wanda Smith - I95 Business Magazine

BALTIMORE

DECEMBER 2017

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Aggressive Acquisition, Expansion & Growth CHIP LEWIS

Managing Director, PSA Insurance & Financial Services

Three Generations of Quality Craftsmanship LYNCH CONSTRUCTION

INFLUENCER

MICHAEL MCDEVITT TERRA’S KITCHEN

INNOVATION

MEDICAL START-UP COOLTECH

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“If you aren’t growing, you’re dying,” says Chip Lewis, PSA Insurance Managing Partner, in our cover story. While a bit stark, if you run a business, you’ve probably had this feeling more than once. And this is the time of year to reflect on your current status – did you grow this year? Acquire a business or add a service? Did you meet your strategic goals? As we take stock of our year, we have executed pretty well on our largest business expansion. Our editorial content has expanded to include stories about companies throughout the Baltimore region. Led by Greg Alexander, we’ve covered many of the best companies and most exciting startups in town. We’ve added distribution and networking in Howard County, a new market for us, adding 425 new subscriptions and great connections through sponsorships of business events like Howard Tech Council, CAMI and TEDCO. We’ve tripled our social media first connections to just short of 10,000, thanks to a cohesive plan to utilize and capitalize on the LinkedIn platform, managed in tandem by Brad Tarr and Sandra Rodenas. Sandra also has taken charge of our social media postings, pushing all our stories and content out in a strategic schedule and expanding our reach through consistent representation across multiple platforms. Brad is responsible for creating all those emails you receive from us. If you are not receiving them, please let me know and we can add you to our list of 10,000 email subscribers. Our strategy to reach readers where they are is played out through direct mail delivery of a printed magazine to your desk, digital access on your computer, emailed to your devices in small bites and then, spoon-fed to you on your social channels. As we launch our new Ambassador program with Social Toaster, we anticipate our social connections to reach an additional 50,000 to 100,000 connections. The launch of our new website with a dashboard for content marketing will go live in January. Best laid plans have pushed our launch back a few months, but our commitment to growth on this path is undeterred. With the new site, we are positioning our website to be the business community, with articles about interesting companies and the people who run them, resources to answer your business questions, business and nonprofit events, news about companies and people, and event and job postings. “I truly believe that businesses are like airplanes – if you don’t have your nose up with forward momentum, you’re going to crash. A growing business is a healthy business; a stagnant business is in trouble,” says Chip Lewis. Who would like to go on a ride with us? I95

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Be Bold

GREGORY J. ALEXANDER Executive Editor [email protected]

UPCOMING ISSUES FEBRUARY SPECIAL FOCUS

• Women in Business • Human Resources Professionals PROFILES

• Women of Influence • Leaders in Human Resources CONTENT MARKETING Jan 12 BRAND MARKETING Jan 12 DISPLAY ADV DEADLINE Jan 19 DISPLAY ADV DUE Jan 24

APRIL SPECIAL FOCUS

• Wealth Management • Healthcare, Medical Specialties • Innovation in Corporate Wellness PROFILES

Strong business leaders are adept at keeping their companies on a positive growth pattern without risking the livelihood of the company and its employees. Sometimes a measured, thoughtful approach to growth is in order to ensure success while not being overly risky. However, at times, successful business leaders have to be bold and take risks if they really want to take the company to the next level, exceed expectations and set the business on a path to be a real powerhouse in the industry. Take Chip Lewis, managing director at PSA Insurance and Financial Services, based in Hunt Valley. Through his 45 years of leadership, PSA has acquired dozens of companies and expanded into burgeoning fields such as cybersecurity insurance and medical cannabis insurance. Of course, careful analyses and number crunching were involved with each acquisition, but Lewis also notes the importance of a commitment – something he calls being “obnoxiously committed to growth” – to expand your company and take what some may call risks into new ventures. In his view, if a company is stagnant, it’s in big trouble. Another leader not afraid of new opportunities and career changes is Michael McDevitt. A financial analyst by education, McDevitt started his career in finance in New York City before eventually acting as CEO at Medifast, a weight loss company based in Maryland. His most recent endeavor, as founder and CEO of Terra’s Kitchen, a farm-to-table meal kit delivery company based in Baltimore, may seem like an odd departure for someone without a culinary arts background, but McDevitt is always looking for new challenges, especially ones he’s passionate about. Entering into what seems like a crowded marketplace with companies such as Blue Apron having broad brand name awareness may seem risky, but if McDevitt’s past successes are any indication, Terra’s Kitchen will continue to grow and enjoy more financial success. One area where no business leader wants to engage in risky behavior is cybersecurity. Our I-Tech columns in this issue address the importance of cybersecurity, an issue we’ve dedicated many articles to this year, illustrating the fact that companies – and their leaders – can no longer believe that “it won’t happen to us.” On a personal note, Happy Holidays to all our readers and loyal advertisers. Happy New Year; I hope 2018 is your best year ever. I95

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publisher Vicki K. Franz [email protected] executive editor Gregory J. Alexander [email protected] contributing writers John Asher Elizabeth Levy Malis Lisa Baldino Toby Muser Linda Esterson Emily Parks Robert Glazer Stacey Rebbert Stacey Hanke Sandra Rodenas Audie Hittle Wanda Smith Shiv Khera

Business Savvy Women Ceos Who ConneCt Businesses to Baltimore

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Women Scientists & engineers at ecBc

SPecIAl fOcuS

Women of Influence Human resources

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INSPIRATION INFLUENCER I-TECH INTEGRITY DEPARTMENTS IDEAS FEATURE IMAGINATION SPECIAL SECTION HEALTH CARE IN DEFENSE INSIDE WOMEN IN DEFENSE INTERSECTION WOMEN IN BUSINESS INSPIRATION INSIGHT I-TECH INDEPARTMENTS BUSINESS

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FEATURE ON BUSINESS INNOVATION SPECIALHEALTH SECTION INSIGHT: CARE 28 Chip Lewis Is All In REFORM INFLUENCER IN DEFENSE SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PSA Insurance Continues to Grow INTEGRITY WOMEN IN DEFENSE EXPERT OPINION 34 Three Generations of Quality IDEAS WOMEN IN BUSINESS ISSUES & ANSWERS Craftsmanship IMAGINATION INSIGHT MANAGEMENT STYLE LynchCARE Construction HEALTH IN BUSINESS INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES INSIDE ON BUSINESS INSIGHT: SALES INTERSECTION

inside

Cover

Chip Lewis, PSA Insurance

Photo by John Dean

insight: marketing ON BUSINESS ECO

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

15 INSIGHT: Sandra Rodenas HEALTH CARE REFORM

INTEL: EXPERT OPINION IMPACT SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT business books EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE 83 CORRIDOR EXPERT OPINION 16 You Can Win Shiv Khera INSIGHT: MARKETING SPECIAL FOCUS ISSUES & ANSWERS OPINION influencer PHILANTHROPY MANAGEMENT STYLE 18 Michael McDevitt Terra’s Kitchen ITINERARY INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES ECO/ENVIRO

INNOVATION INFLUENCER INTEGRITY IDEAS

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INSIDE

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INTERSECTION INSPIRATION

FEATURE

WOMEN IN DEFENSE WOMEN IN BUSINESS INSIGHT IN BUSINESS ON BUSINESS

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EXPERT OPINION

INSIGHT: MARKETING HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION OPINION

ISSUES & ANSWERS MANAGEMENT STYLE

IDEAS: AGRICULTURE i-tech HEALTH CARE: I-TECH ITINERARY 38 INBOX IsHEALTH It TimeCARE: to Upgrade Your INTEGRITY ECO Technology Team? ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS BANKING MNS Group ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION IMPACT INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING

INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES INSIGHT: SALES INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

24 SPOTLIGHT

ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION BUSINESS BOOKS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 40SPECIAL StayingFOCUS Ahead of Hackers INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES IAI Cyber Solutions PHILANTHROPY IDEAS: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ECO/ENVIRO SPONSORED CONTENT INBOX INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT 83 CORRIDOR i-tech-cyber

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WOMEN OF INFLUENCE INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE

inbox

42 S eidenberg Protzko Assoc. INSIGHT: MARKETING Dr. Jonathan A. Seidenberg 48 B usiness 43 OPINION W eyrich, Cronin & Sorra news from Frank Linkous ITINERARY around the

FOCUS BANKING 41 SPECIAL Harford County Chamber of Commerce

The Kelly Group ECO

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CM

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Women of Influence Human Resources

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CMY

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APR Wealth Management Healthcare Corporate Wellness

Ebenezer Scrooge IMPACT

region.

AUG Community Focus: Harford County Marketing, PR & Adv Agriculture-Cannabis OCT Innovation & Technology Cyber Security Entrepreneurs Manufacturing

INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

26 INNOVATION: Jones for a Cause AGRICULTURE

M

JUNE Commercial Banking Real Estate Eco/Enviro/Energy

SPECIAL SECTION IN DEFENSE

philanthropy BUSINESS SPECIALBOOKS FOCUS

MILLENNIALS ENTREPRENEURS HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING 44 University ofCARE Maryland Upper I-TECH HEALTH INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT HEALTH CARE: I-TECH Chesapeake SPECIAL FOCUS:Health REAL ESTATE ECONOMIC HEALTH CARE:DEVELOPMENT INTEGRITY I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER 46 Harford County Office of INSIGHT: HUMAN ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS RESOURCES INNOVATION-EDUCATION Economic Development BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION BUSINESS LEADER SPONSOREDEXPERT CONTENT ECO/ENVIRO: OPINION MILLENNIALS BUSINESS BOOKS ENTREPRENEURS 8 INNOVATION: december 2017AGRICULTURE www.i95business.com I-TECH HEALTH CARE IDEAS: AGRICULTURE SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE

Let Us Tell Your Story

I-TECH DEPARTMENTS

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IMAGINATION HEALTH CARE

innovation SALES ECO FOCUS INSIGHT: SPECIAL 22INSIGHT: A Cool Start-Up That’s On Fire LEADERSHIP IMPACT HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION

CoolTech LLC BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH CARE: I-TECH CORRIDOR 83 SPOTLIGHT HEALTH INTEGRITY ideas CARE: SPECIAL FOCUS OF INFLUENCE ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS 24WOMEN The Transformation of Food into Gold PHILANTHROPY INTEL: EXPERT OPINION ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION Alchemy Elements ECO/ENVIRO ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT EXPERT OPINION: REALOPINION ESTATE

EDITORIAL FOCUS Alignment with a focus earns greater visibility to our 9,250 social connections, 33,000 print readers, and 10,000 digital subscribers, plus gains in SEO/web.

DEPARTMENTS EXPERT OPINION SPOTLIGHT FEATURE ISSUES & ANSWERS SPECIAL SECTIONSTYLE MANAGEMENT 10 INTEL: StaceyEXPERT HankeOPINION ININSIGHT: DEFENSEHUMAN RESOURCES 11 WOMEN RobertOPINION: Glazer REAL ESTATE EXPERT IN DEFENSE INSIGHT: SALES 12 INSIGHT: Wanda Smith MARKETING WOMEN IN BUSINESS INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP OPINION insight: sales INSIGHT BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY 14 ITINERARY John Asher INSPOTLIGHT BUSINESS

2:54:27 PM

Promote your company through the rich reading experience of a story. It builds credibility and relationships with readers.

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WOMEN OF INFLUENCE insight: leadership

11/3/2017

CONNECTING people, ideas and businesses.

INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP INSPIRATION SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY I-TECH

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DEC Doing Business: Growth Through Acquisition Family Business Community Focus: Towson

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INSIGHT: SALES

INSIGHT: SALES

INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP

INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

The Power of an Inspirational Email

Let Go of What You Know

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE 6 Steps for Meaningful Feedback to Retain Millennials

A Quick Act of Kindness to Your Staff Can Have Extraordinary Results WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

INTEL: EXPERT OPINION BY STACEY HANKE

INTEL: B YEXPERT R O B E ROPINION T GLAZER

EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE INSIGHT: Feedback is the giftMARKETING you don’t want to receive but deep down know how much you need. OPINION How many times have you received the same response when you have asked for ITINERARY feedback? You ask someone whom you think will tell you the truth, “How did I do?” and ECO“Good,” “Nice job” or “That was you hear, great!” These responses are not feedback. IMPACT Instead, they are telling you what they think you to hear rather than the truth. In CORRIDOR 83want some instances, this person may be lying to SPECIAL you because theyFOCUS lack the confidence to tell you that you take too long to get to the point PHILANTHROPY or it is difficult to follow your message and connect with your listeners. ECO/ENVIRO Avoid falling into the trap of fake feedback. This of feedback is a waste SPECIALtype FOCUS of time and gets you nowhere. You might HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION be walking through life thinking, “I’m good because everyone says I’m good,” but is it HEALTH CARE: I-TECH true?

The second reason fake feedback is so pervasive is that giving and receiving authentic feedback can be uncomfortable for both parties. As challenging as it can be to hear constructive feedback, it can be equally difficult to give it. In order to grow your influence, you need honest feedback, and that requires trust. Trust is a two-way street. You must trust that the person giving feedback genuinely has your best interests at heart. This allows you to be receptive to the information. The provider of feedback must also trust that it is safe to be completely open and honest with you. To begin growing your influence today, apply these six steps to meaningful feedback, Monday to Monday:

Look for Everyday Opportunities Feedback is easier to seek and apply in low-risk, daily interactions than in highHEALTH CARE: INTEGRITY stakes situations. Instead of waiting for ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS the “big gig,” seek feedback on a regular When the feedback basis. Soliciting feedback involves just a few ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION minutes before and after a conversation, you receive shifts ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION meeting, presentation or even an email.

fromBOOKS fake to BUSINESS

meaningful, you INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE

Prepare for Feedback Prior to an interaction (e.g., meeting, will know that your IDEAS: AGRICULTURE presentation, face-to-face or virtual conversation), ask someone you trust to efforts are starting INBOX observe you and give you feedback. This to pay off. may be a co-worker, mentor, friend or BANKING family member. Ask this person to watch INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING for specific, ineffective verbal and nonverbal behaviors you would like to change. For INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT Honest feedback is tough to come by for example, “I’m trying to avoid beginning my ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT two reasons. First, the higher you are in an sentences with the word ‘so.’ Please let me INSIGHT: RESOURCES organization, the HUMAN less likely people are to know what you hear.” Or, “I’m working on give you truthful feedback about any topic, making my emails clear and concise. Please BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT let alone your communication skills and let me know if my writing is unclear or SPONSORED CONTENT level of influence. confusing.” When you reach a certain point on the MILLENNIALS ladder, no one wants to tell the emperor that Make It Simple he orENTREPRENEURS she has no clothes on. Think about Focus on one behavior at a time. your I-TECH position. IfHEALTH you are a senior leader, who CARE is going to tell you that you “uh” and “um” Dig Deeper SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE your way through a conversation? Who is After the interaction, avoid asking the I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER willing to give you feedback that you fidget generic question, “How did I do?” Instead, with INNOVATION-EDUCATION your pen when you talk? ask the person to describe precisely what you

BUSINESS LEADER 10

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EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE

said or did. For example, “What behavior did I display that conveyed confidence (or whichever area you are seeking feedback about)?” If the person responds with generalities such as, “You did well,” ask follow-up questions: “What specifically did I do that was good?” “What specifically could I do to sound and look more confident?” “What could I have said to make you take immediate action on my email?” Clarify Summarize to ensure you correctly heard the feedback you received. Assess the Experience After receiving feedback, consider: •H ow did the feedback differ from your perception of how you communicated? •W hat will you change as a result of the feedback? •H ow did you feel receiving this feedback? When the feedback you receive shifts from fake to meaningful, you will know that your efforts are starting to pay off. Comments such as “Nice job” or “You did well” will begin to fade. Instead, you will hear feedback that sounds like, “You have the ability to connect with and engage your listeners.” When you receive positive feedback, celebrate that success. It is an indication that your influence is expanding. I95 STACEY HANKE is the author of “Influence Redefined…Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday®.” As the founder of Stacey Hanke Inc., she has trained and presented to thousands, helping business leaders get rid of bad body language habits and to choose words wisely – from the financial industry to the health care industry to government and everyone in-between. Connect: [email protected]

noticeable impact within our organization, and I started to think there might be value for people outside of our company’s walls. This encouraged me to share the Friday Inspiration concept – both the emails and the feedback I received from my employees – with other CEOs who I believed shared similar values and would like the concept. I suggested they try something similar themselves and even encouraged them to copy my e-mails if it was easier. Several CEOs took me up on my offer and began sharing my emails with their companies. WhySPECIAL I Started FOCUS I gradually felt compelled to share these Within weeks, they started telling me that PHILANTHROPY positive and uplifting stories that I had they were receiving the same type of positive discovered with others. I came to the feedback from their employees that I’d ECO/ENVIRO realization that most of us begin our days received from mine. At this point, I started reactively and negatively, SPECIAL FOCUSwith crisis-driven to believe I was really onto something. Once news sites and television programs, or a again, I decided to take the critical step CARE: INNOVATION pile HEALTH of emails regarding the things that of just moving the idea forward, without happened overnight (which are never good). knowing having any idea (or expectations) HEALTH CARE: I-TECH After seeing the positive effects of beginning of what would it would become. I changed HEALTH CARE: my day with inspiring andINTEGRITY engaging content the name of the weekly email to Friday and stories, I thought I might ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS be able to Forward, and launched the new version to an expand group of people outside the create that same experience for others. ECO/ENVIRO: I decided to start byINNOVATION sending a weekly company. Today over 20,000 people and counting emailECO/ENVIRO: to the 30 people on my team at EXPERT OPINION Acceleration Partners. The email was are receiving Friday Forward emails across BUSINESS BOOKS originally called “Friday Inspiration,” and I the world from over 50 countries across six sent itINNOVATION: out each Friday morning to the whole continents. Each week, 20 to 30 people send AGRICULTURE me a note to tell me how the most recent company. AGRICULTURE MyIDEAS: goal was simply to encourage our Friday Forward message resonated with team INBOX to be inspired to achieve more, help them and they often share very personal them remove their self-limiting beliefs stories that show deep vulnerability with and motivate them to become better. My a stranger. Messages like that continue to BANKING leadership style is to help people build their inspire me. What I have come to realize is INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING capacity and improve their performance that this is the type of impact I want to have MANAGEMENT in a INSIGHT: way that benefits all aspects of their with the time I have left in this world. It’s lives, ECONOMIC rather than just focusing on their my legacy and something that will hopefully DEVELOPMENT work responsibilities. As they improve last beyond my lifetime. INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES in areas such as confidence, goal setting, time BUSINESS management DEVELOPMENT and self-awareness, they How to Inspire Your Own Team become better at everything they do and It doesn’t take much effort for CEOs or SPONSORED CONTENT people in leadership roles to have a positive higher performing all around. impact on their own people or those outside MILLENNIALS their organization. Here are a few ideas on The Positive Impact I Didn’t Anticipate ENTREPRENEURS I figured my Friday Inspiration emails would how to get started: HEALTH likelyI-TECH be skimmed and evenCARE ignored, but I Start Writing. The more you write, decided to keep sending send them ESTATE anyway. SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL To my surprise, employees immediately whether it’s for yourself or your I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER started writing back to me with positive organization, the more your thoughts INNOVATION-EDUCATION reactions, and many told me they looked become clear; this makes it easier to share forward to the messages each week. them with others. Even if you aren’t ready BUSINESS LEADER The weekly emails were having a to start a regular Friday Forward, your A few years ago I began the habit of getting INSIGHT: MARKETING up earlier and writing in my journal, taking the time to be reflective, appreciative and OPINION grateful. I went over my goals each morning and my values. I devoted time to reading ITINERARY stories and quotations that inspired me. Finding, ECOreading and journaling about these pieces of inspiration soon became an integral part of my morning routine, and IMPACT my ability to live my day more intentionally and CORRIDOR 83focused.

