Real estate attorney to chair local transit commission

Good morning Baltimore and Happy Valentine's Day. We here at BBJ love each and every one of you.

Today we bring you a holiday-themed blurb. In a groundbreaking new analysis of terms used in casino customer reviews, it turns out Baltimore's Horseshoe Casino is the least romantic of the 30 most visited and reviewed casinos.

According to the casinos.com analysis of customer reviews, a minuscule 0.10% of online reviews of Horseshoe included lovey dovey terms such as "romantic," "proposal," "proposed," "wedding," "engaged," "married," "marriage" and "honeymoon."

Looking for love this Valentine's Day? Don't look at Horseshoe Casino (or any casino, for that matter).

Baltimore real estate attorney to chair transit commission

One of Baltimore’s top real estate lawyers has been tapped to chair a new transit commission in the region. Jon Laria, who was managing partner of Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore office for more than a decade, will sit on the 16-member Baltimore Regional Transit Commission to oversee and advocate for transit services in the area. The commission was created to give Baltimore a seat at the table in state funding and planning discussions about city transit. Laria also serves on the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs. He is now special counsel at Ballard Spahr after retiring from his role as office managing partner in October.

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Camden Yards up for USA Today Readers’ Choice awards

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, AKA “the cradle of America’s pastime” (my phrase), is up for multiple readers’ choice awards by USA Today. The park is nominated for best ballpark food and best MLB stadium. We already know these to be true, but a little affirmation never hurts. The Orioles’ spring training facility in Sarasota, Florida, Ed Smith Stadium, is also nominated for best spring training facility. In other categories, Station North Arts District is competing in the best arts district poll. Go vote for your hometown!

Shuttered Patterson Park restaurant up for sale

Roman’s Place at 2 S. Decker Ave. is up for sale after decades of service to Patterson Park, our Morgan Simpson reports. The property, business and an adjacent residence are listed for $795,000, according to RE/MAX Realty Centre. Roman's Place closed in May 2023 after 37 years in business. Now, the owner and her daughter are off to the beach for a change of pace. Read more about the century-old property and the details of the listing.

Law firm to relocate downtown office

A local law firm will move its office to a downtown tower that is quickly becoming a hotspot for the city’s law offices, our Garrett Dvorkin writes. Blades & Rosenfeld P.A. will relocate its office from 20 S. Charles to the One South Street Tower, which changed hands at a discounted price last summer. Despite a faltering commercial office market, One South Street is becoming a hotspot for law firms — Blades & Rosenfeld will be the 10th to call the tower home once they move in. Read more about the move to what may be Baltimore's busiest new legal destination.

Baltimore charter service to add second boat

Today's installation of the BBJ's Black History Month series on Black-owned businesses brings us out to sea (or bay). Kashad McPherson, or "Captain Kay," is investing tens of thousands of dollars to expand his private boat chartering company Vibe and Wave Charters so that his company can get even more people from Baltimore’s Black communities out on the water. Read more about the Baltimore native and military veteran who's growing his business on the water.

UMMS facility names trade group leader as new finance executive

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center has appointed a new finance head. Brett McCone has been appointed as senior vice president of finance for the 307-bed medical center, a member of the University of Maryland Medical System. McCone is joining the team from the Maryland Hospital Association, where he worked as the organization’s SVP of health care payment. Before MHA, McCone worked for accounting and consulting giant KPMG’s health care branch.

Local auctioneer celebrates 100th anniversary

A local auction house with a hand in some historic sales is showcasing its own history for a change. Alex Cooper Auctioneers, launched in 1924 in Baltimore (yes, by Alex Cooper), turns 100 this year and will be holding special events throughout 2024 to commemorate the milestone. The auction house has facilitated the sales of many high-profile items and properties, from the Watergate Hotel in D.C. to a letter from George Washington. The business first opened on North Howard Street and then moved to York Road in Towson, where it has been since 1982. President Joe Cooper, son of the founder, has led the company since 1971. The auction house plans to expand its real estate division moving forward, per a press release. Enjoy this photo of founder Alex Cooper and his son Joe at work in 1956.

Maryland venture capital funding up in past decade despite recent slowdown

Before a drop in venture capital investment in 2023, Maryland had more than tripled its VC funding. A new report from digital business marketplace Flippa shows that VC funding in the state grew 3.7 times on a per-GDP basis between 2012 and 2022. According to data from PitchBook and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, there was $1,534 of VC funding for every $1 million in state GDP. As of 2022, that total was $5,731 per $1 million of GDP. The number of deals per year in that span almost doubled, and the average deal size in dollars more than doubled, according to the report.

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