Maryland Business

Fellow residents of Mt. Washington (and those who frequent the area) will be saddened to learn that our beloved restaurant, The Falls in Mt. Washington, has announced it is closing, effective immediately.

The cafe/restaurant, located on Kelly Avenue near the Mt. Washington Tavern, made the announcement via its Facebook page Tuesday morning, with the reason for its closure unclear:

The Falls was never perfect, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We always wanted the Falls to be a great place to have some good food, good drinks, and have good conversation- not only with each other, but with us as well. Anyone who came to the Falls more than once knows that there was always something different from visit to visit, and that was because we were always committed to improving, growing, and evolving.

When I moved to Baltimore a little more than a year ago, The Falls was one of the first places I found nearby to get a great breakfast. It was my go-to place when I had visitors. (I always recommended the Crab Eggs Benedict.)

I showed my guests the funky art they had on the walls, the life-sized busts of Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon and the books they kept on the shelves in between the tables. It was unique.

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To best debut its new footwear line, Under Armour is launching an advertising campaign with the help of Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Georges St-Pierre.

The company is calling this campaign its largest in footwear so far. TV watchers will be able to see 60-second and 30-second commercials featuring the star athletes on MTV, BET and ESPN, and ads will be on Facebook, Yahoo! Sports and STACK Magazine.

Baltimore-based Under Armour hired twofifteenmccann, a San Francisco-based creative agency, and is using “Friday Night Lights” director Peter Berg for the commercials. Berg’s production company, Pony Show Entertainment, executed the shoot.

The big shoe to watch out for is the UA Charge RC, which uses UA’s HeatGear material as well as the Micro G foam for a light and durable shoe.

Under Armour lovers will start seeing the shoe this fall in City Sports and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores, and it will be available to retailers across the U.S. in December.

Maybe Bill Murray could use some these shoes when taking “baby steps.”

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UPDATE: The school’s board of trustees issued a statement around 2:30, to its Facebook page. In it, it assures students that classes going on now and up to Aug. 30 will not be impacted. And, the board is looking at appealing the decision, pursuing legal options in regards to the loss of accreditation or merging the school with another institution.  Read the full statement here.

Students past and present have been using Facebook to not only seek answers but also voice frustration about the possible closing of Baltimore International College, a non-profit school that trains students for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries.

The school, which has about 500 students and about as many faculty,  is in the process of losing a vital accreditation that would make it ineligible for federal student loan aid, which nearly half of the students get. If they can’t figure out a way around the loss of accreditation it could very well be the end of the school.

Since the story first appeared in The Baltimore Sun, students have been alternating between anger and uncertainty about what was going on with their school. Students and alumni as well as faculty have been kept in the dark as Baltimore International College’s officials and board of trustees hunkered down to figure out what to do.

Some have expressed the desire to go to another school and take parting shots at the college:

“I would like to thank Baltimore International College for taking my 35000 last year and now wiping their hands clean of every student that paid each and every teacher and instructor salary. Almost seems like fraud to allow students to attend an institution that doesn’t even know if they can open their doors the following year,” one student wrote.

The school’s official Facebook page has been the only portal of communication open to students and faculty since The Sun reported Wednesday about the possible closure of the school. Since that time the only response from the school, posted to the site, said the school’s board of trustees was meeting Wednesday and an announcement would be made on Thursday.

By 2 p.m. on Thursday though no announcement had been made and students past and present were voicing their frustration on the Facebook page. One student lamented the only information she was getting was from “hitting the refresh button” repeatedly.

“Any word on what time the statement will post? Early morning would be most professional,” read one post.

“I’ve been very understanding that it can take some time to get a public statement together to post online or whereever but I just went onto the Student Portal and my Leadership Grant has been cancelled. A few fellow students I know are seeing the same thing with their Financial Aid….so before people get extremely even more upset than they already are I think we need to hear from the school and get the offical word which should have happened before anything was changed on student accounts and conclusions are drawn.”

One student posted that she had tried calling the registration office only to speak to employees there unsure if they’re even going to have a job after today.

“They are all in the same situation as all of us. They don’t know anything yet and are awaiting information whether they have jobs or not. Rumors are rampant but the official word is what we all are waiting for.”

Some students posted positive remarks to try and calm others concerned about whether they would finish their programs and others concerned about the impact the school’s closing would have on the degrees they already received.

“To all students of BIC dont let here say let this situation make or break you. Those that are negative will be that way because its there outlook on life regardless. It is those who are using this situation to make excuses and shield the fact that they were slacking anyway,” reads one post.

“I am a product of the school as well (I attended twice when it was called BICAI, then BICC), I am sorry to see this happen. I hope the school can come back as the school I remember back when I first went there in 1982,” one alumnus wrote.

Other students cautioned against calling the school, saying the employees — whose jobs are on the line as well — were being inundated by callers trying to find out what was happening.

