Bwi Business

IF THERE IS A GOOSE in Anne Arundel County capable of laying golden eggs, it is the area surrounding Baltimore-Washington International Airport. BWI Business Partnership's desire to assemble a strategic plan for this important area could not be more timely.While the 80-square-mile area in Linthicum is far from saturated, poorly planned building could do considerable damage to the businesses already in place and destroy the allure for those seeking to locate near BWI. The Business Partnership's preliminary statement indicates that its primary concerns are improving the transportation infrastructure and developing a system of flexible zoning.

Mark Montgomery, president and CEO of Ports America Chesapeake, will be the guest speaker at the BWI Business Partnership's May signature breakfast and annual transportation forum, Wednesday, May 15, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, in Linthicum. Ports America, the largest terminal operator in America, is responsible for the widening of the berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore is one of only two ports on the East Coast that will be able to accommodate the super-sized ships expected to arrive through the expanded Panama Canal in 2014.Montgomery was honored as the Baltimore Museum of Industry's Industrialist of the Year in 2012.

In the gray, rainy early hours of yesterday morning, the National Security Agency's obscure Fort Meade headquarters was abuzz with arrivals.About 175 people showed up about 7: 30 a.m., breezed past security checkpoints and were ushered through harshly lighted hallways to a large meeting room. They included three county executives, a handful of state and county politicians, representatives from the area's top businesses and a former governor.The agenda was the economic future of Maryland.The BWI Business Partnership held its regular breakfast meeting at the NSA yesterday, with Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard county executives speaking on a panel about the importance of regionalism in boosting economic development in the Baltimore area.

BWI Business Partnership's April signature breakfast will be held Wednesday, April 17 from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve, 7795 Arundel Mills Boulevard, in Hanover. Keynote speaker Maravene Loeschke, president of Towson University, will talk about new initiatives at Towson. Towson University is one of the largest public universities in Maryland, and has interdisciplinary partnerships with public and private institutions, which provide research, internship and jobs for students.

Ask Neil Shpritz what he's done for the area surrounding Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and he'll tell you all he's done is talk. But it's the fact that business and government leaders listen when the executive director of the nonprofit BWI Business Partnership Inc. opens his mouth that has made the organization, once only transportation-focused, a promotion machine for Central Maryland and an advocate for businesses there. If Maryland's largest airport ever had a partner, it is Shpritz - the gregarious de facto mayor of the BWI Business District, which he envisioned and almost single-handedly defined over the past 10 years.

Speaking to business leaders in Anne Arundel County's job-rich BWI area yesterday, Janet S. Owens touched all the themes important to the movers and shakers and managed to weave into the talk her top-priority issue: improving education.Without making a promise more concrete than returning a distinctive colored glass sculpture of a crab to display at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the new county executive impressed many of those attending the BWI Business Partnership's monthly breakfast.

Southwest Airlines wins BWI business awardThe BWI Business Partnership Inc. has awarded its annual Spirit of Success Award to Southwest Airlines as the BWI Business District Business of the Year.In accepting the award on behalf of Southwest, Herbert D. Kelleher, the airline's chairman, chief executive officer and president, linked the expansion of his company and that of Baltimore-Washington International Airport, noting that in less than five years, Southwest has more than quadrupled its BWI flights to 53 a day, while BWI has handled a record volume of passengers.

BWI Business Partnership names officers and directorsBWI Business Partnership Inc. has named its board of directors for 1998-1999. Samuel F. Heffner (Airport Square) was re-elected chairman.Other officers named during the annual meeting include: James J. Cannelli (Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Code Enforcement), president; C. Lloyd Carpenter (Northrop Grumman Corp.), vice chairman; Jay Hierholzer (Maryland Aviation Administration), treasurer; and James Piper III (O'Conor, Piper & Flynn-ERA)

Warning is issued against carrying fireworks through BWI Airport officials warn against carrying fireworks through Baltimore-Washington International Airport because the objects could be mistaken for dangerous devices at security checkpoints and cause delays. The Maryland Aviation Administration suggests that travelers present all objects that could be misidentified to airport personnel before passing the screening areas at the entrance to each concourse. The MAA, in coordination with the state fire marshal, is urging residents to refrain from transporting or using fireworks this Fourth of July holiday.

