Business

Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is rolling out yet another new hotel brand to appeal to budget-conscious travelers.The new brand, which the Bethesda-based hotel giant unveiled Wednesday morning, is Four Points Express by Sheraton, and will launch in Europe, Africa and the Middle East over the next few years.

As a nationwide deal, the Baltimore-based Under Armour will have a presence throughout Ripken Baseball, including the naming rights for The Ripken Experience Aberdeen in Maryland and the presenting sponsor of All-Ripken Games. Under Armour will also provide the official uniform for more than 9,000 12U baseball players who travel to Cooperstown All Star Village in New York every summer. The partnership takes effect Jan. 1.

The Federal Trade Commission, along with a coalition of 17 state attorneys general — including Maryland’s Anthony Brown — sued Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Tuesday alleging practices that stifle competition and raise prices for consumers. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington, wasn’t unexpected. The FTC opened a probe into Amazon’s business practices in 2019, before Amazon critic Lina Khan began leading the agency in 2021.

Competition for lucrative procurement and contracting opportunities is tough, especially for minority business enterprises (MBEs) in the market with more established companies. Many small businesses grow through work as a subcontractor, and building relationships with prime contractors is key for MBEs to be successful. Ben Morgan, vice president at Barton Malow Builders, a Baltimore-based construction management firm that focuses on projects for higher education, K-12 schools, health care and sports, embraces his company’s role in supporting the development of MBEs.

Columbia-based Authority Brands launched Lawn Squad, a lawn care franchising business developed from its Weed Pro name and system. Lawn Squad will offer services such as lawn fertilization and weed control, lawn aeration and seeding as well as lawn grub and insect control for both residential and commercial properties. Originally founded in 2001 by Rob Palmer in Ohio as Weed Pro, the business currently serves the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati markets in Ohio and will now expand its technology driven practices on a national scale.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Monday announced a new podcast, “Something to Talk About,” hosted by award-winning journalist Bob Levey and business leader Kelly Leonard, the CEO of Taylor-Leonard Corp. The podcast will feature top Montgomery County business leaders sharing their successes, advice for other businesses, county resources and reasons why thousands of businesses call Montgomery County home.

As the number of jobs unfilled in Maryland’s cybersecurity industry continues to grow, Maryland leaders are looking for ways to meet the demand for skilled workers. In the 2023 legislative session, the Cyber Maryland Program was established for this exact purpose, and to support the development of a highly skilled and diverse cybersecurity workforce. There are currently 30,000 unfilled cyber jobs in the state of Maryland.

idfive is moving into new office space in Mount Vernon as the local advertising agency looks to permanently downsize its space and offer a flexible work schedule to its 50 employees. The agency has signed a seven-year lease for 4,500 square feet at 800 N. Charles St. in the Park Plaza Professional Building near the Washington Monument and plans to move in on Oct. 2, said founder Andres Zapata. The group has been in offices facing the busy Jones Falls Expressway for five years and is leaving a Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)-owned building so the school can reclaim the space for classroom and administrative space.