Baltimore Based

RPM Inc. of Ohio said yesterday that it completed its acquisition of Baltimore-based DAP Products Inc. and DAP Canada Corp. for $290 million in cash.Dave Reif, vice president of finance for RPM, a sealant manufacturer whose brands include Rust-Oleum and Zinsser, said it will be "business as usual" for DAP's employees and customers.He said DAP will continue to be based in Baltimore under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer John McLaughlin, and no layoffs or plant closings are planned.

T. Rowe Price lost another one of its fund managers, the third this year. Friday was the last day for Joseph M. Milano, 40, who has been the manager of Price's New America Growth Fund since 2002, said spokesman Brian Lewbart. Milano, who joined the Baltimore-based money manager in 1996 as an associate analyst, only recently informed Price of his plans to leave. "He let us know he was leaving the firm to pursue other investment management opportunities, most likely on his own," Lewbart said.

JAMES GASHEL talks about newspapers with a passion. "Newspapers are probably the most important public channel of communicating ideas in a free society," he proclaims. Mr. Gashel, who is blind, first got access to daily newspapers four years ago through a telephone service operated by the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind. "I couldn't read a newspaper until I was 50 years old," he explains. Thanks to $4 million in congressional funding, the Newsline telephone service will soon be available to 11 million blind and sight-impaired Americans, regardless of location.

The Federal Reserve Board announced Thursday that it terminated an enforcement action against Baltimore-based Harbor Bankshares Corp. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond issued the action in July 2010, reaching an agreement with the holding company to take steps to shore up its finances. The company, parent of The Harbor Bank of Maryland, agreed to comply with consent orders from other regulators as well as not to pay dividends, take on more debt or redeem shares without the approval of the Federal Reserve Bank first.

The Cordish Co., the Baltimore-based developer credited with projects that have revitalized downtowns around the country, has been embroiled in a dispute over the dress code at its open-air entertainment facility in Louisville, Ky., that reflects a larger debate pitting control of decorum versus potential discrimination. Bowing to community pressure, the Cordish Co. this week lifted part of a dress code for men that prohibited sports jerseys and baseball hats worn backward at 4th Street Live!

In a spacious, light-filled office high above the Inner Harbor, Ed Callahan leans back in a plastic chair, flips a fuzz-covered rubber ball from one hand to the other, and grins like a schoolboy. He has reason to feel mischievous. It's not just that the atmosphere here at Planit Agency, the Baltimore advertising firm he co-founded 14 years ago, is fun, though given the pool table in the corner, the pulsing plasma TVs along the walls and the sprightly orange color scheme throughout the place, it qualifies as that.

Baltimore-based Under Armour Inc. is planning to add 350 employees at a site in walking distance of its waterfront headquarters, significantly increasing its city work force at a time when it is aggressively expanding into new markets. The sports apparel company expects to open offices in a building now used as a warehouse and freight terminal in Locust Point. Baltimore developer Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse has a contract to purchase the 7.2-acre property, between Beason Street and Key Highway, and wants to do a $14.2 million renovation if it can get zoning approval.

Advertising Warschawski has promoted Sara Huber to senior associate for the Baltimore-based marketing and branding agency. Imre Communications LLC announced that Erin Grecu and Eileen Coyne have joined the Baltimore-based brand communications agency as senior account executives. They will be responsible for the planning, development and execution of strategic campaigns for clients in the insurance industry. Banking and finance Sandy Spring Bank Inc., headquartered in Olney, named R. Stephen Geoffray president of its subsidiary Sandy Spring Insurance Corp.

Advertising TBC Advertising and Public Relations named Tom Hollerbach as the Baltimore firm's president and chief executive officer. Banking and finance The Bank of Glen Burnie said Rick Sutton has joined the Anne Arundel financial institution as vice president of commercial lending. He is responsible for new business and servicing current customers. SunTrust Bank Maryland named John W. Oakley as a vice president in its retail division. M&T Bank appointed as administrative vice presidents: Craig Hallgren, who is responsible for providing interest rate risk management services to Mid-Atlantic corporate and institutional clients, and Bradley D. Pingrey, who has responsibility for retail banking management in Frederick and Washington counties.

