Innovation + Job News

Award winning cafe chain Miss Shirley's has entered the burgeoning Baltimore food truck scene, launching their first food truck in Tide Point on June 1.  

The launch of the new truck comes during a period of concern for entrepreneurs as Baltimore's city government explores regulations and permit issues with the growing trend. The City's first step was to establish new "Food Truck Zones" in locations around the city. After attending a June 1 meeting on the issue, and hearing about the steps being taken to resolve concerns about food trucks in the city, Miss Shirley's feels confident that their truck with keep rolling.

"I think the city is open to the food truck phenomenon," says Jennifer Mcillwain, marketing manager with Miss Shirley's. "We understand being sensitive to our surroundings, we're restaurant owners too. We'll be in private lots that we've been invited to."

Miss Shirley's envisions using the food truck as both a revenue source and a marketing tool. The truck will be visiting different Baltimore areas on a rotating basis, including setting up for business in private lots in Tide Point, the Rotunda, and the Morgan Stanley building. The menu features a variety of breakfast and lunch favorites, including blueberry pancakes, Miss Shirley's Gumbo, the Maryland Omelet, and several sandwiches.

"There's a demand for bringing Miss Shirley's to the people. It's staying with the times," Mcillwain says.

Business is up from 2010 for Miss Shirley's and the cafe chain will be growing in 2011. Miss Shirley's plans to open a new location in Annapolis in the fall. The company is looking to hire new workers for several kitchen positions, including line cooks and sous chefs, to replace staff that will be moving to the new Annapolis restaurant.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Jennifer Mcillwain,  Miss Shirley's

Maryland is taking a proactive approach to encourage the use of electric vehicles around the state. With the advent of a new network of public charging stations, Marylanders who choose renewable energy electric vehicles now have more places to plug in and fuel up.

Using a $500,000 grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program includes the installation of charging stations at Baltimore area locations. Charging stations will be installed at 10 municipal parking garages throughout Baltimore City. A partnership formed by the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative and two Maryland companies, SemaConnect of Annapolis and Autoflex of Baltimore, plans to install 55 charging stations in other locations around the state, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland College Park, Frederick Community College, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Hilton hotel in Waldorf, the White Marsh park-and-ride, and several office buildings in Montgomery County.

Two chargers were recently installed at the Fitzgerald mixed-use development in downtown Baltimore. The chargers are accessible to residents of the LEED-designed Fitzgerald apartment complex, neighboring stores, the Lyric Opera House, and the University of Baltimore campus. Chargers are also being installed in Owings Mills at the College Square shopping center.

The rollout of so many public charging stations will make Maryland the number two state in the country for available EV chargers. Only California has more. The MEA considers the installation of public charging stations to be the cornerstone of their efforts to make Maryland an EV-ready state. The Maryland Energy Administration plans to have 65 charging stations available for public use by the end of June 2011. A full list of Maryland's public charging stations is available at the MEA website.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Maryland Energy Administration

Oculis Labs in Hunt Valley, developers of information security technologies, has been recognized by two major organizations as a leader in innovation. The company was listed in April by fundedIDEAS as one of its "Top 300 Startups". The company was also honored in May at the TEDCO ICE Awards with the Innovation award.

Oculis Labs offers two information security products. Privateeye, designed for general use in offices where information may need to be kept confidential, uses facial recognition screen lock technology to keep documents secure to a machine's registered user. It can be used on laptops and desktops, and uses the computer's camera to establish the identity of acceptable readers for a protected document. When an unauthorized person comes into the camera's view, the screen blurs to protect the information. Privateeye can be used to protect confidential information by health clinics, financial institutions, or in other industries where confidentiality is a concern.

"This takes the user out of the security equation. It's very effective with proprietary and personal data," says Oculis Labs CEO Bill Anderson.

Chameleon, Oculis' most advanced security tool, is designed for use by people working with highly sensitive documents, especially in the intelligence and military sectors. The technology works similarly to the Privateeye program, but provides a few additional safety features. Using a special plug-in box for each machine, Chameleon tracks the gaze of the person reading the document, and scrambles the information ahead and behind the reader's view, allowing only what the registered user is looking at currently to be readable. Nonsense words appear in place of the protected data.

