Decoys carved by famed “counterfeiters in wood” Lem and Steve Ward today routinely sell for thousands of dollars.

According to Salisbury University’s Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON), however, the legacy the brothers left on their native Eastern Shore is worth much more. A recent BEACON study placed the annual economic impact of SU’s Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art at some $6.1 million on the local region.

“The Ward Museum strives to enhance the cultural and educational fabric of this area through its events, programs and exhibits,” said Lora Bottinelli, the museum’s executive director.  “The economic impact of these activities is equally important and significant to the strength of our community.”

According to the BEACON study, some $4 million of the museum’s annual imprint on the community comes from direct impacts — money spent by visitors the facility draws to the area.

This includes hotel stays, as well as gas and food purchases, especially during three of the museum’s biggest annual events: the Ward World Championship Carving Competition, held each spring in Ocean City, MD; the Chesapeake Wildfowl Expo, held at the museum each fall; and the spring Art in Nature Photo Festival, also held at the museum.

Another $2.6 million is a result of the museum’s operational expenditures in the region. This includes salaries, services and supplies purchased by the museum, etc.

“By the time the various direct expenditures of the museum and of its visitors finish churning in our local economy, we are talking about a $6 million economic engine,” said Dr. Memo Diriker, BEACON director. “Since a significant part of this economic impact is based on visitors spending money, it is almost as if we are ‘exporting’ the Ward Museum experience.”

The study also shows how much the community puts back into the facility and its activities. In fiscal 2012, volunteers contributed an estimated 19,000 hours to the museum. That translates to approximately $433,000 in donated services, according to the study.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Ward Museum was established at SU by the Ward Foundation in 1975. Its current facility, on Schumaker Pond, opened in 1992. The museum strives to promote wildfowl art while preserving the Ward Brothers’ legacy. USA Today has named it among “10 Places to Admire American Folk Art.”

“Organizations like The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art are important cultural and economic anchors in their communities,” said Theresa Colvin, executive director of the Maryland State Arts Council. “At the state level, the combined economic impact of nonprofit arts organizations is $1 billion annually.”

For more information visit the Ward Museum Web site at www.wardmuseum.org.

 

More about the War Museum here)

The bill, SB487, is intended to prevent landlords from rejecting tenants that receive public assistance simply because they are poor. But critics of the legislation said that it would force landlords to participate in social welfare programs and make them do business with housing authorities that send rent checks late and refuse to pay market rates.

By Ilana Kowarski

Ilana@MarylandReporter.com

Original Story

Richard Budden of Chestertown, Maryland, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate has earned membership in the company’s International Diamond Society, for his 2012 sales production achievements, a level achieved by only the top 9 percent of all sales associates / representatives worldwide in the Coldwell Banker^® system.

In 2012 Coldwell Banker had 82,200 associates practicing in 3,100 worldwide offices. Coldwell Banker Associates closed 663,826 transaction sides totaling more than $178 Billion in closed sales volume.

A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Richard and his wife Vicki moved to Chestertown in 1983. Founders of Budden Graphics Corp, Richard and Vicki grew the business to become one of the 3 largest graphics vendors in North America.

Richard specializes in the listing and sale of historic waterfront homes and estates and second homes. He offers his customers and clients extensive knowledge of local towns, villages and waterways as well as a comprehensive knowledge of real estate for sale in the area.

In addition to his successful real estate practice in Kent, Queen Anne’s and Cecil Counties Richard is an active member of the Chestertown, Maryland community: he was a volunteer for over 20 years in Boy Scout Troop 130 and currently serves as an Eagle Scout advisor; he is an active member of the Kent County Amateur Radio Society and a volunteer for local Emergency Management; and, he sits on the Board of the Chester River Association.

In those rare moments when he finds time away from family, professional and community responsibilities, Richard enjoys Sporting Clays, Sailing, and Ham Radio.

The Greater Baltimore Committee’s latest report reveals that Maryland’s tax structure and other corporate regulations are a driving force behind the state’s spotty performance on U.S. business climate rankings, which typically rate Virginia as a better place to do business than Maryland.

