Business

InventWood (IW), an early-stage company born out of its incubator space at the University of Maryland, College Park, Monday signed a lease with Baltimore-based commercial real estate brokerage firm KLNB for a 88,971-square-foot commercial industrial space in Frederick to serve as the company’s new headquarters. Located at 5971 Jefferson Station Court, the property lease was coordinated by KLNB Vice President Kristin Rebeck, who acted as IW’s tenant representative.

Brendan Dorr wonders what caused business at his Dutch Courage gin bar to fall dramatically this year and if the same thing could happen to his upcoming Remington spot. Blame it on Dry January, holiday fatigue, inflation, bad weather or just the winter blues, but Dorr isn’t the only one in Baltimore’s restaurant industry who saw sales drop last month. Some restaurateurs are wondering where the customers have gone, especially during the week.

The newly remodeled Dollar General store in Blue Ridge Summit helped the company surpass 5,000 locations selling fresh produce, a milestone reached in late January. The store at 15038 Buchanan Trail East now sells produce in addition to its traditional products. The Blue Ridge Summit store joins three others in Franklin County, Pa., as well as five in Washington County, Md., carrying the top 20 fresh items typically sold in traditional grocery stores.

With a requirement of adding 1,000 affordable housing units to its housing stock by 2028, Baltimore County government leaders have struck a deal with Baltimore City-based developer P. David Bramble to preserve nearly 500 below-market rate units for as long as four decades. The agreement allows the developer to substitute a negotiated payment for annual property taxes, called a payment in lieu of taxes exemption, or PILOT, for at least 20 years, with the option to extend another 20 years.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday evening to assist low-income families through an expansion of the child tax credit, with all members of the Maryland delegation voting for the measure, except for Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st). The bill now awaits approval in the Senate. But some organizations are also highlighting a separate tax credit for child and dependent care, which they say is not providing adequate assistance to families and providers amid rising costs.

A low-cost, transatlantic airline carrier has launched a free stopover option in Iceland for passengers traveling out of BWI Airport who are en route to one of dozens of European destinations. The no-cost feature being offered by PLAY, an Iceland-based carrier, allows passengers to add up to 10 days in the Nordic country as part of their layover at Keflavík International Airport in Reykjavík. All of PLAY’s flights to and from North America already include a layover in Reykjavík, which can range in length from as little under two hours to about half a day.

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), the state’s economic engine for technology companies, Thursday announced the newly appointed board of directors for the Cyber Maryland Program. The program was established by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2023 legislative session to develop and implement a strategy to address Cybersecurity related workforce vacancies in the state.