Business

The only bank based in Dundalk has launched two programs to help businesses and individuals affected by the tragedy that happened in its backyard. Tim Prindle, the CEO of Bay Vanguard Bank (Nasdaq: BVFL), said the bank will start offering no-interest lines of credit and will allow eligible loan recipients to skip some interest payments. He hopes the programs could help some customers, including longshoremen, and others who were affectedby the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The local bank joins federal and state agencies that are offering programs to help businesses impacted by the bridge collapse.

The only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore is preparing to process an influx of ships as crews continue clearing the mangled wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Tradepoint Atlantic will unload and process an estimated 10,000 vehicles over the next 15 days, according to a company statement.

The Baltimore Convention Center is about to get a multimillion-dollar face-lift. On Wednesday, the city’s spending board unanimously approved $25.7 million in state funds to tackle a number of projects at the facility. Lawmakers earmarked the money in a 2023 spending bill after the city-owned convention center flagged several pressing needs. They included sprucing up the bathrooms, modernizing the phone system, upgrading its lighting and renovating the “failing” bridges that span Charles Street.

As Maryland lawmakers consider a plan for the state to take ownership of the historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, another potential owner has entered the discussion: Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs Inc., the publicly traded parent company of the Louisville track that hosts the Kentucky Derby, has made an “overture” to buy Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes, according to two sources in the state capital familiar with the negotiations.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, one of the largest not-for-profit health care organizations in the nation, opened space in its Baltimore headquarters office April 1 to assist the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) efforts to help businesses affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The opening of the CareFirst Engagement Center in Baltimore at 1501 South Clinton St. came days after Gov. Wes Moore requested a disaster declaration from the SBA to allow small businesses to apply for federal loans to help make payroll and cover other bills resulting from the closure of Baltimore’s port due to the collapse of the Key Bridge.

Leadership Maryland, the statewide nonprofit offering professional development programs dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its business and community leaders, Tuesday announced the 40 individuals selected to participate in the first class of the Emerging Leader Program. The Emerging Leader Program’s Class of 2024 consists of 40 rising stars and high-potential employees from across the state who are poised for upward growth within their organizations and who are eager to hone their core leadership skills.

A company that aims to personalize the hotel experience will take over a small group of rooms at a downtown Baltimore hotel this month. New York-based Roomza has a three-year agreement to occupy 30 rooms in the Lord Baltimore Hotel starting around mid-April. The company and its founders Curtis Crimmins and Samantha Spring want to bring a more personal touch to often bland hotel rooms by catering to guest preferences that range from satin pillowcases on the bed to a preferred religious text on the nightstand.