Innovation + Job News

The Baltimore City Health Department has launched an innovative new program last week designed to address so-called food deserts, neighborhoods without eacy access to a supermarket and healthyfood options, in the city.

The Virtual Supermarket Project allow residents in and around East Baltimore and the Washington Village neighborhood to order groceries online at their local libraries and pick them up at the same locations the next day. It is currently operating at the Washington Village and Orleans Street Enoch Pratt Free Library branches.

"This program will make these neighborhoods stronger and healthier, allowing residents the same access to full-service, competitively priced grocery stores that much of the rest of the city enjoys," says Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Both sites are located in food deserts. The surrounding neighborhoods were identified as having the greatest need for the project. Washington Village has the 6th highest mortality burden out of the 55 city community areas for causes of death related to diet, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The Perkins/Middle East neighborhood ranked 19th in this category.

"In many densely populated cities, including Baltimore, residents of some communities must choose between shopping at small corner stores that lack fresh produce or paying a premium for a ride far outside their area. This is not a fair choice," says Interim Commissioner Farrow. "We are hoping that if this program is successful, we can partner with more grocery stores and expand the program to other areas of Baltimore where there is need."

The Virtual Supermarket Project was piloted last year as an innovative way to address food access problems in Baltimore City. It is funded by a $60,000 grant. The Health Department partnered with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, which offered to house the program. Santoni's Supermarket, a long-time Baltimore City grocer, is currently the primary provider of supermarket items for the program. The Center for Design Practice at MICA provided ideas on marketing/branding the project.

A neighborhood designated as a food desert has no supermarkets within walking distance and lacks other resources that would provide healthy, inexpensive food. Corner stores and fast food or take-out restaurants are common in these areas, but they generally only offer unhealthy options. Healthy staples at corner stores, if they are available, can cost as much as 20% more than they would cost in supermarkets. Few residents of the neighborhoods targeted by the program own their own vehicles (66 percent of the households in the Perkins/Middle East area do not have vehicles, 48 percent in Washington Village), making travel to a distant supermarket an obstacle.

At the Orleans Street branch, residents may order their groceries each Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and collect their orders the following day between 1 and 2 p.m. The Orleans Street library is located at 1303 Orleans Street (21231). Residents of the Washington Village area may order at their library branch on Mondays between noon and 3 p.m., and pick up their orders each Tuesday between 1 and 2 p.m. The Washington Village library is located at 856 Washington Boulevard (21230). Accepted forms of payment include cash, checks, credit cards and food stamps.

For more information on the Virtual Supermarket Program, visit the website.

Source: Baltimore City Health Department
Writer: Walaika Haskins

As part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) has ponied up a $240,000 grant to Maryland  to fund apprenticeship and training programs for transportation-related careers. The grant is part of the Federal Highway Administration's On the Job Training/Supportive Services (OJT/SS) program to help recruit and retain minorities, women and disadvantaged people on highway constructions projects in Maryland.

"Programs that help improve skills translate into jobs, particularly higher-paying jobs," says Sen. Ben Cardin. "Our economic recovery depends on making sure that Marylanders -- and all Americans -- have the skills and training that are needed for jobs in the 21^st Century."

"The Recovery Act is about jobs, jobs, jobs," Sen. Barbara Mikulski says. "This funding will help people who need a job and can't find one. And it will help people who want to keep a job or move up in a job but need more training. It is an investment in Marylanders and also an investment in Maryland's future."

The Maryland grant was included in the announcement of $11.8 million from DoT in ARRA job training grants for 19 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Created in 1998, the OJT/SS program promotes training opportunities for women and minorities who continue to be underrepresented in the highway construction industry's skilled and semi-skilled crafts, such as masonry and carpentry.

Source: Senator Ben Cardin
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners, a Baltimore-based firm, has been chosen by Drexel University to design the new Earle Mack School of Law. The rapid success of the school, founded in 2006, has led to an increase in enrollment and faculty, which is creating demand for additional space.

The new Earle Mack School of Law, which will total over 150,000 gross sq. ft., is designed to accommodate all of the program requirements for the school to grow to 600 students and 48 faculty members, including classrooms and group study spaces, practice courtrooms, a law library and reading rooms, print and electronic journal suites, and community space. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2011.

