Information Technology

The explosive growth of Maryland's high-technology sector should continue this year. However, a shortage of skilled technological workers could be a dark cloud on the industry's otherwise sunny horizon.Vernon Thompson of the state Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) described high-tech as "the major growth sector for the Maryland economy right now." That growth is fueled largely by information technology companies -- the Internet and software firms that have sprung up over the past decade.

Harford County public schools will be closed from tomorrow through Jan. 1 for the winter holidays. Schools reopen Jan. 2. Information: 410-588-5203. Six county teachers get national board certification Six Harford County public school teachers recently received national board certification after a rigorous process that took at least a year to complete. The teachers are Lori McNeil of Magnolia Elementary School, Robert Bruce of Joppatowne High School, Karla Weinhold of Patterson Mill Middle School, Christine Baker of Hall's Cross Roads Elementary School, Michael Schul of Church Creek Elementary School and Mary Beth O'Donnell of Harford Technical High School.

Awards The Anne Arundel Tech Council announced the winners of its 2007 TechAwards. Receiving the Good Chip Award was Carematic Systems Inc., developer of online software for adults with developmental disabilities; the Tech Service Award: NMR Consulting, an information technology company; and the Innovator Award: RxNT, maker of an automatic prescription system. Force 3, a 300-employee firm that provides communications networks, network management and application support to mostly government customers, was named Tech Company of the Year.

RWD Technologies Inc., a Columbia-based technology training and consulting company, said yesterday that it has signed a letter of intent to become the first tenant of the $50 million high-technology research park at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.The company is expected to house its newly created RWD Applied Technology Laboratory in a two-story, 40,000-square-foot facility at the park. Construction will begin in early 2000 and should be completed in the second quarter of 2001.

George B. Delaplaine, president and chief executive of Great Southern Printing & Manufacturing Co. of Frederick, was named master entrepreneur last night in Maryland's 1999 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards competition.Delaplaine, whose company publishes the Frederick News-Post, and seven other local entrepreneurs will represent the state's business community in a national competition in Palm Springs, Calif., in November.The award winners were revealed last night at a banquet at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

In Baltimore CityCardin to support Mfume if he decides to run for mayorIn another sign of the strong political support for a mayoral candidacy by NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin is expected to join the effort to draft the civil rights leader into Baltimore's municipal election.Cardin, who worked with Mfume in Congress for 10 years, also is promising to support Mfume's candidacy if he joins the race.Mfume said he would make an announcement about his political future when he returns to Baltimore from Miami, where he is scheduled to attend a national board meeting with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from Thursday to May 15.Colo.

Bethesda-based Savant Corp. said yesterday that it has struck a potentially lucrative partnership deal with Sybase Inc., one of the largest U.S. makers of software for business applications.Under the deal, Sybase gets exclusive rights to privately held Savant's pioneering computer program that can alert information technology managers to database problems and diagnose them.Sybase gets the right to sell the program, named Q Diagnostic Center, to its existing customers without paying Savant a royalty.

It's easy to feel bullish about Wall Street these days.The street where many a fortune has been made or lost is getting a new look. Older buildings are being renovated, new ones are rising, and -- of all things -- people are moving in.Wall Street has always had people around during the day, hundreds of thousands of them working in the high-rise offices of this downtown business district, taking lunch in small eateries, crowding the subways in the rush hours....

A different Al Gore showed up early this month at Unity 99, the largest gathering of minority journalists in the United States. Taking center stage before 6,000 people in Seattle, a looser Mr. Gore was no longer a campaign in search of a theme, but rather a man with something to say.What Mr. Gore has to say is pretty important to those who want to continue watching stock portfolios grow and building these mini-mansions in Baltimore County: America's economic...

Baltimore may never be mistaken for Silicon Valley. But over the past decade, the region once known primarily for manufacturing has witnessed a tremendous growth spurt in telecommunications and information technology.From Columbia to Annapolis, companies that specialize in software development, network management and Web design have taken root. And, local experts say, in this new, tech-friendly atmosphere, minority-owned businesses are thriving as never before.Neither the Department of Labor nor local agencies keep statistics on the ethnicities of Internet-related business owners.

