The 67th Street TownCenter recently welcomed two new merchants into the Midtown Boardwalk family of shops while the center also celebrated its second anniversary. The Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce was joined by Delegate Mary Beth Carozza and Ocean City Councilwoman Mary Knight in welcoming new tenants Mione’s Pizza and Spice & Tea Exchange to the center while participating in an anniversary celebration, which featured more than $1,000 in prizes and dinner certificates. For Mione’s it’s the family’s second location with the other at the Tanger Outlets in West Ocean City. For Joy Quinn-Whalen, owner of the Spice & Tea Exchange, the TownCenter location is her fourth operation. Above, from left, at the celebration are Spice & Tea Exchange Manager Amy Smith, Scoop from Sweet Frog, Carl and Angela Mione of Mione’s, Cindy tamp of Atlantic Gold and Hank Scudder of Ron Jon Surf Shop. Submitted Photo
Company Scores Third Pocomoke Building
SALISBURY — Henry Hanna, Senior Advisor with Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate, has announced the expansion of Hardwire Armor Systems in Pocomoke City.
The site of Hardwire’s new industrial building in Pocomoke is pictured. Submitted Photo
Hardwire, a manufacturer of protective systems, has signed a five-year lease with an option to purchase the flex industrial building located at 1731 Broad Street. The 42,000-square-foot building is the third building occupied by Hardwire in Pocomoke City.
With the expansion of Hardwire comes more jobs and more money for the Pocomoke City community.
“Pocomoke is an ideal town to grow my business in,” said George Tunis, CEO and Chairman of Hardwire. “It’s a hub zone and is probably one of the greatest business environments I’ve ever been in.”
Hanna added, “This business expansion in Pocomoke was only possible with the extraordinary help provided by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), Bill Badger and the Worcester County Economic Development Office.”
Hospital Offices To Relocate
BERLIN – The Berlin offices of Atlantic General Bariatric Center and Atlantic General Surgical Services will relocate to the James G. Barrett Medical Office Building on Aug. 1.
Both offices will be closed the week of July 27 in preparation for their move from the Main Place office complex in Berlin, to a larger, more accessible facility on Atlantic General Hospital’s main campus.
General surgeons Alae Zarif, MD, and Matthew Hofeldt, MD and nurse practitioner Angela Simmons will share the combined space in Suite 207 at 10231 Old Ocean City Boulevard in Berlin.
“This move will provide patients of both the bariatric center and surgical services a more convenient and accessible location for appointments,” said Jim Brannon, vice president of professional services at Atlantic General Hospital.
The phone number will remain the same. To schedule an appointment, call 410-641-9568. Care at the West Fenwick, Del. location will remain the same.
Md. Pension Earnings Report
BALTIMORE — The Board of Trustees of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) was informed at its monthly meeting that earnings on the $45.8 billion investment portfolio were 2.68 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30.
Although the fund did not meet its 7.65 percent actuarial return target for this year, it exceeded the plan’s policy benchmark of 0.86 percent by 1.82 percentage points. The policy benchmark is a weighted average of the overall market performance of the underlying asset class indices.
“Investment returns moderated over fiscal year 2015 relative to recent years, particularly in foreign equities, as the strong dollar and concerns relating to global growth and the Greek debt situation weighed on performance,” said Robert Burd, Acting Chief Investment Officer. “While absolute performance did not meet the actuarial target for the fiscal year, we are very pleased with the performance of our active management program, which continues to add significant value over the overall plan benchmark. For the fiscal year, active management added roughly $800 million in excess of the benchmark.”
“While earnings for this one year fell short of our expected rate of return, the board continues to focus on long-term performance,” said State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp, Chair of the MSRPS Board of Trustees. “Over the last five years our average return has been close to 9.4 percent, a much more relevant measure of the overall health of our investment portfolio. Although this has been a challenging year for most institutional investors, the wisdom of the Board’s decision some time ago to diversify its portfolio has been borne out by its long term positive returns.”
Certification Awarded
SALISBURY — Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Certification and Gold Seal of Approval® for both Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery and Spine Surgery. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
PRMC recently underwent a rigorous on-site review where Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with specific requirements for hip and knee replacement surgery and spine surgery. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.
Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.
“Peninsula Regional Medical Center has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients undergoing hip and knee replacements and also spine surgery,” said Wendi J. Roberts, RN, Executive Director, Certification Programs, The Joint Commission. “We commend PRMC for becoming a leader in orthopaedic and spine care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for patients on the Delmarva Peninsula.”