writing can have value for your team, especially if you are authentic and share your vulnerabilities. You would be surprised what can inspire people. Take Interest in People as Individuals. I’ve consistently found that when someone is struggling while at work, it’s often due to something happening outside of work. As a leader, you can help address the root cause of the problem rather than the symptom. Take the time to get to know the people working within your organization and understand their frustrations, hopes and dreams. This isn’t “fluff” or “soft” – it matters much more than you realize. It also drives performance. Show, Don’t Tell. People emulate what we do rather than what we say. Leaders need to lead by example, whether that is being open to feedback, taking a vacation, putting family first, being transparent, respecting the chain of command or following established protocols. Set the example for the behavior that you want your employees to show you and you will have to talk about it far less than you think. Communicate Vision and Values. A leader’s job is to set the vision for the organization and be constantly rallying employees around where the company is going and why that is important. It’s also essential to consistently reaffirm the company’s values and back that up with actions, rather than just words (See No. 3). This combination is what underlies a healthy company culture. It creates a foundation of trust and gets everyone on the same page about the organization’s direction and decision-making. I95 ROBERT GLAZER is the founder and managing director of Acceleration Partners, author of the best-selling book, “Performance Partnerships: The Checkered Past, Shifting Present, and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing” and sought-after keynote speaker. Connect: www.fridayfwd.com www.i95business.com

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INSIGHT: SALES INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

Take It to the Bank

SPOTLIGHT

WOMEN INFLUENCE YouOF Have an Idea. Are You Prepared to Take It to the Bank? INTEL: EXPERT OPINION BY WANDA SMITH

EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE MARKETING AfterINSIGHT: a successful run selling retail furniture, I decide that I needed a new challenge. It OPINION was the 1980s and my entrepreneurial spirit kicked back in. I loved cooking and serving ITINERARY people and thought it was a great idea to buy a restaurant. When I went to the bank to ECO inquire about getting a loan, they wanted to knowIMPACT what experience I had, was I qualified and did I have a business plan. While I had good credit, I didn’t have experience and 83 CORRIDOR didn’t even know how to write a business plan.SPECIAL Naturally, I FOCUS was considered a high risk. For many entrepreneurs, a small business loan PHILANTHROPY is an essential way to finance a new business or expand existing operations. ECO/ENVIRO However, obtaining funding for a business is no SPECIAL easy task. There are many barriers that FOCUS can prevent you from getting the financing HEALTH you might need.CARE: At this INNOVATION point, like many entrepreneurs, I have been to several banks HEALTH CARE: I-TECH requesting loans to support expansion and CARE:To INTEGRITY I amHEALTH always prepared. maximize your chance of success, there are three things to ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS remember when you take your idea to the bank.ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION

Once you’ve made it public you’re considering a loan for your business, you will be met with many opinions. From general naysayers to cautionary anecdotes, everyone has a story as to what might happen.

type of loan is best for your needs, but you shouldn’t enter this process without an understanding of the different financing options available. Your reasons for needing financing will dictate the type of smallbusiness loan you request. It’s very difficult to get a loan in your company’s first year. Lenders require cash flow to support repayment of the loan. In this case, you may need to rely on business credit cards, crowdfunding, personal loans or a microloan from a nonprofit lender. For companies with a year or more of history and revenue, you have more financing options, including SBA loans, term loans, business lines of credit ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION and invoice factoring. Do your research Create A Business Plan BUSINESS BOOKS Banks and lenders are usually cautious and ensure you can discuss each of these in to finance a new business because they depth. This will give your lender confidence INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE don’t have enough historical information that you’re making a calculated decision AGRICULTURE aboutIDEAS: your company. How do they know if about the financing of your business. your business will succeed? How can they INBOX Have Your Documentation Ready be sure that you’ll be a responsible owner The list of loan application reand BANKING decision maker? Having a thoughtout and thorough business plan is a great quirements will vary from lender to lender, way INSIGHT: to convince ACCOUNTING the lender that funding but there are common documents that your INSIGHT: startup is a MANAGEMENT smart investment. Your almost every lender will require. Things business plan should include your financial like bank statements, income statements, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT projections – future sales, profits, income, personal tax returns, resumes and financial HUMAN RESOURCES cash INSIGHT: flow and qualitative goals associated projections. Getting a small business with BUSINESS a timeline. Your plan should answer loan can be a time-consuming process. DEVELOPMENT questions such as: How will you make a Organizing your information can be SPONSORED unique and important CONTENT contribution to your difficult, but you’ll save a lot of time on your market? Where, and how MILLENNIALS quickly do you loan application if you get these documents expect your company to grow? You know ready before you apply. Entrepreneurs and businesses take that ENTREPRENEURS your business has what it takes to I-TECH HEALTH CARE You can out commercial bank loans for a variety succeed, but your lender doesn’t. enlighten them, and give them confidence of reasons. Loans can come from other SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE sources as well. Credit unions make loans in your ideas with a strong business plan. I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER to small businesses. Loans can be made using accounts receivable or inventory as Educate Yourself INNOVATION-EDUCATION Your lender will help you decide what collateral. Borrowing money is expensive

BUSINESS LEADER

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for a company and raises its risk. In addition to the risk of whatever enterprise you are undertaking, borrowing money introduces another level of risk to your company. Regardless, debt is one of the forms of financing small business operations. Once you’ve made it public you’re considering a loan for your business, you will be met with many opinions. From general naysayers to cautionary anecdotes, everyone has a story as to what might happen. While it’s true that not every reason is a good reason to go into debt, that doesn’t mean that good reasons don’t exist. Before borrowing money, however, it’s important to understand that you will be held accountable for repaying the loan, no matter what happens. Evaluate your position, make sure you’re exploring many options and make a deliberate and educated decision. Commercial loans aren’t right for every company, but for the right business, it can make all the difference. I95 WANDA SMITH is Founder, CEO and President of Symphony Placements. She founded two prior companies before launching Symphony Placements, one of the most successful and fastest growing woman owned flexible staffing firms in Maryland. Symphony Placements is a full service flexible staffing and human resource solutions company. Connect: www.SymphonyPlacements.com

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december 2017 13

INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES


INSIGHT: SALES

INSIGHT: MARKETING

INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP

OPINION

Winning In Social Media

Five Traits of a True Salesperson

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

ITINERARY

SPOTLIGHT Hiring the Right Talent and Getting the Best Results

ECO

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE BY JOHN ASHER

BY SANDRA RODENAS

IMPACT

INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE

In my Navy submarine career, I learned to sell. INSIGHT: MARKETING We’re all in sales of some sort every day of our lives. OPINION I realized that an essential component of leadership wasITINERARY selling your ideas and strategies to others. ECO

After I retired from the Navy and started my business career, I looked for ways to help IMPACT my engineering company grow with robust, repeatable sales processes. Finding none 83 CORRIDOR that worked in all sales cycles and with all SPECIAL FOCUS customers, I decided to develop my own. My “Five Factors for Sales Success” PHILANTHROPY system set our company on a course of growing at an average of 42 percent per year ECO/ENVIRO for 14 straight years. After that, I established AsherSPECIAL Strategies FOCUS to share my Sales Success system with other business people. Here CARE: INNOVATION they HEALTH are:

HEALTH CARE: I-TECH

My “Five Factors for Sales Success” system set our company on a course of growing at an average of 42 percent per year for 14 straight years.

Product Knowledge HEALTH CARE: INTEGRITY (must be learned) Selling Skills (must be learned) Elite ECO/ENVIRO: salespeople really do know what they’re IDEAS Skills rarely come naturally to anybody. talking about. Knowledge is power. And it ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION can be binary. If you have a lot of it and the But everybody in sales can benefit from otherECO/ENVIRO: four factors are EXPERT in alignment, you skills training. Over time I developed a OPINION have a chance to make a sale. But if you Top Ten Selling Skills seminar, and the BUSINESS BOOKS lack knowledge, you’ll almost never make staff and I have trained over 80,000 people the sale. Practical Application: Educate Your in 22 countries. These 10 (available for INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE free download at asherstrategies.com) Sales People IDEAS: AGRICULTURE are both a list of skills and a logical sales process. The important thing for business Sales Aptitude (part of our INBOX leaders to recognize is that sales skills are innate personality) BANKING Of the five factors, this alone accounts for not something to invest in when there’s 50 percent of salesACCOUNTING results. It’s based on our extra time and extra money, but essential INSIGHT: nature and doesn’t change much over time. to growth. No sales, no company. Practical SomeINSIGHT: 20 percent MANAGEMENT of us are well suited for Application: Train Your People to Sell sales,ECONOMIC 60 percent of us DEVELOPMENT can “stretch” our sales Self-Motivation (up to us) potential by learning emotional intelligence RESOURCES Some people have more grit than (EQ)INSIGHT: techniques, HUMAN and 20 percent of us others. We know this. It can come from should never be put in front of customers. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Business leaders need a tool to help them personality and/or circumstance. Great SPONSORED hire people well suitedCONTENT for the various sales business leaders and great salespeople share jobs and develop the potential of the entire this trait – they’re self-motivated. Successful MILLENNIALS workforce. Many personality assessment companies foster motivation by providing ENTREPRENEURS tools are readily available. We partner their people, especially their salespeople, HEALTH CAREin using with the right tools to get the job done. with I-TECH CraftMetrics International the SPECIAL Advanced Personality Questionnaire FOCUS: REAL ESTATE These include the latest mobile devices, apps (APQ). Practical Application: Hire the Right and technology. Practical Application: Give I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER Your People the Right Tools to Enable Success People and Place Them in the Right Positions

INNOVATION-EDUCATION BUSINESS LEADER

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What to Consider In 2018

Sales & Marketing Processes (provided by the company) Some companies have processes for everything but sales and marketing. The minimum necessary processes are branding, marketing, sales and account management. At the very least you have to generate name recognition, gain attention to your products, turn leads into sales and keep your customers happy and coming back. Practical Application: Build Effective Sales & Marketing Processes I’ve used these five factors to lead my company to sales success and helped thousands of other business leaders do the same. If you apply them I guarantee you’ll make a difference in your company’s growth and well being. I95 JOHN ASHER, is author of “Close Deals Faster,” is the CEO of Asher Strategies, a sales advisory consulting firm focused on improving sales for business-to-business companies. Asher is the No. 1 rated speaker on sales for Vistage, a worldwide network of CEOs. Connect: www.asherstrategies.com

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CORRIDOR 83 Social The Media landscape continues to shift and grow at an amazing pace. While SPECIAL FOCUS there is some debate about who first coined the term “social media,” it was first used PHILANTHROPY at some point in the mid to late 1990s. Yet for many marketers, considering a social ECO/ENVIRO media strategy as part of the comprehensive SPECIAL marketing plan FOCUS was not considered until muchHEALTH later. CARE: INNOVATION

Instagram Stories Since its launch, Instagram Stories, with an estimated 300 million active daily users, has soared past Snapchat and its estimated 166 million active daily users. eMarketer indicates that Instagram Stories advertising revenue will grow to $5 billion in 2018. Why allocate resources to Instagram Stories? Results. According to Instagram, “of the 300 million accounts using Instagram Stories, one-third of the most viewed stories Facebook HEALTH CARE: I-TECH The statistics are mind-boggling. Facebook come from businesses, and one in five stories HEALTH CARE: INTEGRITY users in the United States are expected to gets a direct message from its viewers.” If your business already has an Instagram growECO/ENVIRO: to over 207 millionIDEAS in 2018. In the second quarter of 2017, data shows that world- account, and you are not utilizing Instagram ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION wide over 2 billion users accessed the net- Stories, create a structured plan and EXPERT OPINION work.ECO/ENVIRO: The revenue numbers are even more implement. Carefully consider your goals impressive. Driven largely by advertisers in and create stories that promote your brand’s BUSINESS BOOKS third quarter 2017, the social network post- voice in a way that will resonate best with INNOVATION: ed revenue of over $10.33AGRICULTURE billion, exceeding your target audience. the expectations of $9.84 billion – representIDEAS: AGRICULTURE ing a year over year growth rate of 47 per- Augmented Reality cent. INBOX Recent reports reflect that Facebook is Augmented Reality marketing is projected facing challenges as the ads that can be to grow in 2018 and beyond. Now that BANKING Apple has entered the game with the AR shown in the newsfeed is reaching its limit. capabilities on phones with IOs 11, anyone INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING with an iPhone 6 or more recent can enjoy Messenger Ads INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT Facebook has expanded its advertising AR from their phone. Additionally, Google’s offerings with messenger and video ads. ARCore goal is to expand and become a core ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT This offering presents a huge opportunity to feature on Android phones over the course INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES advertisers. With an estimated 117.2 million of the next few years. AR offers brands the opportunity to BUSINESS Messenger users in DEVELOPMENT the U.S., Facebook offers an effective tool to reach your audience on present content in a compelling, interactive SPONSORED CONTENT and immersive format which significantly mobile devices. MILLENNIALS increases engagement. Some major brands have readily embraced AR. A recent Acura Video Ads ENTREPRENEURS The power of video! Video is unmatched campaign generated an audience of 500,000 I-TECH HEALTH CARE with motion, emotion, sight and sound. people that tuned in live to watch an hourSPECIAL You can leverage FOCUS: your videoREAL ads to ESTATE promote long race. The Denver Broncos launched videoI-TECH-CYPER views, brand awareness, reach a their own AR experience with the “Come to I-TECH-CYBER larger audience, foster engagement, lead Life” campaign and achieved their goal of INNOVATION-EDUCATION generation and more. With a smartphone engaging their fans in downloading an app. LEADER and aBUSINESS little ingenuity, you can produce an It’s clear that AR is changing the marketing effective social media video in minutes. (See landscape with energy and excitement. the URLs in this article for tips.) Live Streaming Live streaming is shaping the way we #CallToAction Consider these Facebook options and consume our news and events. NASA contemplate how you might leverage for provided a live stream experience for the your brand. With the limits in the newsfeed 2017 Solar Eclipse and estimated that they advertising, messenger and video promotion garnered 12.1 million unique views on its may be a sound consideration for your paid live eclipse page during the event, and a total of 90 million page views on its main Facebook promotion in 2018.

website and special eclipse subsite. In the United States, there are nearly 221 million digital video viewers. Research and Markets forecast that the global streaming market will grow from $30.29 billion in 2016 to $70.05 billion by 2021. 2018 Social Media Planning Begin the process by outlining your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These might be to increase Instagram followers, Facebook followers, improve engagement metrics or increase social shares. Be specific in your goals and identify how you are going to measure. Develop a specific strategy for each platform to achieve optimal results. Detail your strategy into two segments – organic and paid. Determine budget allocation for resources such as creative, time invested and advertising expenditures. Commit your plan to paper and develop an editorial calendar. Implement your plan with consistency and measure results frequently. Lastly, research, research, research. Stay abreast of the ever-evolving trends and adjust your plan accordingly. Resources: Facebook Messenger Ads www.facebook.com/business/products/ messenger-for-business www.digitalmarketer.com/how-to-use-facebookmessenger-ads/ Facebook Video Ads: www.facebook.com/business/m/ facebook-video-ads Augmented Reality www.facebook.com/Acura/ videos/10155480875982410/ www.denverbroncos.com/cometolife SANDRA RODENAS is a marketing professional with over 26 years industry experience. Her education includes both an undergraduate (UNF) and an MBA (WU) in marketing (graduating with honors in both). She is owner of Your Own Marketing offering customized marketing services for businesses in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. Connect: [email protected] www.i95business.com

december 2017 15

ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION BUSINESS BOOKS


INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE


around and demoralizing others. From here,IDEAS: either they are brought back to the AGRICULTURE second stage, which is being motivated and INBOX effective, or they automatically move into the fourth stage, which is BANKING demotivated and ineffective.

BUSINESS BOOKS

IDEAS: AGRICULTURE INBOX

BANKING

INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING

INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING

Demotivated Ineffective INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT

INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPONSORED CONTENT MILLENNIALS ENTREPRENEURS I-TECH HEALTH CARE SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE I-TECH-CYPER I-TECH-CYBER INNOVATION-EDUCATION BUSINESS LEADER

Motivational speaker and CEO Shiv Khera has launched – for the first time in the United States – his international bestseller, “You Can Win: A Step-byStep Tool for Top Achievers.” With over 3.5 million copies sold globally and available in 21 languages, “You Can Win” offers an easy-to-read, practical guide – using ancient wisdom to modern-day thinking – to help you establish new goals, develop a new sense of purpose, and generate new ideas about yourself and your future as a leader. It guarantees, as the title suggests, a lifetime of winning and enables you to translate positive thinking into attitude, ambition and action to turn you into a top achiever.

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The Four Stages from Motivation to Demotivation

How Top Leaders Keep Their Employees Engaged BY SHIV KHERA

When people start a job, they often move through stages of motivation and competence. Motivated Ineffective When is an employee most motivated in the cycle of employment? When he joins an organization. Why? Because he wants to prove that by hiring him, the employer made the right decision. He is motivated but ineffective. Why? Because he does not know what to do. This is the stage when the employee is most open minded, receptive and easy to mold to the culture of the organization. Training and orientation become imperative. Unprofessional organizations either have none or very poor orientation programs. The first day at the job, the supervisor shows the new employee his place of work and tells him what to do and leaves. He teaches all the bad along with the good that he is doing. The new employee quickly learns all the mistakes the supervisor is making because that is what he has been taught. By not having a good induction/orientation program, the organization loses the onetime opportunity to mold the individual to be effective in a positive manner. Professional organizations on the other hand, take special care to induct people into their organizations. They explain to them, among other things, the following: • Their values and vision • Expectations of each other • Parameters and guidelines • The resources • The hierarchy • Do’s and don’ts • What is acceptable and what is not

How can one expect performance unless expectations are made clear up front? If induction and orientation are done well, many potential problems would not surface at all. Motivated Effective This is the stage when the employee has learned what to do and does it with drive and energy. He has learned the trade and it reflects in his performance. Then he moves on to the next stage. Demotivated Effective After some time the motivation level starts going down and the employee learns the tricks of the trade. This is the stage when the employee is not really motivated but continues doing just enough so that the employer has no reason to fire him. This stage is detrimental to growth – most people in organizations fall into this third stage. His performance is marginal. He makes fun of the good performers. He is not receptive to new ideas and resists change. Our objective is to bring him back to the second stage of being motivated effective through some good training and/or incentive programs. An employee ought not to stay in the third stage too long. Why? Because they’re insiders. They start sabotaging the company. It is not uncommon that many organizations get destroyed because of sabotage from inside rather than competition from outside. They start spreading the negativity all

At this stage, the employer does not DEVELOPMENT haveECONOMIC much choice but to fire the employee, which may be theHUMAN most appropriate thing to INSIGHT: RESOURCES do anyway. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Remember, employers want the same thing as employees do.CONTENT They want to succeed SPONSORED and improve business and if employees help MILLENNIALS in this objective, then they make themselves ENTREPRENEURS valuable and grow.

