medifast incorporated

Owings Mills-based Medifast has adopted a stockholder rights plan in an attempt to prevent a hostile takeover of the weight loss plan company.

A supply chain and logistics company based in Waltham, Mass., has purchased nearly 10 percent of the shares of Medifast, a weight loss program company based in Owings Mills, in a series of transactions since late July, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The idea for Greg Vetter's business came to him shortly after a friend crept into his house and swiped a two-liter bottle of his mom's homemade lemon-garlic salad dressing from his refrigerator.

Owings Mills-based Medifast said Friday that it plans to close eight "under-performing" weight loss centers by the end of the month and sell 10 to 15 other centers next year, part of a push toward franchising as the performance of company-owned locations declines.

Annapolis-based critical care physician turned nutritional intervention expert Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen wants to help Americans take back their health with his new book, "Discover Your Optimal Health."

Owings Mills-based Medifast Inc. has laid off about 24 employees, less than 3 percent of its 860-person workforce, over the past few weeks as the weight loss system company reviewed staffing levels.

Medifast, a maker of weight-loss food products in Owings Mills, said it will begin collecting sales and use taxes on all Internet sales where applicable starting in September.

Corporate governance experts say celebrity directors can be highly beneficial, raising a company's profile and even its stock price. But that doesn't mean all boards should have a celebrity.

So the gray-and-white Jerusalem donkey this month becomes the 18th livestock resident of the new Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary and Eco Retreat in Ellicott City. Livestock is the specialty at this historic manor house with 10 acres that was recently turned into Howard County's only haven catering chiefly to farm animals.

Baltimore Sun reporters make their picks for the Ravens vs. Bengals Monday night game.

Medifast Inc. is growing so fast in the weight-loss food product industry that there will soon come a time when it outgrows its sole production facility in Owings Mills and builds plants elsewhere.

Read a profile of Baltimore-area engaged couple Jaime Leiner and Brian Gill.

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and some County Council members accepted thousands of dollars worth of sports tickets from developers and others last year.

Medifast Inc., an Owings Mills-based maker and provider of weight-loss programs, said Thursday it was replacing its current chief executive officer next week with the company's board chairman.

Social recruiting: While just a few years ago, much of the action took place on online job boards, now sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter has supercharged the experience for recruiters and job-seekers alike.

Maryland lawmakers, including Sen. E.J. Pipkin and Del. Michael Smigiel, are losing weight, inspired by Annapolis lobbyist Bruce Bereano's Medifast diet. They stuck to their diets, even at the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake.

Tawes Clam and Crab bake in Crisfield with be lighter on politicians, but heavy on heat this year. Lobbyist Bruce Bereano promises his usual spread, even though he's strictly on Medifast

Annapolis lobbyist Bruce Bereano loses weight, not clients