Business

A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge Wednesday denied a request to disqualify the attorney he appointed to represent Orioles owner Peter Angelos in the family feud over his fortune, rejecting allegations of conflicts of interest. Benjamin Rosenberg will continue to represent the interests of Angelos, 93, and incapacitated by illness, in the lawsuits that have pitted his younger son, Louis, against Peter Angelos’ wife, Georgia, and older son, John, the chairman and CEO of the Orioles.

The Johns Hopkins University’s first vice president for economic development is leaving the role for the JP Morgan Chase philanthropy team. Alicia Wilson, who took the inaugural role in 2019, will become the managing director of JPMorgan Chase’s North American regional philanthropy team by the end of the year. During her time at Hopkins, Wilson led and helped with several initiatives. She oversaw the HopkinsLocal program, which supports local and minority-owned businesses and helps increase the hiring of city residents.

Maryland has awarded nearly $25 million in grants to more than 300 businesses across the state as part of a program designed to fill retail and commercial spaces left vacant in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The state announced the list of recipients for its Project Restore grants Tuesday after opening applications in July. This is the second iteration of the program that Gov. Larry Hogan first announced in summer 2021. The first round of grants, announced in late 2021 and early 2022, saw 353 businesses get nearly $24 million in funding.

Baltimore Center Stage has hired Adam Frank as the theater’s managing director. Frank comes to Center Stage from Waterwell, a nonprofit theater and education program based in New York where he has been managing director since 2018. Frank will begin his new role on Dec. 13. With an MFA and MBA from Yale, Frank has been active in theater across the country including New York City’s Public Theater and Los Angeles Music Center among others. At Center Stage, he will join artistic director Stephanie Ybarra to build a slate of performances for the upcoming years.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a not-for-profit and the largest health plan in the mid-Atlantic region, announced $7.9 million in investments to 19 community-based organizations in Maryland, Washington and northern Virginia. These multi-year grants will work to address the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the region’s children, adolescents, and families. With a focus on eliminating barriers in access to services and expanding the number of providers available in the behavioral health workforce, the initiatives stand to collectively impact nearly 25,000 people.

Alicia Wilson, one of the most well-known economic development executives in Baltimore, is moving on to a national role at one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Wilson, the vice president for economic development and community partnerships at Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System, is leaving the university to become the managing director and head of North American regional philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Wilson is hoping that she can create a nationwide impact when she joins the firm in January.

Developer Scott Plank sold the popular Belvedere Square market this week to a Bethesda firm. The North Baltimore landmark was acquired by The Premier Cos. in a deal that closed on Tuesday after talks began this past summer, said Steve Jennings, president of War Horse Cities, Plank’s development firm based in Locust Point. The sales price for the 101,318-square-foot complex was undisclosed. “We love the property. It’s a Baltimore institution,” said Jonathan Cutler, president of The Premier Cos., in an interview late Tuesday. “We haven’t ventured much into Baltimore. It’s a different market than D.C. but this felt like a really good first purchase opportunity.”

JPMorgan Chase has opened one of its few community center-format branches at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore and announced Wednesday that the third installment in a $20 million commitment to the city will benefit small businesses. The bank’s community center branch, the first of its kind in Baltimore and one of 14 nationally, will offer mentorship for entrepreneurs, financial health workshops and Wi-Fi for remote learning and work. All programs and services are free and offered to customers and non-customers. JPMorgan Chase said the format is part of a $30 billion effort to help close the racial wealth gap.