Example: one of my clients did not have a cafeteria at his facility. Everybody kept complaining and felt demotivated because of that reason. My client organized to put one in place to overcome the reason for demotivation. Interestingly, the motivation or demotivation level didn’t change. What does it show? Not having one was demotivating, but having one didn’t motivate the people either.

The Repetitive Nature Of Work It is a common belief that the repetitive nature of work is demotivating. Is it really so? I don’t think so. What brings demotivation is not the repetitive nature of work but a feeling of being under-utilized and lack of challenge. Example: a mother cooks meals I-TECH HEALTH CARE for her family for 50-60 years and is still Demotivating Factors FOCUS: REALTwo ESTATE WhySPECIAL do people get demotivated? major motivated to cook and feed the family with reasons: Negative thinking or negative envi- the same enthusiasm. Why? Because she I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER ronment. Negative thinking could relate to never feels under-utilized, and she always INNOVATION-EDUCATION the individual whereas a negative environ- wants to outperform herself and make a LEADER mentBUSINESS can be further divided into two: either more delicious meal for her family. In fact physical or emotional. Example: physical every time she cooks, she is motivated. A person who has no aspiration and is could be, phone does not work, computers don’t work, nothing works, how do I work? contented with status quo may not really be Emotional could be people-related matters. a motivated person. Such satisfaction may lead to complaSome of the other demotivating factors are: • Lack of training cence. Motivation brings excitement and • Unfair/negative/public criticism excitement does not come unless there is • Rewarding the non-performers (which commitment. Whenever we think of motivation, what can be demotivating for is the first thing that comes to mind? Give the performers) them money. They will get motivated. At • Failure or fear of failure least for some time they will get motivated. • Playing favorites/nepotism But, so long as you have demotivating • Success (which leads to complacence) factors present in your organization, you • Lack of measurable objectives can give all the money you want, and they • Lack of appreciation or will take it, too. They’ll never refuse your feeling of belonging money, but even after taking your money, • Too much or too little work they will still be demotivated. Hence, many • Low self-esteem a times, the greatest motivator is to remove • Lack of priorities the demotivating factors. • Negative self-talk • Hostile environment • Office politics/unfair treatment Motivators • Poor standards/lack of What we really want to accomplish is self quality consciousness motivation. When people do things for their • Too much change too fast own reasons and not yours, that becomes • Responsibility without authority lasting motivation. • Too much job security/insecurity Remember the greatest motivator is • Hypocritical or incompetent belief. We have to inculcate in ourselves supervisor the belief that we are responsible for our actions and behavior. When people accept • Lack of clarity of roles and goals • Lack of challenge or a feeling responsibility, everything improves: quality, of being under utilized productivity, relationships and teamwork. The above is only a partial list. There are A few steps to inspire others to motivate some factors that are such that not having themselves are: • Give recognition them could be demotivating, but having them may not necessarily be motivating. • Give respect

• Make work interesting • Be a good listener • Encourage goal setting • Provide training growth • Throw a challenge •H elp, but don’t do for others what they should do for themselves People do things for their own reasons, not yours. This is illustrated by a story about Ralph Waldo Emerson. He and his son were once struggling to get a calf into the barn. Both father and son were exhausted, pulling and pushing. A little girl was passing by. She put her little finger into the calf’s mouth, allowing it to suck, and the calf lovingly followed her to the barn. I95 SHIV KHERA is the founder of Qualified Learning Systems USA. An author, educator, business consultant, successful entrepreneur and sought-after speaker, he inspires and encourages individuals to realize their true potential. He is the author of 16 books including the international best-seller, “You Can Win,” which has sold over 3.5 million copies in 21 languages. Connect: www.shivkhera.com

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december 2017 17

INNOVATION INFLUENCER


INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY

Carving Out a Niche in Meal Kit Industry IMAGINATION

IDEAS

IDEAS

CEO Michael McDevitt, Terra’s Kitchen

HEALTH CARE BY INSIDE

our success is that, early on, we started talking to our customers. We keep a very INTERSECTION tight and close relationship with our INSPIRATION growing customer base.” I-TECH

E L I Z A B E T H L E V Y M A L I S | P H OTO S B Y J O H N D E A N

INSIDE

INTERSECTION INSPIRATION I-TECH DEPARTMENTS

Michael McDevitt, CEO, Terra’s Kitchen

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE

FEATURE

SPECIAL SECTION

SPECIAL SECTION

IN DEFENSE

IN DEFENSE

WOMEN IN DEFENSE

WOMEN IN DEFENSE

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

INSIGHT

INSIGHT

IN BUSINESS

IN BUSINESS

ON BUSINESS

ON BUSINESS

INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM

INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM

SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

EXPERT OPINION

EXPERT OPINION

ISSUES & ANSWERS

ISSUES & ANSWERS

MANAGEMENT STYLE

MANAGEMENT STYLE



INSIGHT: SALES

INSIGHT: SALES

INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP

INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE INSIGHT: MARKETING OPINION Michael McDevitt admits his career path ITINERARY gives few clues that he would end up launching ECO a farm-fresh, eco-friendly meal kit delivery startup called Terra’s Kitchen. He’s not a chef. He’s not a farmer. He IMPACT doesn’t even have anyone is his family 83 CORRIDOR named Terra. (The company name comes from the Latin word for “earth.”) YetSPECIAL McDevitt’sFOCUS background hints at an affinity for media, marketing, technology PHILANTHROPY and money matters that serves him well in hisECO/ENVIRO e-commerce startup that reportedly 18

IMAGINATION “The best thing we did that drove a lot of HEALTH CARE

earned $20 million in revenue its first year of operation. Raised in Virginia, McDevitt studied finance and technology at James Madison University. New York based-The Blackstone Group employed him as a financial analyst. For more than a decade, he worked at Owings Mills-based Medifast Inc., ultimately serving as its CEO. In 2013, he launched his first startup, a Washington, D.C.-based service business called Tandem Legal Group. In 2015, he lined up Terra’s

Kitchen to launch, first on the West Coast, with a national roll out in March 2016. Still, why meal kits? “I built the business, really, for a customer base of one. I tried all the competitors. I liked them, but I didn’t love them,” says McDevitt. “I wanted something more convenient. I sought out a way to see how cook time could be more significantly reduced than the competition. I had something I wanted, desired, needed – and built a business around it.”

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE Based on growth of Terra’s Kitchen, storytelling. He recounts the story of how McDevitt is not the only one who wants the day he learned that he and his wife INTEL: EXPERT OPINION healthy, convenient meal kits. Although he would become first-time parents is the same EXPERT OPINION: doesn’t reveal exact numbers,REAL “well ESTATE over a day the idea for Terra’s Kitchen was born. half-million customers have come to our “I wanted to find a way to have the type INSIGHT: MARKETING site and shop our products,” says McDevitt. of family dinners like I grew up having. “ForOPINION any given month, there’s north of Dinner time builds families. It helps them reconnect. “There’s a feeling of community 20,000.” around the table, which I think is much Part of the draw comes from the fact ITINERARY that Terra’s Kitchen ships only precut needed in society. But people are busy. We ingredients, ECO which allows average cook times need something to help get us around the to be less than 25 minutes. Additionally, table on a more regular basis. Terra’s Kitchen this IMPACT company delivers a climate-controlled, is designed to do that. It’s a convenient and reusable, shipping vessel (sort of a mini- healthy way to get back around the dinner 83 CORRIDOR fridge) that gets picked up at your door once table,” he says. “Convenience and health are the main you empty it. It can be reused more than SPECIAL FOCUS 100 times, says the company. “There is less drivers behind starting this business,” says [packaging] waste to help create a better McDevitt. But he knows it takes more than PHILANTHROPY that to stand out within a growing $1.5 earth,” says McDevitt. ByECO/ENVIRO his own admission, McDevitt enjoys billion industry.

SPECIAL FOCUS

SPECIAL FOCUS

HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION


december 2017

www.i95business.com

To reduce waste, Terra’s Kitchen uses a reusable shipping vessel that the company picks back up after use. Photo by Terra’s Kitchen

“I have a very clear vision of what this company will become. I am told, by others, I have a powerful way of messaging that vision so that everybody can see it. I do enjoy talking so that everybody can relate. I try to find that North Star that everybody can hang their actions on,” says McDevitt. In hindsight, “the best thing we did that drove a lot of our success is that, early on, we started talking to our customers. We keep a very tight and close relationship with our growing customer base. You really have to stay in tune with your customer – especially in a business growing as fast as ours,” he says. “We allowed the customers to help shape our decision processes vs. trying to guess what they wanted. We spent a lot of time learning who our exact customer is. Finding the way to meet your customers exactly www.i95business.com

december 2017 19



INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY

IDEAS

IDEAS

Terra’s Kitchen employs IMAGINATION 22 people from its Baltimore headquarters. HEALTH CARE


INSIDE

INSIDE

INTERSECTION where they want to be met is extremely important for all INSPIRATION companies,” he says. I-TECH cites Amazon McDevitt as aDEPARTMENTS source of inspiration. “It’s done a wonderful job FEATURE setting the new standard for e-commerce. We look to SPECIAL SECTION ensure that we are IN DEFENSE meeting, if not exceeding, the Amazon WOMEN IN DEFENSE standard,” he says. Sometimes it’s not easy. WOMEN IN BUSINESS In business, “nothing is everINSIGHT going to go exactly how you think it is going to go,” IN BUSINESS he admits. “Having a team thatON is trusting of each other BUSINESS can help you get through INSIGHT: people. I was lucky enough and am honored challenges. WhatHEALTH are thoseCARE REFORM to have the team that came to join me at challenges? No one really knows out of the SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT gate what they are, but rest assured they will Terra’s Kitchen to be the team that I had EXPERT OPINION worked with for years prior [at Medifast]. always be there.” McDevitt stresses “business is about People get so infatuated and hooked on ISSUES & ANSWERS

MANAGEMENT STYLE INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES INSIGHT: SALES INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT WOMEN OF INFLUENCE INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE INSIGHT: MARKETING OPINION ITINERARY ECO IMPACT

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Terra’s Kitchen sources food fromWOMEN farms across country. INthe DEFENSE

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

the product and the idea of what you are selling. But from my perspective, the team you are able to put together to execute your business is one of the most valuable assets your business can ever have.” Although much of his team has worked together for years, new blood enters the mix, too. Take, for example, Libbie Summers, creative culinary director for Terra’s Kitchen. She sheds some light on McDevitt’s business acumen. “The only reason I am involved with Terra’s Kitchen is Mike [McDevitt]. He has a passion for the company and the reason behind it. It’s palpable. It rubes off on you. He drives that passion through everything we do,” says Summers, three-time cookbook author, culinary TV producer and creator of the lifestyle brand known as A FoodInspired Life. “He has taught me so much on the business side,” she says. “He’s very focused. When you are in front of him, he’s all in. He’s inquisitive. He’s a great listener. He stays up on trends. He’s taught me to be a better leader. We’ve all gone through various leadership seminars. He’s about becoming the best team member you can be.” Approximately 22 employees work for Terra’s Kitchen at the corporate office in Baltimore. The company’s food comes from farms across the country. The packaging and shipping happens in New Jersey and California. Its recipes source from a culinary team that listens to feedback from consumers.

TwoINSIGHT new recipes come out every week with approximately 70 meals offered online at BUSINESS anyIN given time, says McDevitt. Keeping abreast of food trends, Terra’s Kitchen ON BUSINESS just launched a line for those who want a INSIGHT: ketogenic diet. HEALTH CARE REFORM But variety remains ECONOMIC key. McDevitt,DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FOCUS: who orders Terra’s Kitchen for himself, “cooks two dinners and one lunch from EXPERT OPINION the meal kits. Also, we order lots of addISSUES & ANSWERS ons like suja juices, grab-and-go salads and yogurt parfaits. We utilizeSTYLE it more like your MANAGEMENT e-commerce grocery in addition to just the Insuring businesses for 175 years. INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES meal kits,” he says. Currently, wife, expecting their INSIGHT:hisSALES The Mutual Fire Insurance Company in Harford County was founded in 1842 second child, prefers Terra’s Kitchen’s INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP to protect the citizens and businesses in the small rural town of Bel Air outside vegetarian offerings. His two-year-old son Baltimore, Maryland. As a mutual company, we’ve always put our policyholders likesBUSINESS the chickenTECHNOLOGY tacos with avocado and first, working with our independent agents to grow responsibly and cautiously. goat cheese. McDevitt enjoys slow-cooker SPOTLIGHT Now a large regional carrier serving seven states and Washington, DC, we are meals, especially in the winter season. celebrating 175 years of always being Committed to Mutual Success. “There are so many food companies out WOMEN OF INFLUENCE there now. It’s great to see this generation INTEL: EXPERT OPINION having a different level of appreciation for HarfordMutual.com | 800.638.3669 food, health and wellness. So, we are kind EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE of riding the wave of a new love of food and a new love of finding brands that people INSIGHT: MARKETING really have a connection to,” says McDevitt, whoOPINION likes to hit the gym for exercise and some meditation before coming into the ITINERARY office. “Terra’s Kitchen is a very authentic ECOfor me because it uses everything business that I love – health, wellness, marketing andIMPACT technology – and puts it under one umbrella to help connect people back 83 CORRIDOR around the dinner table,” he says. “Terra’s • Consultative Approach to Your Hiring Needs Eric Rebbert, Owner Kitchen is as authentic SPECIAL FOCUS of a business, a • Permanent Placement product, a model that I could ever design • Evaluation Hires PHILANTHROPY for myself.” I95

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• Contract & Temporary Staffing

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INTEGRITY

A Cool Start-Up That’s On Fire IDEAS

Medical Device Company CoolTech Brings Down Fevers

IMAGINATION B Y E M ICARE LY PA R K S HEALTH

INSIDE A medical device start-up company in Federal Hill in Baltimore is making INTERSECTION progress in receiving approval from the FoodINSPIRATION and Drug Administration (FDA) in the development I-TECH of their body temperaturecooling technology. DEPARTMENTS CoolTech LLC is the company behind FEATURE the medical device, CoolStat, which works to cool the body SECTION through a process known SPECIAL as evaporative cooling. Warm, dry air is IN DEFENSE pumped through a patient’s nasal passages, WOMEN in the nose andIN outDEFENSE of the mouth, while small, controlled spritzes of saline water are WOMEN INthe BUSINESS delivered through device into the nose. The INSIGHT warm air passing over the moistened nasal passages works to cool the body as IN BUSINESS the saline water evaporates, lowering the body temperature and bringing down fever. ON BUSINESS “The idea is to ‘trick’ the body to cool itself CARE REFORM usingINSIGHT: nothing butHEALTH warm dry air,” explains CoolTech CEO Brian Lipford. SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Development for CoolStat came about in 2012, throughOPINION Lipford’s work with Key EXPERT Tech, a medical device development firm ISSUES & ANSWERS in Baltimore, when he met Harikrishna Tandri, M.B.B.S., M.D., co-director of MANAGEMENT STYLE the Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES Dysplasia (ARVD) Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital.SALES Dr. Tandri, a cardiologist INSIGHT: with research interest in cooling patients INSIGHT: quickly followingLEADERSHIP cardiac arrest, had developed the idea TECHNOLOGY of using dry air to induce BUSINESS evaporative cooling, and was interested SPOTLIGHT in getting his idea from early concept to commercialization. In early 2012, he and WOMEN OF INFLUENCE Lipford launched CoolTech LLC to make that happen. INTEL: EXPERT OPINION A major benefit of the CoolStat device to other cooling mechanisms that require EXPERT OPINION:“The REAL is that it is non-invasive. factESTATE that more invasive techniques, such as a using a it is INSIGHT: non-invasiveMARKETING makes it very easy to catheter.” Bringing a fever down can also greatly apply, and since it acts using your body’s own OPINION mechanism to take energy out of increase survival outcomes, says Lipford. your system with a process that uses no “The medical community has found that ITINERARY chemicals, it means less damage to tissue,” fever is very bad, even relatively low fevers, says Dr. Tandri. “There is also a smaller especially in the intensive care unit,” he ECO risk of infection for the patient compared explains. “Researchers found that outcomes

and overall health of the patients coming through the ICU significantly improves if they actively manage fever.” In addition, if a patient has a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital, their chances of survival are less than 10 percent. But if the patient is cooled immediately after the event, their chances of survival can improve by a factor of two to three.

