Howard County : Innovation + Job News

Unleashed Technologies  is hiring 10 new full-time employees in sales and development. The additional staffing is the result of the Columbia, Md.-headquartered web firm’s arrangement to sell a web-based system that allows retailers to build and manage their online stores.
 
Unleashed Technologies designs and develops e-commerce web sites. The arrangement with SalesWarp, a storefront management system, “enables our customers to get all their e-commerce operations from one platform,” says Jen Silate, marketing manager of Unleashed Technologies.
 
Michael Spinosa is CEO of Unleashed Technologies, a leader in web and hosting solutions in the state and one of the state’s fastest growing web firms, according to Silate. Unleashed Technologies recently won three 2012 Blue Drop Awards, including web site of the year for its client, Eyemaginations. The awards are an international competition for companies that use the Drupal platform for development and design.
 
David Potts is CEO and founder of SalesWarp, developed by Baltimore's 6^th Street Commerce. SalesWarp manages pricing, order processing, shipping, inventory, SEO and customer data across multiple online stores from one system.
 
Silate says the arrangement allows Unleashed Technologies and SalesWarp to expand. "We will be reselling SalesWarp’s platform.”
 
Source: Jen Silate, Unleashed Technologies
Writer:  Barbara Pash   

The competition is heating up for foodies who want to work at the new Columbia Wegmans.

Wegmans Food Markets has received more than 6,000 resumes from applicants eager to work at the Howard County store, a local spokeswoman says.

Opening June 17, the Howard County store will hire 700, or about 11 percent of the applicants who have thus far applied. Of those positions, 250 will work full-time. Not surprisingly, the company was ranked No. 4 this year in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.

The hiring focus right now is on culinary jobs — chefs, line cooks and other folks who can work in food service, says Cynthia Glover, who handles local PR for Wegmans.

Jim Thompson, who worked in the Bel Air store, will be Columbia’s merchandising manager, says Store Manager Wendy Webster. Nate Starkweather has moved from New Jersey to work as the store’s perishable manager. Tom Schwarzweller will be its executive chef and Rob Griffin its service manager. Both worked at the Hunt Valley location.

The 145,000-square-foot store will house a 432-seat restaurant and market serving up made-to-order sushi, ice cream, a hot-and-cold veggie bar and other prepared foods. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Cynthia Glover; Wendy Webster, Wegmans

Columbia based technology firm triCerat is shaking things up this winter.

The enterprise solutions and desktop applications firm has hired a new president and a new chief financial officer as it beta tests a new scanning application.

Vasilios Peros was recently named president and general counsel. Peros is known for his work as the chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s intellectual property division and was the winner of Venable LLP’s 2005 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award. Timothy L. Beal has been named triCerat's new Chief Financial Officer.

"I enjoy managing a company, putting the pieces together,” Peros says. “ We have already decided that we're going to crank it up and compete at a much higher level.”


Best known for its ScrewDrivers print management solution, triCerat is developing a new product. The company's next office management solution Scanect will be focused on scanning in an enterprise environment. The new application automatically configures an office's scanners from the server side. It is in beta testing an expected to release in early spring.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Vasilios Peros, triCerat

Sensics Inc. is launching their first consumer-targeted 360-degree goggles at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show this month in Las Vegas. SmartGoggles are designed to provide gamers with an immersive view of their gaming environment.

Sensics had been selling exclusively to the defense and professional markets, says Sensics CEO Yuval Boger of the 360-degree goggles. "By adding the power to run Android applications on board, as well as allow these applications to use the location of the user’s hand, we believe SmartGoggles are changing how people think about virtual reality goggles much like smart phones changed how people think about phones.”

SmartGoggles differ from traditional virtual reality goggles in the way that  they run applications that track the user's motion. Traditional virtual-reality goggles rely on an external device for video and track the user's head motions. SmartGoggles run applications locally and track the user's hand motions.

The Columbia company is also looking to partner with a major consumer electronics company to help deliver SmartGoggles to the consumer market.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Yuval Boger, Sensics Inc.

Advertising banners flying from the back of a plane are a classic sight at the beach, but don't work so well in a crowded metropolitan area. Enter Columbia's Bootcamp Lights. The Columbia start up is taking that concept to a new level with digital banner advertising from a custom-built helicopter that is flown over urban events.

“We take a message, the foundation of any campaign, and we display that message directly above prime locations,” says Bootcamp co-founder Kyle Benham. “We are capable of reaching areas unattainable by other forms of media.”

The company has flown messages for a variety of area businesses specially tailored to their needs. Using a helicopter allows for more precise message locations, as it did with last year's advertising campaign for Scores flown over the U2 concert at M&T Bank Stadium.

Bootcamp Lights celebrated their new social media tool, currently in beta testing, at this year's New Year's Eve fireworks display in downtown Baltimore. Users were able to send their New Year’s greetings to the world using the online tool, Facebook and Twitter. Bootcamp Lights plans to continue developing their social media platform in 2012. The application allows customers to connect with a company and livestream chat on the company's site.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Kyle Benham, Bootcamp Lights

Baltimore's Pure Bang Games is growing. The social games developer recently added star game designer Eric Ruth, developer of Pixel Force, to their roster and they're looking for more help as they launch new projects.