On average, Maryland placed 27th out of 50 states in national rankings published between 2012 and 2013. But each of the 10 rankings are based on different criteria, so Maryland receives better grades from some ranking groups than others.

The Kauffman Foundation, which supports the growth of entrepreneurs, identified Maryland as the fifth most business-friendly state in the country in 2012, Last month, the Tax Foundation came to a vastly different conclusion, ranking the state as one of the nine worst states to conduct business.

Rankings come to different conclusions

“No two rankings are alike,” said Donald Fry, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, during his presentation before the House of Delegates Business Climate Workgroup.

GBC is a regional business group aimed at improving the Baltimore region’s economic climate. Fry said that delegates should not focus on the state’s score on any particular business climate survey but should instead “glean insights” from the consensus of those surveys.

Generally speaking, Maryland gets high marks for its highly educated workforce and gets demerits for its business regulations and its 8.25% corporate tax rate, which is 2.25% higher than that of Virginia.

Fry argued that it was not particularly useful to compare Maryland’s ranking to that of other states, since they might have vastly different economic conditions. He urged the workgroup to use the survey data to find solutions, rather than make comparisons.

Delegates concerned about Virginia ranking higher

Del. Jay Walker, D- Prince George’s County, disagreed. He said he was concerned that Virginia outranked Maryland in most business climate surveys, since his district is close to Virginia and has experienced an exodus of corporations. Other lawmakers also indicated that they were concerned about Virginia ranking higher.

“I’m not going to compare us to Montana, but I think it’s fair to compare us to Delaware and Virginia,” said Walker.  “Don’t we have to worry about what those other states are doing?”

Fry replied that Maryland lawmakers should not be “obsessed” with rankings, but should instead focus on the reasons behind them and the policies that could improve them.  Fry had a variety of suggestions on how to improve Maryland’s business climate which he said were inspired by his discussions with economists, politicians, and local business owners.

Politicians need to reassure businesses

Fry said that the state’s first priority should be to foster a better relationship with local businesses by lowering punitive fees and by toning down anti-corporate political rhetoric.  He explained that there is a pervasive belief that the state government is anti-business, so politicians needed to reassure business people that they are respected members of the community.

“They need to be treated as partners and not as adversaries,” he said, adding that lowering the corporate tax rate would be a good way to signal cooperation.

Fry also urged lawmakers to clarify corporate regulations so that business leaders know the rules that they are expected to follow, since uncertainty “drives businessmen crazy.” In addition, he emphasized the importance of revitalizing Maryland’s transportation infrastructure, since he said that well-maintained highways, ports, and subways are essential for a competitive business environment.

“These suggestions are not rocket science,” he said.  “Most of this is common sense.”

By Ilana Kowarski
Ilana@MarylandReporter.com

Original story>

COLLEGE PARK – Local florists are wilting as online flower stores seize a larger portion of the market for bouquets of Valentine’s Day roses and other floral arrangements.

The growing dominance of large web-based flower retailers like 1-800-Flowers.com and ProFlowers, combined with discounted “cash-and-carry” supermarket flowers, has contributed to eroding sales at local flower shops.

Revenues at local U.S. flower shops have fallen 22 percent over the last decade, according to industry analyst IBISWorld, from $9.79 billion in 2003 to $7.62 billion in 2012. And more local flower shops go out of business every year.

“Online retailers have crushed the ‘mom and pop’ florist,” said Tracy Callahan, president of Bethesda Florist.

Over the last five years, the number of local flower shops has declined 9 percent nationally, from 41,496 in 2008 to 37,086 at the end of 2012, according to IBISWorld.

The decline of local flower shops at the hands of Internet retailers mirrors the decline of brick-and-mortar bookstores and record stores from competition like Amazon.com and iTunes.

“We have certainly seen some attrition in the number of florists across the country,” said Jennifer Sparks, vice president of marketing for the Society of American Florists.

1-800-Flowers.com and other Web-based retailers have used advanced logistics to ship flowers directly to consumers. When an online order is placed, floral arrangements are shipped from wholesale nurseries or distributed from company-operated franchise stores.

