Partners Bradley Stover, Gina Shaffer and Eric McLauchlin of the law offices Schaffer, McLauchlin & Stover, LLC opened their second law office, this time at 9921 Stephen Decatur Hwy, West Ocean City, next to the Teal Marsh Shopping Plaza, with a ribbon cutting. The event, held Sept. 23, was sponsored jointly by the Ocean City and Ocean Pines Chambers of Commerce. Along with their other offices located in Bel Air, the company specializes in personal planning, estate and business services, along with business development and real estate. Pictured, from left, holding the ribbon are Ocean Pines Chamber member Terri Mahoney, Ocean City Chamber Executive Director Melanie Pursel, Bradley Stover, Gina Shaffer, Eric McLauchlin, and Greg Newman. Photo by Ted Page
Atrlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley’s Gwen Tingle, team leader of the Transportation Department, David Nimrod, senior network administrator, and Sharon Melone, vice president of Quality Control, traveled to Baltimore recently to attend a three-day NetVU conference. NetVU’s vision is to build a future by utilizing the expertise of volunteers and staff to promote world-class education, the exchange of ideas, advocacy and technology innovation in the insurance industry. Submitted photos
Anniversary Brings On New Branding Campaign
OCEAN CITY – MAD Engineering, Inc., a leader in coastal architecture and engineering to residential, commercial, and municipal clients, has announced it is launching a branding campaign featuring a name change to MAD Design Group, Inc. with a new logo and brand identity.
Submitted Photo
MAD was founded in 1980 by Madalaine Leszcz How and Harry B. How, III who were driven to better the communities they live in by finding a balance of efficiency, aesthetics, durability and value for their clients. In 1990, the company relocated from Baltimore to Ocean City where it thrives today. The values of MAD Engineering still guide the company today which inspired the company to update the logo to reflect the fresh, forward-looking company that MAD is today while retaining the pioneer name and honoring the heritage.
“When MAD moved to Ocean City in 1990, we began to also offer architectural as well as engineering design. To this day, we offer both services and our new name allows for our old and new clients to recognize our full service company,” said MAD CEO Madalaine How.
MAD President Harry How added, “We appreciate being provided the opportunity to work on thousands of projects over the past three and a half decades and are excited to launch our new brand that stays true to our core values and vision.”
MAD will transition to the new name and look immediately. There are no changes to MAD’s values, personnel or organizational structure.
Company Acquired
BERLIN — Sprout Creatives, a boutique web development company specializing in websites, graphic design, and Internet marketing, announced this week the recent acquisition of At The Beach Enterprises Inc./ATB Internet Group.
At The Beach Enterprises Inc./ATB Internet Group has been providing web design, hosting and marketing services to the greater Ocean City, Maryland and Coastal Delaware regions since 1996. Sprout Creatives began developing clean, user-friendly websites in 2007. The web professionals of Sprout Creatives and ATB will join forces and focus on making advertising with At The Beach more valuable and develop new online directory websites.
“[My wife] Chris and I have known Paul Starkey and Vincent Gisriel since they were in high school with my son,” said Hal Glick, previous owner of At The Beach. “From our very first meeting, we realized that our At The Beach clients were going to be in great hands with Sprout Creatives. Their attention to detail, creative talent, and humble approach are the qualities that separate them from their competitors. We are so proud that they will now be servicing our wonderful clients from this day forth.”
A new and improved At The Beach website will be launched with a fresh new look and modern responsive design. It will be the hub for geographic online directory websites that are specifically designed to drive Internet and foot traffic directly to a client’s business, organization or event. It will be mobile friendly and more powerful in search engines. The updated website will offer affordable template and custom website design for local businesses.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with At The Beach,” said Sprout Creatives CEO and founder Paul Starkey. “For nearly 20 years, ATB has provided a vital service to the coastal communities of Maryland and Delaware. Sprout’s unique and comprehensive approach to web development will be an invaluable asset to the future success and growth of At The Beach Enterprises Inc.”
Advisors Partner On Deals
SALISBURY – Multiple SVN-Miller advisors have collaborated to bring two additional Family Dollar stores to the shore — one in Salisbury and one in Princess Anne.
