Business

Workers at the Apple store in Towson won national attention and praise from President Joe Biden after becoming the first of the tech giant’s U.S. employees to unionize. Less than two months earlier, Starbucks baristas in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood became the first of the coffee chain’s Maryland employees to organize. Now comes the hard part. While the workers are among those leading what union organizers see as a resurgence in the labor movement, most of these campaigns are in the early stages and labor experts warn that employees face difficulty ahead in a process tilted heavily in favor of employers.

Aledade Inc. is hitting the gas on its national expansion, with plans to hire hundreds of new workers and open offices in multiple markets to support its growth. The Bethesda company — which helps independent physician practices implement care models that compensate them based on health results, rather than just fees for services rendered — said Monday it will initially open offices in New York, San Francisco and Durham, North Carolina, to go along with its local headquarters and the Austin, Texas, office it inherited when it acquired Iris Healthcare in January. The New York and San Francisco offices will support Aledade’s regional teams overseeing the company’s expansion in key markets.

It takes time, focus and dedication to become a CEO, president or business owner. But to be a leader is something else entirely. This rare trait — defined by the ability to not only set a path to future success, but also to inspire others to follow alongside you — is what the Baltimore Business Journal looked for in selecting our 2022 Women of Excellence honorees.

Prospective bidders should think creatively and bring their checkbooks when Iverson Mall hits the auction block later this summer, according to Prince George’s County’s top economic development official. The county will look to minimize roadblocks and red tape for groups interested in injecting other uses into the suburban Maryland retail center at 3737 Branch Ave., per David Iannucci, CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp.

A group of Baltimore’s largest employers announced Monday that they’re starting a campaign to encourage Maryland’s elected officials to improve the city’s transportation system. The Greater Baltimore Committee is partnering with the Greater Washington Partnership, which represents business leaders from Baltimore to Richmond, Virginia, this election year to advocate for expanding the city’s transit services as a way to make the region a stronger economic competitor compared to others.

After decades of debate and calls for reform, the thoroughbred racing industry will be governed by uniform federal regulations starting Friday, a prospect that has inspired widespread worry among Maryland horsemen, who say the rules have been rushed into place and are full of logical inconsistencies. The state’s trainers and owners generally support consistent nationwide regulations, with prominent industry figures saying the effort is overdue and likely to improve public perceptions of racing. But the devil is in the details, they warn, and the start of the process is likely to be bumpy.