IMPACT

83 CORRIDOR “Researchers found that outcomes and overall health of the patients coming SPECIALthrough FOCUS the ICU significantly improves if they actively manage fever.” PHILANTHROPY 22

William DeMore, a mechanical engineer applied for and received $90,000 to augment INTEGRITY working on the medical device for Key Tech, the cost of some human trials, scheduled to IDEAS notes an added benefit to the device in that start later this year. IMAGINATION Launched in 2007, the Maryland Bio it is less likely to cause shivering in a patient. Tax Credit Program, as it is commonly “When temperature sensors on the outer HEALTH CARE surface of your skin get too cold, you start known, provides tax credit to encourage INSIDE to shiver, which stops us from being able to private investment in qualified Maryland coolINTERSECTION you” says DeMore. “By cooling only on biotechnology companies. Funding is the inside the body with the dry air flow, we distributed in the form of a refundable tax don’tINSPIRATION see these skin sensors being triggered, credit equal to 50 percent of an investment so weI-TECH can keep the shivering response from to eligible investors. While the recipient companies must be based in Maryland, happening.” DEPARTMENTS Dr. Tandri agrees. “It appears that investors from outside the state and around whenFEATURE you use the CoolStat nasal system of the world are eligible and encouraged to cooling, you don’tSECTION encounter the undesirable participate. SPECIAL “Through an application with the state, response of shivering,” he explains. “It IN DEFENSE negates the whole process when you have to I have to first prove that I meet certain WOMENtoIN use medicines stopDEFENSE the shivering response criteria to be considered a ‘Qualified Maryland Biotechnology Company.’ Once in the patient.” WOMEN Lipford notesIN theBUSINESS road hasn’t been easy I am qualified, I can come to you as an regarding development of CoolStat, citing investor and say, ‘If you invest $100,000 in INSIGHT initial struggles with obtaining funding. my company, you will get $50,000 back from IN BUSINESS CoolStat applied for and received a little the State of Maryland’ – it’s not a deduction, over $4 million from the NIH, Heart Lung but a credit on your taxes,” Lipford explains. ON BUSINESS and Blood Institute to look at cooling “Investing in medical devices is risky INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE post-cardiac arrest. Once they had REFORM early and investors know that. This tax credit prototypes, they were able to complete program helps make it easier for investors SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT pre-clinical testing in pigs, as well as early (to take that risk.)” CoolStat is one product with multiple feasibility testing in humans. “The sum of EXPERT OPINION this work allowed us to go out to a Series indications. Future plans include launching ISSUES & ANSWERS A round from angel investors and get a fever study clinical trial at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and another at additional funding,” notesSTYLE Lipford. MANAGEMENT Between the design tasks, proving safety, Virginia Commonwealth University, which INSIGHT: HUMAN building prototypes, formalRESOURCES FDA design will study the effect of cooling the body controls, and testing in animals and then on ambulatory patients who have a cardiac INSIGHT: SALES humans, he stresses that new medical device arrest outside the hospital. Approvals from INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP companies must be in it for the long haul. the FDA will generate two Investigational “People need to realize that introducing a Device Exemptions or IDEs, one for each BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY new medical device or tool is a multi-million study. An IDE allows an investigational SPOTLIGHT dollar, multi-year project,” he says. “This is device such as CoolStat to be used in a a long, torturous path that is very expensive; clinical study in order to collect safety WOMEN OF INFLUENCE and effectiveness data. In addition, the if you’re not up for that, don’t even start.” Lipford two programs through Department of Defense (DoD) has funded INTEL:notes EXPERT OPINION the State of Maryland that were helpful early studies to see if the device can be EXPERTtoOPINION: REALfunding ESTATEused in a combat setting for traumatic for CoolStat secure additional wereINSIGHT: the Maryland Industrial Partnerships brain injury, to help soldiers survive these MARKETING Program (MIPS) and the Maryland Bio serious events. Lipford explains, “Research Tax OPINION Credit Program, formally known as shows that if you cool them soon after the the Maryland Biotechnology Investment trauma, it can improve the likelihood that ITINERARY they will recover and survive.” He adds, “Its Incentive Tax Credit. The Maryland Industrial Partnerships ambulatory use would be beneficial since it’s ECO (MIPS) provides funds to lightweight and easy to install.” Currently, Program encourage partnerships between Maryland testing is underway at Hopkins in one of IMPACT companies and research at Maryland their pig labs to test out the device over universities. MIPS provides matching varying lengths of use and duration. 83 CORRIDOR CoolStat submitted their second round funds to help Maryland companies, such as CoolTech, pay for university research. The follow-up application to the FDA in late SPECIAL FOCUS technology for CoolStat is currently licensed October, after a lengthy initial review. As out of Johns Hopkins. Lipford says that they the FDA issues a ruling within 30 days of PHILANTHROPY

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receiving the application, Lipford hopes to obtain an approved IDE soon. “We’re really looking forward to getting CoolStat into more clinical trials and collecting data,” says Lipford. “We’re excited to see how CoolStat can improve survival outcomes regarding cardiac arrest and fever.” I95

Opposite: CoolTech’s body cooling device. Below: CoolTech CEO Brian Lipford

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december 2017 23

INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY

IDEAS

IDEAS IMAGINATION

The Transformation of Food into Gold

INSIDE

Alchemy Elements

INTERSECTION BY LINDA INSPIRATION

L. ESTERSON

I-TECH DEPARTMENTS FEATURE SPECIAL SECTION IN DEFENSE WOMEN IN DEFENSE WOMEN IN BUSINESS INSIGHT IN BUSINESS ON BUSINESS INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXPERT OPINION ISSUES & ANSWERS MANAGEMENT STYLE INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES INSIGHT: SALES INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT WOMEN OF INFLUENCE INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE INSIGHT: MARKETING OPINION ITINERARY ECO IMPACT

83 CORRIDOR SPECIAL FOCUS PHILANTHROPY ECO/ENVIRO Top: Alchemy Elements’ inviting bar. Above, left to right: Some of the restaurant’s culinary options, including sea bass, SPECIAL FOCUS pork and an avocado salad. Opposite: Debi and Michael Matassa, owners of Alchemy Elements.

HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION 24

Michael Matassa and Debi Bell-Matassa accents, and a bar with custom-made onyx CARE cuisine at Alchemy panels with Brazilian stone and wide and call HEALTH their scratch-made Elements cross-cultural and multi-cultural leather bar stools provides the casual but INSIDE eclectic feel that enables customers in khaki but also local. INTERSECTION “We manipulate raw products and put shorts and a t-shirt feel comfortable seated magic on the plate,” Bell-Matassa says, in near a couple on a specialty date clothed in a INSPIRATION reference to traditional alchemy science that party dress and suit. I-TECH Locals know Alchemy Elements is also mysteriously transforms base metals into the place to go for nightly specialty fare. gold.DEPARTMENTS “We take raw, fresh ingredients and Tuesdays’ BBB (Burger Bourbon and Beer) FEATURE for just $15 and Thursdays’ TMT (Tacos create gold on the plate,” Matassa adds. SPECIAL SECTION Together, they make “magic” and the Margarita and Tamale) also at $15 provide results exciting both to the eyes and the a chance to taste their creativity for a INare DEFENSE palate. Menus selections like crab cakes with great price. Saturday and Sundays offer WOMEN IN DEFENSE a “twist,” a harvest grain mustard crème, a bottomless mimosa and Bloody Mary steakWOMEN alchemy IN in aBUSINESS Dijon Worcestershire opportunity during brunch, offered both brandy cream sauce, or a half rack of lamb days to accommodate the schedules of in INSIGHT mustard herb crust highlight their busy patrons. The brunch features a special offerings. The pair amends the menu every menu made to order with crepes, omelets, IN BUSINESS waffles and more. There’s also live music on three months to add seasonal touches. ONMatassas BUSINESS The prefer to describe their Wednesdays and a Progressive Happy Hour use of ingredients as locally sourced, a nod with tiered food pricing from 3:30-6:30 INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM to top American chef Thomas Keller. Sure, weekdays. Alchemy Elements secured a catering theySPECIAL prefer including locally grown produceDEVELOPMENT FOCUS: ECONOMIC from their partnered local farms. Some even license last spring, and with a customizable OPINION growEXPERT specific vegetables for the restaurant menu, they can fulfill any taste requirements like ISSUES lettuce raised hydroponically year- for all special events. There’s also the & ANSWERS round. They stock up on summer vegetables Tailgate Takeover, which provides three STYLE like MANAGEMENT Maryland corn, freezing a supply of “downs” or options of appetizers and salads up to 15 bushels a summer for use during from chicken ribbons to chopped salad to INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES the non-harvesting seasons so that they sliders to crab dip, at $100 for 10 guests. SALES The pairing of the husband and wife can INSIGHT: roast fresh corn all year. They peel and freeze locally grown tomatoes for use in ownership team dates back to 1990 when INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP both worked at Barry & Elliott’s in the Hyatt stocks and recipes. BUSINESS “We buy localTECHNOLOGY ingredients when they Regency Baltimore. He, a sous chef, and she, are SPOTLIGHT locally in season,” says Bell-Matassa. a part-time manager and server, found love “Every place in the world has its own season over polenta. Both Harford County natives, they … Sometimes I want the biggest, fattest, WOMEN OF INFLUENCE longed to open their own restaurant, which juiciest berry I can get.” INTEL: EXPERT OPINION Logistics have changed today’s food came in the form of the popular Fusion service dynamic, Matassa remarks. EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATEGrille in Fallston in 1998. After 9-11 and “Grocery stores stock things you never the subsequent fall of the economy, Bellsaw INSIGHT: before,” saysMARKETING Matassa, who sports the Matassa fought breast cancer. As they also words Alchemy and Chef on his tattooed endured a 30-percent drop in sales, they sold OPINION arms. “And, they can transport things faster the restaurant to concentrate on her health. thanITINERARY ever. You can buy from around the While Matassa filled a corporate sales country, all over the world, and (it is) fresh.” position with Sysco, his experience helped That means they may get crabmeat from clients with creating menus, training staff ECO Virginia, oysters from Hollywood, Md., and and negotiating food costs. After beating other ingredients from other states. It keeps cancer, Bell-Matassa also returned to the IMPACT their menu fresh, a necessity as everything corporate sector. They took the plunge again and opened from ice cream to vinaigrette dressings are 83 CORRIDOR Alchemy, on 36th Street in Baltimore in made in house. SPECIAL FOCUS The couple also worked hard to create the 2010. They tackled many obstacles – minute perfect atmosphere at Alchemy Elements. kitchen, challenging layout and parking PHILANTHROPY Their “cool and eclectic vibe” is reminiscent difficulties just a few – and operated the of a trendy New York or Washington, D.C. 68-seat eatery with a four-seat bar upstairs ECO/ENVIRO haunt, yet it is located in the comfort of successfully on The Avenue in Hampden for Harford County,FOCUS in the Bel Air Town Center, six years. SPECIAL Wanting a more local place to call their 528 Baltimore Pike. Classic wood furniture HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION accented with hand pounded custom copper own, they opened Alchemy Elements in

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AMY JONES AMYJPHOTO.COM


December 2015, to a packed house of friends and followers, schoolmates from long ago and family. They attribute the March closing of the Baltimore restaurant to the economy and the location’s logistical challenges. Today, in addition to their hometown restaurant and craft bar, the pair also operates Fork and Knife Consulting, helping other restaurateurs manage such challenges as labor costs, networking, financing, food costs and retirement planning. Sharing their knowledge while helping others is rewarding, according to Bell-Matassa. “Michael is an amazing chef – he runs a tight ship – and I’ve got the cleanest kitchen around,” she says. “It’s neat to show other people how to keep things clean, keep products rotated, and give advice on wine lists, service points, and HR.” Working together all day, “crushing” crazy, long hours is tough, but separating work life and home life keeps their marriage fresh and successful, Bell-Matassa explains. “You can’t go home and talk about what happened all day because your partner is on the pillow next to you,” she says. “When we walk in the door at home, we’re a couple. Nobody has my back like this man, no one cares more about my health and my life like this man, and there’s nobody I would respect or trust more than him.” When they’re not at the restaurant, they are reading industry magazines and cookbooks about new trends in barkeeping or new fish and how to prepare it. They spend time with their three-yearold granddaughter, who is “Poppy’s girl,” according Bell-Matassa, who says there’s nothing like seeing a “hard line chef in the kitchen turn to melted butter when that little girl is around.” I95

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SPECIAL FOCUS

SPECIAL FOCUS

PHILANTHROPY

PHILANTHROPY

ECO/ENVIRO

ECO/ENVIRO

HEALTH CARE: I-TECH

Celebrating SPECIAL FOCUS its 100th year in business in Harford County,CARE: Jones Junction occupies a 45-acre campus at HEALTH INNOVATION corner of Harford and Bel Air Roads. HEALTHthe CARE: I-TECH



Jones for a Cause

SPECIAL FOCUS

HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION Supporting the Community that Supports Business BY LISA BALDINO

ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION BUSINESS BOOKS INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE IDEAS: AGRICULTURE INBOX BANKING INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPONSORED CONTENT MILLENNIALS ENTREPRENEURS I-TECH HEALTH CARE SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE I-TECH-CYPER I-TECH-CYBER INNOVATION-EDUCATION BUSINESS LEADER

Philanthropist of the Year ceremony in April. Back row left to right: Bryan Kilby, owner, Marybeth Perry, director/internal audits, Larry Jones, owner, Beverly Jones (sister of Danny and Larry Jones) and Tamara Zavislan, AFP President. Front row: Janie Kilby, wife of Bryan Kilby, Debra McCollum, CFO, Catherine Jones (mother of Danny, Larry and Beverly) and Mary Chance, community liaison. Photo courtesy of AFP Maryland and photographer Mitch Lebovic

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“When a company does business in a community, it is absolutely the company’s obligation to support the organizations within that community,” says Mary Chance, who is just finishing her third year as community liaison at Jones Junction in Bel Air. Chance notes that her involvement in selecting the non-profits and charitable organizations the company supports has provided a level of focus and depth to the Jones Junction tradition of giving. “Prior to my taking this position, the owners either didn’t know a lot about the charities they supported, or they were making decisions without the appropriate information,” she says. “Now, I can offer details that will get their attention and help

them to understand exactly where their money is going.” Celebrating its 100th year in business in Harford County, Jones Junction occupies a 45-acre campus at the corner of Harford and Bel Air Roads. Its brands include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia dealerships. Partner Brian Kilby says the community has supported the business over the last century, and Jones Junction has been able to give back in a wide variety of ways. “We are involved in many charities and community events. Our employees sit on the boards of many organizations and volunteer throughout the county,” he explains. Non-profit groups and charities can

request help through “Jones ECO/ENVIRO: IDEASfor a Cause,” for women in recovery, Anna’s House, a the company’s funding arm. Chance says homeless shelter for women and children, ECO/ENVIRO: INNOVATION “Jones for a Cause” fields requests every and SARC, an emergency shelter for victims month from both the well-known local of domestic violence, have experienced the ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION charities like the Upper Chesapeake Cancer services of these organizations because of BUSINESS BOOKS Alliance, the Humane Society, SARC, the involvement of local donors like Jones the INNOVATION: Boys and Girls Clubs and the Empty Junction and its employees. AGRICULTURE Chance emphasizes that the company Stocking Fund, as well as the smaller, less IDEAS: AGRICULTURE publicized organizations. Jones Junction owners always look at who requests donaalso INBOX supports charities in which its tions, especially if it is an employee. “They employees are involved. In fact, that’s where theyBANKING expanded their breadth of support, by including less high-profile, but deserving INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING charities, including the Harford Center, the INSIGHT: Fellowship ofMANAGEMENT Christian Athletes, and LASOS, an organization dedicated to proECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT viding literacy programs for non native INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES English speaking residents Chance proudly reports that Jones BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Junction was named Philanthropist of the SPONSORED CONTENT Year in April 2017. This award was based MILLENNIALS on the company’s history of direct gift support to non-profits, as well as schools, ENTREPRENEURS homeless shelters, recovery programs and I-TECH HEALTH CARE the Harford County Sheriff’s Foundation, to name a few.FOCUS: In 2016 REAL alone, the Jones SPECIAL ESTATE Junction team donated more than $200,000 I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER to over 100 non-profit organizations. The INNOVATION-EDUCATION Jones Junction partners encourage BUSINESS LEADER employees to get involved and to volunteer their time or money to local charities that are meaningful to them. Employees spent approximately 1,540 hours helping nonprofits in their communities last year. Jones Junction will match employee monetary donations, making an even greater impact on these organizations. For example, Jones Junction’s gifts to the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation have supported the Cancer Center’s Life Net Program that helps individuals and families cope with the physical, financial, psychological and emotional aspects of cancer. As a result of the company’s generosity, the center is now serving more than 1,500 patients, and monetary gifts have funded 40 patient nights at the Senator Bob Hooper House, an assisted living facility in Forest Hill specializing in hospice care. Residents at local shelters like the Homecoming Project, a halfway house

like to support requests for assistance from employees and their families or from the non-profit programs in which employees are involved,” she says. “Little League teams, recreation councils, fire departments, churches and individual families in need are always considered.” She says the company’s “Top 20” charities receive ongoing support, but one-time donations extend well beyond those 20 organizations. “Jones Junction is honored to be part of what makes our community strong,” Chance says. “We designed ‘Jones for a Cause’ because we firmly believe it is our responsibility to support these dedicated programs.” I95 Content Marketing

Mary Chance proudly reports that Jones Junction was named Philanthropist of the Year in April 2017.

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PSA Insurance Aggressively Expands and Invests BY GREGORY J. ALEXANDER • PHOTOS BY JOHN DEAN

JUSTIN HOFFMAN, RAY SWEET, CRAIG ENGLISH, CHIP LEWIS, KEN HUBER AND FRANK GIACHINI

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No matter what the state of the U.S. economy is – whether we’re experiencing an economic downturn, mired in a stagnant economy or benefiting from strong economic growth, the decision whether or not to grow your business is one of the most difficult choices a business owner or chief executive has to make. Deciding whether to acquire another business, venture into new business silos or expand your workforce is never easy, no matter what the economic indicators are. However, for Chip Lewis, managing director at PSA Insurance and Financial Services, whether or not his company grows is a no-brainer.

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“In any acquisition interview I do, I start the conversation the same: ‘Here are the Rules of Engagement: Rule No. 1, there are no rules ...’”

Chip Lewis’s laidback style and friendly personality resonate with his team at PSA.

“We are obnoxiously committed to growth. If you aren’t growing, you’re dying. It’s never been a thought that we would not grow our workforce year after year. In fact, I am afraid of not growing as a company,” says Lewis. “I’m all in. I believe that you cannot be lukewarm if you are going to be successful, and I truly believe that businesses are like airplanes – if you don’t have your nose up with forward momentum, you’re going to crash. A growing business is a healthy business; a stagnant business is in trouble.” Even during the economic downturn of 2008-2009 – a time period that involved the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the crumbling of financial industry giants, plunging home values, massive job layoffs and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding more than half of its value, Lewis says that PSA took calculated, yet aggressive, steps to not only survive, but also thrive. “We pulled back on some expenses, focused on efficiency, cried and prayed,” he recalls. “We were all scared. When something like that happens, business leaders fall into three categories – they run for the hills, pull the cover over their eyes or see an opportunity for growth.” Lewis says that through the leadership of PSA’s Employee Benefits Group Senior Vice President Ken Huber, the company decided to borrow money in order to make investments for new opportunities in the benefits arena. “We didn’t just survive; we skyrocketed,” Lewis says proudly. Hunt Valley-based PSA (www. psafinancial.com), regarded as the region’s leading independent insurance brokerage and risk management firm, provides employee benefits, risk management and personal insurance solutions, and is now the nation’s ninth-fastest-growing benefits broker, according to Business Insurance’s list of “Top 25 Benefits Brokers by Growth.” Much of the growth PSA has experienced since the economic crisis has been as a result of companies switching their benefits business to PSA from another broker – mostly from brokers who were unable or unwilling to make the investments needed to respond to clients’ changing needs spurred by the Affordable Care Act, which came into effect in the midst of the recession. “Companies were aware of PSA’s history of making necessary investments and felt assured that we would be there in the long run,” he says.

