NewsWatch: Board OKs plan to waive BWI fees for new airlines

Last year, BWI saw a record 20.7 million commercial passengers, about 5 percent more than in 2005. The leading carrier was Southwest Airlines, with 10.7 million passengers.

Air Greenland is scheduled start the first nonstop air service between the United States and Greenland at BWI next month.

Swales Aerospace of Beltsville to be sold

Alliant Techsystems of Edina, Minn., plans to acquire Swales Aerospace of Beltsville, which provides satellite subsystems and small spacecraft and engineering services for NASA, the Department of Defense and commercial satellite customers.

Alliant expects to become a leading aerospace systems and services provider with the acquisition, and anticipates more than $100 million in additional revenue for 2008, according to a company statement.

Swales’ Beltsville facility will become headquarters for the new Alliant space division, headed by Swales CEO Mike Cerneck. Employee-owned Swales has more than 900 employees and while it is too early to be specific, the goal is to retain them, said Alliant spokesman Bryce Hallowell.

Alliant, a public company, reported sales of $900.3 million in 2006, up from $770.0 million in 2005. Net income was $51.2 million, up from $47.1 million in 2005.

BPW pushes for more minorities in contract

The Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a $40 million service contract at the University System of Maryland that included 25 percent participation in the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program, according to a statement by Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot.

The original contract, for computer consulting services, was presented to the board with only 10 percent MBE participation, Franchot said, and he moved to delay the contract two weeks to give the system more time to find qualified MBE companies.

‘‘This is a perfect example of how if you expect and demand more, you can get it,” Franchot said in a statement.

Stinger Ghaffarian wins deal with NASA

Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies Inc. of Greenbelt has won a contract worth up to $400 million over five years to provide mechanical, thermal and related engineering services to support NASA’s space technology development, Earth and space science missions, and its Exploration Program.

The contract was originally awarded to Stinger Ghaffarian in December, but a competitor protested in January, and the deal was re-awarded last week, the company said in a statement.

Privately held Stinger Ghaffarian is the prime contractor. Its partners are Ball Aerospace of Boulder, Colo.; The Lanham offices of Northrop Grumman and Sigma Space; and Edge Space Systems of Glenelg.

Northwest Airlines to close Baltimore office

Northwest Airlines of Eagan, Minn., has announced that it will close its Baltimore reservations call center March 31, 2008, leaving 183 employees with the option of transferring.

‘‘While this was a very difficult decision to make, it was necessary given the inability to retain and attract sufficient numbers of qualified staff at the Baltimore facility,” Perry Cantarutti, Northwest vice president of reservations sales and services, said in a statement.

Reservation calls will be handled by the airline’s other call centers in Chisholm, Minn., Minneapolis, Seattle, and Tampa, Fla., plus one in Sioux City, Iowa, which is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year, according to company information.

Spherix reports record revenues

Spherix Inc., a Beltsville technology and bioscience company, reported record revenues of $24.8 million for 2006, an 8 percent increase from $23 million in 2005. Net income jumped to $3.5 million, up from a $2.8 million loss the prior year.

The company, whose products and services range from a low-calorie sugar substitute to database management, attributed the increase to its government campground reservation business that operates in several states. The online business allows customers to plan trips and tours at state and county parks.

NYSE suspends trading of Mills Corp. shares

The New York Stock Exchange this week suspended trading shares of developer The Mills Corp. of Chevy Chase in light of its pending acquisition, the mall developer said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Mills is to be acquired by a joint venture of Simon Property Group Inc. and Farallon Capital Management LLC. The SEC also said it plans to delist Mills securities.

Frederick, Mount Airy chambers to partner

The Frederick County and Greater Mount Airy chambers of commerce have formed a partnership that allows Mount Airy members to join the Frederick organization at a discounted price, said M. Richard ‘‘Ric” Adams, Frederick County chamber president.

Under the terms of the partnership, members of the Mount Airy chamber may deduct the amount of their yearly dues — $95 — from the price of membership in the Frederick chamber, which can range from $350 to more than $2,000, depending on the size of the member’s workforce, Adams said.

AceComm shares dip below Nasdaq threshold

Nasdaq said that AceComm Corp. of Gaithersburg no longer complies with the exchange’s continuous listing rules because its shares have closed below $1 for 30 consecutive business days, the company announced.

Early Thursday shares were 86 cents. To regain compliance, shares must close at $1 or more for 10 consecutive trading days by Sept. 18.

1st Mariner Mortgage buys People’s branches

1st Mariner Mortgage, a division of 1st Mariner Bank of Baltimore, has acquired People’s Mortgage Corp. branch offices in Severna Park, Rockville and Hamden, Conn., from Webster Financial Corp., the holding company for Webster Bank NA of Waterbury, Conn. People’s 40 employees provided more than $1.5 billion in mortgages to its Maryland and Connecticut customers since 1995, according to 1st Mariner Mortgage information.