A Week In Business

A Week In Business
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Bank Enters New Market

BERLIN — Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc., the holding company for The Bank of Hampton Roads and Shore Bank, has announced that James D. Barr has been named the Delaware Market President. Barr brings three decades of lending experience in Delaware, specifically in the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach markets.

Shore Bank also announced that its first Loan Production Office in Sussex County, Del. will be located at 19354-B Miller Road in Rehoboth Beach. The office, which is expected to open in June and will focus primarily on small business relationships, will he headed by Geri H. Warren, who joined Shore in April and has spent her entire career in lending and branch management on the Delmarva Peninsula.

“Shore has been serving the banking needs of families and businesses on the Delmarva Peninsula for over 50 years and we are underscoring our commitment to the region with the opening of our Loan Production Office in Rehoboth Beach and the hiring of Jim Barr as Delaware Market President. Jim has spent his entire career in this market and has a deep understanding of the banking needs of local communities. We are very pleased to welcome him to our team,” said W. Thomas Mears, President and CEO of Shore. “We are bringing to the Delaware market the same community banking model we use in our other markets. We hire the best people and give them autonomy and local decision-making authority.”

“Shore continues to assemble a team of outstanding commercial banking professionals who know this market, several of whom I had the pleasure of working with and mentoring at Mercantile Bank,” said Furlong Baldwin, former Chairman of Mercantile Bankshares Corp. “With this team, Shore is very well positioned to be a leader in relationship banking for businesses and families across the Delmarva Peninsula.”

Barr joins Shore from County Bank in Rehoboth Beach, where he has been a Vice President and Commercial Lender since 2008. Previously, he served in various positions with Baltimore Trust Company/Mercantile Peninsula Bank/PNC from 1988 to 2008, including Branch Manager, Business Development Officer, Commercial Lender and Senior Loan Officer.

Designation Earned

OCEAN CITY — Merrill Lynch has announced that Brian Selzer of the Ocean City office has received the Senior Financial Advisor Designation.

The designation is awarded to those financial advisors that have attained a certain amount of years in the business.

“Brian’s specialized training is a reflection of his deep knowledge of the industry, as well as his dedication to help clients reach their financial goals,” said the manager of the Ocean City office. “This recognition is well deserved and is a testament to Brian’s continued commitment to bringing personalized wealth management solutions to his clients.”

Selzer, a resident of Ocean City, joined Merrill Lynch in 2006 and is based out of the Route 50 office.

AGH Scores $1M Grant

BERLIN – Atlantic General Hospital is among the grant recipients of The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ Healthcare Innovation Award. A total of $1,097,512 over three years will be provided to the healthcare organization, which will be used to extend the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) program to patients in primary care practices in Berlin, Ocean Pines, Snow Hill, Pocomoke, and Ocean City and Selbyville and Ocean View, Del.

The hospital is currently involved in two pilot projects to provide PCMH services to patients in their physician practices, but the new grant dollars will further expand those services for a larger number of patients.  

The funds will be used to hire a patient care manager, care team coordinator and a patient advocate, among others, to create and maintain the medical home structure, which is a team-based approach to caring for the whole person.

Specifically, the program will target Medicare patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes. The goal is to increase access to healthcare for individuals with these chronic diseases and better coordinate their overall care delivery across the healthcare spectrum from inpatient care to rehabilitation services through to outpatient preventive care and specialty medicine. The end result being better managed chronic conditions to keep patients healthier and out of the hospital.

Atlantic General is excited about the funding announcement and eager to move forward with program development and recruitment efforts so they can achieve their target of reduced hospital admissions and ER visits.

The PCMH Program will be complemented by the PERKS Portal, a secure web site where patients of Atlantic General Hospital and Health System (or their caregivers) can track their medical histories, review test results, communicate with their doctors’ office, and receive reminders about important preventive screenings as well as the encouragement they need to adopt healthy life practices. The PERKS Portal is due to launch this fall.

“This is a substantial and very important award for the future of health and health care in our community,” said Michael Franklin, CEO of Atlantic General Hospital and Health System. “This award will accelerate our evolution to a healthcare system that is focused on keeping people healthy in our community, and reducing the incidence of health-related crises that are associated with chronic illness. This is the future of healthcare for all communities.”

OCDC Board Changes

OCEAN CITY — At its June meeting, Board members were approved by the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) Executive Committee for the next year.

The new board features President Bob Givarz, Alaska Stand; Vice President Jay Knerr, The Kite Loft; Secretary Igor Conev, Mann Properties; Treasurer Charlie Barrett, Inn On The Ocean Bed & Breakfast; and Immediate Past President Todd Ferrante, Park Place Jewelers