Business

Sallie Whitney had no plans to move from an apartment in a city neighborhood she loves for its walkability and access to transportation. But when it came time to renew the lease on her one-bedroom unit in Brewers Hill, she was shocked to see her rent jump 15%, by $300 a month. With more of her retirement income going toward rent, she’ll be forced to consider other options. So far, she has found limited choices.

Under Armour and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have settled their longstanding litigation over a 2016 sponsorship deal that the Baltimore sportswear maker sought to terminate early. According to the settlement agreement obtained by the Baltimore Business Journal Friday, Under Armour was required to pay UCLA $67.49 million in a single cash payment by June 26, 30 days after the agreement was first signed on May 26. UCLA would then drop the civil lawsuit and the sponsorship would officially be terminated.

A shortage of physicians in Western Maryland has prompted one of the region’s largest health systems to create a medical school. Meritus Health will invest $160 million to create the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine in Hagerstown, the county seat of Washington County. Along with academic facilities, the planned 190,000-square-foot-school will include student housing for some of the school’s planned 720 students.

Ambu, a medical device maker with U.S. headquarters in Columbia, has won federal approval to sell a new generation of single-use bronchoscopes after demand for such products increased during the pandemic. Regulatory clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow the Danish company to commercialize its new bronchosope products, which come with advanced imaging and design features, including a new high-resolution camera chip, the company said.

M&T Bank and Weave: The Social Fabric Project, a program of the Aspen Institute, announced that 20 Baltimoreans will each receive a $5,000 Weaver Award for projects that meet their community’s emotional need for connection and belonging. M&T Bank and the Weave project joined forces for the second year in a row to honor Baltimoreans who are weaving an inclusive social fabric.

Employees at the Mom’s Organic Market in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood have moved to form a union. According to a filing with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB), Teamsters Local 570 filed a petition for a representation election on behalf of the grocery store’s workers on Tuesday. The petitions can only be filed after signatures have been collected from at least 30% of workers in the potential bargaining unit and trigger a NLRB-conducted vote if they are not dismissed or withdrawn.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder testified before a congressional committee investigating the NFL team’s history of workplace misconduct Thursday, speaking for hours in a deposition conducted virtually rather than a public hearing. A spokesperson for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform confirmed Snyder began giving his deposition around 8 a.m. Thursday. It was still going more than eight hours later.

A Baltimore company that provides custom materials for a wide variety of industries is launching a major expansion, adding a new 28,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that could eventually employ over 100 people in the Pigtown neighborhood. The planned new facility for manufacturing company Materic will open with around 60 staff members, company officials said.