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Sigma Space Corp. of Lanham, a minority-owned 8(a) company, has won a $120 million contract from NASA for design services, science data analysis, instrumentation and other products and services supporting the agency's biospheric and hydrospheric science laboratory.
The contract also includes other work at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt and the Wallops (Va.) Flight Facility.
"This award is a significant milestone for our company," president and CEO Marcos Sirota said in a statement. "The core scientific disciplines of the Laboratory are the ones best served by our company."
Port of Baltimore broke records in 2008
The Port of Baltimore's public marine terminals had a record-breaking year in 2008, as general cargo reached nearly 9 million tons for the first time and the total dollar value of foreign commerce that moved through the port's public and private terminals rose to a record $45.3 billion, up 8 percent from 2007.
The amount of foreign commerce at the port was up 7 percent to 33 million tons, the most since 1981, according to a statement from the office of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).
Port activity generates about 16,500 direct jobs and $388 million in state and local taxes a year.
Hillcrest sells new mouse through Amazon
Hillcrest Labs of Rockville is taking its handheld mouse directly to consumers.
The device, called a Loop pointer, lets users control an on-screen cursor. It's designed for users who connect their computer to a television set; more than 7 million U.S. households have done so, according to a company statement.
Hillcrest is selling the wireless, 5-inch device for $99 through Amazon.com.
Horse massage case postponed to August
Rockville massage therapist Mercedes Clemens' campaign to be allowed to work on animals was further delayed this week, as a court hearing was postponed to Aug. 14 due to a scheduling conflict.
Clemens and her attorneys filed a suit against the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and the state Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners about a year ago. Montgomery County Circuit Court judge David A. Boynton declined to grant a motion by the state to dismiss the lawsuit last month and asked the chiropractic board to clarify its position.
The veterinary board said in a statement last year that Clemens was "not prohibited from massaging horses for the purposes she describes in her lawsuit." But the chiropractic body, under the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has not issued a similar statement.
Clemens started massaging animals in Maryland in 2006, as she said the veterinary board earlier indicated it did not have a problem with that. But in February 2008, the massage therapy board issued a cease-and-desist order.
Mapping firm signs new 5-year deal in Tennessee
Fugro EarthData of Frederick has won a five-year contract from Rutherford County, Tenn., to provide geospatial mapping services.
The company, which has provided the county with such services since 2004, performed rapid response mapping services to help in recovery and assessment efforts following a tornado in the county in April.
CSG Partners moves HQ to downtown Baltimore
CSG Partners, a commercial real estate firm, is moving its headquarters from White Marsh to 20 S. Charles St., Baltimore, previously known as the Sun Life Building.
CSG Partners purchased the 12-story, 170,000-square-foot building in late 2008, its first investment in the city. Twenty workers will operate from about 8,000 square feet on the eighth floor.
Constructed in 1966, the building was a centerpiece of the Charles Center office district that helped define the city nearly 50 years ago. CSG Partners has begun renovations.
Waldorf business owner wins $30K for good practices
Tiffany Washington, owner of Washington Accounting Services in Waldorf, will receive $30,000 from the National Association for the Self-Employed in recognition of the "excellent small-business practices she employed to catapult her start-up venture into a successful business."
As a member of the association, Washington, a certified public accountant, received a $3,000 business development grant in October, part of $350,000 in grants given by the association in the last three years in response to members' needs to access capital. She used the money to purchase tax preparation software, office equipment and supplies, and move out of her home office.
By the end of this year's tax season, she had quadrupled her income from the previous year, prompting the $30,000 award.
Battelle wins $29M contract from Homeland Security
Battelle's Aberdeen division won a $29 million, five-year contract from the Department of Homeland Security to support the agency's round-the-clock watch mechanism through which the National Operations Center maintains contact and exchanges information with other agencies.
"Protecting our critical infrastructure from all hazards is one of the most challenging problems our nation faces today," said Mike Janus, vice president for systems integration services, in a statement.
Privately held Battelle, with headquarters in Columbia, has 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide.
More guilty of rockfish violations
Golden Eye Seafood and its owner, Robert Lumpkins of Piney Point, pleaded guilty to falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish, that were harvested by local fisherman and checked in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007, federal prosecutors said.
Golden Eye Seafood faces up to $500,000 on each of three counts and Lumpkins faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of four counts. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 22.
Also, John Evans, a commercial fisherman in St. Mary's County, was charged with overfishing striped bass. Two other fishermen, Joseph Peter Nelson Jr. of Great Mills and his father, Joseph Peter Nelson of Avenue, have been indicted and are awaiting trial.
All told, two fish wholesalers and 15 individuals have been charged with illegally harvesting and underreporting their catch of striped bass; 11 individuals and two companies have pleaded guilty.