Business

A former silk mill dating back more than 100 years is under new ownership and renovation of the historic landmark is underway. Located on East Railroad Street in Lonaconing, the Klotz Throwing Company — sometimes written as Klots — opened in 1907, producing silk and rayon until it was closed in 1957 during a labor dispute. At its peak in the 1920s, the facility employed more than 300 peop The former mill in Allegany County was purchased in March by Brandon Sloan, a Lonaconing resident, from heirs of the late owner Herb Crawford. .

The short-staffed crab processing industry got some relief Thursday with the addition of 35,000 H-2B Visas expected by the second half of Fiscal Year 2022. The announcement by Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, confirmed the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor approved the move to bolster the seafood industry.

A wind farm developer is funding an $11 million research initiative to measure how wind turbines built in the Atlantic Ocean will affect local and regional marine life. US Wind, the Baltimore-based subsidiary of Italian renewable energy firm Renexia SpA, is partnering with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to fund three research projects over the next 10 years focused on marine mammals, fish and birds. University scientists will analyze the animals in an 80,000-acre area located 13 miles off the coast of Ocean City that US Wind federally leased to build offshore wind turbines.

Greater Washington Partnership CEO JB Holston is stepping down, with Thursday as his last day, though he’ll stay on as a senior adviser to the board and leadership through the end of the year, per the leadership’s request, the organization has confirmed to the Washington Business Journal. His sudden departure comes just one day after the regional business alliance held a high-profile event, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris, to announce billions of dollars in commitments — some of it already allotted or spent — from 25 of its member organizations toward inclusive growth across five years.

It’s been Karen Komisar’s dream for three decades to run her own business. For years, the Ellicott City resident worked with Animal Advocates of Howard County, helping the organization raise funds for pet adoptions. Meanwhile, she rescued her own dogs and cats. In September, Komisar left her job of 25 years in health care sales with plans to open Sea Dog Pet Boutique. The business opened its doors Monday at 172 Main St., in Annapolis.

Baltimore software firm Fearless is one of 10 companies selected for a five-year, $500 million federal contract to provide IT and business process services to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the contract as part of its Data Analytics Supporting Healthcare (DASH) pact, which seeks to acquire support for “initiatives aimed at bolstering quality of care through improved health outcomes and beneficiary experiences of care,” according to release from Fearless on Thursday.

This week, the Greater Washington Partnership announced a $4.7 billion investment over the next five years to support equitable business growth in the region from Richmond to Baltimore. The massive pledge leaves a lot of room for discretion on the part of the 25 entities who pledged to contribute. All told, the investment includes $2.6 billion that those entities will put toward procurement spending with diverse suppliers and Minority Business Enterprises in the region, as well as $1.5 billion for “wealth building opportunities in underrepresented communities,” such as affordable housing.

Lutherville-based MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services has brokered the sale of 5.3 acres of land in the Odenton Town Center of Anne Arundel County for $3.75 million to Conifer Realty, LLC, a Rochester, New York-based company specializing in the development and management of multifamily housing units throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.