The company is looking for a top user interface designer as well as “rock star” front-end and back-end programmers, says Pure Bang CEO Ben Walsh. Ideally, the new hire will know AS3 Flash and/or PHP and MySQL, but if they know object-oriented programming, Pure Bang can teach them what they need to know to be mobile and Facebook programmers, Walsh says.

Pure Bang Games has a busy 2012 planned. The company is planning to launch their third mobile app game in the first quarter of this year. Pure Bang Games also plans to launch a new game by Eric Ruth.

Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Ben Walsh, Pure Bang Games

Howard County has named Verizon Wireless, Columbia Bank and the Hotel at Turf Valley among the area’s healthiest employers.

Launched two years ago, the county’s Healthy Workplaces program recognizes companies that develop programs to address six factors: nutrition, physical activity, wellness, mental health, environmental health, and safety.

Verizon Wireless, for instance, has instituted several programs to increase its employees’ health and wellness as well as provide family friendly amenities. Corporate facilities have large fitness centers that are available to employees. The company offers smoking cessation, on-site mammography and nutrition seminars. The company also offers lactation rooms at both of its corporate offices. The company employs nearly 1,800 in Laurel, Hanover and Columbia.

Other winners include Athelas Institute, Baltimore Aircoil Co., Humanim, Jolles Insurance, Thrive, Tower Federal Credit Union and W.R. Grace & Co.

Source: Melanie Ortel, Verizon Wireless
Writer: Amy McNeal

Nik Mody and his partners, Vinit Mody and Roshan Patel, are using their experience in the hospitality industry to launch a new online travel savings club. Based in Columbia, MD, Members Hotel Network aims to create an online travel booking site that benefits both guests and hoteliers.

Typically, bookings that come to hoteliers through an online travel agency cost the hotelier about 22% in commissions paid to the agency. Travelers booking through online travel brokers are often unaware that hotel franchisees are obligated to enforce a rate parity concept by their corporate parents that ensures that online brokers and the hotel's online site are providing the same rate. Booking travel through a broker also usually means that a traveler is unable to collect loyalty points for the booking.

"Our purpose is to serve the two most important entities in the process, the guest and the hotelier," says MHN founder Nik Mody.

The company launched the club's booking site in June. At the Members Hotel Network site, club members can book hotels and rental cars at a club discount around the country. Bookings through the site qualify for hotel and rental car company reward programs, as well as discounts from AARP and AAA. Club members also earn reward points from Members Hotel Network that can be redeemed through the site for cash back rewards.

"We continue to have good traction since our June launch with significant increases in membership registrations and reservations. The public is gaining a better understanding of what it means to have all of their perks back at no cost," says Mody

Members Hotel Network recently added staff at its Columbia office, and is looking at expanding further in the near future. The club is offering free membership through the end of September.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Nik Mody, Members Hotel Network

Venture Funding Network is searching for national affiliate marketing partners to promote its business connections website. The company began searching for partners in June through outreach efforts at business networking events and on the web.

The Columbia based startup launched the site in 2010. The platform is designed to facilitate connections between entrepreneurs, business finance professionals, and service providers in a variety of industries.  

"We're growing and looking at ways to involve more entrepreneurs, service providers, and financiers in our online community. Our platform provides a way for businesses to connect and foster growth," says Phillip Bradford, CEO of Venture Funding Network, LLC.

Strong early positive response to the site has given Venture Funding Network the impetus to roll out its national affiliate marketing program earlier than expected. The company is seeking experienced regional partners in all US and Canadian markets.

"We're looking for national affiliates to promote VFN as we expand. We want to work with businesses with strong local connections to provide greater growth opportunities in the economic recovery," Bradford says.

Venture Funding Network plans to begin announcing new partnerships as early as this fall.  


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Venture Funding Network, LLC

Baltimore area law firm, Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny (DARS) has launched a new website that will help introduce prospective clients to the firm and answer some very basic legal questions.

"It was important for us to create a website that had the potential to offer a more interactive experience, enabling clients, prospective clients and visitors to the site to communicate with us. It also allows us to better communicate our message to our clients and the community," says Paul Skalny, managing director and partner at the law firm.

The website has undergone a rebranding and now provides users with greater details regarding the firm's main practice areas and significant involvement in the greater-Baltimore community as a corporate partner to area nonprofits. DARSLaw.com also provides users access to a wealth of articles, informational pamphlets and legal forms, allowing visitors to browse various documents and become more informed about the law.

According to Skalny the new site will help give clients a sense for where their case or situation might stand, the kinds of things the firm can help them with and also educate them about the law, however he cautions that it is not legal advice specific to a particular case.

"We love an informed client, one that understands what we can do for them and challenges us with hard questions. The site will also expedite some of our legal services, for instance with estate planning. We're looking to employ a system that will enable us to collect the necessary information online and really cut down on the time and number of meetings required for clients to finish an estate plan," he says.

The site includes lawyer blogs as well and is free to use and totally accessible to the public. The firm is also investigating how to create a secure section of the site for clients through which they will be able to pay their bill, access updates about their case and other information.

Source: Paul Skalny, DARS Law Firm
Writer: Walaika Haskins