entrepreneurship : Buzz

Baltimore director, Matthew Porterfield, whose second film "Putty Hill" was featured at this year's Maryland Film Festival in May, will soon make its way into theaters around the U.S. thanks to a newly signed distribution deal.

Here's an excerpt:

"It's good to start the day with good news: in this case, word that the young Baltimore director Matthew Porterfield's extraordinary second film, "Putty Hill," has been acquired for theatrical and home-video distribution."

Read the entire post here.

A recent article published in the Baltimore Sun poopooing the City's plans to create a third arts district on Baltimore's westside has stirred up controversy among arts community. In particular, those involved with the Highlandtown arts district have taken exception to the reporter's characterizations of the area. It prompted this Letter to the Editor.

Here's an excerpt:

"Characterizing the Highlandtown Arts District as a "failure" ("Do arts districts live up to their hype?," May 14) is an insult not only to the hundreds of cultural workers who have poured their resources into turning East Baltimore into a set of thriving, expanding neighborhoods, but it's an insult to Baltimore as a whole. Baltimore's arts districts continue to grow and expand, and while most of the artists who work to bolster Baltimore's spirit and reputation are doing it more for love than money, the arts in Baltimore certainly seem to be thriving.

Nearly a decade ago, I moved to Baltimore because I fell in love with the city, particularly because of its place in the history of the arts and the potential for growth that permeated the city's atmosphere. I was in search of a city in which to change careers, and Baltimore won."

Read the entire letter here.

The New York Times takes a look at the city's arts districts and its plan to create a third arts district on the Baltimore's westside. The paper of record doesn't draw any conclusions but presents both sides of the debate.

Here's an excerpt

"The idea for a west side arts district has been around at least since the administration of Kurt L. Schmoke, Baltimore's mayor from 1987 to 1999. Over the years, the city took steps to improve the area, though without official arts district designation.

One step was to turn the old Hippodrome Theater at 12 North Eutaw Street into the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2003. Another was converting the century-old Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, at 21 South Eutaw Street, which was modeled on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, into artists' studios.

Mr. Schmoke, now dean of the Howard University School of Law in Washington, said that while he had not seen specific plans for the new arts district, he supported the idea generally."

Read the entire article here.

Didn't make it to the American Visionary Art Museum's 2010 Kinetic Sculpture race? We've found a few videos, so you can see what you missed.

Watch the video:

Leaving the wilds of Texas behind for the urban environs of Baltimore turns out have been a good business move for Paniagua's Enterprises. The Charm City transplant has grown more than 100 percent since heading east. It's recent success landed the company the No. 4 spot on Bloomberg Businessweek's list of the "Fastest Growing Inner-city Companies."

Here's an excerpt:

"Paniagua's Enterprises specializes in voice, data, and video fiber optic cable installation for commercial and government clients. After relocating the company's headquarters from Texas to inner-city Baltimore, founder Jaime Paniagua says he established a relationship with United Cable (now Comcast)."

Read the entire article here.

Call it an amazing bit of serendipity or just plain luck, but for a Middletown, Maryland couple the recent campaign launched by Oprah Winfrey and other organizations around the country to get people to stop using their cellphones while they drive, could be their break. John Tsinonis, a software developer, and his wife, Joana, a business development expert, have developed software that will prevent drivers from receiving incoming calls or texts as well as sending them while the car is in motion.

Here's an excerpt:

"The proTextor software blocks incoming and outgoing text messages and phone calls while a driver's vehicle is in motion. GPS-enabled software engages when a vehicle starts moving, blocking incoming and outgoing calls and texts. The goal is to keep drivers' hands on the wheel and eyes on the road by preventing cell phone use while the car is in motion.

More than 80 percent of crashes involve some type of distracted driving, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. And although many states now require drivers to use hands-free devices, using a cell phone in any context while driving is distracting -- period, Joana Tsinonis said.

The Maryland General Assembly's recent ban on using a cell phone while driving highlights how serious the problem is, John Tsinonis said. The law goes into effect Oct. 1.

The development of proTextor has a personal side to it. The Tsinonis have six children and the thought of a texting-while-driving accident strengthened their quest to find a solution."

Read the entire article here.

Spro Cafe, a new coffeeshop in Hampden, offers a $13 cup of coffee. Two CNN writers wonder in these economic times, what's up with that!

Here's an excerpt:

"Times are tough, which is why most Americans are taking their coffee with two tablespoons of cheap. Inexpensive coffee is being poured by the bucketload at fast food restaurants like McDonalds, with its successful McCafe line, and Burger King, which is planning a nationwide Seattle's Best roll-out this summer.

