Hospitality & Recreation

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Maryland spice-maker McCormick boasts rapid international growth

Emily Kimball — April 4, 2013

Maryland-based McCormick is rapidly expanding internationally.

For Marylanders, the name McCormick calls to mind any number of flavors and aromas. The Sparks-based company, founded in 1889, develops hundreds of spices and seasonings, including Baltimore’s iconic Old Bay.

But as the company has continued to expand into international markets, net income and revenue have risen, causing major gains for stockholders, the Baltimore Business Journal reports.

McCormick CEO Alan D. Wilson addressed stockholders on Wednesday to discuss the company’s growth.

According to the BBJ:

By 2015, about 20 percent of its sales will come from emerging markets, Wilson said. That would up from 10 percent in 2011. To accommodate that growth, McCormick has been ramping up production and sales in foreign countries. It doubled capacity at a manufacturing plant in Guangzhou, China that makes catsup and other condiments for fast-food restaurants in the country. In August, McCormick announced a deal to buy Wuhan Asia-Pacific Condiments, a Chinese maker of bouillon for $141 million.

Find the full article here.

Maryland-made Mary Sue Easter Eggs gaining East Coast popularity

Emily Kimball — March 27, 2013

Baltimore-based candy maker Mary Sue produced a whole lot of chocolate eggs in 2013.

Mary Sue Easter Eggs have filled Easter baskets across Maryland since 1948, but recently their reach has extended farther than ever.

Baltimore-based production for the chocolate-covered creams will total between 3 and 5 million this spring (an exact count for 2013 has not yet been completed), according to Mike Weiss, chief financial officer of Mary Sue Candies.

“If it’s not the most we’ve ever made, it’s certainly getting close to it,” said Weiss, who has worked with the company for the past 11 years.

Continue Reading…

Maryland hops conference signals growing industry

Emily Kimball — March 25, 2013

A growing number of Maryland farmers are producing hops. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Frederick-based Flying Dog Brewery recently opened its doors to the local producers of an essential beer flavoring ingredient—hops.

The micro-brewery hosted the first University of Maryland Extension and Maryland Chapter of Northeast Hop Alliance Hops Conference, signaling significant growth in the local hops industry, the Frederick News-Post reported.

Baltimore roller coaster engineering firm wins Hong Kong contract

Emily Kimball — March 20, 2013

Baltimore-based Premier Rides is taking its services to Hong Kong.

At least one Baltimore-based engineering firm specializes in making people scream. In fact, their international reputation recently won them a major contract in Hong Kong.

Premier Rides—which designs, supplies and maintains roller coasters, observation wheels, towers, water rides and other custom attractions—has been selected to provide technical services and support for multiple rides at Ocean Park Hong Kong.

Grand Prix of Baltimore preps for ‘Celebration of Acceleration’

Emily Kimball — March 14, 2013

The Grand Prix of Baltimore is a “Celebration of Acceleration.”

Less than seven months before city streets are transformed into a 12-turn, two-mile IndyCar racetrack, Grand Prix of Baltimore planners are drumming up excitement with a new logo and tagline.

The former “Festival of Speed” will now be known as a “Celebration of Acceleration.” The new tagline is accompanied by an enhanced website and social media presence, as well as a new logo with “cleaner graphic
elements for improved legibility and reproduction,” race planners announced this week in a statement.

“We’re pleased to introduce a new look and feel for the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT,” stated Debbie Bell, vice president of sales and marketing for Race On, which is promoting the event. “Our Celebration of Acceleration tagline perfectly captures the spirit of the event, and our redesigned website is the ideal platform to keep fans up to speed on Grand Prix details as they are announced.”

The third annual race is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

“Our focus is pulling any players that are currently leaving the state to play table games, going to Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey … That’s the intent, to bring new business.”

Hollywood Casino spokeswoman Jennifer Miglionico on Maryland’s gambling industry

Posted by Emily Kimball on March 6, 2013 In Arts, DBED, Entertainment, Hospitality & Recreation, Industry News, Job Creation, Maryland Economy, Tourism DelmarvaNow!, Hollywood Casino, Maryland Business, Maryland gambling, Maryland table games

InvestMaryland Challenge: Q&A with CarFare Compare

Emily Kimball — March 6, 2013

CarFare Compare is an InvestMaryland Challenge finalist.

Check back for Q&A profiles on all the competition finalists.

The first-ever InvestMaryland Challenge is down to its final round with just 33 companies competing for more than $300,000 in grants and business services. The final winners will be announced during the Governor’s Cup Awards Ceremony on April 15.