An article on Catholic Relief Services in yesterday's editions gave an incomplete description of money pledged to areas bombed in Lebanon. The Baltimore-based agency pledged $1 million of its own money in July and a total of $10 million from the government and other sources in August.

Baltimore-based technology company Barcoding Inc. said Wednesday it has acquired Lake Zurich, Ill.,-based Miles Technologies Inc. for an undisclosed amount in a move to increase its presence in the central United States. The Baltimore company sells bar-coding equipment and other devices. Miles, which has offices in St. Louis and the Chicago market, provides barcode and radio frequency identification equipment used to track products and locate individuals. The company, which has 14 employees, also develops software for warehouse tracking and management.

Legg Mason Inc. on Tuesday announced a quarterly divided of 13 cents per share, an 18 percent increase. The Baltimore-based money manager said the dividend will be paid on July 8 for those who are shareholders as of June 11. Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts

Under Armour solidified its push to market to women and change the company's often masculine image Thursday by announcing a deal to become the official gear provider for USA Gymnastics for the next eight years. The partnership marks the first time Under Armour has sponsored an entire national team for the Summer Olympic Games, meaning the sports apparel company's logo will appear during televised events and could be seen on the medal stand in 2016 and 2020. Other athletes sponsored by the Baltimore-based company, such as Michael Phelps, were forced to wear competitors' gear, like Nike's, because of strict rules governing branding during the Olympics.

Shares of Baltimore's Millennial Media Inc. on Wednesday lost nearly 38 percent of their value, closing at $8.95. Fourth-quarter earnings announced Tuesday disappointed analysts and led to a sharp decline in after-hours trading. The stock closed Tuesday at $14.33 and opened Wednesday at $9.81. The mobile device advertising company reported it had a profit of 3 cents per share - $2.6 million in all - in the quarter ending Dec. 31, falling short of expectations. Projections for this year - the company said it expects revenue to range from $270 million to $280 million - also disappointed some analysts.

When bad luck struck, John Mann was all but certain that he'd have to abandon his dreams. In 2005, Mann was a 28-year-old film school graduate who was just starting to make inroads in the difficult East Coast television industry. He hoped to one day move to Los Angeles and direct movies. And then, his wife fell ill while she was pregnant with their son. "Even though things had been starting to go our way, we were getting paid almost nothing," says Mann, 35, of Crownsville. "It really became a situation where we needed really good health insurance and we needed it right now. A choice had to be made, so I joined the Army.

Legg Mason Inc. reported Friday a $453.9 million loss for the third quarter, following a previously announced $734 million writedown of certain assets. On a per-share basis, the Baltimore-based money manager lost $3.45. For the corresponding quarter a year ago, the company earned $28.1 million or 20 cents per share. Legg, which has been operating without a permanent CEO for four months, continued to see investor dollars flow out of its funds in the quarter ended Dec. 31. The stock fell more than 3 percent Friday, closing at $26.79 per share, down 86 cents.

Advertising Trahan Burden Charles has appointed Brent Burkhardt as executive vice president and managing director of public relations for the Baltimore-based regional advertising agency. Vertis Communications appointed Charles Miotke as president of the Baltimore-based direct marketing unit of the national print advertising and direct marketing solutions provider. Banking and finance Northwestern Mutual Financial Network named Kelly Whitson as a financial representative in its Baltimore office.

A division of the World Bank Group announced Wednesday that it has invested $150 million in Laureate Education Inc., giving the international development organization a small stake in the Baltimore-based global higher education company. "It's an incredibly strong endorsement for the company," said Douglas L. Becker, Laureate's chairman and CEO, of the investment by the International Finance Corp. and its affiliate, the IFC African, Latin American and Caribbean Fund. With annual revenue of about $4 billion, Laureate does not need the money but is eager to have the backing of an investor led by members of international governments, he said.

The 25-year-old Baltimore-based law firm Offit Kurman recently formed a pioneering mortgage compliance affiliate, C3 Compliance Consultants, to help lenders across the United States conform with regulations launched this year by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a creation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Veteran mortgage banking and employment law attorney Ari Karen is founder and director of the new venture. C3's services are in high demand by companies from Los Angeles to Boston, Karen said.