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Bankrupt Md. company’s $4.7M debt for damages likely can’t be discharged, 4th Circuit says

A Savage-based supplier of packaging products likely cannot discharge through bankruptcy the $4.7 million in damages owed a competitor for intentional interference with contracts and tortious interference with business relations, a federal appeals court ruled last week. In its published decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Cleary Packaging LLC’s actions if found on remand to have caused “willful and malicious injury” to Cantwell-Cleary Company Inc. would not be a dischargeable debt under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. “This fight is not over,” said Cleary Packaging’s attorney, Paul Sweeney. “We have options in the bankruptcy court that we are considering.”

Marley Station mall in Glen Burnie sold to New York partnership

Marley Station mall in Glen Burnie has been sold to a New York-based partnership that says it plans to move quickly to fill vacancies. The ownership group includes Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group. The partners, based in Great Neck, New York, manage shopping centers across the country. The purchase price and seller were not disclosed. State assessment records list the owner as YAM Marley Station LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Gula Tech Foundation gives $1M in effort to increase cyber expertise on boards

Tenable co-founders Ron and Cyndi Gula’s charitable foundation gave out $1 million in grants to nonprofits that focus on boosting cybersecurity expertise on company boards of directors. The Women Business Collaborative won the $350,000 first prize out of seven finalists. The other three winners of the June 2022 round of funding included the GRF Foundation and the National Cybersecurity Society, which each won $250,000. The third-place winner, the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection at Cleveland State University, won $150,000.

Read More: MarylandInno
Baltimore Company Equitea Rolls Out First Batch Of Canned Tea
The health benefits of tea are well studied, and a local black-owned tea company is expanding in hopes of getting the popular beverage into the hands of more people. Watching the first run of his tea roll off the canning line, The Equitea Company co-founder and West Baltimore native Quentin Vennie can’t help but think about how far they’ve come. “It’s mind-blowing,” said Vennie. “This wasn’t, it wasn’t a part of the original plan for Equitea.” The all-natural, organic tea company was founded in 2020.
New Nonprofit News Outlet Baltimore Banner Launches Website
The Baltimore Banner, an all-digital non-profit news outlet funded by hotel magnate Stewart Bainum Jr., officially launched on Tuesday. A sampling of the initial offerings, some of which are limited to subscribers: a writeup of a poll on how Baltimoreans would fix the city, a look at the persistent problem of vacant houses in Baltimore, and a feature on the “paradox of Francis Scott Key,” writer of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Although the Banner has published multiple stories through its email newsletter in the lead-up to today’s launch, including the details of a legal feud between the sons of Orioles owner Peter Angelos, a full website did not go online until Tuesday.

 

Maryland labor department gets $1.2M to grow workforce program

Maryland Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson Monday announced the award of more than $1.2 million in state funds to grow the department’s Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program. EARN Maryland is the state’s workforce solution that helps businesses cultivate the skilled workforce they need to compete while preparing Marylanders for meaningful careers. EARN Maryland awards funding to strategic industry partnerships comprised of employers, non-profits, higher education, local workforce development boards, and local governments.

State, local officials buoyed by glowing report on Md. tech industry

A new report has found that Maryland has had the highest tech workforce growth since May 2021 and is tied for the lowest gender gap in technology jobs. The report from the Technology Councils of North America was greeted with enthusiasm by Baltimore and Maryland civic and business leaders who are seeking to ramp up development in the tech industry, an effort made difficult by the fact that some 20,000 technology jobs in the area are open. Still, leaders in the region say, the report is evidence that companies are beginning to realize the potential of Baltimore and are willing to move their businesses to the area.

Following national trends, housing inventory is up in Maryland

Maryland’s real estate market is following nationwide housing trends, with prices continuing to grow even as inventory also increases. The past several months have seen an increase in real estate inventory throughout the United States, after falling to a four-decade low during the pandemic, according to reporting in Fortune Magazine. In Maryland, the amount of inventory has been rising since hitting a low of 5,217 active units in February, per data provided by Maryland Realtors, an association representing the state’s real estate agents. According to the organization’s May 2022 data, that number has since increased to 7,706, though it is still down about 35% from this time last year. 

Frederick County chamber launches inclusion committee

The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce does not know with certainty how many of its members represent minority-owned businesses, according to chamber President/CEO Rick Weldon. A new committee within the chamber seeks to find that out. The tentatively titled Economic Inclusion Alliance will be chaired by local business owner Jarad Bowens, who operates Benefactor Events. “We’re just really out to try and address inclusion, access and representation within the chamber membership itself,” Bowens said of the committee in an interview.

CareFirst donates $2.2M to 16 small businesses, nonprofits

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest not-for-profit health plan in the mid-Atlantic region, Monday announced a grant investment of up to $2.2 million to 16 small businesses and diverse nonprofits in Maryland, Washington and Northern Virginia collectively serving more than 30,000 people. These grants will provide resources and guidance to address obstacles that negatively impact company growth, scalability and long-term sustainability. The investments build on CareFirst’s commitment to addressing economic inclusion needs to improve social support, minimize barriers to accessing care and social services and address essential environmental conditions that shape the health of its communities.

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