One of the companies, selected out of more than 250 applicants, is Annapolis-based CarFare Compare. To find out a little more about this new company, we spoke with president and founder Alan Stapleton.

Q. What does CarFare Compare do, and how would you explain it to the average person?

A. We have a smart phone app that people can download and use to order a chauffeured service to come pick them up, either immediately or a month from now, whether you’re planning a wedding or going out of town or something else like that.

Continue Reading…

InvestMaryland Challenge: Q&A with Woofound

Emily Kimball — March 5, 2013

Compass is an application of Middle River-based company Woofound.

Check back for Q&A profiles on all the competition finalists.

One of the companies, selected out of more than 250 applicants, is Middle River-based Woofound. To find out a little more about this growing company, founded in 2011, we spoke with CEO Dan Sines.

Q. What does Woofound do, and how would you explain it to the average person?

A. It is a visual personality tool. We have created a way for learning about a person’s personality and preferences through what we call a slider. It learns about a person’s personality by showing them images and they simply click “me” or “not me” under those images, building a complex profile of that person, their interests and personality types. We have two applications currently using that core technology. One of the neat things about Woofound is that we’re a personality platform. There are a lot of applications that can be built off of it. Our core application for the iPhone is called Explore and that matches people to places, activities and things to do. A much different use of the same product matches people with career paths, based on their personality preferences, so you can see a very diversified use of the core technology of visual personality matching. Continue Reading…

Slam dunk: Baltimore to host CAA men’s basketball tourney starting in 2014

Tim Windsor — December 12, 2012

The Baltimore Business Journal reports this morning The Colonial Athletic Association will move its men’s basketball tournament from Richmond to Baltimore starting in 2014.

A group led by Towson University Athletic Director Mike Waddell, as well as leaders from the Maryland Office of Sports Marketing, Visit Baltimore, First Mariner Arena, first made their pitch to bring the CAA men’s basketball tournament to 14,000-seat First Mariner Arena in May. The group made a follow-up presentation to the athletic directors of the 11-member conference on Oct. 15

Ron Bertovich, the CAA’s deputy commissioner for basketball, said at the time the conference was impressed with the city’s pitch.

“They are pros and they are passionate,” he said. “And that’s what you would like to see from everyone.”

The full story is here on the BBJ website.

Also: Read the official release on the CAA Tournament move.

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Basketball image by flickr user Gonzalo Andrés. Licensed under Creative Commons. Thanks!

2tor to add 100 jobs in Landover

Nick Sohr — March 26, 2012

By Nick Sohr, Managing Editor, MDbizMedia

Education technology company 2tor Inc. plans to add 100 workers to its Landover headquarters over the next year after launching a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday.

The four-year-old company now employs about 370, most of them in Prince George’s County.

UNC and 2tor are working to offer the School of Government’s Master of Public Administration program in a new online format. MPA@UNC will be the fifth such online degree program that 2tor has developed.

“Technology is changing industries and many facets of our daily routines, including how we learn,” said Chip Paucek, CEO and co-founder of 2tor.

“It’s incredibly exciting to sign on another great university partner,” Paucek said. “As we prepare for the launch of our fifth program, we’re looking to the talented Prince George’s County and Maryland workforce to join us at 2tor, where we’re changing the landscape of higher education and bringing a level of quality online that hasn’t been available before.”

MPA@UNC will admit its first students this fall and classes will begin in January. The program will be geared toward working professionals and others seeking more flexibility than traditional educational programs allow.

Courses will include both self-paced and live sessions at pre-arranged times. Live, streaming video will allow students and instructors to see and hear each other during discussions, and to meet during office hours.

“With the addition of this online MPA option, qualified students will be able to choose a program that fits their life needs and their learning preferences,” said Mike Smith, dean of UNC’s School of Government, “and we will expand our positive impact on communities across the country.”

2tor was founded in 2008 and was named this year one of the 10 most innovative companies in education by Fast Company. It has already developed four other online degree programs: a Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California; Master’s in Nursing from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from UNC.

Firms announce 376 Md. expansions in 2011

Nick Sohr — February 28, 2012

By Nick Sohr, Managing Editor, MDbizMedia

New and expanding businesses in Maryland announced more than 10,000 new jobs and $3.3 billion in capital investment last year, according to figures compiled by the Department of Business and Economic Development.

The growth — 376 total projects across all 24 local jurisdictions — reflected the state’s traditional strengths in professional and technical services, health care and government.