In continuous practice since 1915, Ayers Saint Gross, Architects + Planners has completed Schools of Law for the University of Virginia, Syracuse University and Rutgers University, and are currently designing a School of Law for the University of Baltimore in addition to Drexel University. Their focus is on non-profit institutions that collect and disseminate knowledge and culture.

Source: Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners
Writer: Walaika Haskins

hhgregg expects to hire about 50 employees for each of the following store locations:

Hanover, MD: 7667 Arundel Mills Blvd. Hanover, MD 21076

Annapolis, MD: 150 - A Jennifer Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

Cantonsville, MD: 6026 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228

Bel Air, MD: 680 Marketplace Dr. Bel Air, MD 21014

Towson, MD: 801 Goucher Blvd, Towson, MD 21286

Glen Burnie, MD: 6711 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21061

Individuals interested in applying for the open positions are encouraged to visit the "Careers" section on hhgregg's website. An online application and assessment must be completed in order to secure an interview with the company.

Source: hhgregg
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Online applications for commissioned sales associates, warehouse staff and customer service merchandiser positions will be accepted. Sales experience is preferred, but retail experience is not required. hhgregg has a comprehensive training program, which provides more than 200 hours of training for each sales associate. To apply online, please visit http://www.hhgregg-jobs.com/

A new statistical analysis of Baltimore shows that the city has made important improvements in areas central to the city's improvement, including crime, housing, and education prior to the recession. Other social conditions, such as the number of teen births and the number of children with elevated levels of blood lead, have also improved according to the latest "Vital Signs" report by the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob France Institute. However, the report shows that while there have been significant improvements in a variety of economic and social indicators in Baltimore, not all neighborhoods within the city have benefited equally.

Available on the BNIA-JFI's new website, analyzes data from nearly 80 indicators provided at the Community Statistical Area level. CSAs, created by the Baltimore City Department of Planning, are clusters of neighborhoods organized around Census Tract boundaries, which are consistent statistical boundaries. Neighborhood borders don't always fall neatly into CSAs, but CSAs represent conditions occurring within the particular neighborhoods that comprise a CSA.

"This latest edition of 'Vital Signs' will help us access how our neighborhoods are doing and what we can do to help improve outcomes," says Janice Hamilton Outtz, senior associate for Civic Site and Initiatives at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "I am excited about the new report."

The 8th edition of "Vital Signs reveals the following important trends currently impacting the city:

• The city's population declined by 3 percent, from 651,154 in 2000, to 631,815 in 2008. While a handful of neighborhoods lost population, several more, including downtown (22 percent), Loch Raven (8.4 percent) and Northwood (9.9 percent), experienced a growth in population.
• Median sales prices for homes in the city increased by well over 100 percent in the past eight years, although the pace of that increase has slowed considerably since the start of the recession.
• Both adult and juvenile crime has decreased in Baltimore City. In particular, Baltimore City's Part 1 crime rate has declined from 106.0 incidents per 1,000 people in 2000 to 78.3 incidents per 1,000 per people in 2008.
• The number of residential properties receiving rehabilitation investment is climbing, and may be continuing as the recession lingers and more homeowners choose to stay in their current home.
• Baltimore's high school completion rate is on the rise, while its rate of truancy in elementary, middle school and high school (including students who drop out of high school) is in decline.
• The teen birth rate dropped from 83.3 teens out of 1,000 in 2000 to 66.1 teens per 1,000 in 2008�a decline of 17.2 percent.

Other measurements, such as the larger number of Baltimore residents visiting local emergency rooms for non-emergency diagnoses and treatment, expose a city that continues to be constrained by larger trends such as rising health care costs and a lack of adequate medical insurance.

"While Baltimore City has made significant improvements in areas such as crime and education, we appear to be hampered by many of the same things that have struck other urban areas in this recession," says Matthew Kachura, program manager for BNIA-JFI at UB. "But we also are seeing some resilience, such as the increase in home prices, median household income, and an impressive number of small businesses based in well-established city neighborhoods like Edmonson Village and Greenmount East, and by the growing number of city residents who claim at least some higher education in their backgrounds."

BNIA-JFI began in 1998 as a partnership between the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers. In 2006, BNIA joined with the University of Baltimore's Jacob France Institute in an expansion of its capabilities. BNIA-JFI has strengthened the "Vital Signs" report and provided additional services and resources for those who seek data, information, and analysis about the city.