“If anything. For now, please don’t call the school!!! Ms. Carol and Caroline, Financial Aid, Accountants, Registrar, etc are on the same boat. None of them are board of directors, they don’t know anything more than we do. Let them be until we get details too,” reads one post.

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Grim news on the residential home sales front released Tuesday by Standard & Poor’s show a first quarter decline by 4.2 percent in the U.S. National Home Price Index. That means housing values continue to turn downward.

The report highlighted 20 U.S. cities including Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington (the only city where home prices actually increased on an annual basis by 4.3 percent).

In Baltimore, things reflect the national trend even though the city was not listed in the 20-city composite Tuesday.

At a housing summit held at the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors in April, officials lamented how housing sales are matching up to mid-1990 figures. New home sales, Realtors were told (as if they didn’t already know), are “stuck at the bottom,” which is a reflection of supply and not demand.

Much of the blame for the city’s sluggish sales and stagnation in residential real estate is laid at the recession – including banks tightening credit (requiring a high credit score of at least 700 in order to be considered for a mortgage) and the overwhelming number of foreclosures and short sales.

But don’t discount the city’s tax rate of 2.268 percent  per $100 of assessed value. That means a house appraised at $150,000 will pay $3,400 in property taxes each year in Charm City.

Compare that to Washington’s tax rate of .85 percent and here’s what the bang for the bucks look like: A $400,000 home in the nation’s capitol pays a property tax bill of $3,400.

It all means that housing start permits in Baltimore are at a historical low, said Joseph T. “Jody” Landers, executive vice president of the GBBR and a candidate for Baltimore mayor.

“They are the lowest they’ve been since 1996,” he told the summit crowd.

Not surprising, Landers has made lowering property taxes a focus of his campaign.

The latest Standard & Poor’s report will give him fodder for what is shaping up to be a lively campaign season.

*****

Executives at the Ritz Carlton Residences at Federal Hill report they sold one luxury unit and have four other sales pending as a result of the recent Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Decorators’ Showhouse event held inside the red brick walls near Federal Hill.

The sales price was just over $750,000 for the two-bedroom unit that sold. The ground-floor, waterfront condo was seen by thousands as it served as the boutique for the annual event, said Joe Graziose, senior vice president for RXR, the Long-Island developer that owns the complex.

In all, Graziose said, more than 7,000 guests attended the BSO Showhouse last month, prompting 175 visits to the sales office at the Ritz. Funds raised from ticket sales went to pay for music education programs in Maryland schools.

“It was a wise move on my part to do this,” he said Friday. “Originally,  I was nervous at the amount of people coming through the building. I think that the results were beyond my expectations on all front.”

To date, he added,  50 Ritz units have sold or are under contract out of the total 190. By year’s end, Graziose said, the developers estimate they will have up to 45 total sales completed.

Two new units have just been decorated as models by local whiz Rita St. Clair Associates Inc., one with a stunning view of the Domino Sugar sign. How sweet that is…

*****

It ain’t exactly South Beach, but first-year Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz this week took great strides to promote his Miami Beach-front.

In what could be the ultimate staycation, Kamenetz suggested locals head east this summer as part of a marketing gig called Beach Break-Be there, 30 Minutes of Less.

The drive includes a series of commercials on local Channel 25 and a Facebook and YouTube video all featuring Kamenetz channeling his inner William Donald Schaefer by plunging “head first” into the Chesapeake Bay at the county’s Miami Beach park in Bowley’s Quarters near Essex (rubber ducky optional).

He also had a hula hoop throw down with Councilwoman Cathy Bevins and students from Chase Elementary School.

The county’s more than 200 miles of shoreline and 70 marinas and other waterfront development offer a natural cooling station for those reeling from economic pains at the pump.

*****

On Wednesday, Bozzuto Management Co. added 11 properties to its 33,000-unit portfolio. The 23-year-old company, a subsidiary of The Bozzuto Group, increased its offerings by 3,200 units and opened new properties including The Residences on the Avenue in Washington, D. C., the Enclave at Emerson in Laurel and Alta at Regency Crest in Ellicott City.

*****

Merritt Properties LLC unveiled two new tenants in Savage this week.

Medical products distributor Fresnius USA Manufacturing, Inc.  is leasing 7,200 square feet at 9435 U.S. Route 1, Suites D-E, Laurel, MD 20707.

Suites F-G at the same address were leased by the Tarbernacle of David Worship Center for suburban church space at the Howard County location, also 7,200 square feet.

Merritt brokers Jamie Campbell, Liz Tarran-Jones, Vince Bagli and Steve Shaw inked the deals.

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Say you had to tweet your cover letter and file your resume through a Facebook page. Does the idea make you panicky?

Under Armour is looking for two intern candidates to join its “Ultimate Intern Team.” The program is open to undergrad and graduate college students who want to learn more about sports and marketing.

But they have to make their pitch in 140 characters and use Under Armour’s Facebook fan page to submit their resume through May 12. The chosen interns will be working with the digital marketing team at the company, focusing on social media engagement.

