International law firm names new Baltimore office leader

Good morning Baltimore and happy winter.

The snow has finally arrived, and the icy clouds have, oddly enough, lifted my spirits. (Winter is supposed to feel like winter!) Joanna, Phil and Jess kept you up to date last week while I was honing my reporting skills in New York, but unfortunately for you all, I am back with more energy and low-quality puns than ever.

If I seem extra chipper this morning, that's because my Terps knocked off No. 10 Illinois this weekend on the hardwood, and the Cowboys lost. What good fortune! In other sports news, the Ravens have their first opponent for the playoffs: upstart rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The teams are set for a 4:30 p.m. rumble at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 20.

I'll take experience over the young Texans QB, but I'm just a Giants fan.

Now let's get to the news; there's plenty of it today.

International law firm names new Baltimore office managing partner

One of Baltimore's largest law offices will have a new leader. Womble Bond Dickinson, the creation of a 2017 transatlantic merger, has tapped Newt Fowler as managing partner of its Baltimore office, according to an announcement from the firm. Fowler has expertise representing companies and investors and has been recognized as a leading transactional lawyer in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America. Fowler's appointment is one of several throughout the firm; D.C. and Nashville also have new office managing partners, per the release. Another Baltimore office lawyer, partner Merrick Benn, was recently appointed to Womble Bond Dickinson's Global Board.

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Johns Hopkins makes big land buy in Florida for children's hospital

Health care giant Johns Hopkins has made a big land buy outside of Tampa, Florida, with plans to build a children’s hospital on the property, our sister paper the Tamps Bay Business Journal reports. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital paid $21 million for 114 acres at the northeast corner of the Interstate 75 and Overpass Road interchange in Pasco County, and confirmed the acquisition to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Construction is slated to begin on the first phase by the fall, and the facility should be operational by 2028, according to a hospital representative. Read more about the growing health care institution's latest southern purchase.

Nashville bank opens first Maryland office

A Tennessee-based bank known for poaching local talent has entered the Maryland market, BBJ's Garrett Dvorkin reports. Pinnacle Financial Partners (Nasdaq: PNFP) has opened a temporary office in Columbia, the bank’s first location in Maryland. Nashville-based Pinnacle already has a 14-member team based out of the Columbia office and plans to open a full-service branch in an adjacent building later this year, continuing its push into the Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia region. Pinnacle poached six local bankers when it opened its Northern Virginia office, a strategy that its CEO spoke about when the bank entered the Raleigh, North Carolina market. See what the bank has in store for its Columbia expansion.

Baltimore County businessman buys Baltimore Sun in private deal

Sinclair Inc. Executive Chairman David Smith has acquired the Baltimore Sun from Alden Global Capital in a private deal that returns the 187-year-old newspaper company to local ownership, our Editor-in-Chief Joanna Sullivan and reporter Melody Simmons write. A spokesman for Sinclair said Smith acquired the newspaper and related assets — including its community papers such as the Capital Gazette and Carroll County Times — with his own funds and that Sinclair (Nasdaq: SBGI) "has no involvement with the transaction." Smith will continue to be Sinclair's executive chairman and chairman of the board of the Hunt Valley broadcast company that owns Fox 45 News and nearly 200 stations across the nation. Read more about the deal that's shaking up the Baltimore media ecosystem.

Firm launches to advocate for Maryland alcoholic beverage businesses

A pair of familiar faces on the alcoholic beverage lobbying scene are back in action with a new firm, our Morgan Simpson reports. Two executives from the shuttered Grow & Fortify, which was known for working with the state's alcoholic beverages businesses, have launched their own company. Janna Howley and Kelly Dudeck have started Cultivate & Craft, a consultation and management firm for Maryland's value-added agriculture industry, which refers to products that differ from the original raw materials, such as craft alcohol. The firm will continue working with Grow & Fortify's former clients, too. Learn about the new venture's priorities as they jump into the legislative session.

Maryland regulators seek to create new kind of cannabis business license

The Maryland Cannabis Administration wants to permit a new type of business to sell cannabis plants and seeds, my colleague Matt Hooke reports. It's a move that could close one of the largest loopholes in the nascent industry. House Bill 253 would allow a business called a “cannabis nursery” that will sell seeds, immature plants, and clones of cannabis plants to other firms under the regulatory oversight of the MCA. Since the plant is still federally illegal, businesses are caught in a bind since all of the immature plants or seeds necessary to start a growing operation can only be obtained from a state's illicit market or shipped in illegally. Read about how the MCA-endorsed bill could change the dynamics of the young industry.

Total Wine co-owners buy Florida condo for $16 million (PHOTOS)

A trust in the name of the co-owners of Maryland-based Total Wine & More paid $15.85 million for a condo at the Four Seasons Residences at the Surf Club in Surfside, Florida, our sister paper the South Florida Business Journal reports. Robert L. Trone (the brother of Maryland's U.S. Rep. David Trone) and Anna Marie Parisi-Trone's trust acquired the 3,001-square-foot condo at 9111 Collins Ave. in Surfside for more than $5,000 per square foot, more than double what it last sold for in 2017. Check out the four-bedroom luxury condo in detail.

Baltimore's new $100K jobs: These 13 occupations now pay six figures

Salaries soared during the economic recovery from the pandemic, and that surge pushed several jobs in Greater Baltimore over the $100,000 per year threshold. According to an analysis by The Business Journals of Bureau of Labor Statistics data,13 jobs eclipsed the six-figure threshold between 2021 and 2022 in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. Chiropractors saw the largest bump (of which I probably accounted for half of their business), and other health and tech jobs saw solid median income growth during the time period. Baltimore is still far behind New York City, which boasts 800 job titles in the six-figure range. See the list of new additions to Greater Baltimore's $100K club.

Questions or comments about today's newsletter? Reach out to BBJ Digital Producer Joe Ilardi at [email protected].