BNIA-JFI's latest product is a new Web site, www.bniajfi.org, which provides a wide variety of data, maps, and information for the City of Baltimore and its neighborhoods. Anyone interested in how Baltimore measures up can find easy-to-use statistical analyses, maps, reports and links relevant to the city.

This information is reflected in the latest "Vital Signs" report. For example, Edmonson Village reports the city's highest percentage of successful small businesses (69.2 percent), while a total of 50.9 percent of all city residents reported some type of college attendance as of 2008.

"These trends of educational attainment, lower crime and rising housing prices may not lead to a total revitalization for the city," Kachura said, "but show that many neighborhoods are improving and these improvements paint both a better and a realistic picture of Baltimore. The larger question is whether these trends can be maintained and translated into long-term improvements for Baltimore and its neighborhoods. For the most part, though, they are good news for the city."

Source: Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins

With Baltimore's rich history of technological innovation, "there is no doubt in my mind that Baltimore is the best and most appropriate City in America to invest in new blazing fast internet infrastructure," Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. "Baltimore is a 'City of First's' and we should be Google's first choice," Rawlings-Blake says.

The Mayor also pegged Greater Baltimore Committee and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore to assist the already burgeoning grassroots campaign to lure Google to Baltimore by recruiting additional support from larger corporations and institutions. Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced an agreement with Under Armour to supply in-house marketing capabilities to assist the effort.

"Baltimore's business community will enthusiastically engage to take full advantage of this opportunity to achieve a quantum leap in technology resources and enhanced speed capabilities," says Donald C. Fry, President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee. "This project fits Baltimore's business legacy of technology advancements and transformational innovations."

"Greater Baltimore has emerged as the nation's "knowledge center"... from the best hospital and researchers in the world to the nation's leaders in defense intelligence and communications. This framework provides an opportunity to enhance our connectivity within the region, as well as connecting the rest of the world to our community," says J. Thomas Sadowski, President & CEO, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore:

Loveland in his role as a volunteer "Google Czar" will be charged with working with the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Neighborhoods to complete and submit the RFI by the due date.

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

According to Loveland, Baltimore is an ideal city for the Google project. "We are fortunate to have a multitude of unique, world-class resources that we all know and cherish. We are fortunate [to have a] growing population of entrepreneurs and creative's who want to make a difference in our community. We are fortunate that our region has the largest population of technology professionals in the country."

"Mix these together � unique world-class resources, entrepreneurs, and technologists � and you see that Baltimore is a tinderbox of innovation just waiting for a spark. Google Fiber is that spark. Google Fiber can turn Baltimore into a global innovation leader," he continues.

Whether Baltimore is successful or not in its bid to win the Google Fiber competition, both Loveland and David Troy, who has helped spearhead the grassroots effort among businesses and communities, say the city will have won. Both men expect the consortium of business and community leaders to tackle future projects.

"This is just the beginning," says Troy.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake also released a new YouTube video that will be posted on the Bmore Fiber website.



Source: Tom Loveland, Mind Over Machines; David Troy, Baltimore Fiber
Writer: Walaika Haskins
Google logo by Senait Weaver

The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has announced a $73 million plan that will cut its carbon dioxide emissions by more than half from projected levels by 2025.

The $73 million investment will be used in both conservation and efficiency measures that will reduce emissions caused by facilities operations by an initial 81,000 metric tons a year, which is more than halfway -- technically 57 percent -- to reaching the overall goal of cutting 141,000 metric tons from the 276,000 a year in emissions it would otherwise be generating 15 years from now.

The university will adopt new technologies as they become available in the next 15 years to achieve the remainder of the reduction. It will also encourage members of the university community to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

The emissions goal is part of a newly revealed broad, multi-faceted Implementation Plan for Advancing Sustainability and Climate Stewardship. The multi-pronged approach comes at the problem through several avenues, including research, education and community outreach in addition to greenhouse gas reduction.

"Global climate change is one of humanity's greatest challenges," says Ronald J. Daniels, JHU president. "The earth's rising temperatures will, over decades to come, affect where and how we live, the ecosystems we inhabit, our quality of life and even our health.

