2013-08-27

Neuman Appoints Rothstein President/CEO of AAEDC
Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman has appointed Col. Edward Rothstein to the position of president and CEO of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. (AAEDC). Rothstein replaces Robert Hannon, who held the position for six years, and Mary Burkholder, who held the position in an interim capacity.

“I am very grateful to Mary Burkholder for agreeing to step in temporarily and fill the role until we found a permanent CEO for this important position,” said Neuman. “Mary is a true economic development professional, and we are fortunate to have her wealth of experience at AAEDC. I will continue to look to Mary for her sound advice and counsel as Col. Rothstein’s deputy and executive vice president.”

“Anne Arundel County has an important distinction as home to more than 50,000 small and large businesses and government agencies, including the National Security Agency and Fort Meade,” she said. “I am relying on Col. Rothstein to assist our businesses that do work with the government and the military. With a well-earned reputation as a connector, I am also looking to him to be a strong and dynamic link between businesses and our Office of Public Zoning and Inspections and Planning – often the greatest challenges to businesses. Col. Rothstein will be an extraordinary asset to my administration.”

For the past two years, Rothstein has held the position of Fort Meade’s garrison commander, during which time he supervised the conclusion of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process that began in 2006. His first day on the job will be Nov. 1.

Prior to his work at Fort Meade, Rothstein served as intelligence operations officer in Kabul, Afghanistan. He also worked as intelligence staff action officer for the National Security Agency; senior intelligence officer for the 7th Infantry Division and 1st Army at Fort Carson, Colo.; staff officer for the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany; and staff officer for V Corps in Heidelberg and Wiesbaden, Germany.

Howard’s Ulman Announces Tech Partnership With APL
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman has announced a partnership between The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE) in Howard County that will direct technology being developed at APL toward becoming jobs, products and businesses.

Under the agreement, APL will identify promising technologies developed by its scientists and engineers with potential commercial applications, and the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship will use its network of entrepreneurs, guidance and resources to launch successful businesses. While the APL has been in existence for more than 70 years, this is the first time the institution has entered into such an agreement.

“We have a culture of innovation in Howard County that makes a partnership like this work,” said Ulman. “We are pairing the groundbreaking research that APL is known for with the spirit of entrepreneurship we have in Howard County. I can’t wait to see what happens.”

APL is known for such advances as satellite navigation, the predecessor to today’s GPS technology, and for the development of a prosthetic arm that is controlled by a brain interface. The new agreement means that similar technological advances can be directed toward commercial applications much more rapidly.

MCE also will provide space in its business incubator, the iCat, to help the new ventures grow and prosper. The county is committing an initial $400,000 to the effort during the next two years.

Live Action Poker Opens to the Public Tomorrow at Maryland Live!
Live action poker will come online tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the new, 14,800-square-foot poker room at Maryland Live! Casino, which will be one of largest in the mid-Atlantic. With 52 tables, varied limits, high-profile partnerships and tournaments, the poker operation at Maryland Live!, in Anne Arundel County, is expected to attract customers from across the country.

“Game limits and spreads are still pending approval, but we are planning to offer a full array of games to accommodate every level of player from the casual player to big games,” said Mike Smith, director of poker operations at Maryland Live! “We will offer a comfortable, well-managed, state-of-the-art poker room with a terrific staff and a variety of games and limits to please everyone.”

The addition of poker raises the table count at Maryland Live! Casino to 174, which includes Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Mini-Baccarat, Fortune Pai Gow Poker, Three-Card Poker, Four-Card Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em, Mississippi Stud and Big Six, along with more than 4,300 slot machines and electronic table games.

The addition of poker also creates more jobs at the facility. Maryland Live! is currently hiring more than 300 additional staff across all departments, including approximately 250 poker dealers and poker room personnel, which brings the total employee count to approximately 2,800.

CyberMaryland 2013 Set for Baltimore Convention Center in Early October
During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the state of Maryland will host CyberMaryland 2013, a multi-faceted conference, competition, TECHEXPO cyber hiring event and awards celebration designed to showcase industry innovations, recognize cyber pioneers and groom the next generation of cyber experts.

Scheduled Oct. 8 and 9 at the Baltimore Convention Center, CyberMaryland 2013 will connect educators, innovators, employers, and students and further demonstrate the state’s leadership in cybersecurity and information technology. Sponsoring CyberMaryland 2013 is Science Applications International Corp., Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development and the UMBC.

