision by co-owners Donna Pidel and Adebayo Sodunke to be in the heart of the downtown. It is scheduled to open on Autism Awareness Day on April 2.

Mercy Medical Center Tuesday announced the opening of its new motility and breath testing suite, part of an 8,200-plus square-foot expansion of the hospital’s endoscopy center, located on the second floor of Mercy’s Mary Catherine Bunting Center. The new suite includes 10 GI preparation and recovery rooms, eight breathing testing chairs, testing for upper and lower motility, a biofeedback room, a smart pill room, multiple exam rooms and offices.

Cyber advisory company Optiv Tuesday announced it acquired Hanover-based ClearShark LLC and ClearShark Services Inc., an adviser and reseller of cybersecurity and modernization technology to the United States federal government. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction more than doubles Optiv’s federal presence, while significantly deepening its bench of government expertise and expanding the breadth of its federal capabilities.

Gaithersburg’s Adaptive Phage Therapeutics Inc. is laying off a chunk of its workforce to devote more resources to its clinical trials and bank more cash, co-founder and CEO Greg Merril told the Washington Business Journal. The biotech, whose therapy targets drug-resistant bacteria, intends to eliminate 22 positions — 23% of its staff — to bring its headcount to 72.

Pfizer Inc. agreed to purchase cancer-drug maker Seagen Inc. for an enterprise value of $43 billion, gaining the company’s antibody drugs that fight tumors. Pfizer will pay $229 a share in cash for Seagen, according a statement Monday, about a third more than the drugmaker’s closing share price Friday.

While Hunter Douglas representatives say economic conditions played a big factor in their decision to close its Cumberland plant, state Sen. Mike McKay and Del. Jason Buckel said more needs to be done to make Maryland business-friendly for employers. Members of the Western Maryland legislative delegation reacted to the plant closure in interviews with the Times-News on Friday. A maker of blinds and shades, Hunter Douglas announced last week that its Cumberland plant will be closed by summer.

A proposed six-month moratorium on warehouse developments in Harford County could end up driving businesses to locate elsewhere in the region. County officials say the pause would allow for a review of policies that were first set long before an explosion in warehouse developments. On Feb. 1, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly announced legislation that would impose a temporary six-month moratorium on approvals or permits for warehouse developments. The legislation was introduced on Feb. 14 and a public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for March 14.