The internship sounds like a pretty sweet gig. For five weeks, the interns will work with some of UA’s athlete sponsors, see the technology behind the brand’s innovation and spend some time getting to know CEO Kevin Plank to discuss leadership and entrepreneurship. The students will also work on Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blog entries on their experiences with the company. Reminds me a bit of when Charlie Bucket gets to take the glass elevator trip with Willy Wonka. If only.

The selected interns will receive a $5,000 scholarship paid directly to his or her school. The final 100 candidates will be announced on May 16, then the top 10 will conduct a Skype interview on May 23 with UA officials. Airfare, travel and housing will all be covered as part of the internship, which lasts June 13 to July 15.

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A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the “art” of posting to Facebook and Twitter, from the perspective of an organization that is trying to reach out and share information with readers, users or consumers.

At The Daily Record, we blast out breaking news posts on Facebook and Twitter, as well as other news we hope readers will find interesting enough to click on and engage with.

But every once in a while, we also use our social media sites to send out a marketing message or two, such as:

“Purchase tickets for the 2011 Health Care Heroes Breakfast on March 23 at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor. More info: http://bit.ly/dEZ7ef”

This is necessary, because we have to promote our events and our paid subscription options through different media in order to reach as much of our audience as possible. But at the same time, we know that most of our Facebook “likes” and Twitter followers did not sign up for promotions. They signed up to receive semi-frequent news updates.

The downside to this double-edged sword is the ease with which a user can “unlike” or “unfollow” your page.

On Jay Baer’s “Convince & Convert” social media blog, he recently wrote a post called “Why You’re Pissing Off Half Your Facebook Fans.” He reports the findings of new research on why consumers “turn their backs on social and e-mail connections with brands.”

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One of the better features offered by social media giant Facebook is the ability to “hide” a person or page from your news feed, effectively preventing you from having to see updates that don’t interest you.

This way, you don’t have to rudely “unfriend” someone, but you can politely ignore them (without them ever knowing).

Of the 500-some friends I have accumulated on Facebook in the past six years, I would estimate that 300 or more of them have been hidden from my feed, leaving more room for updates that I am interested in.

Social media entrepreneur Peter Shankman recently posted his “Top 10 Things That Get You Unfollowed/Unfriended” (unfollowed being a reference to Twitter).

Some of Shankman’s tips are incredibly accurate, such as number nine:

9) Play any game on Facebook that requires you to post on my wall that you need “coins” “vegetables” “guns” or anything similar.

And number two:

2) Ignore the basics. Please. “At the store. Buying a latte. Doing my laundry. Looking at a dog.” OK, really? We get it.

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Years from now, when people look back at Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, I think naming him Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” will seem like an understated honor.

Often when my eyes glaze over my Facebook news feed, I think about how many people are active users. As of the end of this year, more than about one out of every 12 people on the planet use the social network (about 550 million users out of the world’s approximate 6.8 billion). When you factor in that the world population includes those too young or too old to use Facebook, and millions of others who are not fortunate enough to have regular Internet access, the number is even more staggering.

Very few inventions and innovations — if any at all — have both affected so many people on a global scale, and can be traced back to one individual.

It may seem odd now, but skip forward 100 years, and I’d suggest Zuckerberg’s influence in the 21st century will be comparable to the impact Thomas Edison and his light bulb had on the 20th. Edison didn’t invent electricity, he revolutionized it; Zuckerberg didn’t invent the Internet, but he made it something that most of us can’t live without (me included).

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I attended a Memorial Day parade with my family Saturday morning. My high school’s marching band made an appearance, which brought back a flood of memories. So I documented it the way I often do with these sorts of things, by uploading a picture and caption to my Facebook page.

Within minutes I was reminded of candy sales held 25 years ago to raise money to buy new uniforms, as well as a long-forgotten crack in a Sousaphone bell and how it got there. Old friends in other states were reminiscing with me, practically in real time, about things my memory had misplaced. It was another testament to the power of Facebook, the way the social networking platform bridges vast distances of time and place and powerfully connects people.

Coming as it did within days of Facebook announcing changes to its privacy policies, however, my warm remembrance also had a healthy streak of cynicism running through it.

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I got a chat message on Facebook this morning from one of my FB friends, with whom I hadn’t spoken in, oh, three years.

I guess that’s not unbelievably unusual, but I had friended the guy a while back, and those types of conversations usually happen within minutes of friending someone. You know … what have you been up to for the last 25 years of your life?

Anyway, within 30 seconds, my “friend” was telling me that he was stuck in London, where he had been mugged at gunpoint last night. And he really needed my help.

You really don’t need to be Elliott Stabler (for all you Law and Order SVU fans) to figure out where this was going.

He wanted me to send him money.

Evidently, this scam has been around for a while. While I was chatting with my “friend,” I googled “facebook” “chat” and “scam” and this was the first result.

Then, when I asked my friend how he knew me, he again asked for money, cursed me and blocked me from the page.

Anybody else have this experience?

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