Business

Bethesda government contractor Aretum has struck its first acquisition since it was formed in April with the backing of private equity. The company, created by the combination of Bethesda’s Panum Telecom and Arlington-based Miracle Systems, announced Monday that it has acquired Artemis Consulting Inc., a McLean IT contractor whose federal clients include the Library of Congress, the U.S.Copyright Office and the U.S. Senate. The companies did not disclose a sale price.

At the request of current Orioles chairman John Angelos, Maryland officials seriously considered an extraordinary idea: that the state sue Major League Baseball on behalf of the team, alleging the league was misusing its antitrust exemption in a dispute over fees from the Os’ broadcast network. The prospect of such a lawsuit — which would have fractured the club’s already-tense relationship with the league — went far enough in 2019 that Attorney General Brian Frosh attended two meetings with a representative of Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland Stadium Authority chairman Tom Kelso, Angelos and others to consider it, according to participants.

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded Bethesda-based global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin an $816 million contract to build 36 Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) Beta satellites. T2TL is part of an overarching plan to strengthen deterrence with more resilient space architectures for beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) targeting, data transport, and advanced missile detection and tracking.

The Manor, an upscale gay-owned bar and restaurant in Mount Vernon, has been acquired and will reopen under new management in the coming weeks. It is unclear who the new managers of the business are, however, and whether or not it will remain gay-owned and operated. The restaurant and nightclub has been “temporarily closed” since shortly before Christmas due to damage from broken pipes.

Fearless, a Baltimore-based digital services company, Monday announced the establishment of a new division and a $17 million commitment in funding to support working capital and to fuel acquisitions. After 14 years as a digital services company focused on government technology, Fearless CEO and founder Delali Dzirasa said its new division, Fearless Guides, will grow its footprint as an impact company, expand internationally and help generate $1 billion in revenue.

Maryland’s cannabis industry is less than two months old and lawmakers and regulators are already contemplating tweaks in the coming General Assembly session. Since July, the new recreational adult use industry has recorded sales of almost $90 million. The expectation is that sales will surpass $1 billion. Will Tilburg, acting director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration, said the new law — which runs roughly 100 pages — was an attempt to learn from the mistakes of other states that legalized recreational use before Maryland.

Companies are struggling to get workers to return to the office, and those choosing the most heavy-handed return policies are seeing an impact on retention. That’s one of the big takeaways from a new survey by The Conference Board, which found about 73% of organizations reported challenges getting workers to return to the office. Another takeaway? Hybrid setups still represent a critical tool for businesses looking to balance their desire for in-office work with turnover concerns.

A logistics company plans to lay off 176 employees at a warehouse in Aberdeen, the second time the warehouse has seen mass layoffs in the past four years. GXO Logistics Inc., one of the largest contract logistics providers in the world, is shutting down its operations at 610 Chelsea Road in Aberdeen. The closure and layoffs will take place on Sept. 30, according to a notification filed with Maryland’s Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification log.