Business

Following the acquisition of a neighboring parcel, the developer of an evolving mixed-use project in downtown Bethesda has filed amended plans with the Montgomery County Planning Board to construct a larger building than was originally proposed. The development, part of a larger undertaking previously dubbed Bethesda Market, sits about a quarter mile south of the Red Line’s Bethesda Metro Station.

Maryland raised a record $1.5 billion for the state from gambling revenue in the last fiscal year, the lottery announced Monday. The new all-time state record includes money raised by the lottery, the state’s six casinos, sports betting and fantasy sports wagering. The revenue for the last fiscal year beat the amount raised in the previous one by $120 million, the lottery said. Maryland’s fiscal runs from July 1 to June 30.

Montgomery County is offering another round of rental assistance to mom-and-pop business owners still feeling the ill effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The county is using funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress in early 2021 to establish a $2 million relief fund that will provide grants to small businesses for three months of rent, up to $10,000.

The Navy is no longer considering competing proposals to lease Greenbury Point, one to build a new golf course, the other to turn the space into a public park, a spokesperson for the service said Monday. “We received competing proposals from Anne Arundel County and the Naval Academy Golf Association for a sole source lease and management of Greenbury Point, which makes it no longer possible to consider either party’s request,” Naval District Washington Director of Public Affairs Ed Zeigler said in a statement.

Tony and Ashley Gerald bring a lot to the table when it comes to opening a restaurant. The Westminster couple, married for nearly eight years, have almost 30 combined years of restaurant experience, got their starts working at Carroll County restaurants when they were teenagers and first met working at Applebee’s. They talked about opening their own business ever since, but life and raising three kids kept extending their plans. Last year, they got antsy.

If you’ve ever been frustrated that your phone is charging at a snail’s pace (most likely while the charger is overheating), you may be in luck. A Frederick company, Pirl Technology, is working to develop more effective chargers for not only cellphones but also for electronic vehicles and other devices throughout the household. The company’s first product, a multiport cellphone charger, delivers 25-30% more power to the device than other chargers and is cool enough that it doesn’t need a fan to stop from overheating.

A coalition of Baltimore technology companies more than tripled the percentage of Black employees on staff from 6.5% to 19.8% in a single year. How did the Baltimore Tracks coalition do it? The more than 20 companies instituted four reforms to the hiring process. They eliminated college degree requirements, began paying interns, shared qualified candidates with each other and swapped insight into how to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. The findings of the Baltimore Tracks second annual report, released this month, provide a roadmap for other employers who hope to become more diverse and reach a larger pool of applicants that they are likely missing.

Johnson & Johnson announced it is severing ties with Gaithersburg-based Emergent Solutions after the pharmaceutical company was forced to destroy another 135 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine made at Emergent’s troubled Baltimore production plant because of quality issues. Congressional panel leaders announced the action Thursday, which follows a report in May that detailed how more than 400 million vaccine doses made at the plant had to be trashed. The doses more recently slated for destruction were made between August 2021 and February, the House members said.