Maryland Chamber of Commerce Blog

Loveland Named Baltimore’s “Google Czar”

Will Burns — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:04:25 +0000

Tom Loveland, CEO of Mind Over Machines, was named Baltimore’s “Google Czar” by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today.

Earlier this year Google announced plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations in the United States. The company has asked municipalities interested in serving as a trial city to complete a request for information (RFI). In his volunteer role as “Google Czar,” Loveland will help the city complete and submit the RFI, while working to build business support for the effort.

“Baltimore is a tinderbox of innovation. Google Fiber is the spark, a game-changer that could turn Baltimore into a global innovation leader,” Mr. Loveland said. “Mayor Rawlings-Blake understands that and I’m honored to serve the City.”

A number of Maryland Chamber member companies have already lent their support to the grassroots effort, including Johns Hopkins, UnderArmour, Morgan State University, Blue Sky Factory, R2integrated, The Sutter Group, Substance 151, The Maryland Zoo, Global Design Interactive and many others. You can learn more, and add your support by visiting www.bmorefiber.com.

USM Chancellor Kirwan Recieves Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence

Krysten Appelbaum — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:40:27 +0000

University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor William E. (Brit) Kirwan has been named the recipient of the 2010 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence, which recognizes leadership and commitment to higher education.

“Chancellor Kirwan brings a collaborative and cooperative leadership style to higher education welcoming all viewpoints,” Stephanie Bell-Rose, Managing Director and Head of the TIAA-CREF Institute, said. “This coupled with his forward thinking makes him one of the nation’s most dynamic and effective higher education leaders and we are so pleased to honor him today.”

Chancellor Kirwan received the award last week at the American Council on Education’s Annual Meeting. For more information, click here.

Ravens Offer the Royal Treatment

Will Burns — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:59:10 +0000

I’m a die-hard Ravens fan, so forgive me if I get excited about this. We held our Membership Drive Kickoff Reception in the Ravens’ locker room at M&T Bank Stadium last week.

It was a lot of fun. I got to hang out with some old Chamber friends and made some new ones. We snuck onto to the field. We took pictures by the “Play Like a Ravens” sign. Ed Burchell, Vice President of Regional Partnerships and Sales for the Ravens, was a great host. He shared interesting Ravens tidbits and information about M&T Bank Stadium. More importantly, he showed us which locker Ray Lewis calls home during the season. It was empty, but I still got to see it and sit on his stool.

I was standing in the back of the room listening to Ed’s remarks when he dropped a bombshell. He will give the first Chamber member to recruit five new members during the membership campaign a private tour of Ravens’ headquarters and training facility in Owings Mills, followed by lunch with Ravens’ Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. The winner gets to take five guests as well. Needless to say, I’m available.

Most Ravens fans probably already know about the 200,000 square-foot headquarters and training facility, dubbed “The Castle” by local media. But, if you need more motivation to convince you to help grow the Chamber, check out the virtual tour Ravens Senior VP, Public & Community Relations Kevin Byrne gave Ravens fans on the Baltimore Sun’s website last year.

The Chamber’s membership drive ends on April 28. Members interested in participating can sign up for the membership drive email list. The Chamber will send you resources to help your recruitment efforts, as well as weekly updates.

Strengthen Your Workplace with the 5 Dynamics

Krysten Appelbaum — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:07:40 +0000

Identifying employee’s strengths and talents, and aligning them with an organization’s goals, priorities, and work to yield greater success, and accomplishment of goals is the aim of the innovative 5 Dynamics assessment.

The 5 Dynamics assessment measures how someone prefers to learn, collaborate, and complete tasks, all of which lead to success and work satisfaction. This scientifically valid method was reviewed during a seminar conducted by HR Anew, as a part of their breakfast seminar series.

“The knowledge 5 Dynamics gives you is really valuable because it helps you be successful and to be satisfied. When you know where your focus is, you’re better able to make selections and know what work is going to leave you feeling satisfied, and what work is going to burn you out,” Melanie Freeman, HR Anew’s director of consulting and professional services, said.

Freeman said that the assessment can also help identify for managers the strengths of their employees, and who would work best on certain tasks and projects.

“You can use this in selecting which employees to place on certain jobs. You can see how this person will fit in with the team. You can use it in a coaching situation and know how your employees best respond,” she said.

Watch the video to learn about each individual Dynamic and how the assessment identifies a person’s work preferences.

To learn more about the 5 Dynamics and how it can be utilized in your organization, contact HR Anew at www.hranew.com.

Maryland Chamber Supports Amended Unemployment Insurance Bill

Will Burns — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:08:35 +0000

The Maryland Chamber’s Legislative Committee voted this afternoon to support an amended version of the unemployment insurance bill (SB 107). The committee took action after reviewing a draft of the amended bill and meeting with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Thomas McLain (Mac) Middleton (D-Dist. 28) and Senate Minority Leader Alan H. Kittleman (R-Dist. 9), a member of the Finance Committee.

“We thank the Finance Committee, the Unemployment Insurance Oversight Committee and representatives from the administration for working to address our concerns,” Maryland Chamber President/CEO Kathy Snyder, CCE said. “Our goals have been to give employers payment plan options, offset the cost of any unemployment insurance system changes and ensure the long-term health and stability of the unemployment insurance trust fund. This bill accomplishes those goals.”

Senator Middleton said the Finance Committee could vote on the amended bill as early as Tuesday afternoon, March 2.

The bill was amended to address a number of the Maryland Chamber’s concerns:

Payment Plans & Reduced Interest Rate: Since its introduction the Maryland Chamber has strongly supported the provision to provide payment plans and reduced interest rates. The payment plans will help Maryland employers spread the cost of increased unemployment insurance taxes over the course of the year. Unemployment insurance taxes are calculated based on the first $8,500 of taxable wages. Without this option, the weight of the unemployment insurance tax increase will hit many businesses especially hard at the end of the first quarter.

