Business

Gov. Larry Hogan and other political and business leaders Tuesday toured the Hitachi Rail factory that’s being built in Washington County. “The job creation potential and associated economic benefits are an absolute game-changer for this region and for the entire state,” the Republican governor said in remarks before the tour. “This project is further proof that the Hagerstown region is a major logistical center for transportation with unparalleled connections to the northeastern United States.” Hitachi also unveiled the final design of the $70 million factory, which will employ about 460 people and help sustain a total of 1,300 jobs in the region. The 307,000-square-foot facility is being built at the west end of Halfway Boulevard, which the county plans to extend to Greencastle Pike (Md. 63). The 41-acre site also will include an 800-foot test track.

Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is finally taking its ultra-luxury accommodations to the high seas. The Bethesda hotel giant on Monday announced it has launched The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which it bills as a combination of its high-end luxury hotel brand and the joys and exploration of a yachting vacation. The Evrima, a luxury vessel flying The Ritz-Carlton flag, left Saturday from Barcelona on a route to Nice on the French Riviera. It’s the first of three vessels planned as part of the collection — a collaboration between veteran cruise industry executive Douglas Prothero, Los Angeles investment firm Oaktree Capital Management and Marriott’s high-end brand portfolio. The yacht collection was first announced in 2017 but shipyard issues and Covid-19-related delays and supply chain troubles pushed its inaugural voyage several times before its first launch.

No, your company’s remote and hybrid workers are probably not slacking off. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MFST) surveyed 20,000 people in 11 countries and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, along with LinkedIn labor trends and Glint People Science findings, to come to one big conclusion: Managers need to ditch “productivity paranoia” in the hybrid era. That paranoia is exacerbated by worsening economic conditions even as employees are more productive than ever, according to Microsoft’s metrics. In this climate, experts say managers would be wise to resist the urge to micromanage as they seek to navigate an uncertain economy amid a still-competitive labor market.

Sinclair Broadcast Group chairman David Smith has given an additional $140,000 to the effort to create term limits for Baltimore elected officials, bringing his total investment in the ballot question to $525,000, campaign finance reports show. Smith made the contribution Sept. 29, days after supporters — including the Rev. Alvin Hathaway, Marvin “Doc” Cheatham and former independent mayoral candidate Robert Wallace — gathered in front of City Hall to kick off a campaign promoting term limits.

The Labor Department has proposed a rule that would make it easier for delivery drivers, janitors, construction workers and other independent contractors to be considered employees, granting them access to benefits and federal labor protections. The proposal would overturn a Trump-era move and restore Obama-era standards for determining whether workers qualify as employees or independent contractors.

The Maryland biotech also received $30 million in milestone payments after licensing retifanlimab to Incyte Corp., and could receive more if the drug, now in clinical trials, is later approved. MacroGenics separately expects to start a phase 2/3 study by year’s end of a candidate in patients with a form of advanced prostate cancer, and has another candidate in early-stage studies for colorectal cancer, nonsmall cell lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer and melanoma.

The newly erected student housing complex at Morgan State University, named after the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, is more than just a dormitory for freshman computer science major Matthew Brown. The building is a constant reminder of the contributions his great-grandfather, Philip L. Brown, Sr., made while working with Marshall on a lawsuit for equal pay for Annapolis teachers more than 80 years ago. Marshall, who was a civil rights attorney at the time and had not yet been appointed to the high court, represented Philip Brown, who helped found the Colored Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County.

McDaniel College unveiled a new five-year strategic plan last week, with parts of the plan aimed at forging a stronger partnership between Westminster and the college. One of the four initiatives McDaniel revealed Oct. 10 is community relations, with a goal of enhancing a “sense of belonging for students in Westminster,” by increasing opportunities “for students to get off the Hill and onto Main Street.”

“What’s in a name?” William Shakespeare used the line in his play “Romeo and Juliet.” A name can make a big difference in the life of someone who doesn’t have accurate identification. It can make regular activities difficult, from doing everyday banking to going to the doctor. Most transgender people have inaccurate identification, according to the U.S. Transgender Survey’s Maryland report. Inaccurate identification can prevent transgender people from participating in public life, said Lee Blinder, Executive Director and co-founder of Trans Maryland.