Business

A Howard County-based produce wholesaler is closing its doors and potentially putting over 400 people out of work less than two weeks before the Christmas holiday. Lancaster Foods notified the Maryland Department of Labor this week that it will close its Jessup plant by Dec. 14 and lay off as many as 424 employees. A representative for Lancaster referred a reporter to The Coastal Companies, which declined to comment.

A $10 million state grant will go toward improvements to Baltimore’s central business district, the governor’s office announced Wednesday. The Maryland Board of Public Works approved the funding to support safety, security and streetscape improvements through the nonprofit Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

Cyberattacks, ransomware and data breaches not only threaten large enterprises. In fact, small businesses may be more vulnerable to cyberattacks due to their lack of sophisticated cybersecurity protocols – and the results can be devastating. 60% of small businesses that experience a cyberattack go out of business within six months, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance.

In approving state funding for an affordable housing complex in Columbia on Wednesday, top Maryland officials said the project represents a chance to help low- and middle-income renters, but also shows the hurdles that have contributed to a national shortage of such units. The Board of Public Works voted unanimously to approve $3.4 million in general obligation bonds for the construction of 68 affordable housing units in the Waverly Winds community.

Years ago, when Warren’s Barbershop was located in the Snowden River Shopping Center, David Clark walked into the shop. He was new to the area and working as a door-to-door salesman. Shop owner Julius Warren Jr., commonly known as Mr. Julius, asked Clark if he knew how to cut hair. Clark had cut hair a little in college, but nothing too extensive. Still, Mr. Julius brought him under his wing.

The state needs to be “smarter” about how it funds workforce development programs after a $4.7 million cut in federal funds this year with more cuts expected next year, Maryland Labor Secretary Portia Wu told lawmakers Tuesday. “We’re very dependent on the federal funds,” Wu told a virtual meeting of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee. “So we are in a situation where state investments in workforce are going to be critical in the coming years.”

Nine nonprofits across Baltimore will receive grants from JPMorgan Chase & Co. to tackle the city’s vacant housing crisis. The bank will distribute roughly $4 million to nonprofit organizations and bring them together to create what it is calling the Baltimore Housing Innovation Cohort. The cohort‘s goal is to increase the housing supply in the city and make home ownership more affordable.

United Airlines said Tuesday that it is starting a $1.5 billion share buyback as the carrier reported higher-than-expected earnings for the busy summer travel season and forecast strong results for the last three months of the year. United expects to earn an adjusted $2.50 to $3.00 a share in the fourth quarter, compared to $2.00 a share a year earlier and the $2.68 analysts polled by LSEG estimated.