Business

Under Armour founder Kevin Plank made a rare public appearance for the company Wednesday to say the search for a new CEO is progressing, with a decision expected before the end of the year. Former CEO Patrik Frisk left the Baltimore-based athletic apparel maker June 1 after just more than two years at the helm and after engineering a recently completed multiyear turnaround.

Morgan State University has become the first four-year, historically Black university to join Amazon’s Career Choice program, per an announcement Wednesday. Amazon’s Career Choice program aims to give employees education opportunities through prepaid tuition that will help them progress in careers at Amazon or with other employers. Amazon has promised $1.2 billion to the program, an investment that will benefit more than 300,000 employees over the next three years. Currently, 15,000 Amazon employees work in the Baltimore area. Through the program, hourly Amazon employees in Maryland and neighboring states will be able to earn a degree and/or new skills at Morgan State.

The District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (the DMV) are in the early stages of a major energy transition. Fueled by climate change, technical and process innovation, and a population committed to responsibly stewarding our natural resources, the result will be a healthy and prosperous environment for all who live and work in the region. The DMV can demonstrate strong regional and national leadership in meeting climate goals and objectives by delivering the next generation of the energy ecosystem. This will create economic growth and establish thousands of high-quality jobs and safer environments throughout our region, including for our most distressed communities.

Soon after moving to Owings Mills, John Creger noticed: “There’s nowhere to eat around here.” That will soon change, says Creger, head chef at The Tillery, a new bar and restaurant inside the Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre. “We’re about to put Owings Mills on the map.”

Under Armour Inc. on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $7.7 million. The Baltimore-based athletic apparel company said it had profit of 2 cents per share and earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 3 cents per share. The results matched Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of 3 cents per share.

The Baltimore Ravens have vowed to reduce their carbon footprint over the next few years as part of a new deal with Constellation Energy Corp. The NFL team announced the new partnership with the energy giant amid the shouts of hundreds of young athletes at the Ravens Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills during the Baltimore Ravens training camp on Monday. The Ravens and Constellation executives declined to provide firm plans on the exact actions the partnership will yield but noted that such actions could include energy audits and electric vehicle infrastructure.

Several corporate leaders from Greater Baltimore are included on Savoy Magazine’s list of the “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America” for 2022. Seven of the 337 executives recognized by Savoy in its upcoming summer issue work in the Baltimore area, including two sets of executives who work at the same office. T. Rowe Price’s Chief Operating Officer Kimberly Johnson, as well as the money manager’s head of investment management, Stephon (Steph) Jackson, both made this year’s list. Johnson was hired by T. Rowe in April, becoming the first Black woman in the company’s C-suite.

A four-property self-storage portfolio in Cecil County has just sold to an investment group for $18.8 million. The deal is the latest in the rural Elkton and North East market where new development of industrial and residential projects is underway, and growth is on the rise. The buyer was Boundary Ventures LLC and the seller was Acorn Investment Co. It is also the latest in the red-hot self-storage market that has posted strong growth across the U.S. over the past two years.

Lidl plans to open a supermarket in Reisterstown on Aug. 31, the German grocer announced Tuesday. The store will open in Reisterstown Shopping Center on Reisterstown Road, part of the chain’s rapid expansion in the Baltimore area. The discount grocer opened its first Baltimore city location July 13 in the redeveloped Northwood Commons shopping center near the campus of Morgan State University. Lidl also operates Baltimore County stores in Catonsville and Nottingham. The food retailer says it offers organic and gluten-free items, specialty foods such as cured meats, private label products, and fresh baked breads and pastries at prices as much as 45% less than other grocery chains.