Nearly a quarter of the growth came from professional services, with 84 projects. Almost half of those were announced by information technology firms, an area of emphasis for Maryland as the state works to capitalize on growth in cybersecurity driven by the National Security Agency in Anne Arundel County and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.

The health care sector saw 1,875 new jobs announced in 2011, with more than three-quarters of them part of the expansion of Holy Cross Hospital in Montgomery County.

The federal government was responsible for the largest new capital investment. Most of the $890 million in announced spending will go to the planned Social Security Administration project in Frederick.

There were more than 2,000 new jobs announced in the hospitality and recreation sector, according to the DBED figures. Most of those jobs are at the Maryland Live! Casino being built next to the Arundel Mills shopping mall and the new Four Seasons hotel in Baltimore.

Manufacturing, which has struggled in Maryland in recent years, added the second-most new businesses of any sector, with 11. Along with 53 expansions, manufacturing firms announced 1,477 new jobs and $212 million in capital investment in 2011.

Statewide and across all sectors, businesses new to Maryland accounted for 67 of the 376 announced projects and 2,964 jobs. The 309 expansions accounted for 7,408 jobs.

Projects were announced in all 23 counties and Baltimore City. Howard County led the way with 50 new and expanding projects. Anne Arundel led the state in new businesses announced, with 13 totaling 1,696 jobs.

While the report does not capture all of the employment growth in the state, DBED Secretary Christian Johansson said it is an “important barometer of where Maryland is creating jobs.”

According to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Maryland added 30,300 jobs in 2011, with 25,600 of them coming from the private sector.

Top deals, according to DBED figures, include:

Cordish/Maryland Live! at Arundel Mills (Anne Arundel County) – 1,500 new jobs, $320 million investment
Social Security Administration (Frederick County) – 200 new jobs, $500 million investment
EMD Sales (Baltimore City) – 70 new jobs, $1 million investment
Evolve Composites (Washington County) – 60 new jobs, $3 million investment
Under Armour (Anne Arundel County) – 225 new jobs
Vocus (Prince George’s County) – 200 new jobs, $10 million investment
Restoration Hardware (Cecil County) – 150 new jobs, $66 million investment
Maricom Systems (Baltimore County) – 150 new jobs

Maryland Chamber Members Share the Love

MDbizMedia — February 14, 2012

by Kathy Snyder, CCE, President/CEO, Maryland Chamber of Commerce

I Love Chamber

While it is true that business looks at its bottom line, many focus on more personal qualities such as building loyalty among customers and “friends” on Facebook. In celebration of Valentine’s Day here’s a light-hearted look at some outstanding companies that are Maryland Chamber members who are “sharing the love”:

Spice up your world with some fun recipes from McCormick & Co., that “little” global company based in Sparks. From coloring your food red to yummy dessert concoctions, McCormick is a brand name that adds taste to our meals.
If you’d rather give candy, check out Goetze Candy in Baltimore – their caramel creams are to die for!
Treat the love of your life to a special weekend at the Cambridge Hyatt in Cambridge, Clarion Hotel in Ocean City, Gaylord at National Harbor or the Marriott or Choice Hotels around the state. It’s amazing what a night away can do for your spirit! Here’s a list of the members of the Maryland Chamber.
Maryland is for crab lovers – Phillips Seafood was created on our Eastern Shore and is a global company. Spice up your Valentine’s Day with a visit to any of their locations.
Charm City Cakes
And cakes! Charm City Cakes is the best! If you miss the Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman on his Food Network hit, or can’t get your order into Charm City Cakes by the 14^th, join us at our Small Business Awards Luncheon on June 7 to hear this success story that is oh, so sweet!
The Gaylord National Harbor in Prince George’s County wants you to “celebrate love all year long” at its breathtaking hotel right on the banks of the Potomac River, just south of Washington, D.C. If you haven’t seen the views or the spectacular atrium, take your sweetie to the Gaylord.
For those who love golf, and if our warmer than usual winter continues, visit the Renditions Golf Course in Davidsonville where every hole is a replica of one of the great championship courses.
Baltimore Ravens fans whose hearts simply were not in the Super Bowl this year may find solace in the Top 5 Moments of the last season. Sigh. There is always next year!
Don’t forget the wine and beer, especially in the Southern Maryland region where Miller-Coors distributor Betty Buck has led Buck Distributing to great success over the past 27years. Betty will be inducted into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame on April 30.

Loving local is a great way to support local businesses like these. Check out our website at www.mdchamber.org and click on Business Directory to find more in your part of our great state!