GROWTH THROUGH ACQUISITION Lewis has been at the helm at PSA for 45 years, and during that time the company has grown significantly from two employees to over 160 and is consistently ranked as one of the Top 100 Largest Brokers in the U.S. by “Business Insurance.” What’s especially

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“We are obnoxiously committed to growth...” notable is that the list of 100 largest brokers includes only a few dozen independently owned companies such as PSA. One of the keys to PSA’s growth in recent years is the acquisition of other companies to expand its portfolio of services and better serve its clients. Lewis says that no two acquisitions are the same, of course, and each company has its own variables and considerations that play key roles as to whether PSA pursues the acquisition. However, when looking back at the over 30 company acquisitions he has overseen, Lewis stresses that it’s not just about what the companies in question do, but also who they are. “An acquisition is just like developing a new client. You have to get in front of them face to face and learn who they are, what they are all about and how you feel about them. The right chemistry is a critical part, Lewis says. “We’ve had phenomenal success, but we’ve had a few failures. With those that failed, it was primarily due to the fact that the companies said they were willing to adapt, make changes and address what needed to be done to improve their business, but when they got to PSA, they couldn’t change. It’s difficult for some leaders to recognize that they are no longer the owner but now part of a larger team.” Lewis recalls when PSA acquired a small company who insured colleges sending students to study abroad. Despite the fact that PSA was able to grow the company into a $1 million business, it was not synergistic to what was happening at PSA. Lewis says that the previous owners were resistant to technology – they still did everything on paper – which did not align with PSA’s heavy emphasis on utilizing technology. So, PSA sold the company to colleague in the industry. “It was a home run for them, and it was a good move for us.” One of the most recent acquisitions by PSA was the October 2016 acquisition of NextLogical Benefit Strategies, a full-service benefits consultancy with a specialty in using advanced analytics and clinical intervention to reduce health care costs. With all the uncertainty surrounding health care and health insurance, many

“Ten years ago I couldn’t spell cyber,” Lewis laughs. “Today it’s in our faces all the time, but individuals and businesses have still not grasped the severity.”

companies would have shied away from acquiring a company like NextLogical … but not PSA. Instead, Lewis saw it as the perfect time to acquire a company focused on reducing health care costs. “They were a wonderful competitor, and we knew their client base well. The owner had a health care technology business and a brokerage business, and when we acquired NextLogical, he was able to focus more on the technology business but still be involved in the brokerage business, as he and his entire team came aboard at PSA.” NextLogical founder Aaron Davis became the new Vice President of Healthcare Solutions at PSA, which is not an unusual approach – Lewis says that 11 previous owners of companies acquired still work at PSA. One employee, a successful commercial and personal lines professional, sold his business to PSA 17 years ago and plans to retire from PSA early next year. “We average about two acquisitions a year and probably buy 20 percent of the firms we look at. We have a reputation of aggressive growth, and I am always looking for new opportunities. Sometimes, I will ask companies that I am looking to acquire 1012 times before they agree,” says Lewis, who adds that mergers and acquisition consulting firms nationwide also come to PSA based on the company’s reputation as one always looking to grow. “In any acquisition interview I do, I start the conversation the same: ‘Here are the Rules of Engagement: Rule No. 1, there are no rules.’ I will tell company representatives that there are things I cannot ask, but there is nothing they cannot ask me. They have an obligation to ask me and my team everything to make sure it’s the right fit and only they know what is important to them and their employees,” says Lewis, who adds that PSA is eyeing acquisition opportunities in Washington, D.C., and the neighboring suburbs in Maryland and northern Virginia.

cy·ber

i95business celebrates 7th anniversary! NEW FRONTIERS In addition to acquiring other companies, PSA also has been able to grow its business by expanding into new ventures, one of which is cybersecurity by offering cyber insurance, cyber remediation and cyber consulting services. “Ten years ago I couldn’t spell cyber,” Lewis laughs. “Today it’s in our faces all the time, but individuals and businesses have still not grasped the severity.” And despite the increased awareness of cybersecurity and its potential catastrophic effects on businesses of all sizes, establishing a dedicated cyber practice was still seen as a risky move by PSA, which brought in Mike Volk, a cybersecurity expert, to lead the effort. An academic by trade – Volk worked in cyber and technology training at Anne Arundel Community College – PSA hired him for his cybersecurity expertise and then taught him the insurance industry. “I say that we were on the ‘bleeding edge’ in the cyber insurance business. The P&L may not have looked great, but we are investing in the future, which we must do in order to protect our clients. We are opening up opportunities that would not have been there unless we were committed to long-term growth,” Lewis says. Lewis sees parallels between the cybersecurity business and another buzz-worthy business – medical cannabis. “This is an industry that is going to grow, and it has very unique issues that require expertise, very similar to cybersecurity. Lewis says he approached a PSA team member and attorney, Steve Sherman, who specializes in professional liability insurance. After some initial hesitation, Lewis says, Sherman has now embraced the

growth opportunities and is emerging as a leading insurance expert in the industry. PSA builds insurance programs for medical marijuana businesses such as medical cannabis dispensaries, processors, growers and testing labs. “It’s a tiny industry now, but there is so much potential. We have developed specialty knowledge and education and now have a national network. We are always looking for new specialties to complement our existing portfolio of services,” he says. Lewis also credits the success of PSA to its culture and core values. Lewis, a Northern Baltimore County native, who, along with his son also owns Gunpowder Bison & Trading Company in Monkton, Md., says PSA incorporates its cultural acronym ‘CAPP’ – Continuous Improvement, Alignment, Performance and Partnership – into all aspects of the business. “We attract and retain uniquely special individuals who love what they do, where they are and who they are, and our turnover rate is about 4-6 percent with five individuals with over 35 years of experience at PSA,” he says. PSA is also growing its workforce by attracting millennials to the company. Lewis notes that eight years ago, PSA had zero employees who were in their early 20s but now has 25. “Two years ago, I had never met anyone who said, ‘When I grow up, I want to be in the insurance business.’ Then I got connected to Temple University, which offers one of the country’s largest risk management programs. One hundred percent of Temple’s insurance students graduate with a job offer, and we partner with them and other universities to send these young professionals to work at PSA.” I95

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PSA recently installed a new outdoor patio complete with couches, chairs and a fire pit.

7th

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Three Generations of Quality Craftsmanship

“We had personally known the Lynch family and the terrific work they’ve been doing since 1958. When we met Donald, Jr., we connected, and there was an ease and deep sense of trust immediately. Our initial plan was to bid the job out to other firms, but that was quickly abandoned after we met.” –MR. & MRS. ANDERSON

Lynch Construction Delivers for Its Clients Don Lynch, Jr., President

BY STACEY REBBERT

“Let’s walk up to the house and sit on the back porch,” says Donald F. Lynch, Jr. as I approached the office building on his property to conduct the interview for this article. “I think we’ll be more comfortable there.” Immediately greeted by Don’s wife and company Vice President Mary Sue Lynch, I was welcomed into the home with a hug and offered a cold drink as we made our way through the kitchen to the covered back porch. Watching the sun set over the rolling Harford County farmland that surrounds his home and office and settling in to a quick and warm exchange with Lynch Jr., his son Donald Lynch III, and Mary Sue, it was plain to see how clients would be instantly at ease with letting the team at Lynch Construction into their lives and homes. The current iteration of Lynch Construction with Lynch Jr. at the helm as president has been operating as a home improvement and construction business since 1979. Family and friends kept him busy with projects right out of the gate, but newly married and starting his own family, Lynch Jr. seized an opportunity to develop a neighborhood of townhomes in an up and coming area called White Marsh. “Two bankers that my Dad knew called me after another builder referred me to take over this project. They had acquired 18 townhouses from a bank and wanted me to come and manage the final construction and developing. They offered me a fixed salary and a benefits package, and I’m thinking I found my ‘golden goose.’ As a new husband and planning to have children, I couldn’t refuse,” remembers Lynch Jr.

PHOTO BY CHRIST INE SULLIVAN

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M A K ING YOUR DRE A MS A RE A L I T Y SINCE 195 8 Lynch Jr. managed a crew of eight to nine workers and completed the project to stellar reviews by the bankers, but a disagreement on how to appropriately handle some situations led to Lynch Jr. refusing an offer to continue with additional ventures. “I wasn’t willing to do some things they wanted, so we parted ways,” Lynch Jr. admits. With a new found appreciation for doing things the way his father had taught him, Lynch Jr. set out on his own again, but this time got his mother’s blessing to incorporate the name Lynch Construction, which she had retained after Lynch Sr.’s premature death in 1973.

A FATHER’S LEGACY

Donald F. Lynch, Sr. started Lynch Construction in 1958. He built new homes in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County. Growing up in Parkville, a seven-year-old Lynch Jr. would work with his father on job sites, sweeping floors, taking out trash, and picking up or hammering in loose nails. “My dad was building a community on Old Harford and Willoughby Roads, about 15 to 18 houses. I’d go down with my cloth apron and do whatever job he showed me. I knew then that I loved it and that it was part of me,” Lynch Jr. remembers fondly. When Lynch Jr. was about 12- or 14-years-old, his father started construction on the Marywood and Cedarwood neighborhood projects in Bel Air, in Harford County. “He would take me out to the property before any construction started and put me on a big bull dozer. He’d say ‘Get a feel for it. You can’t hurt anything.’ It was like riding a big Tonka toy. I loved it!” After construction started, Lynch Jr. would again clean out houses and do trash work as the project progressed. Always eager to learn more, Lynch Jr. often begged his father to attempt a new skill, but his father was steadfast in only allowing him to do jobs that he had himself done before to ensure that he learned it from the bottom up, correctly and thoroughly. “My dad taught me the value of hard work – good work. A clean workspace. Being on time. Being honest in your communication. He let me know that getting dirty was honorable, and boy, did I get dirty mucking out foundations,” he chuckles. He said the

crew would tell him they weren’t letting the “owner’s son” get away with anything, and he would say, “Look at me. I’m covered in mud. What am I getting away with?” Along with his father, Lynch Jr. would work with a crew of 2025 craftsmen of various age levels. “I learned the trade and the skills from some of the best guys in the field,” says Lynch Jr. “I learned hands on from contractors and carpenters. I learned how to pour footings, do framing, cut moulding, install windows, lay roofing and hang siding.” After Lynch Sr. died suddenly in 1973 while Lynch Jr. was still in high school, he continued to work for his father’s foreman, Dick Herring. “I stayed and these guys took care of me. Dick taught me how to lay out foundations and pin footings. I also worked with a guy named Harry Barnes, a former coal miner from West Virginia, who was one of the best carpenters I had ever seen. And, a guy named Frank was a premier trim carpenter, who taught me to cut trim, cut crown mouldings, and cut exterior and interior mouldings. They taught me everything!” Dick Herring helped Lynch Jr. get his contractor’s license and promptly fired him when he did. Lynch Jr. remembers Herring saying he couldn’t stay on and compete against him. “I guess it was the fatherly equivalent of sink or swim after being thrown off a pier,” Lynch Jr. laughs, maintaining it was the right thing for Herring to do as he admits he quickly went out on his own to make his way.

THINKING OF THE FUTURE

Don Lynch Jr. and his wife Mary Sue bought the house and property they’ve now called home and work for 29 years in 1988. It was their seventh move since they had been married, and the decision was to buy something that could be their last. “The house dates back to 1875, so there have been plenty of renovations, additions, changes and upgrades over the years. Before moving in, we put on this kitchen addition, and every Friday night we’d get pizza for the kids and we’d hang out, put up the bead board ceiling, and do other trim work. It really made the house our home with all us doing the work.” They decided to tear down the old barn and construct a new

AWARDS/DESIGNATIONS • B etter Business Bureau PHOTO BY CHR IST INE SULL I VA N

Accredited and A+ Rating

• 2 017 The Big 50 Award Presented by Remodeling Magazine

• 2 016 September

Remodeler of the Month Presented by the National Association of Home Builders

• 2 012 Award of Excellence for Detached Structures Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

• 2 011 Award of Excellence for Whole House Renovation and Sunroom Addition Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

“Don Lynch Sr. built the original house and the workmanship and quality are really good, even after 40+ years. We actually got two quotes for the addition, and Donald Jr. was more expensive, but I knew he would be easy to work with and the quality would be good, like his father. We were just so comfortable with him. We just love him.” –MRS. AYLMER

building that could be their office and vehicle storage. “I didn’t want to invest money in rent in an industrial park. Financially, this made more sense and it’s worked out perfectly.” A “by the book kind of guy,” Lynch Jr. followed all the county protocols to obtain a special use exception to operate his business on the property. “We do things the right way. No workarounds. If we ever did have to sell, the new owners would have no issues.” The kids include Donald F. Lynch III, currently Project

• 2 009 Award of

Excellence for Addition Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

• 2 009 Silver Merit Award

for Interior Remodel Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland


for Interior Alterations w/ Kitchen Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

• 2 008 Remodeler of the Year:

In recognition of Excellence in Professionalism, Construction, Customer Service and Contribution to the Industry Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland


for Interior Alterations Presented by the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

Supervisor and Customer Service Manager at Lynch Construction, and three additional sons and a daughter. While all five kids worked in some capacity in the business while growing up, it was only Lynch III who enjoyed being on the job sites enough to make it a career path. “I’ve always liked seeing a project through to completion,” Lynch III says. “During school breaks in middle and high school I would work on the job sites with my Dad, building stuff, using the cool tools like the nail guns and saws and especially the big equipment. I had my own tool belt, too,” he quips. The Lynches would be the first to admit that while hard work is good work, it’s still hard work. Lynch Jr. was already in from the field when Lynch III decided to come in about five years ago and started taking over the project management and client relationships. Mom Mary Sue recounts how Lynch III has connected with the clients, seemingly finding his best skill to date – customer service. “Clients love him,” she says excitedly. “They marvel how much he reminds them of his father, Don Jr., with his mannerisms, looks and ethics. They trust him to deliver what he promises.” While both Lynch Jr. and Lynch III confess they’ve made no hard decisions on the next phase of the business, their clients may be showing them the way. Previous customers of Lynch Sr. and Lynch Jr. are now calling and working with Lynch III. “Two out of five jobs are from previous customers,” says Lynch III. “We’re adding in-law suites to single-family properties to create multigenerational homes. We’re remodeling a house we previously built to accommodate the aging owners. We’re finishing basements or adding additions for adult children or live-in grandchildren.” They agree that recent clients have wanted to remain in their homes and invest in improving it instead of moving or building elsewhere. They like their neighbors and neighborhoods. They’re nostalgic about their homes, but they need to make changes so they can stay. And, with a reputation of three generations of Lynch men they can count on, they’re calling on Lynch Construction to help them. I95

• 2 007 Award of Excellence

for Whole House Alteration w/Addition Presented by Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland


for Commercial Presented by Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland


for Additions & Alterations Presented by Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

• 2 006 Silver Merit Award for Additions & Alterations Presented by Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland

• 2 007 Silver Merit Award for

Whole Renovations w/Kitchen Presented by Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Maryland www.i95business.com

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INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION

I-TECH DEPARTMENTS

I-TECH DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE

Is It Time to Upgrade Your Technology Team? SPECIAL SECTION (And Transition to Managed Services)

IN DEFENSE

B Y IN TOB Y MUSSER WOMEN DEFENSE

WOMEN IN BUSINESS INSIGHT IN BUSINESS ON BUSINESS INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXPERT OPINION ISSUES & ANSWERS MANAGEMENT STYLE INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES INSIGHT: SALES INSIGHT: LEADERSHIP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT WOMEN OF INFLUENCE INTEL: EXPERT OPINION EXPERT OPINION: REAL ESTATE There are few jobs more important to INSIGHT: keeping the virtualMARKETING office gears greased than the ITOPINION guys and gals: so how do you know if it is time to consider upgrading from them and moving to an outsourced model like ITINERARY managed services? Outsourcing managed services is when a company contracts with ECO an external technology services firm that assistsIMPACT by delivering helpdesk, managing and securing their network, helping with strategic business vision and process, 83 CORRIDOR and offers advice on tech investments. SPECIAL An in-house IT FOCUS department is limited by resources – both personnel and capital PHILANTHROPY – and is increasingly a less desirable risk that companies are choosing to outsource ECO/ENVIRO instead. It SPECIAL may be timeFOCUS to upgrade your in-house IT if:

positioning in the marketplace and excellent service. This may be the case if they always seem to be very busy with an emergency du-jour. Risk is also associated with having the burden of IT on just one or two in-house people. If some unforeseen emergency or conflict occurs, you do not have all your eggs – or passwords – in one basket.

• They are technically incompetent. This is tricky for an executive to spot – IT is likely not your core competency, so what do you need to look out for? You hired based on qualification and experience, so the individual checked out on paper. Ask yourself: are issues resolved or do problems persist? Are we able to get work done efficiently because HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION of our in-house tech person? Are clients suffering? A good employee will do • THEALTH heir primary concern is keeping CARE: I-TECH preventative maintenance to avoid a their job. IT is service based; it supHEALTH CARE:organization INTEGRITY cycle of break/fix IT. Managed services ports the whole and provide experts and have the capability contributes to the bottom line. If ECO/ENVIRO: IDEAS to become true business partners, your IT person locates “problems” in ECO/ENVIRO: offering virtual Chief Information an effort to proveINNOVATION their value, your organization is missing out on strategic ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERT OPINION Officer services – someone who can

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sit in on meetings, learn the capacities and needs of your business and help you strategically plan tech investment informed by the latest technology. Tech spending can be pricy, and the wrong decision even pricier. Having an expert to guide you early and often is invaluable. • The budget is ballooning or is unpredictable. Technology is often the second largest investment in an organization after employees themselves. The main reason behind outsourcing to a managed services provider is the reduction in capital spending and operational costs. Software investments are inescapable, and access to the best enterprise-level applications can be too expensive for small to mid-sized business, especially as it relates to network security. These costs, too, can be mitigated or eliminated through hiring an outsourced managed services firm who has the group-buy benefit, with the added bonus of staff who are thoroughly trained to use the products. With a properly structured contract, costs become predictable. Downtime is costly as well. Rarely is in-house IT staff able to guarantee uptime. •T hey don’t get their role in the organization. Are your employees seeking additional training and keeping their certifications up-todate to keep their skills fresh and create a technologic advantage for the company? Are they seeking a seat at the management table to offer suggestions to streamline operations, offer ideas for revenue generation and save operations costs? Is their attitude positive and their countenance approachable? The posture of a contributing employee is an active one – not passively waiting for problems to occur or only performing tasks they are directed to do.

• They are inflexible. Your business FEATURE has scaled but your technical knowSPECIAL SECTION how has not. Hiring is tedious and time consuming, IN DEFENSE and you don’t know if after a large project you can support WOMEN DEFENSE additional IN team members, but the current staff is maxed out by their dayWOMEN IN BUSINESS to-day duties. Outsourced managed INSIGHT services are an every day/all day support with a contracted guaranteed service IN levelBUSINESS agreement that are typically more expansive than what an internal IT ON BUSINESS team can provide. Managed services INSIGHT: HEALTH CARE REFORM companies are able to take on project work in addition to performing daily DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FOCUS: ECONOMIC helpdesk type activities, preventative EXPERT OPINION and network network maintenance security. & ANSWERS ISSUES

Are YOU Cybersecure?