In some ways, the Internet has made it easier for customers to connect to local flower shops. Flower “wire services” like FTD and Teleflora — which allow customers to place phone orders that are filled by local flower shops — existed long before the Internet. But those companies now have websites that make it easy for customers to order online.

But filling orders from FTD and Teleflora is not as lucrative for local florists as orders placed directly with the shop. FTD and Teleflora charge fees that cut into local flower shops’ profit margins.

If business is down for local florists, it’s hard to tell on Valentine’s Day, one of the biggest sales days of the year for independent retailers.

“On an average day we’ll do between 55 and 68 deliveries. We just made our 700th delivery for the day,” Callahan said Wednesday, Valentine’s Day eve. “We’re probably going to come close to 750-775 and we’ll hopefully equal that number tomorrow.”

Similarly, Barbara Wood, owner of family-run Wood’s Flowers in College Park has had to quadruple the number of drivers to ensure all deliveries arrive on-time for Valentine’s Day.

Local retailers have also turned to internet technology to adapt to an increasingly competitive environment. Callahan estimated that a quarter of his now business comes from direct online purchases through his website. Customers can also use a mobile app to purchase flowers directly from his business.

Wood said local flower stores offer something customers cannot get from online retailers: an element of personalization and community.

“It helps to keep the community atmosphere and feeling in a neighborhood when you know you’re buying from somebody that actually lives somewhere in the vicinity,” she said. “It’s really important that people try to patronize local businesses.”

By Jeremy Granoff
Capital News Service

By: Orin Zebest

CNB, member of Shore Bancshares family of companies, is an ongoing supporter of the Caroline County Hospice Foundation by providing monetary donations and volunteer hours for the past fourteen years.  The recent $2,000 donation will be used to provide current hospice patient services with a goal of reopening the inpatient beds program.

Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens, whose Lakeview Organic Grains is one of the leading commercial-scale organic grain farms in the country, will speak along with local farmers at a workshop on Economic Diversification for Large-Acreage Farms, on Monday, February 11, from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. The workshop is presented jointly by Future Harvest – Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA), University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and Washington College.

Maryland farmers who will share their stories of successful alternative uses of all or part of their large-acreage farms include Yates Clagett of Bald Eagle Farm, Bill Mason of Mason’s Heritage, Ed Fry of Fair Hill Farm and Maryland Sunrise Farm, Aaron Cooper of Cut Fresh Organics, and Hans Schmidt of Chesapeake Fields Farmers Cooperative.

Registration is $15 for members of Future Harvest CASA, Maryland Farm Bureau or PASA, $25 for others. The event will include continental breakfast and locally sourced lunch provided by Washington College. Registration is online at www.futureharvestcasa.org or by calling 410-549-7878.

Economic Diversification for Large-Acreage Farms, Future Harvest CASA Workshop at Washington College, Chestertown, MD, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, 410-549-7878 or www.futureharvestcasa.org.

When Under Armour first opened in Baltimore in 1999, the sports apparel company joined a Locust Point community that has long been a home for industry. But not this type of industry.

Under Armour, whose UA logo marks uniforms and athletic apparel distributed across the globe, moved into a scrubbed brick complex that sits next to grittier old port operations, which were the traditional Locust Point employers.

The Under Armour headquarters is not a factory but an office campus. Now, about 1,250 people come to work at Under Armour on Key Highway every day, a huge workday population increase for a neighborhood of about 2,100 people.

The company wants to hire 500 more workers over the next 10 years, which means more traffic, less parking — and, inevitably, suspicion from Locust Point residents.

So Under Armour has made one man the company’s face in Locust Point: Shawn King.

“This campus is right in the middle of Locust Point,” King, a Rockville native, said. “We have houses and neighbors and a community that are basically intertwined with us around the campus. So you really don’t have a choice but to work with the community.”

This is not what King thought he would be doing when he left a Minneapolis-based retail design consulting firm in 2007 to take a job with Under Armour as a retail designer.

