Choice Hotels unsure of future of two Haiti projects
Silver Spring-based Choice Hotels International Inc. said Friday it's too soon to know whether two hotel projects planned for Haiti will move forward. Less than a week before Tuesday's earthquake leveled Port-au-Prince, the lodging company had announced plans to bring the first global hotel brand to the island in more than a decade. It had planned to open a Comfort Inn this year in the township of Jacmel and to start construction of an Ascend boutique hotel as part of a new luxury development of lodging, housing and shops, also in Jacmel. The hotels were to be owned by SIMACT, a New York-based investment company founded by Haitian professionals. A company spokesman said Friday he had no information about the status of either project.
- Lorraine Mirabella
Vertis closes Pa. printing plant, lays off 180 workers
Vertis Communications, a Baltimore-based print advertising and direct marketing company, said Friday it closed a printing facility in York, Pa., and laid off 180 workers. The company said in a statement that it planned to shift the work from the plant, which includes making advertising inserts and newspaper products for retailers, newspapers and other companies, to its other locations. Vertis has about 100 production facilities and 6,000 employees across North America. Some workers at the plant have been asked to stay longer to assist in its closing, and workers have the opportunity to interview for jobs in other parts of Vertis, according to the company.
- Gus G. Sentementes
New head of Maryland Biotechnology Center named
Gov. Martin O'Malley named on Friday a longtime veteran of Maryland's bioscience industry to lead the Department of Business and Economic Development's efforts to increase the biotechnology and science sector in the state. Judith A. Britz, a scientist and entrepreneur with 25 years of bioscience experience, was named executive director of the Maryland Biotechnology Center, where she is expected to help the state's 400 bioscience companies grow and create new jobs. She most recently had her own consulting firm where she advised companies on therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Britz previously served as president and chief executive officer of Cylex Inc. and general manager of Sienna Biotech Inc., both in Maryland. She has held positions in business development and research and development at Becton Dickinson and Johnson and Johnson. She has a doctorate from Stanford University in immunology and medical microbiology.
- Gus G. Sentementes
Boccaccio Restaurant to be auctioned next month
The once-popular Boccaccio Restaurant in Little Italy will be auctioned off a year after closing because the owner died. Chef and owner Giovanni Rigato opened the restaurant, located on Eastern Avenue, in 1992. Rigato, a native of Cavalese in the Italian Dolomites, was credited for bringing fine dining to the casual, spaghetti-oriented Little Italy. He named the restaurant after the 14th-century author Giovanni Boccaccio. Rigato died last year. The 9,000-square-foot building with a 20-car parking lot will be sold at 11 a.m. Feb. 17, according A.J. Billig & Co., which is running the auction. The restaurant also includes a seven-day-a-week liquor license.
- Andrea K. Walker