Business

Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, a fast-casual artisanal pizza chain, Thursday announced it will open its newest Maryland location at 15431 Excelsior Drive in Bowie with a grand opening event Nov. 14. The new eatery will be operated by Kevyn Adams, a former NFL player with the Miami Dolphins.

After months of high-level meetings and discussions, government officials and Big Tech leaders have agreed on one thing about artificial intelligence: The potentially world-changing technology needs some ground rules. But many in Silicon Valley are skeptical. A growing group of tech heavyweights — including influential venture capitalists, the CEOs of midsize software companies and proponents of open-source technology — are pushing back, claiming that laws for AI could snuff out competition in a vital new field.

Under Armour beat Wall Street’s sales and profit expectations in the second quarter, but warned on Wednesday that the second half of the year would be difficult. The Baltimore-based sports apparel and footwear maker has been navigating a challenging retail environment amid high inflation and increased promotions. Under Armour’s stock rose 21 cents per share Wednesday to close at $7.42 each.

MD Energy Advisors, a commercial, utility and financing energy solutions company, Wednesday announced it has secured $13.14 million in CPACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing for redevelopment of the historic Fidelity & Deposit Building at 210 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. Originally completed in 1894, the office building has been vacant for more than 20 years. Located in the central business district, the office building will be repurposed into a multifamily residence.

Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) will spend close to $5 million on a new headquarters on Calvert Street to expand its business development program and give its staff some breathing room. The community development financial institution (CDFI) purchased the former American Office headquarters at 309 N. Calvert St. back in March for $3 million. Watchen Bruce, BCL’s CEO, said the nonprofit had been searching for a new building as the organization had outgrown its much smaller space in the University of Maryland Biopark.

Delta Hotels Baltimore Inner Harbor appears to have closed, the second from the brand under Marriott International to close in Greater Baltimore this year. The 150-room hotel at 1 E. Redwood St. has been boarded up and its signage removed. There is no availability for rooms on its website. The apparent closure comes as a Delta Hotels in Hunt Valley closed at the end of October.

LifeBridge Health employees helped celebrate the community-focused health care system’s 25th anniversary on Sept. 30 by volunteering to help with a number of service projects throughout the city of Baltimore as well as Baltimore and Carroll counties. Neil Meltzer, president and CEO of LifeBridge Health, said the system looked to its founding principles and purpose of caring for its communities to commemorate the anniversary, completing service projects such as volunteering to sort food donations at the Westminster Rescue Mission in Carroll County, providing groundskeeping at Arlington Elementary School in Baltimore County, painting picnic tables at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary in Baltimore and collecting hundreds of school supplies in a back-to-school drive for students at Winfield Elementary in Randallstown and for Northwest Hospital’s DOVE program, which supports families facing domestic abuse.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is on track to invest billions of dollars in its natural gas infrastructure and more than double a typical household’s bill by 2035, which flies in the face of state climate goals, a consumer advocate’s report out this week says. The Office of People’s Counsel released new projections showing that BGE and two other gas utilities, the three largest in Maryland, are on track to spend $53 billion on gas equipment over the next 46 years.