Since the mid 1970’s when the specialized operations were first completed on the Delmarva Peninsula at PRMC, surgeons at the Medical Center have performed over 10,000 total joint replacements. More than 700 people are expected to receive a total hip, knee or shoulder replacement at Peninsula Regional in 2015. Peninsula Regional Medical Center surgeons pioneered joint replacement surgery locally and have led its refinement, expansion and enhancement-as well as other trend-setting, mobility returning procedures-for the past five decades.
Spine care and surgery at PRMC is provided through the Peninsula Spine Center, a collaboration of physicians who specialize in neurosurgery, orthopaedic spine surgery and physiatry. Because the team is specially trained to understand back and/or neck pain and the latest surgical techniques, they are committed to quickly and safely returning people to their activities of daily life. Since its opening in 2010, the Spine Center has helped more than 6,000 patients find relief from debilitating neck and back pain caused by spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, bone spurs, bulging/herniated discs, sciatica and other chronic conditions.
Habitat Receives Grant
BERLIN — The Delaware Community Foundation awarded Sussex County Habitat for Humanity a grant for $20,000 to be used for the renovation of a house in downtown Georgetown that serves as a residence for AmeriCorps members who work throughout Sussex County on Habitat home building projects, home repairs, family services, and at the ReStore on Depot Street in Georgetown.
“Renovating this house will help our AmeriCorps members have their own decent place to live while they serve others. We have been looking forward to making some necessary improvements to this house and now we can” said Executive Director Kevin Gilmore.
Applications are now available for next year’s AmeriCorps team starting in September.
A loyal supporter of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, the Delaware Community Foundation manages charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses and organizations, and distributes income from the funds as grants to humanitarian, educational, health and cultural entities throughout the First State. This generous grant was one of 21 selected by the Foundation for funding under its 2015 Capital Grants Program. In the last 26 years, the Delaware Community Foundation has awarded 554 capital grants totaling over $5 million.
Top Producers Announced
BETHANY BEACH — ResortQuest Real Estate® recently announced the June 2015 top producers for its southeast Sussex County, Del., locations.
Dayna Feher of the Bethany Beach office earned top listing honors for June.
Top listing agents by office were Ann Baker of the Marketplace at Sea Colony office, Karla Morgan of the West Fenwick office and Marc Grimes of the Bear Trap Dunes office.
Christina Antonioli of The Antonioli-McFaul Group of the Marketplace at Sea Colony office earned top sales honors for June.
Top selling agents by office were Feher of the Bethany Beach office, Jenny Smith of the Edgewater/Sea Colony oceanfront office, Grimes of the Bear Trap Dunes office and Shannon Smith of the West Fenwick office.
Restaurants Utilizing Urban Garden Initiative
FENWICK ISLAND — Customers at SoDel Concepts’ eight restaurants along the Delaware coast have been reaping the benefits of the restaurants’ urban garden initiative, spearheaded by Chris Wertz, a horticulture student at Delaware Technical and Community College and a popular bartender at Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach.
An urban garden makes creative use of space in a developed area. Rooftop gardens, container gardens and gardens in unused areas, such as an empty patch of grass near a parking lot, are all examples of urban gardens in the coastal area.
“Having urban gardens at our locations fits in well with our philosophy at SoDel Concepts,” said Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts, which also owns Plate Catering, hospitality consulting and management divisions and Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen, a food truck. “We’re dedicated to serving beautiful, simple, delicious fresh food. It doesn’t get any fresher than when it’s picked right outside the kitchen door.”
The gardens at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Catch 54 are heavily relying on the herbs grown at their locations. For Papa Grande’s, which has locations in Rehoboth and Fenwick Island, Wertz has been growing a variety of peppers integral to Latin cuisine. The versatile peppers have different flavor nuances depending on when they’re picked. Typically, the richer the color, the sweeter the pepper.
Lupo Italian Kitchen has been taking advantage of the gardens’ squash blossoms, which are often expensive when purchased from vendors. Chef Chris Parks stuffs the blossoms with ricotta cheese, dips them in a tempura batter and fries them to a golden brown. They’re served with preserved lemon aioli.
At Bluecoast Seafood Grill, panzanella, an Italian bread salad, features homegrown cucumbers, tomatoes and basil. Customers can expect more fresh produce and the season continues and the bounty increases.
Grant Funding Available
SALIBURY — The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore announces it is offering grant opportunities through its Community Needs Grant Program and local nonprofit organizations are urged to apply. The deadline for application submissions is Aug. 1, 2015 with grants being awarded in mid-October. This grant program has a $5,000 maximum award.
These competitive grants are awarded to benefit organizations serving Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties at least twice each year. Grants are awarded to a wide range of nonprofit organizations that benefit health and human services, education, arts and culture, community development, environment and historic preservation.
Guidelines and application forms are available at www.cfes.org. Copies of grant guidelines and forms are also available upon request by calling 410-742-9911.