Business

Maryland has removed a pre-employment drug testing requirement for cannabis businesses, leaving it up to individual dispensaries and growers to decide whether to test employees for illegal drugs. The change was one of several approved by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission at its Sept. 22 meeting with the goal of alleviating red tape for small business owners. The removal of the drug testing requirement has been praised by some business owners, who believe it will open the door for more job candidates to enter the industry.

Repurpose Aggregates opened a state-of-the-art industrial recycling wash plant Sept. 21 in Joppatowne, the first of its kind in the region. Repurpose Aggregates will supply high-grade, reliable materials to the local region, including the first recycled sand available in the mid-Atlantic region. Its 80-acre campus is dedicated to supporting the circular economy by providing a one-stop facility for local construction companies to both responsibly dispose of CDE waste and also back-load their fleet with valuable recycled materials that can be reintroduced to the construction industry for use in various applications. As the plant can be adjusted, the final product output can be fine-tuned to meet the market’s needs and customers’ own specifications.

Fearless, a rapidly growing Baltimore technology company, won a $67 million contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to streamline the way states collaborate with the federal agency. The contract is one of the largest ever won by Fearless, product manager Nichole Weems said. The new contract will support 66 jobs and will make it easier for government workers to use the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (MACPro) system, which is used to collect state planning documents, waivers and other important information for people’s health insurance.

America’s passenger railroad plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, Amtrak said Thursday, joining a growing list of transportation carriers and agencies that have made commitments to reduce their carbon footprints. Amtrak said it also plans to reduce diesel fuel usage through improved technology and use carbon-free electricity by 2030. The carrier, which operates more than 300 trains serving more than 500 destinations daily, said it will invest in research in collaboration with states and experts to advance innovations in fuel cells, hydrogen, batteries and other zero-emission technologies.

Holland Pump Company, an independent specialty pump rental and dewatering solutions provider in West Palm Beach, Florida, announced Monday it has completed the acquisitions of Jessup-based Pump & Power Equipment Corp. and Power Equipment of Trevose, Pennsylvania in a multi-company transaction. These are the fourth and fifth acquisitions since Holland Pump partnered with XPV Water Partners, adding three branches to Holland Pump’s extensive pump fleet and complete dewatering services offering. The acquisitions increase Holland Pump’s capabilities to service municipal, construction, industrial and mining industries in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, northern Virginia, and Delaware.

The nonprofit William & Lanaea C. Featherstone Foundation awarded 30 scholars with $3,000 merit-based scholarships during an awards ceremony Sept. 23. Travis E. Mitchell, senior vice president and chief content officer at Maryland Public Television, gave the keynote address. Catalina Rodriguez Lima, director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, was presented with the Featherstone Changemaker Award, a prize that honors an influential leader who drives social change and makes a positive impact in the community.

An apartment management company owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, has settled with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office over claims the company mistreated renters by ignoring serious maintenance issues and charging illegal fees. The settlement includes a $3.25 million penalty and the requirement that the company, Westminster Management LLC, pay restitution to current and former tenants. Attorney General Brian E. Frosh said at a news conference that Westminster used its “vastly superior economic power” to take advantage of tenants who often struggled to pay rent and support their families.

Baltimore Sun reporters and editors will soon move to another workspace as the storied newspaper shuts down its Port Covington newsroom at Sun Park this year. Owners of the 185-year-old newspaper did not renew the paper’s lease with Sagamore Ventures, MAG Partners and McFarlane Partners at the site, said MaryAnne Gilmartin, CEO of MAG, and will leave by late December. The move follows the shutdown of the Sun’s printing operation at the 250,000-square-foot plant off Interstate 95 this year, with the giant presses dismantled and sold off. Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, whose Sagamore Ventures is one of Port Covington’s developers, acquired The Sun property in 2014 for $46.5 million.