BWI partnership issues economic business report Economic conditions are expected to improve this year for the commercial community around Baltimore-Washington International Airport, according to a report released by the BWI Business Partnership. The report on the BWI business district's economy includes information on real estate and considers residential, commercial, industrial and consumer markets. The report also tracks BWI's passenger traffic from 1993 to 2001. A record number of passengers - 20.4 million - passed through the airport last year, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth.

The BWI Business Partnership's Signature Breakfast will be held Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m., at the Westin BWI Airport Hotel, 1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road, in Linthicum Heights. Featured speaker at the breakfast will be E. Albert Reece, dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, which has close ties to the area's business community. Reece is also the vice president for medical affairs at the university and a professor in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology, medicine and biochemistry, and molecular biology.

The BWI Business Partnership welcomes University of Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson as keynote speaker for its October Signature Breakfast. The breakfast will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore, BWI Airport, 890 Elkridge Landing Road inLinthicum. As athletic director, Anderson manages the Terrapins' $59 million budget and the work of more than 180 employees. He will offer his outlook for the Terps and the importance of the sports program to the college.

BWI Airport officials have agreed after years of wrangling to allow a politically connected Prince George's County businessman to participate in a program for minorities at the airport, according to audit findings obtained by The Baltimore Sun on Thursday. Sandy Roberts, who runs Olympic News, one of the biggest retail operations at BWI, had not previously been counted among the minority-owned businesses at the airport because officials said he was not running the company himself. Airport officials said souvenir giant Hudson News, which recruited Roberts as a minority partner, was behind the operation.

Orioles fans who depended on Maryland Transit Administration charter buses to get home from games now face the same deprivation that afflicted Ravens rooters last year. Because of a federal ruling, public transit agencies can no longer provide specialized services geared to sporting events. That includes the buses to Savage, Greenbelt and Washington that the MTA used to offer after games. With the baseball season under way, it has been left to the MTA to break the bad news to fans that they may have to leave before the last out is recorded to make the last transit connection to Washington.

The Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce and the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Opportunity Builders Inc. 7509 Connelley Drive, Suite O, Hanover. The cost of the breakfast is $10. Information: 410-766-8282 or 410-787-0700 or fran@naaccc.com. BWI business group to meet Wednesday The BWI Business Partnership will hold its monthly signature breakfast meeting from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Holiday Inn BWI Airport, 890 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum.

Developers plan to break ground this fall on a 300-room Crowne Plaza hotel near BWI Marshall Airport, one of more than 20 hotels proposed or already under construction in Anne Arundel County. The Crowne, which focuses on the corporate-meeting niche, will be part of a complex called the Grand Isle Resort that by itself is slated to have four hotels - plus an indoor water park, a conference center, a day spa and 10 restaurants. The complex in Linthicum, just north of the airport, is expected to break ground shortly before the Crowne and open in mid-to-late 2009.

BWI expansion plans to be presented to 2 business groups Expansion and improvement plans for Baltimore-Washington International Airport will be presented to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and the BWI Business Partnership this week. Maryland Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari and Maryland Aviation Administration Executive Director David L. Blackshear will discuss current and future activity at BWI during tomorrow's 8 a.m. chamber meeting at the BWI Marriott, 1743 W. Nursery Road in Linthicum.

Ceremony marks care unit opening Anne Arundel Medical Center will celebrate the opening of its $4 million neonatal intensive care unit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today on the second floor of the Clatanoff Pavilion. Free parking is available in the Acute Care Pavilion garage. Information: 443-481-4700. BWI neighbors to meet tomorrow The Maryland Aviation Administration will host a BWI Neighbors Committee meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the assembly room of the its offices at 991 Corporate Blvd.

BWI Business Partnership honors community college The BWI Business Partnership Inc. has given Anne Arundel Community College its Employer of the Year Award for establishing a major presence in the BWI business district and providing distinguished service to area citizens and regional businesses. The partnership is a nonprofit economic development and transportation management association with more than 200 members representing companies in the Baltimore-Washington area. The award is presented each year to an employer to recognize contributions to the BWI area.