In that job, King was in charge of Under Armour’s Shop in Shop design, a “store-within- a-store concept,” at retail stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods or Sports Authority.

But last year, Under Armour decided to make him the director of campus development and design. They also made him the company’s official liaison to the community.

Now King, 49, with a degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, goes to monthly civic association meetings. He gives residents his e-mail address. He explains his company’s plans. He listens to complaints — all while making a 45-minute commute to Locust Point from Bel Air, where he lives with his wife and three children.

King says he is no politician. So, when he took on the responsibility of being Under Armour’s quasi-public relations officer to the community, he encountered some rough patches at first.

“It was a bit overwhelming to begin with, because what you’re trying to do is find your voice with (the community) while they’re not necessarily trusting you from the beginning,”King said.

Trust in Under Armour has never been easy for some Locust Point residents.

Over the span of a decade, Under Armour’s headquarters has grown from a one-level, one-story building into a six-building complex covering half a million square feet that still wants to expand deeper into the small confines of Locust Point.

“From my perspective, the very first instinct the community had about Under Armour was that it was up to no good,” said Terry Hickey, the Locust Point Civic Association president.

“The mentality was, ‘They are trying to take us over.’ Now, I think people have lost an alertness to Under Armour. The official community stance is that they are willing to cooperate,” Hickey said.

Over the last few decades, national corporate headquarters have disappeared from Baltimore, which makes Under Armour all the more visible.

Its logo is seen all over the city. Drivers along Interstate 95 see the Under Armour billboard next to the fierce face of the Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis, over the phrase “Welcome To Baltimore.”

Baltimore City Councilman William H. Cole IV, who used to live in Locust Point, said Under Armour provides all of Baltimore with a sense of pride in addition to jobs. “It is important for Under Armour to be here. As they continue to grow, it is important that they stay here,” Cole said.

King believes the neighborhood now is invested in the company.

“I feel like it’s important to have visibility and recognition within the community to show that you are interested in the community and that you are looking for a relationship.”

At a recent Locust Point Civic Association meeting, community members heard from Alfred H. Foxx Jr., the city’s director of public works, who was there to field impatient questions about street paving. He was peppered with complaints from residents tired of torn-up pavement.

The next speaker was King, who rose to show the group a sketch of Under Armour’s new visitor center, planned to open in the neighborhood next year.

King was greeted with applause. He heard no complaints. In fact, one resident asked King, to laughter, if Under Armour could buy the city’s Department of Public Works and make it more efficient.

“Shawn is very good at his job and is extremely active in speaking with the community association. He in particular is very in tune with the community and people get to know him,” Hickey said.

King is trying to blend his day-to-day design responsibilities at Under Armour with visibility in the neighborhood.

“You have to be honest, friendly, and truthful in the way that you approach a situation, and a fairly decent negotiator — because the asks are sometimes huge. And sometimes it’s just a little ask, but you still have to figure out what it is that (the community) is actually asking from you,” King said.

“There is always going to be the challenge to have these roles aligned, but they may not,” King added.

“So what you want to do is work the problem, find the solution. And I think as long as you approach it from that perspective, then it’s really about understanding where the differences lie between what the community wants and what Under Armour needs to do,” he said.

Under Armour recently won revisions to its planned unit development (PUD), a set of rules that govern its land use, and detailed its expansion for the next five to seven years. The company plans to build an 80,000-square-foot office building along with an 800-space parking garage.

King said this process took about six months of negotiating with the Locust Point Civic Association, as required by the city of Baltimore. The residents were concerned about issues including traffic, walking routes, and heights of any new buildings.

King said the expansion will not affect community residents’ views of the waterfront.

“We were very thoughtful in the way we approached adding square footage to the campus,” considering how precious the waterfront is to the community.

This fall, the city approved $35 million that will include funds for improving roads, landscaping and parks around the expanded Under Armour campus.

“We have had great growth since the inception of this company, but nobody can control what the economy does in the future,” King said. “The biggest thing moving forward is how we can sustain the progress we have made,” he said.

By Jimmy Reed