First produced in 2011, the third annual CyberMaryland conference will cast an even wider net and include panels, speakers and exhibits for both established and emerging cybersecurity professionals in academia, business, industry and government.

Among the notable speakers will be Tom Finan, senior cybersecurity strategist and counsel with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Special Agent Lauren Schuler, national infragard coordinator; as well as executives from top companies such as QinetiQ North America, Raytheon, Mantech, Tenable, Allegis Capital, Riskive, SINET and KEYW.

CyberMaryland 2013 will be anchored by the CyberMaryland Conference, the third annual Maryland Cyber Challenge, the CyberMaryland Industry showcase and the second National Cyber Security Hall of Fame awards banquet. New this year will be the TECHEXPO Cyber Security Hiring Event, which will be held on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Mixed-Use Project Breaks Ground in Laurel Arts District
Ohio-based developer Klingbeil Capital Management broke ground Aug. 22 on C Street Flats, a mixed-use development located at 350 Municipal Square in Laurel, site of the former City of Laurel Police Department and City Hall.

Part of the city’s continuing overlay redevelopment program, the project will consist of 142 modern apartments, 2,500 square feet of retail and commercial space, a fitness center, pool and community space. Zoning for the new project, which occupies slightly more than 2 acres within Laurel’s Arts and Entertainment District, will also permit the community’s artists to use their units for residences, studio space and galleries.

Partners on the project include Elkridge-based Hamel Builders as general contractor and the J. L. Bender architectural firm of Columbus, Ohio. Construction is expected to begin in September, with targeted completion by September 2014.

JPB Partners Sells Strategic Advisory Practice to Chesapeake Corporate Advisors
Columbia-based JPB Partners (JPB) has announced the sale of its strategic advisors (JPBSA) practice to Baltimore-based Chesapeake Corporate Advisors (CCA). JPB Partners’ Strategic Advisory Services provides a comprehensive array of strategic consulting services, as well as merger and acquisition services, including buy-side and sell-side representation and debt/equity capital funding.

The move coincides with the first close for JPB Capital Partners Fund III, a targeted $100 million private equity buyout fund focused on proven businesses in the consumer and health care spaces. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“[Company Founder] Charlie [Maskell] and CCA have a reputation for developing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with their clients that result in true value creation. We are excited that our clients and prospects will have the opportunity to work with a firm built on the same values and principles as JPB Partners,” said Mark Rohde, managing director at JPB. “With the first closing on Fund III earlier this year, this transaction will allow us to focus on our core private alternative asset program in equity and real estate.”

DonorSearch, OmegaFi Partner, Provide New Fundraising Tools
Users of Compass, OmegaFi’s donor management database software, soon will have access to Marriottsville-based DonorSearch’s powerful prospect research data with one click.

DonorSearch announced that Compass, a fundraising software for fraternities and sororities, will offer one-click access to DonorSearch’s Integrated Search, a comprehensive online prospect research tool that provides information from more than 25 philanthropic and wealth databases.

“Compass users will be able to do in-depth philanthropic and wealth research on any prospect and have the information available without ever leaving Compass,” said Bill Tedesco, president of DonorSearch. “They can identify their best prospects and formulate ask amounts and approach strategies based on the powerful information they find through DonorSearch.”

New infoAnneArundel Site Offers One-Stop Human Services Info
Anne Arundel County now has a user-friendly, easily searchable human services web site that provides detailed information about local community resources and programs. The web site, infoannearundel.org, allows users to quickly find low-cost or no-cost health, mental health, education and other social services resources available in Anne Arundel County.

“This new web site is meant to offer, in one place, valuable information that can benefit residents of all ages,” said Dr. Pamela Brown, executive director of the Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. “This online service is a terrific addition to the phone-based Anne Arundel County Systems of Care Service, where ‘family navigators’ assist callers with basic needs, benefits eligibility screening and case management.”

HCPSS Seeks Academic Calendar Planning Committee Member
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is inviting citizens to take an active role by serving on the Academic Calendar Planning Committee. Members of this committee attend up to eight meetings in September, October and November to discuss and make recommendations to the superintendent regarding the HCPSS academic school calendar for 2014-15.