"We protect the last 2 feet of the internet," Anderson says. "There's security available for the rest of it, but this protects your data once it hits your screen."


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Bill Anderson, Oculis Labs

Baltimore tech industry pioneer System Source in Hunt Valley is moving into a post-recession growth phase. The company is expanding operations and hiring new personnel to meet the area's rising demand for remote office management, IT training, and teleconferencing.

"In 30 years, we've lived through four recessions," says System Source President Maury Weinstein. "You have to reinvent yourself."

Opened in 1981, System Source has grown with Baltimore's tech industry. The company's newest focus is on remote managed service for small companies that can't necessarily afford to staff their own full-service IT department. System Source offers clients the opportunity to have a remote IT department that can handle their servers and equipment. The company is also expanding its portfolio of services with updated videoconferencing.

"With the price of gas, video conferencing really makes sense. For a business in Baltimore, driving to see a client nearby might not even be as economical," Weinstein continues.

System Source recently opened its 15th Learning Center classroom in Havre de Grace. The opening of this new facility is directly tied to the training opportunities created by BRAC. As more defense contracting and other BRAC-related jobs open in the area, job seekers and existing employees will need new certifications and applications training.

In response to this expansion of operations, System Source is looking to grow its team. The company is currently looking to fill 5 openings. System Source is looking for tech teachers for the Learning Centers, and sales support staff in the company's home office in Hunt Valley.

"We've seen explosive growth in some technologies," Weinstein says. "We're gearing up for something new."


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: System Source, Chris Riley and Maury Weinstein

The imaging satellites in use today are huge, expensive pieces of technology. One local aerospace firm aims to change that with its design for a smaller, cheaper satellite to provide better on-demand imaging.

Maryland Aerospace's Kestrel Eye satellite is designed to provide imaging on-demand, at a fraction of the cost of a regular satellite. While an average satellite can cost tens of millions of dollars to build, a Kestrel Eye satellite will only cost approximately one million dollars. This means that more of these small satellites can be put into orbit, providing faster and more accurate imagery for users.

"It represents a quantum leap forward in low-cost tech," says Maryland Aerospace President Steven Fujikawa. "You can build 30 of these for the less than the cost of one big satellite."

Maryland Aerospace began working on the Kestrel Eye in 2006, with a sponsorship from the Army. The electro-optical imaging satellite has 1.5 meter ground resolution. Using a PDA or smartphone, individual soldiers could use the imagery provided by a Kestrel Eye satellite to see what's behind the next building or ridge line.

"We originated this concept. The U.S. has big satellites. Because they are so expensive, they really can't provide enough on-demand imagery for both government and the commercial sector," continues Mr. Fujikawa.

The first Kestrel Eye satellite was scheduled to launch in November 2011. Due to cuts to the NASA budget, the launch has been rescheduled. Maryland Aerospace will now be launching its first Kestrel Eye satellite in the fourth quarter of 2012.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Maryland Aerospace Inc.; Steven Fujikawa, David Park, Don Tatum

Global Results is stepping into the mobile marketing field with a new mobile marketing tool. The Owings Mills-based company is launching a service to help business owners connect with clients through text message marketing. Business owners will create a keyword that interested clients can use to opt into their mobile marketing campaign. That client will then receive text updates from the business.

"Mobile marketing is a modern form of communication," says Global Results CEO Kathleen Dorsey. "Many of the younger generation look to receive communications through their phones more than any other format."

According to Mobile Marketing Watch, text messages have an average open rate of 98%. Email has an average open rate of 22%. Mobile marketing technology provides business owners with ways to communicate quickly with their clients. The service can be used to confirm appointments, tout specials, or send news updates.

"If business is slow at a restaurant, they can send a message out to those who are on their mobile lists to offer specials for that day only," Dorsey continues.

Opened in 2007, Global Results has grown from a SEO optimization firm to a full-service social media company. CEO Kathleen Dorsey was recognized by National Association of Women Business Owners-Baltimore Regional Chapter as its 2010 Trailblazer of the Year.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Global Results, Kathleen Dorsey, Mobile Marketing Watch

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development has announced that the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit has been re-funded for Fiscal Year 2012. With $8 million in new funding up for grabs, the program provides tax credits for firms looking to invest in qualified Maryland biotechnology companies.

The Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit is a central part of Governor Martin O'Malley's Bio2020 Initiative. The credit was first funded in 2007. Under the program, over 40 Maryland biotechnology firms have received credits that total more than $30 million. The qualification standards are very specific. To qualify, a company must have fewer than 50 employees, have their headquarters located in Maryland, be less than 12 years old, and obtain a certification from the Department of Business and Economic Development.

For 2011, the program has undergone a few structural changes. In previous years, investors and biotechnology firms had to apply in person for the tax credit at DBED. This year, applications can be filed online. Over 100 applicants filed for a portion of the funding on the first day of the online program's operations. Decisions on whether or not an investment is qualified under the program are expected to be delivered to the applicants within 30 days of filing.

Newly added for the 2012 Fiscal Year, biotechnology firms and investors can apply to be pre-qualified for the program. The 2012 pre-qualification process is going on now. The deadline for prospective biotechnology firms and investors to submit applications for qualification as a participant in the program is June 1, 2011. Applicants will receive notice that they have been accepted into the program by June 15, 2011.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development

An innovative business idea can come to an entrepreneur at any time. For Matt Baker, the founder of Terrapin Adventures in Savage, inspiration struck during a zip-lining tour of the rainforest in Costa Rica. After touring the US to look at similar facilities, Matt returned to Baltimore to open the outdoor adventure experience Terrapin Adventures.The growing company has recently doubled the size of its staff, adding 15 positions in the last two months.

"We try to share our love of the outdoors with people," says Baker, who goes by the title Chief Adventure Officer.

Located at Savage Mill, Terrapin Adventures offers team building adventure days for corporate clients, church groups and scout troops, and also books private parties. Open year round, Terrapin Adventures holds a variety of events, including murder mysteries, moonlight madness events, and the "Beer & Fear" Hallowe'en event with partner Ram's Head Tavern.

The adventure park offers participants the opportunity to try a wide range of adrenalin pumping activities, including zip-lining, climbing towers, high and low challenge courses, and the giant swing. Teams are accompanied by a guide who stresses both safety and fun. The challenges on the courses are designed to maximize team work and creative thinking.

"We create an 'a-ha!' moment, when the process of sharing something outside of the normal workplace gets people to think differently," continues Baker. "We help build stronger relationships."

The company is also active in its community. They have partnered with Arlington Echo to adopt two endangered terrapin turtles, and sponsored a clean-up of the Little Patuxent River. Terrapin Adventures recently sponsored a 5k race, "Terrapin And The Hare," to benefit Playworks D.C.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Matt Baker, Terrapin Adventures

Charm City has been gaining ground as a tourist destination for LGBT travelers, fueled by a highly coordinated outreach effort on the part of Visit Baltimore and the Baltimore LGBT Tourism Advisory Committee.

"Showing LGBT travelers that your city is welcoming is the right thing for any city to do," says Tom Noonan, President and CEO of Visit Baltimore. "The fact that any city creates a unique and robust outreach program is an attention grabber."

When Visit Baltimore and the Advisory Committee began their effort to market the city as a LGBT travel destination four years ago, only two Baltimore hotels had received the Travel Alternatives Group's designation as certified LGBT friendly hotels. The city now has 25 TAG certified hotels.

Visit Baltimore is looking to carve out a niche as a welcoming destination for gay families as well. Baltimore Pride will feature a new family fun zone this year. Welcoming events are also planned for the Zoo and the Aquarium.

"Most LGBT Tourism dollars go toward attracting couples and singles, and families are ignored. We're also trying to market Baltimore as a destination for families with kids," says Barry Werner, a member of the Baltimore LGBT Tourism Advisory Committee.

Attracting more LGBT tourists to Baltimore has been a long term goal for Visit Baltimore. With tourism as the second largest source of jobs in the city, LGBT tourism dollars are an important potential revenue source for the sector. In order to reach more LGBT tourists with Baltimore's message of welcome, Visit Baltimore has recently launched a cooperative marketing campaign with more than 20 city businesses. Full-color, four-page inserts in LGBT publications in the Northeast market tout the city's cultural attractions, restaurants, and accommodations.
 

Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Barry Werner, Tom Noonan, Visit Baltimore

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation held its inaugural ICE Awards ceremony and conference at the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum on May 11. In addition to the awards ceremony, the program also featured a keynote speech by Peter Corbett, founder and CEO of iStrategy Labs.

TEDCO was established by the Maryland General assembly in 1998, with the mandate to be a leading source of seed capital funding and business assistance for entrepreneurs specializing in technology. In addition to funding, TEDCO also facilitates relationships between start-up tech firms and federal laboratories, research universities, and business incubators. Over 300 Maryland firms are associated with TEDCO.

"TEDCO is the largest seed investor in the region," says Robert Rosenbaum, president of TEDCO. "We thought it was about time that we should recognize the hard work of these folks."

The ICE Awards honor emerging industry leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship. The 2011 Innovation winner was Oculis Labs of Hunt Valley, a developer of encryption technology. Also honored as the 2011 Entrepreneur of the year was Dr. Chuck Daitch of Akonni Biosystems, a firm that develops and markets integrated molecular diagnostic systems. 2011 Company of the Year award winner Integrated BioTheraputics Inc. was honored for its growth and community involvement.

"This is a great forum for our community of collaborators to come together. Everything you see here, this is all 'wow' technology," continues Mr. Rosenbaum.

TEDCO is focused on finding the technologies and entrepreneurs of the future. The quasi-public company is looking to expand beyond state funding into venture capital.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: TEDCO, Robert Rosenbaum & Kathleen Shaffer

Sweet, a popular destination for specialty cakes, has recently relocated its operations from Ellicott City to a new facility in Mount Vernon. The move was inspired by several factors, including proximity to Sweet's primary clients and a desire to move to an improved facility.

"[Chief Creative Officer] Tracey Buchanan and I knew that we needed to move off of Main St. in Ellicott City at the end of our lease for several reasons," says owner Chris Sikora. "We looked at Baltimore because we were down here nearly every weekend and have wonderful relationships with many major hotels, banquet facilities, and caterers."

The change in address also brings a change in business model for the bakery. At its previous location, Sweet operated as a cafe as well as a bakery. With the change to Mount Vernon, Sweet has eliminated the cafe portion of its business to better focus on cakes. The bakery recently re-introduced its popular breads, available only on the weekend.

"The building allows us to design a much more efficient team environment, reduces our costs and makes it much easier to deliver," Sikora continues.

The relocation has allowed Sweet to be in closer proximity to the city's major event venues. Sweet's custom cakes have been popular with Baltimore couples looking for an unusual wedding cake.

Sweet was recently recognized by The Knot magazine in its 2011 "Best of Weddings" edition. This is the fifth consecutive year that the bakery has achieved this distinction.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Chris Sikora, Sweet

Baltimore Ravens football legend Ray Lewis is expanding his RL52 business conglomerate to include a staffing service. The newly launched company, RL52 Staffing, will focus on job placement for IT professionals. The Baltimore-based company cites proximity to the burgeoning IT industry in the Maryland-DC-Virginia area as a key factor in its choice to launch here.

"Some of the best leaders and the best companies are located in the Baltimore corridor. The Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland markets are some of the best for the staffing industry," says Dan Caporale, an executive with RL52 staffing. "All that aside, Baltimore is where it all began for Ray and we couldn't think of a better place to launch our newest venture."

RL52 Staffing will place information technology professionals in positions covering the spectrum of the IT sector, from systems integration and web development to technical support and network security. The firm works with both job seekers and companies looking for IT professionals to provide temporary staffing, staff augmentation, permanent placement, outsourcing, consulting, and outplacement assistance.

Using social media to provide job seekers with leads is part of RL52 Staffing's "Get In The Game" approach to connecting job seekers with companies looking to fill positions. New job openings are highlighted in the firm's Facebook and Twitter feeds.  

In addition to traditional staffing, RL52 Staffing also seeks to pursue a commitment to community service that is emphasized in the corporate culture of the RL52 Group. The firm will be providing job placement assistance to under-served groups and disabled veterans. RL52 Staffing will also be working with community groups to promote outreach programs that enable entrepreneurship and empowerment.  