Firewalls, anti-spam, anti-virus and patching are not enough to keep you and your clients safe against sophisticated cyber threats

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MANAGEMENT STYLE services Choosing the right managed company to partner with is important, and INSIGHT: HUMAN RESOURCES qualifications should be assessed carefully withINSIGHT: references SALES in place. Reputable managed servicesLEADERSHIP firms will offer abundant INSIGHT: transparency, access and documentation withBUSINESS quality and TECHNOLOGY copious communication between both parties and work carefully SPOTLIGHT with the outgoing in-house department to make a successful transition. Not ready WOMEN OF INFLUENCE to part ways with the in-house staff? A INTEL: EXPERT OPINION hybrid solution may work well in your situation whereOPINION: the in-house technician EXPERT REAL ESTATE is willing to transition to a narrow set of INSIGHT:they MARKETING responsibilities can do with excellence or to employment with the managed OPINION services provider. Using a managed services provider can be a huge benefit and a wise ITINERARY investment for businesses that are freed to focus on growth and enjoy an excellent levelECO of service. I95 Content Marketing

As an MSP-MSSP MNS Group helps

IMPACT

TOBY MUSSER is a serial and is CEO 83 CORRIDOR entrepreneur and owner of MNS Group, a technology outsourcing SPECIAL FOCUS and consulting company based in Bel Air and a PHILANTHROPY trusted leader in company IT management, offering ECO/ENVIRO managed services to support small businesses and their humans. SPECIAL FOCUS Musser lends his time volunteering with various civic and faith based organizations believing truly HEALTH CARE: INNOVATION that to whom much has been given, much is expected. HEALTH CARE: I-TECH

secure your network and provides friendly IT support 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week.

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SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Harford Has It: Buy In

Staying Ahead of Hackers

The Effects of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on Cybersecurity BY AUDIE HITTLE

What are the key differences and synergies of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Language (ML) and Cybersecurity (Cyber)? I recently participated in the Annual ISC2 Security Congress, where there was a huge buzz around these topics. With the exponential growth of data, projected by some national research organizations to grow by 10 to 1,000 times over the next 12 to 18 months, coupled with an increased emphasis on proactive data-driven analytics, these topics are hot and the market reflects it. A leading market research organization projects a 300 percent growth in AI investment this coming year and the global AI market for cybersecurity is expected to grow to over $18 billion by 2023. Likewise, ML in cyber is projected to increase spending in big data processing, analytics and intelligence solutions to $96 billion by 2021. In addition, the overall global cyber market is projected to grow by nearly 70 percent, from $137 billion in 2017 to $232 billion over the next five years. Additional cyber metrics, shared at the ISC2 conference, indicated that the current cyber workforce deficiencies, as documented in a recent survey, shows growth by roughly 50 percent to 1.8 million job vacancies globally by 2022. So, with these market and cyber workforce metrics as the impetus, I wanted to share some insights and perspectives gained to help our businesses understand these technologies and perhaps how to plan for appropriate application. At the highest-level, AI and ML are clearly related, but are different things that are frequently confused and sometimes, possibly, intentionally muddled to capitalize on the marketing buzz. From a technology perspective, ML is in many ways foundational, or an enabler for AI. The term “ML” applies to a specific class of algorithms that are typically very efficient at crunching big data and decision support for solving tasks that are not pre-programmed into the algorithms logic. Whereas, AI is more broadly interpreted to apply to a group of technologies or capabilities that can assist computers to “make sense” of the data. AI can also be thought of as the process 40

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for making computers “intelligent,” while ML is the computational powerhouse that makes AI possible, and is more focused on teaching systems to learn on their own. Systems that are designed to automatically improve, based upon the amount of data processed and the “experience” gained from that processing, are generally recognized as ML solutions. In traditional computational systems, the software running on the computer hardware would not “learn” and the system would not typically get smarter over time. When working with ML solutions, the software is “trained” and the system improves as the amount of data processed increases, thereby enabling the software to learn, make inferences, and make projections or “guesses” as to classification, next state or future scenario. While ML seems to have addressed some low-hanging fruit in applications from thermostats to web browsers in our daily lives, there are some potentially profound implications for leveraging ML in cybersecurity. One of the best simple examples I’ve seen, regarding the application of ML in cyber deals with something most are familiar with – email spam filters. Traditional spam filters operated on a list of elements to block, such as IP addresses, URLs, email addresses, users, etc., or a “blacklist” of such items. Advanced, MLdriven spam filters learn from processing and apply analytical algorithms that compare known spam emails with validated addresses to identify characteristics that are more common with one category “spam” vs. the other “genuine” email addresses. The ML process of applying inference algorithms to categorize email as spam vs. genuine is known as the ML technique of “classification.” Another popular ML technique is that of “forecasting,” which makes data projections or predictions, based upon analysis of historical data and “past performance.” In either ML scenario described above or any relevant AI solutions, cyber is the beneficiary. Of these two capabilities, ML is increasingly recognized as the fastest growing segment of cyber, which is already taking huge advantage of it. ML is the secret

MILLENNIALS ENTREPRENEURS I-TECH HEALTH CARE

sauce behind most of the current capabilities touting “behavioral analytics.” It is widely believed that ML technologies, including continuous retraining and unsupervised learning, will help keep organizations ahead of most hackers and cyber criminals. And, while “true” AI existence may be disputed, both AI and ML are contributing to freeingup time for cybersecurity teams, from the challenges of big data analytics, to focus more on applying creativity, that humans are best at, and doing predictive analytics. Regardless of your perspective on AI and ML, one thing is for sure … the work approach and culture will change. As humans, we tend to try and reduce the amount of data to make sense from it, for cyber or other applications, whereas, AI and ML tools tend to thrive and need more data to “learn” and “make decisions” based on their discoveries in the data. AI and ML solutions also can induce culture change by sifting through not just samples, but all of the data available. This can enable insights into specific user behaviors to flag both anomalous cyber activities and policy violations, which can be used to help people learn new policies and procedures, thereby inducing culture change as well. Once again, the only thing that is clear and consistent in the future is, of course, change. Be prepared, be flexible and embrace the change! I95 AUDIE E. HITTLE, CISSP, is the Chief Cybersecurity Innovation Officer (CCIO) for Integrity Applications Incorporated (IAI). His leadership spans more than 15 years of corporate experience plus a 22-year USAF information technology-focused C4ISR career, nationally recognized government-industry collaboration across federal civilian, defense and intelligence agencies, and technical staff experience at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. As CCIO, Hittle partners with company leadership to identify, expand and enhance IAI’s cyber security offerings for commercial and government customers. Connect: [email protected]

Buying Within the County Fuels Economic Growth

SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE I-TECH-CYPER I-TECH-CYBER INNOVATION-EDUCATION BUSINESS LEADER

NMTC Visionary Awards

SEEK, SAVE, NOW! The Harford County Chamber of Commerce prides itself on being the premier business advocate in the county, helping its members connect and thrive to create a vibrant economy across all sectors. Recently, the Harford County Chamber of Commerce and the Harford County Office of Economic Development launched a “shop local” initiative called “Harford Has It: Buy In.” The initiative is based on findings from an Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore study commissioned by the Harford County Office of Economic Development. The study looked at five key spending habits: professional services, gas fill-ups, major appliance purchases, restaurant visits and special occasion gift purchases. Spending shifts in these five key areas have the potential to create nearly 3,500 new jobs, $105 million in wages, and $23.5 million in local and state tax revenue that can be reinvested in the Harford County community. While the study focuses on five key areas of spending habits, it can easily be expanded to include HVAC services, clothing purchases, auto repairs and more. The more the community buys into spending locally, the greater the effect of the initiative. “Harford Has It: Buy In” encourages Harford County residents and businesses to focus their spending within the county. By definition, commerce is buying and selling activity, so the “Harford Has It: Buy In” initiative perfectly aligns with the mission of the Harford County Chamber. “Harford Has It: Buy In” promotes the sustainability of a robust business community and local economy, and it embodies the products and services offered by the Chamber’s diverse membership. If you need ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ may be), Harford County has it, so buy it in Harford County. The Harford County

Chamber of Commerce continually strives to provide value and benefit to its members. For the Chamber, being a beneficial and valuable organization includes the ability to identify opportunities for business growth and prosperity. The “Harford Has It: Buy In” initiative produces long-term benefits while improving the county’s quality of life factors. Awareness for the “Harford Has It: Buy In” initiative is a countywide effort. It has the support of numerous municipalities, business associations, and community groups. An online toolkit for participants is available at www.harfordcountymd.gov/2393/ Harford-Has-It. The toolkit includes the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore study, an infographic highlighting the economic benefits, a calendar of events, the Harford Has It: Buy In logo, and customizable promotional materials for businesses and consumers. The initiative also consists of a social media campaign complete with the #HarfordHasIt hashtag. As a membership organization, the Harford County Chamber is always looking to grow its population. An investment in the Chamber unlocks the door to numerous business resources, in addition to direct connections with other business owners and community leaders. The Chamber acts as “the voice of business,” keeping a watchful eye on local, state and federal business-related legislation. With its tagline, “Our business is your success,” the Harford County Chamber makes a commitment of innovation, excellence and responsiveness to its members. To learn more about the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, please contact the Chamber team at 410838-2020 or visit harfordchamber.org. I95 Sponsored Content

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I95 BUSINESS INTRODUCES

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

INTEL: EXPERT OPINION

INTEL: EXPERT OPINION



INSIGHT: MARKETING DR. JONATHAN

INSIGHT: MARKETING FRANK LINKOUS, CPA is a manager at Weyrich,

A. SEIDENBERG OPINION is a board-certified ophthalmologist ITINERARY and the President and CEO of Seidenberg Protzko ECO Eye Associates. He is chief of IMPACT ophthalmology at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and Harford Memorial CORRIDOR 83Hospital in Harford County and is president/ medical director of Mid-Atlantic Surgery SPECIAL FOCUS Pavilion, located in Aberdeen, Md.

PHILANTHROPY How Can Diabetes Affect Vision?

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Diabetes can affect many different ECO/ENVIRO parts of your body, including your eyes. Understanding the effects of this SPECIAL FOCUS common disease on vision can help HEALTH INNOVATION diabetics avoidCARE: permanent damage. It’s important for diabetic patients HEALTH CARE: I-TECH to understand that their disease can have a dramatic impactINTEGRITY on their vision. HEALTH CARE: These diabetic eye diseases have the ECO/ENVIRO: IDEASblindness potential to cause permanent orECO/ENVIRO: severe vision loss. That’s why regular INNOVATION screenings are important. The diseases ECO/ENVIRO: EXPERTinclude OPINION connected with diabetes diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular BUSINESS BOOKS edema, cataracts and glaucoma. INNOVATION: Of these diseases, AGRICULTURE diabetic retinopathy, which occurs when the retinal IDEAS: AGRICULTURE blood vessels change and begin to leak fluid, is the leading cause of blindness INBOX among adults of working age. It’s also the most common reason for diabetic BANKING patients to have vision loss. Diabetic INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING retinopathy can cause diabetic macular edema, or the swelling of the macula. If INSIGHT: MANAGEMENT caught early, this disease is treatable to ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT help stop the progression of the disease and the resultingHUMAN vision loss.RESOURCES INSIGHT: The proper control of blood sugar is BUSINESS the best way to DEVELOPMENT prevent complications ofSPONSORED diabetes. Diabetics who are active, CONTENT eat well and take their medications asMILLENNIALS prescribed can delay or even prevent problems. Due to a lack of ENTREPRENEURS symptoms, patients typically will not I-TECH HEALTH CARE recognize the onset of these diabetic related eye diseases, thus, an annual SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE comprehensive eye exam with dilation I-TECH-CYBER is I-TECH-CYPER an important step for early diagnosis. With early detection and treatment, INNOVATION-EDUCATION you can protect your vision, even while BUSINESS LEADER dealing with the struggles of living with diabetes.

Seidenberg Protzko Assoc. 410-939-6477 www.visionexperts.com

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OPINION ITINERARY ECO IMPACT

Cronin, and Sorra. Frank graduated in 2010 Magna Cum Laude from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He has extensive experience in taxation, including tax preparation, planning, multi-state compliance and tax research. Frank is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.

A Message from Ebenezer Scrooge

Tax Reform: Impact to the Business Owner CORRIDOR 83 Congress has released SPECIAL FOCUStheir proposals on tax reform, an area of the law that was last revised in 1986. This article will focus on PHILANTHROPY key sections of the current proposal that could impact your business. ECO/ENVIRO

This month, Guest Columnist (substituting for Bryan Kelly of The Kelly Group) is EBENEZER SCROOGE. Scrooge, a long-time business owner and former miser, is now an active philanthropist and chairman of the Tiny Tim Foundation.

Disallowance of Business Interest Business interest would be limited to 30% of a business’s adjusted taxable income. Both proposals carve out small business and limited industry exemptions.

SPECIAL FOCUS Deduction/Special Rate for Small Business Reporting Eased Business Income Both proposals ease tax reporting HEALTH INNOVATION Under both CARE: bills, some owners of burdens on small businesses. This includes pass-through entities would receive a expanding the ability for small businesses, HEALTH CARE: I-TECH preferential tax treatment on a portion including those owning inventory, ofHEALTH their business income, either in the CARE: INTEGRITY to utilize the cash basis method of form of a deduction or a special tax rate. accounting. In addition, the bill increases ECO/ENVIRO: The bills distinguishIDEAS between income the threshold before businesses must anECO/ENVIRO: entrepreneur earns as compensation capitalize certain costs associated with INNOVATION and income generated by the business. inventory or are required to utilize the ECO/ENVIRO: Income generated by EXPERT the businessOPINION would percentage of completion method for receive the preferential BUSINESS BOOKStreatment, with long term contracts. compensation income taxed in the same INNOVATION: AGRICULTURE manner as is under current law. Not every Estate Tax business will qualify for this preferential Both proposals increase the exclusion IDEAS: AGRICULTURE treatment. amount to $10 million before an individual is subject to the estate tax. The House INBOX Individual and Corporate Rates proposal calls for the elimination of the BANKING Generally, for businesses taxed as a estate tax after 2024 and retains the C-corporation, both the Senate and ability for most inheritors of a decedent’s INSIGHT: ACCOUNTING House propose a flat tax rate of 20%, property to use the date of death fair with the date ofMANAGEMENT implementation varying. market value as the inheritors new cost INSIGHT: The Senate and House bills both differ basis. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in the number of brackets and top rate forINSIGHT: individuals with the topRESOURCES rate ranging Impact on your business HUMAN between 38.5% and 39.6%. As of the date this article was written BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT both bills were under debate. Before any Repeal of Alternative Minimum Tax/ bill is signed into law, amendments and SPONSORED CONTENT Other Deductions Curtailed reconciliations of both bills will occur. MILLENNIALS The proposal eliminates the alternative The full contents of the proposed bills minimum tax but removes or reduces are beyond the scope of this article. If ENTREPRENEURS deductions most business owners claim. you would like to discuss the impact I-TECH HEALTH CARE Proposals include: removing the state and opportunities of tax reform on your and local income/sales tax deduction, SPECIAL FOCUS: REAL ESTATE business, please contact our tax and lowering the mortgage interest deduction, consulting team. I95 Content Marketing I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER reducing or removing the property tax INNOVATION-EDUCATION deduction, and limiting the utilization of Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra net operating losses. BUSINESS LEADER 410-838-2237 www.wcscpa.com

I bet you’re sick and tired of hearing my name bandied about each year at this time. Hey, I appreciate the publicity as much as the next guy. But sometimes I feel people miss the point of my story. This year, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and impart a few words about what I learned from my experiences: • To understand yourself, you must understand your past. My transformation began once I was reminded what a lonely child I was, and how much I miss those who loved me the most. With knowledge and acceptance, you can forgive yourself for past mistakes and heal emotional scars. • It’s never too late to change, particularly when it comes to your attitude about how money fits into your life. I was a miserable coot and as old as dirt before I realized that accumulating money isn’t about the money itself, but the good things you can do with it. • While the potential for constructive change lies within you, it often takes an external force to trigger that change. I wouldn’t recommend waiting around for three incorporeal spirits to show up at your bedpost before you alter your bad habits. A financial advisor can be a far less spooky catalyst for improvements in how you make financial and life decisions. • Christmas is celebrated one day a year; the spirit of Christmas should be celebrated 24/7 – with kindness, generosity and laughter. Especially laughter. You can thank me for these pearls of wisdom by finding your own Bob Cratchit to whom you can extend a helping hand. Of course, the wisest words of all come from Tiny Tim: “God bless Us, Every One.” I95 Content Marketing

The Kelly Group 410-893-0560 www.kellygrouponline.com Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/ SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. a Registered Investment Advisor. The Kelly Group and Cambridge are not affiliated. 54 East Gordon Street, Bel Air, MD 21014.

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MILLENNIALS

will meet with you to determine whether ENTREPRENEURS any additional therapy is needed.

I-TECH HEALTH CARE


Rehab for Cancer Patients and Survivors You’re Finishing Your Treatment, Now What?

Cancer and cancer treatments can have major impacts on your quality of life. Even after successful treatment, you may experience lasting pain, numbness, a decline in your endurance and other negative health effects. The rehabilitation team at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health and the Cancer LifeNet professionals at the Kaufman Cancer Center are dedicated to providing comprehensive rehabilitation and supportive programs to cancer patients and survivors that can improve daily function and help you feel your best. Our rehabilitation programs and services include: Lymphedema Management Lymphedema is a buildup of fluid in part of the body that may follow lymph node removal, injury or radiation treatment. Lymphedema in the arm can often occur when lymph nodes are removed during breast cancer treatment. While there is no cure for lymphedema, it can be effectively controlled through professional care and self-management. Our certified lymphedema therapists are here to help offering individualized approaches to treatment that include: • Skin and nail care • Manual lymphatic drainage • Special bandaging • Therapeutic exercises With education from our team and proper management, you will soon return to living your everyday life. Cancer-related Cognitive Therapy Cancer-related cognitive impairment is a disorder that affects learning, memory, attention, concentration and problemsolving during or after cancer treatment. These symptoms can be subtle, yet persistent, and may result from the cancer itself, cancer treatment or complications of treatment. There are many things that patients can do to help sharpen their mental abilities and reduce cognitive decline, and our specialists are available to help both during and/or after cancer treatment. With proper management, patients can increase their independence and improve their overall quality of life. Chemotherapy-induced Neuropathy Some chemotherapy drugs can cause 44

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damage in the nerves of the arms and legs. Many times when the nerves in the legs are affected, some patients may experience decreased confidence with walking and balance. Physical therapy can provide assessment to manage these symptoms and balance training with specialized equipment such as the NeuroCom® can reduce your risk for falls. Pelvic Floor Program Chemotherapy, surgery and radiation can have a significant impact on many of your body’s functions. Common side effects can often be addressed and managed successfully; however, sometimes there may be symptoms you are hesitant to talk about. Meeting with our certified pelvic floor therapist is a safe place to discuss side effects such as constipation, urinary incontinence, frequency and urgency and sexual dysfunction. Pelvic floor therapy focuses on strategies to manage these issues. Thoracic Cancer Prehab Prehab is a form of strength training designed to help increase your physical fitness before undergoing treatment or a procedure. Because the stronger you are before surgery, the stronger you will be after. Lung prehab specifically helps maximize respiratory efficiency in people diagnosed with lung cancer. Our physical therapists will evaluate you for basic strength, flexibility of joints and elasticity of your rib cage during breathing exercises. Individuals are given a pedometer and journal allowing them to monitor their steps and track any breathing issues they may notice. After surgery or treatment, a physical therapist

Post-surgery SPECIALRehabilitation FOCUS: REAL ESTATE Part of a cancer treatment plan may I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER include surgery, and any surgery can INNOVATION-EDUCATION cause a temporary decrease in strength andBUSINESS function and LEADER an increase in pain. Rehabilitation after surgery for cancer is a key part of your recovery. It can improve physical strength, reduce anxiety and help manage the fatigue, pain and other side effects often associated with

surgery. Our rehab professionals can help to return you to your optimal level of function. I95 Sponsored Content

UM Upper Chesapeake Health offers rehab for cancer in 3 convenient locations: Bel Air: UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Pavilion II 510 Upper Chesapeake Drive, Suite 514 Bel Air, MD

Abingdon: The Ward Family Y in Abingdon 101 Walter Ward Boulevard Abingdon, MD Havre de Grace: UM Harford Memorial Hospital 501 South Union Avenue Havre de Grace, MD For more information on any of these services visit umuch.org/cancerrehab or call 443-643-3257.

