Archive for June, 2010

When businesses say you save money by buying something, the fact is, you’re not saving.  You’re spending.  Money is leaving your pocket.  Sure, it’s a minor point and we all understand the concept, but it leads me to think about the conditions of the sale or any disconnects that I should be aware of.  Am I getting taken?  Will they be there tomorrow for repairs?  Product sales may be less complicated because of a feature orientation, but the relationship-based nature of service sales means you need to size up a person quickly and decide if there is enough trust to do business.

For me, it is use of language like “Sale!” (or my favorite, a “Sales event!”) that always gives me pause.  For others it may be packaging or some other off-putting presentation to the marketplace.  What are your red flags?  How well is your company being presented?

ANNE ARUNDEL – Anne Arundel County Circuit Court has ruled in favor of the developer of a casino at Arundel Mills, throwing out the referendum to put slots on the ballot in this fall’s elections.  The Daily Record has the story of opponents’ plans to take the case directly to the state’s highest court.

See full story.

ANNAPOLIS – KCS Admiral II sold Riva 2 175 Admiral Cochrane LLC, a group of investors for approximately $179 per square foot.  The building in the Annapolis Science Center at 175 Admiral Cochrane Drive is fully leased.

See full story.

HANOVER – Conmed Healthcare Management has been added to the Russell Microcap Index, which makes up less than three percent of the U.S. equity market and includes 1,000 of the smallest securities in the Russell 2000 index.  The provider of correctional facility healthcare also announced five-year agreement to provide service for the City of Roanoke, Va. valued at $9.1 million.

See full release.

See new contract release.

Centreville – Engineering firm McCrone completed work on a design to update the water treatment plant for the Town of Worton in Kent County.

See full story.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Maryland’s commitment to advanced technology, defense systems, and health sciences has it ranked among the top states in the country when it comes to growing jobs, according to a new study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Chamber Foundation. The Enterprising States study highlights how state and local policies play a role in spurring job creation and economic development.

See full release.

BALTIMORE – The Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute has released the first in a series of tax system guides with the preamble that “Maryland’s ranking ranges from 6th highest to 40th highest tax state, and taxes are very competitive with other states if you consider their share of peoples’ incomes.”  The series will cover income taxes, business taxes and sales taxes.

See full release.

HOLLYWOOD – Smartronix has been awarded a contract to modernize the site Treasury.gov along with two co-hosted sites FinancialStability.gov and MakingHomeAffordable.gov.  The company intends to leverage Amazon Web services and Microsoft SharePoint as a cloud solution.

See full release.

COLUMBIA – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has awarded the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Range Operations Contract (ROC) to LJT & Associates, Inc.  LJT support the Wallops Research Range operations and maintenance, training, command, control, and communications information, and computer systems services.

See full release.

EASTON – Quality Health Foundation has provided grants totaling $200,000 to seven organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia to support local healthcare-related quality improvement efforts.  These include $5,000 for the Light House in Annapolis and $50,000 for Help and Outreach Point of Entry, Inc. on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore.

See full release.