Long-Term Cost: As introduced, the bill would adopt a number of changes to the unemployment insurance system to make the state eligible for $126.8 million of federal stimulus funds. The changes would result in approximately $18.4 million to $19.4 million of additional benefits per year. The amended bill includes an estimated $18.2 million to $19.5 million in annual benefit reductions to offset the cost of the increases.

Stability of the UI Trust Fund: The amended bill also keeps the rate schedule at table F, rather than moving to table E. The original bill used much of the federal stimulus funds to provide employers with a small one-year rate deferral. While deferring a small portion of the unemployment insurance tax increase may sound appealing, the Chamber believes it would weaken the unemployment insurance system and cause Maryland employers to pay higher rates for a longer period of time. Staying at Table F and dedicating the federal dollars to the trust fund will help rebuild the trust fund faster, which is an important step to reducing unemployment insurance tax rates for all Maryland employers.

2010 Maryland Business Hall of Fame Inductees

Will Burns — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:40:07 +0000

The Maryland Chamber will induct three outstanding business leaders into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame on Wednesday, April 28, during our Annual Membership Meeting & Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner. Congratulations to this year’s inductees:

Ken Banks, President of Banks Contracting
Karen Myers, President of Wisp Resort
Tom Watkins, President and CEO of Human Genome Sciences

The Maryland Business Hall of Fame was established in 2000 to recognize the accomplishments of entrepreneurs and business executives throughout Maryland whose contributions, in business and in the community, have helped to advance the quality of life for Marylanders and the state’s business climate. Business leaders are nominated by Maryland Chamber members, and the inductees are selected by the Maryland Chamber’s Executive Committee. You can view a complete list of past honorees here.

The Annual Meeting is the Maryland Chamber’s largest networking event of the year, attracting hundreds of the regions top CEOs and senior executives. This year, the event will be held on Wednesday, April 28, at the Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport.

Chamber to Launch HR Update Email Newsletter

Will Burns — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:11:48 +0000

Get the latest HR, workplace regulation and employment law news in your inbox.

The Maryland Chamber will launch our new HR Update Email Newsletter in March. From useful articles and helpful tips to webinars and multimedia updates, all content will be produced with the help of Maryland Chamber member firms, so you know it’s coming from expert, credible and local sources. Firms like Shawe Rosenthal, LLP; Kollman & Saucier, P.A.; Kruchko & Fries; impactHR; HRAnew; Laurdan Associates; Littler Mendelson; FosterThomas, Inc.; Franklin & Prokopik, P.C.; Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP; Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver, LLC; Gordon, Feinblatt and more are participating.

You can sign up for the email newsletter here.

For more information, contact Krysten Appelbaum at kappelbaum@mdchamber.org.

BVU GIVE to Host “Climbing the Volunteer Ladder” Learning Seminarb

Krysten Appelbaum — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:35:10 +0000

As a part of their 2010 Learning Seminars, Business Volunteers Unlimited’s GIVE program is hosting “Climbing the Volunteer Ladder: Boards, Committees & Skilled Volunteering.”

This two-hour interactive program will include discussions of the increasingly important role you can play as a key volunteer in a nonprofit organization, and the essential elements to consider when looking for your next volunteer opportunity.

The seminar will be held Wednesday, March 24, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Maryland Association of CPAs, 901 Dulaney Valley Road, Suite 709, Towson, Md. 21204. The program is free for members of the GIVE Class of 2010 and $50 for the general public.

Click here to register.

Merritt Properties Launches iPhone App

Will Burns — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:23:22 +0000

Merritt Properties launched an iPhone app today, making it easy for brokers, customers and prospective customers to browse the its 16 million square feet of commercial real estate in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Application features include:

Customized Commercial Property Search: Results can be sorted by property type (industrial/warehouse, flex/warehouse, office and retail), square footage (minimum and maximum), city (throughout Central Maryland and Northern Virginia), radius and space availability.
Commercial Property Profiles: Search results include the property address, building type, a photo or rendering, overview of building specs, available space details, floorplans and Merritt contacts.
Map & Driving Directions: Google Maps show location details and driving directions from any location.
Forwarding: Listings can be forwarded to another phone or email address.
Automatic Updates: Automatic updates reflect real-time data as properties are leased, completed or become available.
News Updates: The latest news from Merritt Properties can be viewed and shared.

According to Merritt Properties, this is the first iPhone app to be released by a commercial real estate developer. The company also plans to launch applications for Blackberry and Google Android operating systems.

The application is available now, as a free download in the iTunes App Store. Learn more here.

Lending Fair Connects Small Businesses with Banks, Agencies

Krysten Appelbaum — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:19:00 +0000

The Maryland Chamber Small Business Development Council hosted a Small Business Lending Fair this morning, during which small business owners met with potential lenders, and representatives of various state and federal agencies.

The meetings, which were held in a speed dating style format, were meant to build relationships between the small business owners and the lenders, and help small business learn more about accessing capital.

Fourteen community, regional, and national banks were present as well as representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Maryland Small Business Development Center Network.

“When you open the newspaper you cannot help hearing a of report about credit or bank lending. Providing access to credit and loans to today’s small minority and start-up businesses are keys to job growth and economic recovery and business success,” Deborah Stallings, Chairperson of the Maryland Chamber’s Small Business Development Council said. “We hope today’s lending fair will open up a dialogue and create relationships between community, regional, and national banks, and the small business community.” Stallings is also President and CEO of Columbia-based HR Anew.