Archive for March, 2010

ELKRIDGE – On May 3rd the Daily Record newspaper will bestow Gloria Larkin with her third Maryland Top 100 Women Award.  The president TargetGov, she also is part of the publication’s Circle of Excellence.

See full release.

BALTIMORE – The Greater Baltimore Committee has awarded Charlene Riikonen for her entrepreneurial spirit.  She is president & CEO of Columbia-based Cera Products, manufacturer of the patented rice-based oral rehydration solutions CeraLyte® and CeraSport®, and CeraVacx® oral vaccine delivery system.

For the Best New Product or Progress, GBC put forth Wayne Swann, senior advisor for CrispTek, LLC in Columbia.  The company makes ChoiceBatter, a formulated food coating of rice-based flours, pre-gels, and modified rice starches invented by USDA scientists. The patented formula reduces the oil absorbed in frying batters by as much as 50 percent, and is gluten free and suitable for people with Celiac Disease.

See full release.

LINTHICUM – On April 14^th Haven Custom Homes will receive recognition for New Modular Home Design – 2200 S.F. or Less, and for “New Modular Multifamily or Duplex Design from the trade association for modular home construction.

See full release.

ANNAPOLIS – Sailing legend and TV commentator Gary Jobson emceed the evening with a timeline-based look at how his favorite sport has been chronicled over the years.  Early documentaries couldn’t show the tension, strategy and teamwork of a race, so he pioneered the introduction of on-board cameras that has since been copied by car racing.  He didn’t set out to install cameras, but instead wanted to make an obscure sport more attractive.  He asked lots of questions that technology was able to answer.

Jobson also shared the news story he did paralleling sailing challenges with aircraft carrier operations.  While on board the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, he was thanked by an officer who said he was motivated as a young boy to pursue a Naval Academy education based on a sailing presentation Jobson made years ago.  “All of us have the power to inspire people with our words,” he concluded.  Makes me wonder how many future Pulitzer winners are reading this issue.

And now for the award winners:

Tech Company of the Year
Vision Technologies, Inc.

Innovator
Zenoss

Tech Service
G-Security

Good Chip Award
RelianceNet

Legend’s Circle
Dave Troy, a serial entrepreneur with Toad Computers (1986-1997), ToadNet (1995-2004), Popvox LLC (2003-present), Roundhouse Technologies (2008-present) and Bmore Fiber.  And no, he doesn’t blame his parents for his success, he really is just a motivated guy.

CRTC Prez Kevin Lancaster, CEO Bill Karpovich of Innovator Award Winner Zenoss, and CRTC Past Prez Michael Ryan

he grew his first company to $1 million in revenue before graduating high school.  Among his peers are past winners John Belcher of ARINC, Kay Hill of NSA, Bill Badger of M&T and Mark Powell of The Sidus Group.  He is…

…going to be announced tomorrow as the latest recipient of the Legend’s Circle award, part of the Chesapeake Regional Tech Council’s signature awards event, 6 – 9:30 pm at the Westin Annapolis hotel.  Was he a case of parental pre-occupation on success, or just a motivated kid?  Will be interesting to find out.

ANNAPOLIS – At yesterday’s event designed to help retailers use the Web for more in-store and online sales, speakers noted that Web technology is moving fast and the best way to proceed is in small bites.  Tracy Welsh of South River Technologies pointed out the SEO techniques of being specific in use of title and description tags, and Stephen Reilly of Global Experiences shared his experience in buying Google AdWords (ask a few people what they would search for in your industry, and buy key words based on that).  Bill Douglas of Web site builder Purple Parrot noted that most visitors will only give you eight seconds to keep their attention before they click somewhere else.

Lou Geiger of Agency of Record, which provides a framework for quickly launching a Web site, encouraged attendees to consider factors that drive visitors to a Web site, such as email and other marketing tactics, and what you want them to do there (download a sample or make a purchase).  He makes the case that custom-built Web applications are not as essential because of costs associated with maintaining them.  As for email marketing, David Yungans of Constant Contact stressed making your communications relevant, kinda like Arundel Business News does.  To underscore the importance of this, he mentioned that it used to take seven times of reaching an individual before they purchase, and now it is 33.

Event organizers included Entrepreneur’s Exchange and Paul Murphy of Annapolis Insurance Advisors.

ANNAPOLIS – ABC Chesapeake Shores is the name of the newly combined local chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors, the 320-member organization devoted to merit shop construction.  It will maintain two offices in Annapolis and Salisbury.

See full announcement.

ANNAPOLIS – ARINC Managed Services, LLC has released Mobilized Asset Management, a new tool to help IT directors handle the rising cost of parts and inventory management.   This adds mobile data access and updating capabilities to ARINC’s asset management and inventory control solutions, and reduces paperwork and delays for field technicians.

See full release.

COLUMBIA – Customer relationship marketer Merkle has acquired loyalty marketing firm Metzner Schneider Associates (terms were not disclosed).  Principals and founders Richard Metzner and Howard Schneider will lead Merkle’s newly formed loyalty practice group.

See full release.

OWINGS MILLS – The latest addition to the cluster of offices, stores and residences will be Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar, a “Nuevo Latino” restaurant set to open this summer.  The idea for an eatery featuring dishes from Central & South America, Cuba and the Latin Caribbean comes from the company’s first location in Cleveland (yes, Ohio).

See full release.