Baltimore Peninsula partners with adult sports league to open 4-acre rec space
Baltimore Business Journal
The Baltimore region's source for local business news & events. Part of the American City Business Journals network.
Good morning Baltimore, I hope you stayed safe during last night's tornado-hail-flash-flood-superstorm.
If you're concerned about the aftermath of Superstorm Rutschman (named after an Oriole who has done similar damage to my hopes and dreams), we here at BBJ HQ have you covered. Here's what we know, crowdsourced from the social media site formerly known as Twitter, transit authorities and weather apps:
Stay safe out there. Now for the news.
Baltimore Peninsula to open 4-acre sports beach
A 4.24-acre multipurpose sports venue is coming to Baltimore Peninsula waterfront this fall, the development group announced yesterday. A product of a partnership with the adult sports league organizer Volo Sports, the newly dubbed Volo Beach will sit behind the development's 1.1 million square feet of retail, office and residential space and include volleyball and pickleball courts as well as fields for soccer and kickball, according to the press release. In addition to the adult leagues, local youth in the Volo Kids leagues will begin using the facilities by the fall.
Grammy winner will headline Artscape 2023
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts announced yesterday that Kelly Rowland — Grammy winner and the artist behind several songs I have definitely heard before but could not name at trivia — will headline Friday's festivities at Artscape, Baltimore's free arts festival. This will be the event's comeback after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and many are skeptical of the event's plan (or lack thereof). Additions to the event this year will be a beer garden, additional local art exhibitions and an expanded event space stretching into new territory in the Station North Arts and Entertainment district, according to the announcement.
Jonathan Ehrenfeld, president and CEO of Reisterstown's Blue Ocean Realty, didn't have many fans when he bought a flailing 700,000-square-foot sports facility in rural Ashtabula County, Ohio, in late 2019, our sister paper the Cleveland Business Journal writes. But as Spire Academy prepares for its fourth academic year under the ownership of Ehrenfeld's real estate investment and management company, and works to add new revenue streams, many are becoming believers. The owner's work, including the addition of a 22,000-square-foot high school on site, has nearly doubled its enrollment each year since 2020, and Ehrenfeld says he's not stopping soon. Read the full story of Spire Academy's quick turnaround.
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LifeBridge Health names new VP
Baltimore-based health system LifeBridge Health announced a new vice president of government relations and community development yesterday. Jennifer Witten is joining the team from XFERALL, a health care tech company, and previously held roles with the American Heart Association and the Maryland Hospital Association, according to the release. Witten is filling the role of Martha Nathanson, who held the role for 25 years at LifeBridge, which has hospitals across Greater Baltimore and is one of the area's largest private-sector employers.
GSE Systems wins $1.1M in nuclear inspection, testing contracts
Columbia-based engineering and workforce solutions company GSE Systems Inc. secured $1.1 million in contracts yesterday to provide inspection and testing for two nuclear power clients in the Midwest. The work includes making sure the utilities are compliant with engineering and nuclear operating regulations through virtual and on-site training courses and programs. GSE (Nasdaq: GVP) secured a contract up to $15 million in July for nuclear modernization after securing financing up to $8 million in June, the Baltimore Business Journal previously reported.
As devout readers of this newsletter will surely remember, on July 13 I informed you all that the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra would perform an original composition written by artificial intelligence. Well, with that performance looming (tomorrow night) BBJ's Matt Hooke brings you the details of the performance and how it was composed. The "AI in 'A Minor'" concert will feature three to five compositions created by MindGrub using AI and played by BSO musicians, and those involved in the project see it as a unique moment for music. Taylor Swift, robots, Mozart, this story has it all — keep reading.
Wawa has converted one of its Philadelphia locations into a fully digital experience with no shelves as the Pennsylvania convenience store giant tries out a new store format, our sister publication the Philadelphia Business Journal reports. In the new concept, all items must be purchased on the Wawa mobile app or on the in-store touch screens, and the orders are then fulfilled by associates behind the counter. The company did not disclose whether it planned to open or convert more stores to the fully digital format. It's a shame I won't have the chance to spill 24-ounce coffees and containers of half and half at the coffee station anymore, but the world spins on.
In case you don't have your BBJ breaking news alerts turned on, I'll fill you in. Last night during the torrential downpour/rainpocalypse, BBJ's Morgan Simpson and Phil Davis reported that Velleggia's, a revival of a famed Little Italy restaurant that opened in Cross Street Market last year, closed. The restaurant shut its doors last month after less than one year in business in the Federal Hill market. The closure is a setback for Liliahna Hospitality Group, which has expanded rapidly across the city in the past year, and comes amid allegations against its owner, who has several active lawsuits against him or his group for not paying their bills and whose employees have alleged delayed or short paychecks. Continue reading for one spicy meatball of a story.
This newsletter was written by Joe Ilardi, digital producer for the Baltimore Business Journal. I can be reached at [email protected].