The application deadline is Friday, Sept. 6. If interested in participating on the calendar committee, fill out an interest form at http://hcpssne.ws/16HIje5, save as an attachment and e-mail to Linda_long@hcpss.org, or print out and mail to Linda Long, HCPSS, Public Information Office, 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042.

Howard County Police Foundation Holds 22nd Annual Police Pace 5K
The Howard County Police Foundation will hold its 22nd annual Howard County Police Pace 5K race and 1-mile walk and run 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, at Centennial Park in Columbia. The race will benefit initiatives supported by the Howard County Police Foundation, including college scholarships for the children of fallen police officers.

Race registration for individuals costs $40 through Aug. 11 and $45 after that date. Registration for families of up to four living in the same household costs $55 through Aug. 11, $60 thereafter. Visit www.policepace.com to register.

Arundel’s Neuman to Hold Open House
Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman will hold an open house for the public from 4-6 p.m. on Sept.18 at the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert Street, Annapolis. The purpose of the afternoon open house is to give Anne Arundel County residents an up-close look at the inner workings of county government.

The open house also will give residents a chance to voice their comments and concerns to the county executive in her office. “I promised the citizens of Anne Arundel County that my administration would be open, transparent and accessible to them,” said Neuman. “I want our residents to see how county government works and to meet the people who work for them.”

In addition to meeting with Neuman, members of her staff will be available to answer any questions residents may have about county services. For more information or to RSVP for the open house, contact Ashley Ricker at 410-222-1241 or ARicker@aacounty.org.

Inner Arbor’s McCall to Address Symphony Woods Plan
Michael McCall, president and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust and author of Columbia’s Inner Arbor plan for Symphony Woods, will share his vision of the new arts, cultural and civic development on Sept. 20, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., at the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Columbia’s Village of River Hill.

The Inner Arbor plan is part of Howard County’s plan for the Merriweather Post Pavilion-Symphony Woods neighborhood in the revitalized downtown Columbia.

CA to Launch New Citizens Academy
Learn more about how the Columbia Association (CA) operates and serves the community by taking part in CA’s new citizens academy, Excite Columbia. The free, five-week program will be held on Wednesdays in October, beginning on Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at CA Headquarters at 10221 Wincopin Circle. The academy will conclude on Oct. 30.

Those interested in learning more about what CA does will find out about topics such as what CA’s different departments are in charge of; how CA’s annual charge is calculated and used each year; how the CA board of directors runs its meetings; Columbia’s open space; CA’s sports, fitness and health offerings; and responsible watershed and energy management.

Excite Columbia is open to anyone 18 or older interested in learning more about CA. Registration for the program is required to reserve a seat. Classes are limited to 25 participants and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about Excite Columbia, call Erin McPhail at 410-423-1891, or to register online, visit ExciteColumbia2013.Eventbrite.com.

Leadership Essentials Seeking Community Impact Projects for Young Professionals
Leadership Howard County (LHC) is looking to consult with community organizations on an identified problem or issue. These projects should have a meaningful impact on the organization and ultimately the community and therefore, need to be real-life projects. Teams of four to five young professionals from the Leadership Essentials Class 2014 will complete work on these projects from January to May 2014.

Leadership Essentials is a six-month skill-building program for young professionals at Loyola University Maryland, managed in collaboration with Leadership Howard County. If an organization has a project that would benefit from the perspectives of talented and committed young community leaders, visit www.leadershiphc.organd click on “Programs” for more information and application materials.

An information session for organizations interesting in submitting project proposals will be held on September 26 at Loyola University Maryland – Columbia Campus from 4-5:30 p.m.For information and registration contact Laurie Remer at lremer@leadershiphc.org.

Organizations may submit project proposal regardless of attendance at the information session. Project proposals are due Friday, Oct. 11.

From MarylandReporter.com …
Maryland a net loser as taxpayers migrate:

The Tax Foundation has published a new map showing the migration of income between states in the decade 2000-10, with Maryland losing $5.5 billion in taxable income along with 66,000 residents. Read more: http://marylandreporter.com/category/news/#ixzz2cczFMlcg

MarylandReporter.com is a news site for government and politics in Maryland that is published and edited by Len Lazarick. For more information or to sign up for the daily e-news, go to marylandreporter.com.

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