Our Cancer LifeNet’s rehabilitation supportive services include: Stay Fit and Active Feeling tired is a common side effect of cancer treatment. Stay Fit and Active, a lowimpact fitness program, helps people who are undergoing cancer treatment or who have recently completed treatment combat chronic tiredness. The program is led by an oncology-certified fitness instructor and teaches you easy exercises designed to help you stay active and lessen that tired feeling. Integrative Therapy These therapies embrace a body, mind and spirit approach to facing cancer. Programs such as massage, meditation, Reiki, acupuncture and mindfulness-based stress reduction can help manage stress and increase relaxation. Yoga Yoga is the practice of physical, mental and spiritual discipline that combines physical postures, breathing techniques and relaxation. It is often a way that cancer patients and survivors can strengthen their bodies and help manage many of the uncomfortable side effects and fatigue that cancer treatment can cause.

you manage symptoms before, during and after cancer treatment. Together with the dietitian, you will develop an individualized nutrition plan that best supports your needs and health conditions.

can be used to manage fatigue and pain, eat healthfully, communicate better with doctors, reduce stress and live your life to the fullest. I95 Sponsored Content

Nutrition Counseling Food is a part of everyday life, but it can also have important implications in cancer care. Proper nutrition has been shown to decrease complications and infections, lead to fewer hospitalizations and treatment interruptions and improve your quality of life. Advice from an oncology dietitian helps

Living Well: Cancer Thriving and Surviving Living Well is a workshop that helps you take control of ongoing health issues, rather than letting them control you. Designed for patients who are dealing with cancer (and other conditions), Living Well helps you set goals and create an action plan that

Cancer LifeNet offers these supportive services at the Kaufman Cancer Center in Bel Air. For more information visit umuch.org/cancerlifenet or call 443-643-3350.

UM Upper Chesapeake Health is a member of both the University of Maryland’s Rehabilitation and Cancer Networks. Whether it’s access to leading-edge technology, national experts or promising clinical trials, together we are offering our community something greater. www.i95business.com

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MILLENNIALS LoanENTREPRENEURS program targets business owners and tenants facing the U.S. Route 40 corridor I-TECH HEALTH CARE

The Right Fit for Financing

The Economic Development Opportunity Fund The Economic Development Opportunity in Harford County. The Route 40 corridor Fund (EDOF) is a revitalized fund program SPECIALbusiness FOCUS: is a significant hubREAL locatedESTATE within that increases a company’s financing for new the county’s Enterprise Zone and the state I-TECH-CYBER I-TECH-CYPER equipment and operations by complementof Maryland’s Priority Funding Area, INNOVATION-EDUCATION which means a lot of investment is going ing traditional lending programs. Details: LEADER into BUSINESS the revitalization of this strategic • Maximum loan amount of $200,000 location. This loan program is meant to • Risk-based interest rate promote a building’s appearance, to raise • Encourages investment, job economic expectations, and to stimulate retention and creation growth in the area. Details of the loan: • Increases working capital • Limited to buildings • A ids with equipment purchases and facing U.S. Route 40 land or building improvements • Assists in financing projects To date, this loan program has provided that improve the exterior of the 28 loans, creating 303 new full-time jobs building, as well as a percentage of and leveraging $36.5 million in private specified interior improvements capital investment in Harford County. with pre-application approval Says Economic Development Director • Provides up to $50,000 through Karen Holt, “By refreshing the application a term of 3-5 years process and promoting this along with our • Low or zero percent other programs, we aim to stimulate the interest rate options economic vibrancy that is fundamental to • Offers 0% interest to companies this business community.” in the program that use local businesses and contractors for their Continuing Partnerships improvement and renovation efforts Under the administration of County • Businesses that use non-local Executive Barry Glassman, Barresi and the contractors and companies would Office of Economic Development continue be offered a 1.5% interest rate to work closely with companies and lenders

Harford County OED Connects Businesses to Funding


Financing is the lifeblood of any business, but finding the right loan at the right time can be a challenge for startups and established companies alike. The Harford County Office of Economic Development saves them time and money by helping businesses find the right fit among available loans from the private and public sectors, including a new series of loans suited to specific needs. “When public and private lenders work together to address unmet business needs, everyone wins,” says Bonnie Barresi, finance liaison for the Office of Economic Development (OED). “When businesses get the financing they need, they bring jobs to Harford County, they promote growth in revitalization areas, and they improve the quality of life for everyone who lives, plays and works in Harford County.” OED connects people with lenders for traditional financing, but even these lenders realize they can’t meet every business owner’s needs. OED aims to solve this problem with 46

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its new loan programs. These four project-specific loans take into account a business’s development stage, sector and location. Each program focuses on providing mission-specific, geographically-targeted options for developing sectors within the county. The Entrepreneurial Growth Loan, the Revitalization Area Improvement Loan, the Tech Attraction Fund and the Opportunity Fund Loan focus on unique demands within the Harford County business community and its continuum of business development and expansion.

The Entrepreneurial Growth Loan The Entrepreneurial Growth Loan provides a bridge between a growing business’s initial investment and traditional financing. “While not excluding start-ups, the program’s target business will be one that demonstrates success and future growth, but cannot acquire traditional financing,” Barresi says. The program is designed to advance these businesses that have passed the start-up phase, and then connect them with banks and credit unions to ensure continued expansion and success. Details of the loan: •M aximum amount of $50,000 (can be extended out to five years) •R isk-based interest rate (if the business adds new jobs during the loan’s life, it may be eligible for a 0.25% rate decrease annually) The Revitalization Area Improvement Loan The Revitalization Area Improvement

“The most common theme of façade improvement programs is a focus on identified revitalization areas and providing low-cost or no-cost funding to businesses,” Barresi says. The Tech Attraction Fund The Tech Attraction Fund is another option available to businesses through OED. This fund provides financial incentives to growing and stable technology companies or tech catalyst organizations to relocate to Harford County. With proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Port of Baltimore, Washington D.C., and the I-95 corridor, Harford County is ideal for technology companies to grow and thrive; this fund aims to attract and retain these companies. Details of the fund: • Offers a 0% interest rate if the company commits to staying in Harford County for a minimum of 3 years • Requires a minimum of three full-time employees • No closing costs at settlement • Grants up to $50,000 over a term of up to 5 years, which cannot exceed the term of the company’s lease

in the community in order to adequately meet the evolving financial needs of the business sector. OED’s loan programs are complementary to financing options from traditional lenders such as PNC Bank. Bill Fritz, vice president and business banker at PNC, works with Barresi to match businesses to the best option available. “More options

benefit the business owner for what may be best for their current need,” Fritz says. “With varying sizes and kinds of businesses, and unique situations, traditional funding is not always available, and it can sometimes leave the prospect with few to no options. [OED’s new] loans will help fill the gap.” Barresi and the team at OED use their connections and expertise to help businesses save time and money and overcome the challenge of navigating loan options, enabling growth and economic vitality. Leaders in the community are optimistic about OED’s new programs and the collaboration between lenders and OED. “The Harford County economic development loan programs should stimulate the growth of existing businesses as well as attract new businesses to the county,” says Augie Chiasera, president of M&T Bank’s Greater Baltimore Region. “We look forward to coordinating with county officials to promote these programs and helping companies utilize them to achieve their full growth potential.” I95 Sponsored Content

HARFORD COUNTY

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BARRY GLASSMAN, COUNTY EXECUTIVE KAREN HOLT, DIRECTOR

For information on the new loan programs by the Harford County Office of Economic Development, or to learn about traditional financing options available, contact: Bonnie Barresi Finance Liaison Business Development Associate The Office of Economic Development 2021D Pulaski Highway Havre de Grace, MD 21078 [email protected] 410-638-3338

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Harford County Library Gala Raises More than $100,000 Funds Will Be Used for Library Services and STEM Initiatives


Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and Mary Hastler, CEO, Harford County Public Library. (Aven Love Studios, Topher)

Harford County Public Library Foundation’s 13th annual gala, “La La Library An Evening in the Stacks,” raised more than $100,000 the evening of Nov. 4 at the Abingdon Library. The funds raised will be used to support Harford County Public Library’s STREAM initiatives, Summer Reading Challenge, Winter Reading, author discussions and speaker series, purchase of new materials and other innovative initiatives. Special guests included Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and his wife, Debi; Delegate Teresa Reilly; Harford County Councilman Chad Shrodes and his wife, Amber, director of Community Services for Harford County; Alex M. Allman, chair of the Harford County Public Library board of trustees; and Mark DiBerardino, president of the Harford County Public Library Foundation. The evening’s theme, “La La Library,” focused on the timeless and classic “Old Hollywood” song and dance days. Music was provided by Moods Swings. The honorary chairs of the gala were The Kelly Group’s Bryan and Katherine Kelly. The extensive menu featured hors d’oeuvres and stations provided by Laurrapin Catering and with desserts from Flavor Cupcakery, Jarrettsville Creamery, Klein’s ShopRite, LaCakerie and Wegmans. Specialty drinks, microbrews, a bourbon and whiskey bar and gourmet coffee/tea were provided by Jim’s BottleWorks and Coffee Coffee. A live auction was conducted by Derek Hopkins, Harford County’s Register of Wills, and was assisted by master of ceremonies Kristy Breslin from WJZ-TV. The auction featured a VIP trip to the 48

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144th running of the Kentucky Derby; a Hearts on Fire, a one-carat diamond necklace; a farm-to-table dinner for 10 at the Liriodendron; tickets to Harford County’s top galas and events in 2018; a girls’ day out; tickets and parking for the Orioles’ opening day in 2018 plus dinner and an overnight stay; a child’s birthday party in the Children’s Department of the Bel Air Library; and the naming a street in the Town of Bel Air. Guests enjoyed performances by the Upper Chesapeake Chorus and Ballet Chesapeake. “This year’s gala was a magical evening,” says Mary Hastler, CEO of Harford County Public Library. “Harford County Public Library is so fortunate to have strong support from the community. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at ‘La La Library,’ we will continue to support a wide range of programs and resources including new technologies, community outreach and STEM programs plus innovative new spaces and collections that will offer customers of all ages the opportunity to explore, create, discuss and learn.” Presenting sponsors were Klein’s Family Markets, Richardson’s Flowers & Gifts, Saxon’s Diamond Centers, Waste Industries and Wegmans. Headlining Sponsors were The Daily Record, Events by I Did it Myself, Frank Hajek & Associates, P.A., Hart to Heart Transportation, I95 BUSINESS, The Kelly Group, Laurrapin Catering, M&T Bank and Web IXI. Premier Sponsors were APGFCU, Chesapeake Bank of Maryland, Comcast, Express Employment Professionals, Freedom Federal Credit Union, The Ground Floor at Harford, Harford Mutual, HuetherMcClelland Foundation, Jones Junction, Joseph’s, Keene Dodge, Manns Woodward Studios, Oak Contracting LLC, PNC Bank, Revolution Event Design and Production, Wells Fargo Advisors and WSMT Insurance. Supporting Sponsors were Absolute ISI, Dr. William and Mrs. Carol Allen, Bel Air Friends of HCPL, CEM, Chesapeake Employers Insurance, Coffee Coffee, 1st Mariner Bank, Greater Harford Committee, Mark & Mary Hastler, Library Interiors, Jarrettsville Creamery & Deli, The Liriodendron Foundation, NVS Salon, People’s Bank, Rainbow International

Restoration, Phil Romm Consulting, Spa on the Boulevard, Thompson Moving Inc., Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra, Al Williamson and Christine Roberts, and University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. Contributing Sponsors were Baker & Taylor, Boyle Buick GMC, Mayor Susan & Steve Burdette, Clifton Larson Allen, Bill & Paige Cox, East Shore Sound, Elegant Restoration, Inc., Ellin & Tucker, Ferrell Fuel, Flavor Cupcakery, Forest Hill Health & Rehab Center, Geoffrey Groman, Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Al & Gail Jackson, Jarrettsville Federal, LaCakerie, Maryland Spine Institute, MediaWise, Inc., Morgan Stanley, Pairings Bistro, PK Law, Point Breeze Credit Union, Rich & Rich, Salon Marielle, Sengstacke & Evans, LLC, Streett Hopkins Real Estate, Town of Bel Air, United Way of Central Maryland, 970 WAMD and Lou and Linda Wienecke. Harford County Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established to raise funds to augment the financial resources of Harford County Public Library and to promote awareness of its services. Harford County Public Library operates 11 branches located throughout Harford County. The library serves more than 194,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of more than 4.7 million. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading in the community. For more information, visit hcplonline.org. I95 Sponsored Content

For more business briefs, visit www.i95business.com/inbox. | Submit press-worthy Business Briefs to I95business.com, Submit News link.

Baltimore’s RedOwl Acquired by Forcepoint, a Ratheon Company Austin-based Forcepoint has acquired RedOwl data analytics company for an undisclosed amount. RedOwl will be integrated into the Forcepoint business to expand and enhance Forcepoint’s strategy to deliver cybersecurity systems that help customers understand people’s behaviors and intent as they interact with data and intellectual property wherever it may reside. RedOwl brings a sophisticated analytics platform to Forcepoint’s humancentric cybersecurity system and will be integrated across our portfolio, as well as with customers’ existing technologies. This integrated platform delivers realtime insight into anomalous interactions and access that occur across people, data, devices and applications. RedOwl technology is now known as Forcepoint UEBA and will remain in their Federal Hill office as a “center of excellence” in analytics. The combination of RedOwl UEBA, Forcepoint DLP and Forcepoint Insider Threat will provide the industry’s only comprehensive solution for understanding and responding to the behaviors and intent of people. See I95 BUSINESS Dec. 2016 for a feature story on RedOwl, www. i95business.com/2016/12/behavior/ Perry Point Veterans Museum at the Grist Mill

Paige Boyle, Boyle Buick GMC; Cecilia Helmstetter, United Way of Central Maryland; and Rachel Fink, EZShield Fraud Protection. (Aven Love Studios, Topher)

Sequel Design Associates was privileged to create the image and branding for the new Veteran’s Museum that opened in fall of 2017. To honor the history of the VA Maryland Health Care System and our country’s veterans, Sequel recommended a visual timeline and high-impact head-

lines that would highlight the historical milestones of the medical center. Artwork development and final product required meticulous review of photos, thoughtful placement of images and copy and respectful consideration of the subject matter. Through the cooperation of Bob Zealor and Bay Imagery, the panel display was unveiled at the historic Grist Mill on the campus of Perry Point VA Medical Center. The Grist Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. MacKenzie Leases 38,000 sf in PG County MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, LLC is pleased to announce that Forman Mills, a fast growing, big-box retailer specializing in off-price apparel, has signed a lease totaling more than 38,500 square feet at Forestville Plaza Shopping Center located in Prince George’s County. Forman Mills will occupy an endcap position in the center, bringing the center to 99 percent occupancy. MacKenzie Vice President Ginny Vernick represented the landlord, PMM Enterprises, and Michael Isen of NAI Michael Company represented Forman Mills in this transaction. Bill Hearl Appointed to Life Sciences Advisory Board William Hearl, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Marylandbased biotechnology company, has been appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to the Maryland Department of Commerce Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB). “It is an honor to be appointed by Governor Hogan to this esteemed board of life science leaders,” said Hearl. “I look forward to working with the Life Sciences Advisory Board to continue to grow Maryland’s robust life sciences industry.” Immunomic Therapeutics is developing their investigational LAMP technology in Maryland’s bustling I-270 tech corridor. LAMP is currently being applied in immu-

notherapy research for cancers, specifically glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), in a Phase II clinical trial that combines LAMP with a patented and proprietary cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunotherapy platform. The LSAB was created in 2007 to assist in maintaining Maryland’s strong presence in the life sciences industry and is made up of 18 members, including the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce, a representative designated by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) and 16 governorappointed members. Governor Hogan Appoints Iris Leigh Barnes to Commission Governor Larry Hogan appointed Iris Leigh Barnes to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, part of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. She was sworn in as a commissioner for a four-year appointment on Oct. 20. The Commission is committed to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage and provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. “African American history provides incredible stories that illustrate the tenacity and power of the human spirit, and that history is important for everyone to know in order to truly understand our country and its culture. That’s what makes this work on the commission important, and I am so honored to be a part of it,” says Barnes. Barnes is the executive director of Hosanna School Museum in Darlington. Hosanna School Museum, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is a restored Freedmen’s Bureau School, the first public school for African Americans in Harford County. “Much of what happened in Maryland, and particularly in Harford County, reverberated across the country and had an impact on regional and national events,” she adds.

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Shawe Rosenthal Recognized as a 2018 Best Law Firm Baltimore-based employment and labor law firm Shawe Rosenthal LLP has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers in America© as a 2018 “Best Law Firm” for Metropolitan Baltimore in three practice areas: Employment Law-Management; Labor Law- Management; and Litigation-Labor & Employment. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. “We are truly honored,” says the firm’s Co-Managing Partner Stephen D. Shawe. “This recognition is a testament to the professional excellence of our firm,

in-house the environmental soils they have historically outsourced, ultimately creating efficiencies and reducing costs for their customers. “Stancills has been one of our closest partners for many years and their customized soil products and processes are truly best-in-class,” says Pierce Flanigan (pictured), president of P. Flanigan & Sons. “Bringing our assets together under one umbrella will allow both companies to better serve our customers across Maryland and throughout the MidAtlantic.”