"Facing this challenge head-on is our shared responsibility, especially as residents of the developed world," Daniels continues. "But universities have a special role in our society and a special responsibility. We are institutions that discover, that educate and that, often, set an example. When it comes to global climate change, Johns Hopkins will be a leader in all three."

In addition to the sharp reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, the plan calls for the creation of an Environment, Sustainability and Health Institute, bringing together faculty members from across the university. Under the auspices of the newly created Institute the faculty members will be able to collaborate on research as well as on teaching climate change science and sustainability, to students including those participating in the university's new undergraduate major and minor in global environmental change and sustainability and new master's degree in energy policy and climate. Institute faculty members also will focus on applying science to environmental policy, to public health initiatives and to practical measures that individuals, organizations and businesses can take to fight global warming.

"Just as Johns Hopkins medical researchers move their discoveries off the lab bench to the patient's bedside to save lives," Daniels says, "this institute will take a bench-to-real-world approach: We will use discoveries to get things done."

The plan also includes establishment of a Sustainability House in a to-be-renovated building on North Charles Street at the university's Homewood campus that will serve as the headquarters for the university's Office of Sustainability and student environmental groups. The location will also act as a showcase and laboratory for energy conservation techniques and technologies. The design team, with students and faculty members participating, will be directed to include cutting-edge sustainability features and to meet aggressive goals, such as zero net carbon emissions, storm water capture and reuse, and organic maintenance of the grounds.

Another key component of the plan will put Johns Hopkins knowledge to work contributing to sustainability and climate change efforts in Baltimore City and the state of Maryland. One such effort, announced late last month, is a $190,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-funded collaboration with Baltimore City; Johns Hopkins students will be trained to conduct audits at nonprofit organizations in the city and help them determine how to cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The implementation plan is the result of months of detailed follow-up work on the March 2009 report of the university's President's Task Force on Climate Change. That report was the culmination of a year's work by Johns Hopkins faculty, administrators, students and trustees, as well as representatives of the Baltimore business, government and environmental communities.

"In response to a serious issue, we have taken a typically serious and thorough Johns Hopkins approach," Daniels said. "We have devoted the time and effort required to do this right: comprehensive data gathering, careful analysis and systematic planning."

The plan includes a building-by-building, campus-by-campus list of HVAC, electrical, and lab equipment improvements; lighting fixture and control upgrades; measures to make buildings more airtight; window replacements; installations of solar power panels and solar hot water equipment; water conservation measures; and other steps.

It targets laboratory research buildings in particular; often referred to as "heavy breathers," these buildings consume significant amounts of air that must be heated or cooled to satisfy temperature and humidity requirements.

Additional significant savings in carbon dioxide emission � 32,000 metric tons a year � and in energy costs will come from cogeneration plants being built on both the university's East Baltimore and Homewood campuses. The plants will burn relatively clean natural gas to produce both electricity and steam heat more cheaply and efficiently.

The final, and perhaps most important, aspect of the plan is an aggressive, sustained campaign to encourage students, faculty and staff to reduce energy consumption at work and at home. The university also will launch a parallel effort to find and implement new conservation opportunities in its energy-intensive information technology infrastructure, including desktop and mainframe computers, printers and monitors, and server farms. The IT professionals who will lead this effort will also look for other creative ways to improve the university's technology capability while reducing energy consumption.

Source: Johns Hopkins University
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Zyngenia, a privately held biotherapeutics company headquartered in Montgomery County, was spurred by significant venture capital investments, led by a $10 million Series A investment from NEA in November 2009. The company has a current staff of 14 employees and plans to grow to at least 20 by the end of the year.

The strategic public/private partnership is a component of the County's recently unveiled Bioscience Strategy, which aims to enhance the environment for entrepreneurship and creation of new life science companies in the County by merging increased local venture capital funding with proven biotech entrepreneurs and seasoned industry executives.

Zyngenia uses proprietary technology to enable the development of singular molecular entities that address two or more targets, by combining the activity of two or more biologic therapies into one protein (known as a Zybody™). In addition, the technology will also be applied to drug targets that previously have not been reachable through the use of traditional, single specificity, monoclonal antibodies. The company is focusing its early research and development in creating therapies for patients who have unmet medical needs in cancer and autoimmune diseases.

