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Baltimore Business Journal
Atlas to open another Fells Point spot amid backlash from residents
Atlas Restaurant Group received liquor license approval for a new Fells Point spot Thursday amid concerns from neighbors about the outdoor portion of the planned concept. <\p> The Harbor East group plans to open a 25-seat “Key West, Hemingway-style experience” at 1704 Thames St., Atlas CEO Alex Smith said during a hearing before the Baltimore City Liquor Board. Atlas also wants to incorporate courtyard space at 1706 Thames St. next door into the project, but those plans have not yet come before the liquor board as the Department of Transportation must first approve a request to consolidate the two properties. <\p>
Maryland joins federal lawsuit to break up Live Nation, Ticketmaster
Maryland has joined the U.S. Justice Department's case filed Thursday against Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Ticketmaster LLC for monopolistic and anti-competitive practices in the live entertainment industry.<\p> “When the world’s largest live entertainment company illegally dominates ticket sales, artist management and promotion, and venue choices, fans are the ones who are hurt the most,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement announcing the state's participation in the case. “This unlawful conduct drives up prices, leaves fans with poor customer service, and limits opportunities for people’s access to live entertainment.” <\p>
Behind Baltimore's bar trivia boom
Dark German ales and soft pretzels aren’t always enough to fill up Crossbar in Federal Hill on weeknights. But when you throw in some bar trivia, it turns into one of the beer hall’s busiest nights of the week.<\p> Ryan Bailey, Crossbar’s general manager, said the trivia game brings in about 150 players every Wednesday night. The bar isn’t open on Mondays or Tuesdays because it costs too much to open on slower nights given the size of the space. Trivia, however, has made Wednesdays a possibility for Crossbar. <\p>
Longtime leader of large Baltimore nonprofit to step down
William "Bill" McCarthy will step down as executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore next year, ending a 16-year tenure as the leader of one of the region's largest nonprofits. <\p> McCarthy, a former banking executive, joined the nonprofit in 2009 and has expanded Catholic Charities' reach by adding new programs and undertaking ambitious construction projects. The Catholic Charities Board of Trustees has already begun a national search for McCarthy's replacement when he steps down in July 2025, the charity announced on Thursday. <\p>
8 things to know: Applications open for $25K entrepreneur contest
Good morning readers and happy Thursday.<\p> We'll lead off today in Chestertown, where Washington College senior Sophie Foster won the school's prestigious Sophie Kerr Prize for undergraduate writing. Foster won the $77,000 prize for her poetry, fiction and nonfiction which focus on liminality and the natural world. <\p>
Under Armour to expand high school athlete program despite cutbacks
Under Armour Inc. will spend millions over the next few years to make sure more high school athletes across the mid-Atlantic wear the company’s gear, Kevin Plank said.<\p> Plank, the company’s founder and recently returned CEO, told the Baltimore Business Journal that he wants to finally expand Project Rampart, a program that outfits every varsity athlete and coach in Baltimore City public schools in new Under Armour jerseys and shoes. He said the next step is outfitting junior varsity and freshman teams in Baltimore, and he even wants to expand the partnership to other cities. <\p>
Chicken tender restaurant to debut in Baltimore's Locust Point
A fast-casual chain known for its chicken tenders is moving into a Locust Point space home to a short-lived smash burger restaurant. <\p> CHX Premium Kitchen plans to debut at 1724 Whetstone Way in June. The chicken restaurant replaces Fat Patties, a smash burger restaurant that closed in December after less than two years.<\p>
Inno Fire Awards 2024: Here are Maryland's most innovative companies
Maryland Inno is celebrating some of the most innovative companies in the Baltimore region with the 2024 Inno Fire Awards. <\p> This year's honorees reflect the constantly changing Maryland technology ecosystem. Maryland Inno takes a big tent approach to innovation. We celebrate technology-focused companies ranging from startups to nonprofit institutions. An innovative company is not necessarily just a firm that creates a new invention but also encompasses companies that take an existing technology and use it in a new way. This year's awardees range from an organization building new ways to monitor seizures to a nonprofit using virtual reality to help train people for new jobs in the automotive industry. <\p>
A Covid-era option for bankruptcy filings is about to expire
Small businesses will be left without a useful Covid-era bankruptcy tool when it expires in the coming weeks — a development occurring just as bankruptcies are on the rise.<\p> The program, called Subchapter V, was created to enable businesses with less than $2.75 million in debt to go through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization process in a streamlined way. In March 2020, as the pandemic took hold across the country and worldwide, Congress raised that benchmark to $7.5 million, allowing many more businesses to use the Subchapter V option. <\p>
The 'lock-in' effect is hitting homebuyers. It may get worse.