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which is particularly noteworthy this year as we celebrate our 70th anniversary.” Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick Assumes Leadership at EMR Caroline KauffmanKirschnick began working for the family business, Electric Motor Repair Co. (EMR), while in high school. Now, she steps into the role of president, after years of learning the ins-and-outs of motor and appliance repair and the company’s many departments, including sales and accounts receivable, human resources and eventually, operations and management. For 90 years EMR has served the MidAtlantic region through their two divisions, the Industrial Division and the Commercial Cooking and Refrigeration Division. Kauffman-Kirschnick’s grandfather and company founder, Harry Kauffman, appointed her father, Roger Kauffman, as the new president in 1985. Since then, the company has been successful in providing customers with quality repairs and service through well-trained, quality employees. Vanessa Milio, Executive Director at No More Stolen Childhoods No More Stolen Childhoods, a Cockeysvillebased nonprofit that brings hope and healing to victims of childhood sexual abuse, has appointed Vanessa Milio executive director. Milio brings more than 20 years of experience in developing high-level strategy and big-picture solutions to nonprofits and corporations. “We are so fortunate to have Vanessa Milio join our team as executive director,” says Wayne Coffey, founder of No More Stolen Childhoods. “Her experience leading and growing nonprofits will help us to increase our impact in educating and protecting children from sexual abuse and allow us to help more victims of sexual abuse become survivors.”

Milio has served as a consultant to numerous nonprofits. Her resume includes deputy director of Business Volunteers and president and CEO of Harford County Chamber of Commerce. Fuse Engineering Acquires ZyEdge Fuse Engineering, a leader in information technology services, acquired ZyEdge, a prominent cloud services provider. Offit Kurman Business Law and Transactions Chair Michael N. Mercurio led a team of attorneys who represented Fuse during the acquisition. The two entities serve government intelligence organizations and private businesses in the D.C. metropolitan and Northern Virginia markets. Fuse Engineering is an IT systems integrator that has provided cutting-edge technology solutions to the Department of Defense and other members of the U.S. intelligence community. Its technological capabilities encompass defensive cyber operations, high-performance computing, open systems integration, data storage and protection, disaster recovery, and software development. Its acquisition of ZyEdge, which provides small and mid-sized businesses with managed security, cloud and network engineering services, presents a unique opportunity to combine private- and public-facing digital technology innovations. P. Flanigan & Sons Acquires Stancills P. Flanigan & Sons, one of Baltimore’s oldest family-owned construction and transportation infrastructure companies, announced recently it has acquired Stancills, Inc., an 83 year-old, family-owned and operated specialty aggregate company based in Perryville, Md. Stancills is a pioneer in the manufacturing of green roof media. Stancills will continue to operate as an independent entity within the P. Flanigan & Sons portfolio. The acquisition will further enhance P. Flanigan & Sons’ approach to its environmentally beneficial products and business practices by manufacturing

Robin Luxon Promoted at UM Upper Chesapeake Health University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH) has promoted Robin Luxon to senior vice president for corporate planning, marketing and business development. Luxon has been a member of the UM UCH leadership team for the past 18 years, serving in a variety of roles to advance clinical service lines including the Patricia D. and M. Scot Kaufman Cancer Center on the Bel Air campus. She has led numerous initiatives, including the complex regulatory requirements for UM UCH’s Vision 2020 plans that include expansion of the Bel Air campus and the building of a new medical campus in Havre de Grace. In addition, she has been instrumental in the opening of several urgent care centers in the community in partnership with Choice One. “Robin Luxon has been a key contributor to the success of UM UCH for nearly 20 years,” says Lyle E. Sheldon, FACHE, president and CEO of UM UCH. “Robin’s leadership and expertise will help us considerably as we continue our journey toward Vision 2020.” Harford County Wine Festival Benefits Five Organizations The Rockfield Foundation hosted the 12th Annual Harford County Wine Festival on the grounds at Rockfield Manor in

September. This year’s festival, chaired by Donna M. Dickey, was a huge success with over 3,000 wine enthusiasts in attendance. “The success of this year’s festival can be attributed to the combined efforts of the Rockfield Foundation Board of Directors, Director of Operations Kellee Kalthof, and the Harford County Wine Festival committee. The many months of work by this great team made it the most successful in its history,” says Dickey. Attendees this year enjoyed popular wine tastings; the Sam Adams Oktoberfest Beer Garden, a variety of food trucks; over 60 arts and craft vendors; and live music entertainment provided by Jah Works and The Klassix. A portion of the 2017 proceeds benefited five local non-profit organizations including the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance, Toys for Tots, Bel Air

Police Department’s Explorers, Bel Air Fire Department and John Carroll High School. The Maryland Venture Fund Closed on $25M to Invest The TEDCO-run investment arm recently closed on $25 million for the Maryland Innovation Opportunity Fund I. The money comes from Maryland’s State Retirement and Pension Fund. The state-backed fund, which focuses on tech, health care and life sciences, was transferred under leadership of TEDCO in 2015. It was then retooled as a new team was hired. It now includes Andy Jones as Managing Director, as well as Parag Sheth, Phil Jung and Moss Amer. The new capital will be “sector and stage agnostic,” meaning it won’t be limited to a particular category of tech company or stage. “This new fund is an important milestone in the turnaround and re-

INCL

Save theDate! ATHENA Leadership Award Breakfast Presenting Sponsor: Hosted by The Harford Community College Foundation

Friday, March 2, 2018 7:30 a.m. networking & breakfast 8 a.m. program begins

Tickets: $40 Tables of ten available for $350

UDE Prese S: ATHE ntation of t he N A Le Award and th adership e ATH Young EN P Leade rofessiona A l rship Award

ATHENA RECIPIENTS: • Personify the highest level of professional excellence • Promote leadership opportunities for women • Provide valuable service to the community

the richlin ballroom, edgewood, maryland

Sponsorship and Event Information:

harford.edu/ATHENA | 443-412-2449 The ATHENA Award is a program of the ATHENA Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating leadership opportunities for women.

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MacKenzie to Represent 72 Loveton Circle MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services has the listing assignment for 72 Loveton Circle, in Sparks, Md., a Class A office building totaling 52,700 feet. The MacKenzie team of Bill Whitty, Matt Mueller, Meghan Roy, and Henson Ford will be representing the owner, Loveton/ York Limited Partnership, in leasing or selling the asset. Situated in a prominent location on York Road at the entrance to the Loveton Business Center, 72 Loveton offers exceptional visibility and provides tenants and visitors easy access to abundant nearby amenities. Local Retailer Bambeco Acquired by Richmond-based Evergreen Bambeco, a Baltimorebased sustainable home furnishings business, was recently sold to Richmond, Va.based Evergreen Enterprises. Susan Aplin, Bambeco’s founder and CEO, has been retained as general manger and president of the Bambeco brand, and continues to operate out of their Brooklyn, Md., base, along with several employees. After reaching revenue of $4 million in 2016, they were on track to reach $5 million by year-end. With capital funding required for fulfillment and operations increasing, they looked for a buyer. Evergreen is a multi-brand, multi-channel maker and distributor of home and garden goods. Evergreen has the scale and distribution to leverage Bambeco’s products.

13 Maryland Companies’ LGBTQInclusive Workplace Policies Rank High The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced a record number of the nation’s major companies and law firms are advancing vital policies and practices to protect LGBTQ workers around the world, according to the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual report assessing LGBTQ inclusion in major companies and law firms across the nation. Maryland companies earning the CEI’s top score of 100 are Lockheed Martin Corp., Under Armour, T. Rowe Price Associates, Sodexo, Choice Hotels International, Marriott International, CareFirst, WeddingWire and DLA Piper. Legg Mason scored 95, and Constellation Energy Group, McCormick and Host Hotels & Resorts round out the high rankings. Evan Lutz of Hungry Harvest Wins Top Prize at Betamore’s Beta City Evan Lutz, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hungry Harvest, participated in Betamore’s third annual Beta City live venture capital pitch competition to a panel of judges including Mayor Catherine Pugh. Hungry Harvest took home the grand prize of $25,000 sponsored by Brown Advisory. Hungry Harvest is a produce delivery company on a mission to end food waste and hunger. In 2015, Lutz was featured on Shark Tank and made a deal with investor Robert Herjavec. Lutz envisioned the idea for Hungry Harvest in the basement of his dorm room at the University of Maryland. He reached out to farmers and wholesalers to recover their surplus, or cosmetically imperfect, produce to deliver it to subscribers every week at an affordable price. For each box of produce sold, the company donates or subsidizes produce to fight hunger in local communities. The company has

now expanded its services to other states, delivering across Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey. John Sutton of KeyW Appointed to CyberMaryland Board CyberMaryland announced the appointment of John Sutton, chief operating officer of KeyW Corporation, to its board of directors. The CyberMaryland initiative, created in 2010, works in partnership with federal, state, local and private entities to support cybersecurity as a critical national priority and elevate Maryland’s leadership in cybersecurity and information technology. Rick Geritz, Chairman of CyberMaryland notes, “John’s record of leader-

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responsible for helping to oversee area sales efforts. Stewart joined Insperity in 2007 as a Business Performance Advisor in Baltimore. Prior to Insperity, she owned and operated a market research company. Stewart completed a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee.

Insperity Promotes Rebecca Stewart to District Manager Insperity, Inc., a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions for America’s best businesses, announced the promotion of Rebecca Stewart to district manager for one of its Maryland sales offices. She will be

Longtime CEO Fred Festa Plans to Step Down at Grace W. R. Grace & Co. announced that Fred Festa intends to step down as Chief Executive Officer of the Columbia-based chemical and materials manufacturer, during the fourth quarter of 2018, but remain as nonexecutive Chairman. Grace also announced that, as part of its succession plan, the Board of Directors has elected Hudson La Force, President and Chief Operating Officer, as a director of the company.

Thank you!

Harford County Public Library is grateful to the generous sponsors of the 13 th Annual Gala

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BEL AIR FRIENDS OF HCPL

Mary & Mark Hastler Al Williamson & Christine Roberts

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ship success in software development, telecommunications and cybersecurity initiatives in the federal and commercial space make him the perfect complement. CyberMaryland will benefit greatly from his expertise. KeyW is located in Arundel Preserve, one of Maryland’s fastest growing Cyber Communities and serves as an anchor to the region.”

PRESENTING

OrderUp Co-founder Chris Jeffery named CEO of Leafly Former OrderUp CEO Chris Jeffery was named CEO of Seattlebased cannabis tech company Leafly. The company provides marijuana recommendations and reviews, and also has a budding news department. “Building on Leafly’s established position as the world’s leading cannabis information resource, we are expanding our focus on providing consumers the tools they need to discover and purchase cannabis products,” Jeffery said in a statement. “With unprecedented momentum for legalization worldwide, we are uniquely positioned to help consumers navigate this new legal landscape with reliable information and a personalized experience that saves time and money when making purchasing decisions.”

Jeffery was a cofounder of OrderUp, and led the company through its acquisition by Groupon in 2015. The company was at one time in more than 40 markets, and had more than $100 million in annual sales. Additional former members of OrderUp’s team are expected to join Jeffery in Seattle. Ross Moulton, who led product at OrderUp, is now Leafly’s director of product. (technical.ly)

HEADLINING

invention of the Maryland Venture Fund,” Jones said in a statement. “We have built a new team of experienced operators and investors. Now the job in front of us is to deliver top-quartile returns to the Pension System and in the process, build the next generation of great businesses in the State of Maryland.” MVF companies also now have access to a group of executives through a recently launched Operating Partner Network. These execs can assist companies who receive funding with “strategy, technology, finance, sales and marketing,” the MVF states. MVF’s portfolio includes Harpoon Medical, Graybug Vision, Personal Genome Diagnostics, Fugue and D.C.– based Optoro. The moves come as Maryland Venture Fund is taking on added importance within “TEDCO 2.0.” Recently-hired CEO George Davis said the MVF team is now overseeing TEDCO’s seed investments, as well. It’s a move focused on bringing a venture mentality to the program that seeks out winning companies, Davis said.


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“Fred has led the company through one of the most challenging periods in its history,” says Chris Steffen, lead independent director. “He led us out of bankruptcy, made several significant acquisitions, and repositioned our portfolio by spinning off our former construction chemicals and packaging businesses, all while increasing the company’s profitability and positioning it for a successful future.” Festa joined Grace as President and COO in 2003 and became CEO in 2005. La Force joined Grace as CFO in 2008 and became President and COO in 2016. impactHR’s Kelly Mitchell Selected for Minority Business Enterprises Award Kelly Mitchell, Principal of impactHR, LLC, a full-service human resources management and consulting firm, has been named a “2017 Top 100 MBE® winner” by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC). The annual CRMSDC award recognizes owners of minority business enterprises (MBE) in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia who have demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial accomplishments, a high level of professionalism and have made substantial contributions to their community. The Top 100 MBE Awards® were

launched in 2007 to recognize and celebrate the creativity and innovation of regional MBEs who are role models and an inspiration to their communities. Saval Foods Corp. Leases Space in Baltimore Co. Lee & Associates Chesapeake Region has brokered a lease with Deli Brands of America (DBA) for 19,000 square feet of space within 1705 Twin Springs Road in the Lansdowne section of Baltimore County. The project is part of Beltway Business Park, a business community owned and developed by Merritt Properties. Deli Brands of America, the processing subsidiary of Saval Foods Corporation, will utilize the new facility to support its current operation that produces and distributes deli meats, entrees and custom-cut steaks. Allan Riorda, SIOR, Principal and President of Lee & Associates represented the tenant and Vince Bagli and Bobby Lanigan of Merritt Properties represented the landlord in this transaction. Approximately 12 employees are expected to work within the new facility, which is expected to be operational in first quarter 2018. The site will be utilized for deli meat slicing functions, as well as to handle all outbound freight and logistics. MacKenzie Capital Secures Acquisition Financing for War Horse Cities John Black, Will Goetschius, and Brendan Harman of MacKenzie Capital secured acquisition financing for a landmark mixed-use property in Baltimore City for

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an entity sponsored by War Horse Cities, LLC, led by Scott Plank and Steve Jennings. The total acquisition included over 800 boat slips, office, restaurant, retail space, and a development site, all of which are strategically located along Baltimore’s waterfront in the Canton neighborhood. Barcoding Names Mirabito Innovator of the Year Barcoding, Inc., the Baltimore-based leader in supply chain solutions, has named Mirabito its 2017 Innovator of the Year. Mirabito is not only a leading energy provider, but also runs a chain of 108 successful convenient stores and operates a delivery fleet of 95 retail fuel delivery vehicles. Through their collaboration with Barcoding, Mirabito has implemented innovative mobile solutions and devices to enhance visibility and connectivity within their store locations and throughout their delivery fleet. Barcoding’s 2017 Innovator of the Year award recognizes the remarkable impact these advances have had on the overall productivity and efficiency of Mirabito’s supply chain. Lisa Kenney Named Development Director at Junior Achievement of Central Maryland Lisa Kenney will spearhead annual giving and event efforts in her role as Development Director for Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. She will execute fundraising efforts, grow event sponsorship and establish strong connections with donors while securing financial support. JA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people to succeed in a rapidly changing economy. “Lisa has the salesoriented background and enthusiasm to achieve ambitious fundraising goals,” says Kaitlin Bowman, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Development for JA.

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Founders Financial Securities Names Bradley M. Shepherd CEO Founders Financial Securities formally appointed Bradley M. Shepherd as Chief Executive Officer. Shepherd has led the Baltimore-based independent brokerdealer as president for 10 years. His 25year industry tenure and prior experience as a financial advisor afford him a unique perspective towards the importance of a true relationship between a broker-dealer and the financial professionals they serve. During his time at Founders, Shepherd has overseen the development of the firm’s core services for advisors, including its wealth and asset management platform and integrated technology solutions. Monyka Berrocosa Joins John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation Monyka Berrocosa has been named executive director of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation. Berrocosa will oversee the foundation’s strategic growth nationally and internationally through development, management, logistics and operational efforts in tandem with Chief Engagement Officer Merrill Brick and founders, Victor and Lynne Brick. MacKenzie Completes 22,000 sf of Transactions in Hunt Valley MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services completed three long-term deals in Hunt Valley, totaling more than 22,000 square feet in the past three months. All owned by Greenfield Partners, the buildings include 4 North Park Drive, 200 International Circle, and 307 International Circle. The tenant representation team consisted of Senior Vice President/ Principals Bill Whitty and Joe Bradley and Vice President Matt Mueller. Dan Callihan and Karen Robertson of Newmark Knight Frank represented the landlord, Greenfield Partners. Tenants for the above noted buildings included Harvest Investment Consultants, a firm focused on providing high quality, unbiased, risk-efficient invest solutions;

Affiliated Engineers, a multi-discipline technical consulting firm providing innovative solutions for complex and large scale projects worldwide; and Systems Alliance Inc. (SAI), a software products and consulting firm. Each transaction represented a relocation and expansion of the tenants’ headquarter operations. “We were fortunate to work with a very strong team from MacKenzie in the identification of options and negotiation of a long term lease that will provide us with much more space, an office environment more consistent with the experience we want to provide for our team members and clients, and a landlord that values their business relationship with SAI,” says Ric Hughes, CEO at SAI. Chris Caldwell Joins McDonell Consulting Group McDonell Consulting Group (MCG), an authorized licensee of Sandler Training, has added Chris Caldwell as Business Development Associate. In this role, Caldwell will immerse himself in the Baltimore business community and engage companies and their leadership teams in conversations related to their sales, sales management, leadership, strategic customer care, and overall growth strategy for 2018. For the last 10 years, Caldwell excelled as a classroom teacher, coach and retreat facilitator, most recently at Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson. Leveraging his background as an educator and communicator, Caldwell will work with the MCG team to develop new relationships and provide the company’s core service of business and management coaching and sales training. SBLC Elects Three New Board Members SBLC, a community-based nonprofit providing adults functional literacy, life skills training and career preparation services, has elected Shaina Hernandez, Sam Johnson and Leigh Profit to the board of

directors for a two-year term. Shaina Hernandez serves as the director of local government affairs and strategic initiatives for the Greater Baltimore Committee. Sam Johnson is an associate equity analyst at T. Rowe Price, where he works on the small cap mutual fund team. Leigh Profit serves as the director of finance at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. For nearly 30 years, SBLC has provided a supportive, rigorous and transformative education to adults of all ages and backgrounds who are eager to learn, motivated to succeed and committed to making a difference in their lives and in the lives of others. Freedom Supports MedStar Health in Bel Air With Special Chair MedStar Health in Bel Air has a new state-of the-art patient chair for expectant mothers at risk, thanks to a new partnership with Freedom Federal Credit Union. A dedication and ribboncutting ceremony was conducted at MedStar earlier in September to recognize Freedom’s support of its Maternal Fetal Medicine Center (MFM), MedStar Ambulatory Services. Participants included: Mike MacPherson, Freedom President and CEO; Dr. Anadir Silva, the Physician Lead for Maternal Fetal Medicine Center at MedStar Health in Bel Air; Karol Edwards, Regional Director, MedStar Ambulatory Services; Linda Hawes, Manager of Operations, MedStar Health in Bel Air. According to Dr. Anadir Silva, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Maternal Fetal Medicine, MedStar Health, Freedom was the catalyst in providing better care for patients of MedStar’s MFM program, by providing the funding necessary to purchase a new, state-of-the-art patient table/chair and larger monitor in the Mother and Women’s Care Unit. Patients of the unit spend longer times in the exam room than most traditional patients, and this new equipment has greatly enhanced the patients’ experience and comfort. I95

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