Hoop Tea Partnership
OCEAN CITY — Anheuser-Busch announced its new partnership with Hoop Tea, an Ocean City-based beverage company known for its iced tea infused malt beverages and tea-infused seltzers. Hoop Tea will join Anheuser-Busch’s rapidly growing Beyond Beer portfolio, which is a major growth driver within the industry.
“The team at Hoop Tea has created an incredible brand with an even better product offering,” said Fabricio Zonzini, Beyond Beer President, Anheuser-Busch. “I look forward to working alongside Hoop Tea’s founder, Danny Robinson, and Vice President, Billy Gilman, to develop and grow the brand to its full potential.”
“Joining Anheuser-Busch is a perfect fit for us because we share a culture of daring innovation and strategic growth,” said Robinson. “Hoop Tea’s roots were planted in a laid-back beach town and we’ve relentlessly strived to build and develop our brand over the past several years. Working with the team at A-B is like hanging out with old friends and we’re excited to do some really cool things together.”
Hoop Tea will continue to be led by Robinson, who has joined the team at Anheuser-Busch along with Gilman. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Treatment House Reopens
Cutting the ribbon on the newly renovated Union House in Salisbury were, front left, Hudson staff Josh Pippin, Program Manager, Maryland Housing; CEO Leslie Brown; Lisa Noland, Director of Housing; and Joe Seminara, Residential Counselor. The house is the final step for those in recovery before fully reintegrating with their communities. Submitted Photos
SALISBURY – With the slice of an oversized pair of scissors, Hudson Behavioral Health’s CEO Leslie Brown reopened Union House, one of several of Hudson’s treatment houses in Salisbury.
“We took the opportunity when COVID hit to renovate the house and make it more of a home for men who had reached this final stage of our program,” said Brown. “Our treatment houses mimic as closely as possible living on their own, but with the recovery support and tools they need to help assure their success.”
On the Lower Shore, some of those tools can only be found with Hudson, which has been helping battle the disease of addiction for more than 40 years. Hudson offers a full continuum of care that begins with detoxification if needed, and up to a 30-day stay on their residential campus, which then continues through two more levels of housing.
Hudson’s staff includes a nurse practitioner and a licensed mental health therapist, services not always found with other providers. In early 2022 staff plans to launch a GED (general educational development) program which will help add to the uniqueness of Hudson’s housing program.
“The lack of a high school diploma is often a barrier to finding better-paying work, which in turn can keep some people in addiction,” said Brown. “Earning a GED can be life-changing in many ways.”
Union House is a part of Hudson’s continuum of care that offers five treatment houses in Maryland, as well as two sober living homes in Delaware, in addition to their residential campus in Salisbury.
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Annual Awards Presented
SALISBURY — Maryland Capital Enterprises (MCE) has announced Dr. Amy Heger of The Night Watch Child Care Center has been named the 2021 MCE Palmer Gillis
The MCE Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Amy Heger of The Night Watch Child Care Center.
Entrepreneur of the Year.
Heger is the 10th recipient of this award. MCE Executive Director Maurice Ames and Palmer Gillis, CEO of Gillis-Gilkerson, made the big announcement and presentations earlier this month.
Heger says she measures her success by the reach into the community.
“I see us as establishing ourselves as a resource for not just parents, but the community,” Heger said. “From the local news featuring us to comment on the childcare crisis to shelters reaching out to us to help their families, I am seeing the residual effects of us being present in the community. We are looking to do more than just provide childcare for overnight hours. We want to be a resource for agencies to get their families connected with a vital resource. We want to be an all-in-one stop for our families, from assistance with job placement or helping them apply for other benefits (electric or rental assistance). I also measure my success by the quality of life for my staff. I work hard to pay a higher wage than many childcare centers so they will have money for personal goals.”
The award is named in honor of Gillis, a Salisbury native who has spent the last 37 years building his construction company into one of the largest general contracting firms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Along the way, he continues to give back through public service, including as a former elected member of the Salisbury City Council and as a board member for numerous charitable causes and foundations. He has been a leading voice in trying to make his community a better place.
There were two news awards given this year to recognize local entrepreneurs that have shined in the areas of workforce development & innovation.
Jon and Samantha Cameron of Telescope Pictures were presented with The Workforce Development Award. They were recognized for their mission to provide mentoring, training and support for their staff. They believe in supporting their crew members from the moment they walk in the door. Training and constant support is their main priority. Setting someone up for success is not a one size fits all.
The management staff at Telescope Pictures as well the Camerons as owners are never too busy to work with someone who is willing to learn and to succeed at the job. Success is not always about being the best or making the most money. Seeing a young crew member grow and build confidence in themselves is just as rewarding, said Jon and Samantha Cameron.
“However, it is important to us that our crew members walk away each summer feeling like family, and feeling accomplished both emotionally and monetarily,” said Jon Cameron.
Tracy Trice Lewis of Eastern Shore Mobile Drug Testing & DOT Compliance was presented with the Innovator Award. This was in recognition of her innovative thinking, creating a business and a business plan to provide a service that no one else offers and bring that idea to fruition. As the only local mobile testing and office testing facility, her team offers personalized service on a consistent basis and sets a standard of care that customers will appreciate. The mission is to help employers improve employee safety along with the safety of the general public by providing their clients with integrity, efficiency and confidentiality.
When asked what sets them apart from everyone else, she said, “all of our staff know all the federal regulations when it comes to the Department of Transportation, we are mobile to cut down the chance of an employer having a worker’s comp issue if someone was to be involved in an accident while going to the testing facility, we work with our client’s schedules and we make all of our clients feel comfortable and private.”