Lockheed Martin, one of Baltimore County's larger employers, officially opened its sixth facility Monday in Woodlawn and announced plans to add 160 information technology jobs to a work force that exceeds 1,500. The company's Information Systems & Global Services division has refurbished and rewired a nearly 42,000-square-foot brick building on Woodlawn Drive near the Social Security Administration complex. In the past year, the company has hired about 200 employees in its efforts to provide a wide variety of services to SSA, which is continuing modernization efforts.

It's easy to become discouraged if you are looking for a job in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression. But tens of thousands of workers will be hired in Maryland this year in fields expected to grow, including government, health care, education and information technology. Here are some thoughts, strategic and tactical, on how to land a new job: * Government may be a good place to start. People tend to skip the largest employer of them all - the U.S. government - because the process seems bureaucratic.

Police are investigating the theft of two laptop computers containing the names and Social Security numbers of more than 1,300 people formerly employed by the Maryland Department of the Environment. The laptops were reported stolen from the state office building at 300 W. Preston St. in Baltimore on Nov. 12, a spokesman for the MDE, Robert Ballinger, said in a statement yesterday. The Maryland Department of General Services police, which is investigating the theft, has no evidence that personal data were retrieved or misused.

Davidsonville man, 29, dies after Jeep hits tree 2 A Davidsonville man died after his Jeep hit a tree in Anne Arundel County, police said yesterday. Timothy Aloysius Desmond Jr., 29, of the 1500 block of Themes Drive was westbound on Riva Road about 8:30 p.m. Thursday when his 2003 Jeep Cherokee missed a turn, veered off the right side of the road and hit a tree. Desmond was pronounced dead at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Anne Arundel police said they did not think speed or alcohol were contributing factors to the crash and said it is still under investigation.

Expect all students to respect teachers I was frustrated by the stance taken by Donna Ford of Vanderbilt University, who argues in effect that the solution to the problem of student violence against Baltimore teachers is to pander to students' inflated sense of entitlement ("Respect called key to school safety," Aug 21). When did it become acceptable for a teacher to be required to earn a student's respect before receiving respect in kind? Teachers and students are not peers. It is imperative to the functioning of a free society that people holding positions of authority (i.e.

Gantech opens headquarters in Columbia Gantech, an information technology minority business, celebrated the grand opening of its headquarters at 9175 Guilford Road, Columbia, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, state Sen. James N. Robey, Clarence T. Bishop, deputy secretary for the state Department of Business and Economic Development, and Luwanda Jenkins, special secretary for the...

Awards *The Greater Baltimore Committee announced the presentation its Walter Sondheim Public Service Award to Eddie and Sylvia Brown for their contributions of more than $17 million over 14 years, mostly in support of education and the arts in Baltimore. The GBC also named Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown as recipient of its Regional Visionary Award for his work with the base realignment and closure agenda for the Baltimore region. Contracts *OPTIMUS Corp., based in Rockville, received a five-year blanket purchase contract to provide up to $100 million in information technology services to the National Information Technology Center and the National Information Systems Center of the National Park Service.

Cecil College will hold a Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the Technology Center on the North East campus at One Seahawk Drive. Participating organizations include Herr Foods, Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, Cecil County Sheriff's Office, Adecco Employment Services, PNC Bank, AAA Mid-Atlantic, HMS Host-Chesapeake House, Union Hospital, Dynamic Science, Coventry Health Care and Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services....

In January, just as anger over a new tax on computer services was beginning to boil over in Maryland's high-tech sector, Robert Epstein received a call from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. "This guy called and said, `I don't know if you've heard of the computer tax coming on board in Maryland. ... Have you ever thought of opening an office in our state or relocating to our state?'" recalled Epstein, president of About-Web LLC, a 52-employee, information technology firm based in Rockville.

Adults who wish to return to playing an instrument can sign up for Intermediate Adult Orchestra presented by the Maryland Conservatory of Music and Harford Community College. A 10-week noncredit course will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 22 to April 1, at Maryland Conservatory of Music, John Carroll campus. Information: 410-399-9900. Expo to showcase college offerings An education expo will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Higher Education and Conference Center at HEAT in Aberdeen.