RL52 Staffing is the newest addition to Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis growing business holdings. His RL52 Group also includes insurance, fashion, merchant services, consulting, real estate, and fitness companies as well as the Ray Lewis Foundation charity.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Dan Caporale, RL52 Group

Baltimore's growing tourism niche has been a boon to the members of the Better Baltimore Bed and Breakfasts Association. With more tourists coming to town, innkeepers around Baltimore are adding staff and looking at ways to encourage more tourists to choose a bed and breakfast for their vacation home.

"We're noticing that things are getting back on track," says Barry Werner, a founder of Better Baltimore Bed and Breakfasts. "Some of our members have recently had record months."

The Association has teamed up with Betterwaytostay.com to offer promotions that encourage travelers to choose a bed and breakfast when planning a trip. Through the "B&Bs Kick Gas!" promotion, bed and breakfasts around the country are offering discounts to guests who might be turned off from traveling by high gas prices. In Baltimore, members of the Better Baltimore Bed and Breakfasts Association are offering discounts on stays of two nights or more when couples show proof of carpooling on the trip.

Baltimore's bed and breakfasts are also expanding staff as the tourism season kicks off. As more owners of inns ramp up their summer promotions, several local inns are hiring innkeepers and additional staff.

"Many of our members are hiring innkeepers to help with day to day tasks, and free up the owners to concentrate more on marketing,"  continues Mr. Werner.

The Better Baltimore Bed and Breakfast Association was formed in September 2010. The Association will be launching an expansion effort to include associate members from other hospitality businesses  in upcoming months.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Barry Werner, Better Baltimore Bed and Breakfasts Association, Better Way To Stay

Specialty food is the fastest growing sector of the food market. In 2010, sales of specialty food and beverages rose 7%, representing over 70 billion dollars of revenue for the industry. According to the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, specialty foods represent 13.1 percent of all food sales.

Jeff Landsman at Specialty Food Sales is getting in on this trend. His startup company, based at the TowsonGlobal Business Incubator, brings specialty food products to stores throughout the Mid-Atlantic. The company represents manufacturers of dozens of niche market products, from sauces to snack foods. Specialty Food Sales focuses on bringing these products to the attention of grocery chains.

"We represent unique products that are natural, don't have a large advertising budget, and most importantly taste good," says Mr. Landsman.

Mr. Landsman has over 25 years of experience in the food industry. He chose the TowsonGlobal Business Incubator for his newest venture in order to explore the resources of a college community. The TowsonGlobal Business Incubator, located on the university campus, provides entrepreneurs with access to resources such as office space and business counseling.

"Because I have been in the business for so long, I thought that opening in a business incubator could bring in opportunity for collaboration. Working in a university brings in youthful perspectives and ideas," continues Mr. Landsman. "It was definitely a good decision."

Specialty Food sales is launching a new product, Popcorners. These gluten-free popcorn based snack chips will be appearing soon in Giant Food and Stop & Shop stores across the Mid-Atlantic.  


Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Jeff Landsman, Specialty Food Sales; the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.

A new sustainable landscape architecture firm is riding the trend toward green design and planning. land/arch works with developers to take a new approach to environmentally friendly landscape design. The Timonium-based firm creates landscape designs that promote conservation and a low carbon footprint while maximizing the natural resources available at a new building site.

"We emphasize sustainable design and planning because we feel that as a whole, landscape architecture and planning is not adequately addressing these issues," says Rick Kingsbury, a founder of land/arch and a licensed landscape architect.

Land/arch has been working to raise awareness of the potential problems that may be faced by a developer who chooses to bring landscape consultants into the late phases of a construction project. The firm emphasizes looking at the design and planning of a site in it's earliest stages, to promote walkability, water and soil conservation, and the use of native plants in the site design.  

"Site planning is still focused on the automobile, to the detriment of people and how they interact with each other. Landscape architecture and design for the most part still emphasizes exotic plant materials that have high maintenance and water requirements," continues Mr. Kingsbury.

Through the firm's Integrated Design approach to planning, landscape architects visit the site of a project in the early planning stages, and formulate a low impact design plan with the goal of promoting sustainability while reducing maintenance costs. land/arch is currently working on a LEED Platinum residence in Annapolis and a new playground to be built in Baltimore.


Writer: Amy McNeal
Sources: Rick Kingsbury, land/arch