"Maryland's knowledge economy � one based on science, security, technology and healing � is fueled by innovative companies like Zyngenia," says Gov. Martin O'Malley. "By locating and expanding in Maryland, Zyngenia will have access to our vast community of biopharmaceutical companies, the nation's largest number of federal facilities and increased opportunities to attract venture capital funding."

Zyngenia's expansion and build-out is the latest in a series of other progressive, proactive initiatives by Montgomery County to grow the life sciences industry and bolster the local economy, including

• The new bioscience strategy recommendation of a first-of-its-kind local biotech tax credit to spur investments in biotech companies;

• Leggett's Smart Growth Initiative to create quality, high-paying jobs, and provide sufficient and affordable housing near mass transit by relocating certain County facilities, currently located on prime real estate near mass transit and within the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center, to make way for strategic commercial development; and,

• The forthcoming strategies from the County's Green Economy Task Force to further support and grow this evolving business sector.

Source: Montgomery County
Writer: Walaika Haskins

We define sustainability as "Meeting the environmental, social, and economic needs of Baltimore without compromising the ability of future generations to meet these needs."

Learn More About the Office of Sustainability

The Baltimore Office of Sustainability is pleased to announce the launch of our new website at www.baltimoresustainability.org(External Link).

The website is designed as a resource for the Baltimore community to learn more about the goals of the Sustainability Plan, the many excellent efforts underway in our city, and how you can become part of the solution.

The website also features a space for individuals, schools, businesses, community groups, and anyone else in the Baltimore community to share their success story about how they helped further the shared goals of the Sustainability Plan.

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has launched a new program to promote the use of electric vehicles in Maryland. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (EVIP) initiative will provide aid in the installation of Electric Vehicle Recharging units and Truck Stop Electrification. The new program, run by MEA and the Maryland Clean Cities Coalition will provide $1 million during the current fiscal year in grants to state and local governments as well as nonprofits and private entities.

The announcement follows Gov. Martin O'Malley's introduction of an Electric Vehicle Tax Credit bill during 2010 legislative session. The proposed bill provides Maryland residents with up to $2,000 in tax incentives to help defray the upfront costs of purchasing electric vehicles.

"These grants represent the future of sustainable transportation," says Gov. O'Malley. "Today's announcement is part of our long term commitment to lead by example in energy advancements and create cleaner, less expensive, and more fuel efficient transportation options for our citizens."

The grants will assist organizations in purchasing and installing Electric Vehicle Recharging units and Truck Stop Electrification systems. Several plug-in electric vehicles are expected to be commercially available later this year, including the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. These vechicles will reduce the amount of liquid petroleum utilized in the state while also reducing our carbon footprint and promoting energy independence. Interested parties may download the application from the MEA website.

As the nation slowly emerges from its economic doldrums Baltimore continues to be one of the cities leading the way to discovery. According to data from the WorldatWork human resources professional association, 2010 will see employers still giving their workers raises. 

In the survey of roughly 2,600 human resource professionals at companies employing some 16 million people ranked the 25 largest metro areas based on planned salary increases for employees with average performance ratings. 

At least 75 percent of companies in those cities, according to WorldatWork, planned to give their employees raises ranging from 2.1 percent to 2.3 percent this year, ranked from highest to lowest:

• Washington, DC
• Tampa
• Boston
• Philadelphia
• Denver
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Dallas
• New York
• Baltimore

Source: WorldatWork
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Mindgrub Technologies has continued to experience strong growth, says Todd Marks, president and CEO  In the mobile space, the company has recently released a location based services (lbs) application to find wineries and events for California's Sonoma County, through a contract with Ninja Web Services who licensed our viaPlace framework, www.viaplace.com.

"We have several new apps we are working on including mobile apps for the Voice of America (VOA), to bring English learning content to China and Iran, iPhone and Blackberry games for Maryland based National Lottery LLC, and a hyper-local News application for Eyewitness News Media," Marks says.

Mindgrub's viaPlace framework continues to grow as the firm continues to extend it for Universities, Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVB), sporting arenas and real estate agencies. The company recently launched a new business unit to focus on developing applications for CVBs called CVB Mobile, www.cvbmobile.com, and continue to forge strong relationships with local Colleges and Universities with several new apps in the wings.

Source: Todd Marks, Mindgrub
Writer: Walaika Haskins