Monday, May 20, 2013
The Howard County student is in Omaha, Neb. as a finalist for Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club’s “Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own” contest.
Krissa Hillman is giving the public an enticing reason to buy one of her cupcakes. The 11-year-old student at Bollman Bridge Elementary in Jessup has crafted a business idea to raise money for local literacy initiatives. Hillman started Cupcakes for Literacy, a business that bakes and sells cupcakes -- from chocolate, vanilla, red velvet and mint -- to collect revenues for programs or entities devoted to teaching children how to read. Her first cupcake offering helped raise $258 for her school’s library. The idea has caught the idea of business mogul Warren Buffett, who selected Hillman as a finalist for his Secret Millionaires Club’s “Learn and Earn, Grow Your Own” challenge for kids aged 7 to 16. More than 4,000 students around the …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The company will use the loan to hire additional employees.
Lotame Solutions Inc., a Columbia-based tech company, announced this week that it will receive a $5.5 million loan from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation to expand its company. Lotame specializes in providing data to companies about their customers’ or audiences’ behaviors, demographics or location, according to its website. Lotame is planning on using the loan to hire more employees to expand its sales, technology and executive teams, according to a statement. "We appreciate the support and confidence in Lotame shown by Horizon with its $5.5 million venture loan," said Andy Monfried, Founder & CEO of Lotame, in a statement. "[Horizon] delivered a financing solution that provides us with the additional liquidity we need to execute …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Neighboring businesses are worried about the problem.
Over the past few months a problem has developed at Dobbin Center, the location of the recently-opened Ale House Columbia. People can't find parking, according to the businesses that operate there. Employees at L.A. Boxing, Pei Wei, Dobbin Liquors and Jennifer Convertibles all said the parking situation has been a problem since Ale House opened in December of 2012. "It's hard for our members to find parking," said Tre Newby, the manager of L.A. Boxing, which is located across the parking lot from the Ale House. "For us, it's kind of frustrating when people complain to us." Newby said that area businesses had a meeting with the development's owner, to ask for dedicated parking spots for certain businesses, but that nothing has been …
Friday, March 8, 2013
All three major bond ratings agencies gave the county the highest rating.
Despite the possible effects of mandated cuts on the local federal workforce, Howard County announced Friday that all three major ratings agencies gave the county a AAA credit rating. "Even though our solid position is confirmed for the 16th year in a row, Howard County can never rest easy in its approach to fiscal management," said County Executive Ken Ulman, in a statement. "In times of sequestration and concerns over federal furloughs, it must not be taken for granted that we will fare well in this market." Earlier this year, Moody's threatened to lower counties' bond ratings that were heavily dependent on federal jobs in their local economy, including Howard County. But Friday's announcement means Moody's wasn't prepared to make that …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Looming automatic cuts have left the federal business community unpredictable, says local leaders.
Local business and political leaders are speaking out about possible harmful effects to the local economy if the federal government’s plan to make automatic cuts, dubbed sequestration, happens next month. “The worst part about it is the lack of predictability,” said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, on the C4 Show Thursday morning. Without action from Congress, the sequester would go into effect automatically on March 1, reducing spending in a number of areas, including education, the environment, health, military and law enforcement, the White House said. On the show, Ulman said the federal government hasn’t provided information about what jobs will be cut or furloughed due to the pending sequestration. “We have lots of folks that work…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Wendy Webster, store manager of Wegmans Columbia discussed the store's first months of business.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced during his State of the County address last week that the Wegmans in Columbia was breaking store records in its sushi department. The sushi counter at the grocery superstore is often crowded, but was the store really breaking Wegmans records, and, if so, would the private company, that does not release an annual financial report, be willing to talk about business? "We're exceeding expectations for our Columbia store," said Wendy Webster, store manager of Wegmans in Columbia, on Monday. "The store has broken a lot of records." As for what records, Webster wouldn't elaborate. She said that although the store has been doing very well, especially its sushi section, she didn't want to diminish what …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Peruvian chicken restaurant will have same menu as before, says manager.
The Peurivan chicken restaurant at Hickory Ridge Village Center is set to reopen on Thursday. And it will continue to offer its specialites like whole Peruvian chicken, fried yuca, plantains and papa ala huancaina (Peruvian fried rice). "Things will be pretty much the same," said co-manager James Sena, who was preparing the restaurant for its opening on Wednesday afternoon. The restaurant closed at the beginning of 2012 after the partnership between the two owners broke down, according to Sena. Sena said he couldn't discuss the disagreement because the owners were not legally able to do so. As a result of the disagreement, the restaurant was forced to change its name from Chick'N Pollo to Grille Chick'N Pollo, but will keep most of its …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Wegmans opened, but not its liquor store. Ale House Columbia and Frisco's dueled in beer headlines. Main Street Ellicott City installs pay parking, to businesses chagrin.
It has been quite a year in business here in Howard County. The grocery superstore Wegmans opened in Columbia, but the planned liquor store on the second floor did not. The liquor store hearings drew almost as much attention in the county as Wegmans' opening as residents debated Maryland's liquor laws that prohibit alcoholic beverages being sold in chain grocery stores. Wegmans wasn't the only major grocery store announcement this year, Whole Foods' announcement that it will open a store at the iconic former Rouse Company headquarters building on the Columbia lakefront drew praise from local leaders who called it a "home run" for the development of Downtown Columbia. In Ellicott City, county administration drew the ire of Main Street …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Former Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey clown opens Center Ring Circus School in Columbia.
Cue the music... the circus is now in town. Rather, a new circus school is in town. Gregory May, a former Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey clown, opened Center Ring Circus School in Columbia on Dec. 1 to bring the fun of the circus to the community. "Circus skills hold a near magical quality," said May. "But the truth is, with the right tools, teacher and attitude, anyone can learn them. The physical advantages of this training are obvious, but the mental benefits, though less visible, are no less exciting. To conquer a skill few others possess is a delight of the soul." The school teaches circus skills such as aerobatics, theatrics, juggling, stilt walking, rolling globes, unicycling and even aerial skills using fabrics and …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Ale House Columbia officially opened to the public on Dec. 11, check out Patch's photos from opening day.
The Ale House Columbia opened its doors to the public on Tuesday. "It has been an 8-month project," said co-owner Donald Kelly. "But now we're going to be here for 20-plus years. We're happy to be open and be a part of the community." Inside, the finished restaurant has an industrial look, with aluminum bars, silver taps and exposed ventilation systems. The menu, which co-owner Justin Dvorkin described as comfort food, includes items like the fried egg burger (served with maple bacon, American cheese and special sauce for $12.99), braised short ribs ($14.99), tacos al pastor (with roasted pineapple, avocado and chipotle remoulade $13.49) and four different flavors of mussels including a thai chile variety (sriracha, cocunut milk, lime …
Melissa
6:22 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013
Mark, if you live just a mile or two from the bar you're not going to get super sweaty or stinky. Riding at a casual pace for 5 or 10 minutes is no big thing. There are plenty of people who bike to bars and restaurants, even ladies in dresses and heels: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-013XlQ-jKQE/UF4GG02bfUI/AAAAAAAAO3E/vQyAGXgjb04/s1600/IMG_9049.jpg more ›