Americans expect high mortgage rates to rise even more in the coming years, a perspective that could further dampen the housing market.<\p> The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s SCE Housing Survey found Americans expect mortgage rates to climb from just under the 7% they are now to 8.7% a year from now and 9.7% in three years — the highest recorded since the agency started asking Americans that question in 2014.<\p>
MedStar faces class action lawsuits after massive data breach
One of the region's largest health systems is facing four class action lawsuits stemming from a data breach that affected 183,079 people.<\p> The federal lawsuits filed this month in the U.S. District Court of Maryland against Columbia-based MedStar Health use slightly different language and arguments, but all allege that MedStar did not take the proper precautions to prevent outside actors or cybercriminals from accessing patient information. MedStar said the data breach occurred after an “unauthorized individual” accessed emails and files associated with three employees that contained patient information. The emails and files that were accessed included names, mailing addresses, dates of birth and health insurance information. <\p>
Towson education company to lay off 48 workers
Towson-based Sylvan Learning is laying off dozens of workers just months after being acquired by a Texas franchise portfolio company.<\p> Sylvan Learning notified 48 workers on Tuesday that they will be laid off after 60 days, according to a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) log filing and a company spokesperson. The filing is tied to Sylvan's headquarters at 502 Washington Ave., Suite 400 in Towson, which opened in 2023 and served as a small base for employees in the Baltimore area, a spokesperson told the Baltimore Business Journal in February. Bedford, Texas-based Unleashed Brands bought Sylvan in February for an undisclosed amount and said the layoffs were decided after the purchase.<\p>
McCormick adds former Procter & Gamble exec to board
McCormick & Co. Inc. has added an executive with decades of experience at Procter & Gamble Co. to its board of directors. <\p> Valarie Sheppard will join the board of the Hunt Valley spice maker (NYSE: MKC) on June 1, the company announced Tuesday. Sheppard spent nearly 35 years at Cincinnati-based P&G prior to her retirement in 2021, including serving as executive vice president, controller and treasurer. <\p>
Apartment market cools with record amount of new supply wrapping up
The national rental-housing market has continued to cool, with differing outcomes based on geography and unit type.<\p> Several markets in the South posted significant year-over-year declines in apartment rental rates as of April, according to a new Realtor.com analysis. Those declines were led by Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, the latter of which has seen an 8.3% annual drop in asking rents and an 11.5% drop since peaking September 2022. <\p>
8 things to know: Division I basketball games set for CFG Bank Arena
Good morning readers, and welcome to Wednesday.<\p> The Blue Angels were soaring over Annapolis yesterday morning, preparing for the graduation of the next class of the U.S. Naval Academy.<\p>
Prime corner in Highlandtown hits the market for $1.25M
A property in Highlandtown once slated for a 22-apartment development has hit the market for $1.25 million.<\p> 3512-3520 Eastern Ave. at the corner of Eastern and Conkling Street was recently listed by owner Eastern Square Properties LLC, according to Brooks Healy, listing agent and a principal at Harbor Stone Advisors.<\p>
Ravens Coach John Harbaugh launches coaching academy
John Harbaugh wants to bring his Super Bowl-winning ways to your boardroom.<\p> The longtime Baltimore Ravens coach on Tuesday launched the nonprofit Harbaugh Coaching Academy at a news conference flanked by his dad, Jack Harbaugh, Tom Crean, his brother-in-law and college basketball coach, and New England Patriots coaching legend Bill Belichick. <\p>
Workers with learning disabilities face stigmas in the workplace
There remains a big stigma facing workers seeking workplace accommodations for certain disabilities — and those employees worry asking for help will hurt their careers. <\p> A new survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of nonprofit Understood.org, which works with people who have learning and thinking differences such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, found while 69% of workers know their employers must provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, about 60% said there is still a stigma around asking their employer for support.<\p>
Montgomery County wine company looks to expand to Baltimore area
A Montgomery County wine company is raising money to expand its retail footprint and eventually open a tasting room in Greater Baltimore.<\p> Boyd Cru Wines wants to raise $124,000 through community investors to help its various growth efforts throughout the region. The one-year-old company hopes to establish a brick-and-mortar space and a community marketplace in Greater Baltimore and expand its distribution. Boyd Cru has already raised $96,000 toward its goal and recently launched a second crowdfunding campaign to close the gap. <\p>
Two warehouses totaling 276K s.f. break ground in Baltimore County
Two warehouses have broken ground in Eastern Baltimore County that will complete a nine-building industrial complex near White Marsh.<\p> The new warehouses at 9107 and 9114 Yellow Brick Road are being built by family-owned Knott Realty Group, a Baltimore firm that has industrial parks in Maryland and Florida as well as multi-family communities in Greater Baltimore. The facilities will round out the Yellow Brick Road business complex and are being built on spec. The industrial facilities will total about 276,000 square feet.<\p>
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