Senior Advisor Henry Hanna collaborated with Advisor Joey Gilkerson to facilitate the sale of .86 acres on the corner of Snow Hill Road and Johnson Road in Salisbury. Hanna represented the sellers and Gilkerson represented Hunt Real Estate, a Family Dollar developer. This will be the fifth Family Dollar location in Salisbury.
Gilkerson also represented Hunt Real Estate in the purchase of a lot on Mt. Vernon Road in Princess Anne for another Family Dollar development. SVN-Miller Advisors Ben Alder and Chris Davis represented the sellers in this transaction. Both stores are expected to open in March or April of 2016.
Solid Month For Market
BERLIN — August continued the year-long trend of increased sales and essentially flat prices, according to the Maryland Association of REALTORS® (MAR).
Homes sold rose by 14.9 percent statewide in August, compared to the same time period in 2014. Average price declined 0.6 percent, while median price declined 1.4 percent. Pending units are up 13.8 percent, or 948 homes.
“For the eighth month in a row, we have been on a stable road of increased sales and pending units and flat to slightly declining average and median price,“ said MAR President Janice Kirkner. “Only three counties, Frederick, Garrett and Worcester, saw a decline in sales in August compared to August 2014.”
Maryland monthly housing statistics are compiled by data as reported by MRIS and the Coastal Association of REALTORS®.
Top Sales Agents
BERLIN — ResortQuest Real Estate® recently announced the August top producers for its southeast Sussex County, Del., locations.
Robert Kauffman of the Bethany Beach office earned top listing and sales honors for August.
Top listing agents by office were Karla Morgan of the West Fenwick office; Valerie Harmke of the Bear Trap Dunes office; and Christina Antonioli and Laurie McFaul of the Marketplace at Sea Colony office.
Top selling agents by office were Jenny Smith of the Edgewater/Sea Colony Oceanfront office; Nicole Peterdozzi of the Marketplace at Sea Colony office; Morgan of the West Fenwick office; and Harmke of the Bear Trap Dunes office.
Audit Completed
SALISBURY — RDI Wire & Cable Solutions, Inc. of Salisbury announced that it has successfully completed its AS9100C design certification audit.
The certification allows RDI to competitively compete in the aerospace industry supporting national and international companies including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopter, Orbital ATK and others.
Gaining this certification is not only important to RDI, but also to the overall manufacturing community in the Salisbury area with the recent announcement by Labinal to consolidate operations to Texas.
“Now that we’ve earned this AS9100C certification, our goal is to expand manufacturing operations in Salisbury by attracting new customers and providing additional employment opportunities for skilled workers in the wire harness industry,” said David Bernstein, president of RDI Wire & Cable Solutions. “We appreciate the help of Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development, Inc. in assisting with this certification and we look forward to a continued strong relationship going forward.”
RDI Wire & Cable Solutions, which opened in 2010, produces wire and cable products for the automotive, aerospace, military and engineering industries.
New Hire Announced
SALISBURY — McCrone announced that Robert S. Kane has joined the firm to further develop the growing portfolio of regional and national accounts.
Robert S. Kane
Kane comes with over 20 years of experience in the practice of civil engineering focused on water resources, site and road design, sediment and erosion control, FEMA compliance, permit acquisition, municipal project support and fire protection for both public and private projects.
Kane’s role as Salisbury’s senior project manager will assist McCrone in its continued growth and expansion of service throughout the Eastern Shore of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to begin a new challenge within McCrone, and I look forward to working with a team that has a reputation for quality,” said Kane. “I am fortunate to be on board such a respected company that prides itself on top service to its clients.”
Executive Vice President K. Scott Aja added, “Robert’s project management experience and technical knowledge will make him a key addition to the McCrone family. We view his addition as a sign of growth and our commitment to providing top quality design services from highly experienced professionals. Robert will play a key role in our continuing endeavor to offer high quality services and cost effective solutions for our clients.”
Founded in 1937 and with a Salisbury office since 1994, McCrone is a civil engineering, surveying, and land planning firm with extensive experience in all aspects of land development.