Even slightly swankier Starbucks is offering totally credible coffee that's no more than a buck and change. So what could possibly make a cup of joe worth $13?

According to Jay Caragay, speaking to The Baltimore Sun, it's "very fruity, juicy, good mouth feel, [and] full bodied." And Caragay should know, because it's his Baltimore coffee ship Spro that's selling a 12-ounce cup for $13. Apparently, even during lean times there are fat cats prowling for novel luxuries."

Read the entire article here.

According the latest Metro Monitor report from the Brookings Institute, only 28 of the nations 100 metropolitan areas have managed to regain their pre-recession goods and services output levels in the last quarter.

Here's an excerpt:

"The unemployment rate in America hasn't budged of late, but the flat jobless rate may not tell the whole story. More than a few smaller, dynamic cities have already exceeded economic output levels seen before the recession."

Read the entire post here.

Close proximity to D.C. is a boon for several counties in Maryland. Not only do workers benefit from employment provided by the Feds, but also from businesses closely associated with the government, according to yet another Forbes list.

Here's an excerpt:

"The country's riches tend to trickle away from big cities. It's not major metro areas raking in the biggest salaries; rather, it's the tony suburbs just outside big-industry centers that soak up big-city money.

Glitzy Southern California and big oil states are largely absent from the list: 19 of the 25 richest counties in the country are on the East Coast. In part, that's because our list looks at the middle incomes, and counties in the East tend to be smaller, thereby allowing for less of a spread between the richest and poorest workers...The federal government generates a wealth of jobs, keeping unemployment in the D.C. metro area at a low 6.2% (the national average is still near 10%)...

Not far from D.C. lies another cluster of wealthy counties. Howard County, Md., a suburb of Baltimore, has a standout school system with standardized test scores that consistently beat out the national average, and median household incomes of $101,710. In nearby Montgomery County, where 59% of residents over 25 have an advanced degree, households bring in a median $93,999. Historic Calvert County, Md., has profited from its roots as a tobacco-rich farmland as well as its proximity to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and claims a median income of $89,049."

Read the entire article here. Or, cut to the chase and check out the stats on No. 13 Calvert County, No. 21 Charles County, No. 3 Howard County, and No. 10 Montgomery County.

More women own small businesses than men, however, stereotypes that negatively impact female entrepreneurs are still going strong. Entrepreneurs -- all women -- from Maryland tell why those stereotypes are so yesterday.

Here's an excerpt:

"The American public's attitude toward female business owners hasn't changed much in recent decades, according to a new national survey, with 94 percent saying women only want to contribute to the family income and not grow a business.

But some female entrepreneurs argue the perception doesn't match reality. They say women want to develop their businesses just as much as men do, but are often the primary caregiver in the family and must make time for other priorities.

Janine DiPaula Stevens, founder of Baltimore-based Vircity, takes issue with that stereotype: "I wouldn't be in that category. ... You always want to contribute to your family, but no, I'm going to grow the business.""

Read the full article here.

You could say that Mike Harding is now the cat's meow for dogs. The Glen Burnie, MD-based entrepreneur is, after a few setbacks, apparently a rising star in the pet bed industry.

Here's an excerpt:

"Hard times for Mike Harding led to dogs around the world resting comfortably.

Harding got laid off from his Wall Street firm in 1987, and it was that setback that led him to start his own company � Kuranda Dog Beds in Glen Burnie, The Capital in Annapolis reported yesterday."

Read the full post here.

People always gotta eat, right? The economy doesn't seem to have made a dent in the number of new restaurants springing up all over Baltimore. This blogger thought it an ideal moment to make a list of some of the newest places to dine around town. 

Here's an excerpt.

"It seems like there have been a bunch of new restaurants and bars opening in Baltimore recently. Here's just to name a few:

Langermann's � Canton � Located at the Can Company in Canton, this place took over what used to be Kiss Cafe. They seemed to do a much better job of giving the place an identity and atmosphere, something that Kiss Cafe could never do. It's an "upscale casual" place, with white tablecloths, but a chill setting. The bar looks like a cool/cozy place to hang out. I was able to eat lunch there the other day, and the food was great. It is pegged as "southern inspired global cuisine". The turkey apple and brie sandwich with smoky mountain pepper jam on raisin bread was to die for. I will definitely be going back for dinner sometime."

Read the entire article here.

Baltimore SmartCEO's has released it's list of the fastest growing companies in Baltimore. Did your favorite make the cut?

See which companies made it here.