Promotion Announced
SALISBURY – CFS, Inc. (Comprehensive Financial Solutions) announced Michael Sise, partner, CFP®, ChFC®, CPFA®, AIF®, CRPC®, has been promoted to vice president.
Michael Sise
Still functioning as a certified financial planner (CPA) and serving his clients, Sise works alongside JD Schroen, president, CPA and investment advisor representative, to develop strategies to further enhance client experience; support personnel professionally and personally and continue developing growth opportunities.
As CFS opens its second location in Millsboro, Del., Sise will work closely with the firm’s operations and investment departments to maximize the firm’s overall efficiency. Sise’s experience in the industry and knowledge of the region played an integral part in opening CFS’s second location.
“Mike has been key to CFS’s growth and success since he joined our team. His investment strategy input, operational efforts and analytic reporting has been invaluable. Mike has been a leader in our firm for years and we are delighted to elevate him to VP – very well deserved!” expressed Schroen.
Sise has been with CFS for seven years and became partner in 2019. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and Liberty University, he began his career as a financial advisor in 2013.
Serving as CFS’s lead planning specialist and lead strategist on the investment committee, Sise combines a strong grasp of investment trends and portfolio construction with a wonderful empathy for his clients.
Sise worked as an adjunct professor at Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business for two years, teaching retirement planning.
Michael lives in Berlin with his wife, Allison, and their daughters, Magnolia and Annie.
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Revenue Report
BERLIN – Maryland’s six casinos combined to generate $176,524,584 in revenue from slot machines and table games during March 2023.
It is the fifth-best single-month total in the history of Maryland’s casino program and represents an increase of $5,958,747 (3.5%) compared to March 2022.
Casino gaming contributions to the state in March 2023 totaled $74,549,152, an increase of $2,578,910 (3.6%) compared to March 2022.
Contributions to the Education Trust Fund (ETF) in March 2023 were $54,165,601, an increase of $1,836,410 (3.5%) compared to March 2022. Casino gaming revenues also support the communities and jurisdictions where the casinos are located, Maryland’s horse racing industry, and small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Maryland’s six privately owned casinos offer both slot machines and table games: MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County; Live! Casino & Hotel in Anne Arundel County; Horseshoe Casino Baltimore in Baltimore City; Ocean Downs Casino in Worcester County; Hollywood Casino Perryville in Cecil County; and Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Allegany County.
The gaming revenue totals for March 2023 are as follows:
MGM National Harbor (2,194 slot machines, 210 table games), $72,627,054 in March 2023, an increase of $4,840,091 (7.1%) from March 2022.
Live! Casino & Hotel (3,845 slot machines, 179 table games), $64,417,103 in March 2023, an increase of $2,331,615 (3.8%) from March 2022.
Horseshoe Casino (1,448 slot machines, 122 table games), $18,074,752 in March 2023, a decrease of $805,781 (-4.3%) from March 2022.
Ocean Downs Casino (854 slot machines, 18 table games), $8,039,896 in March 2023, an increase of $313,505 (4.1%) from March 2022.
Hollywood Casino (705 slot machines, 19 table games), $7,970,591 in March 2023, a decrease of $456,759 (-7.2%) from March 2022.
Rocky Gap Casino (617 slot machines, 16 table games), $5,395,189 in March 2023, a decrease of $263,925 (-4.7%) from March 2022.
Maryland Lottery and Gaming is responsible for regulatory oversight of the state’s casinos. In this role, the agency provides direction and guidance to its casino partners on financial, security, regulatory and licensing procedures for the facilities.
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Maryland Insurance Advocate of the Year Named
SALISBURY – The Goosehead Insurance Salisbury branch is pleased to announce agency owner, Melissa Geeslin, has been named the 2023 Maryland Insurance Advocate of the Year by Stephen D. Umberger, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Baltimore District Office.
Melissa Geeslin
Each year, the SBA’s Baltimore District Office honors local entrepreneurs and their advocates as part of the agency’s National Small Business Week Awards Program. They seek nominees from across the state in fourteen categories, including Small Business Person of the Year, Family Owned Small Business and Insurance Advocate. The goal is to highlight the important role that small business plays in the national and local economies and to recognize those succeeding in business and giving back to their communities.
“It is truly an honor to be nominated and awarded Insurance Advocate of the Year,” said Geeslin. “I always say – educate and advocate first and the sales and business growth will follow. Goosehead Insurance is a disruptor, a trail blazer and each day we continue to hone technology, education and service for ourselves and our clients. We have continued to grow by doing what we say we will do, when we say we will do it. We are always focused on partnering with our clients to ensure complete understanding of their insurance needs and offer options to satisfy the risk management of their assets. Our three pillars of success are speed of service, freedom of choice and wild appreciation.”
“Melissa represents exactly what we are looking for in a nominee for our annual awards program,” said Umberger. “As a small business owner herself, she can relate to the challenges her customers face and knows how important it is to have sound guidance and proper planning.”
Geeslin opened the Goosehead Insurance Salisbury office in fall of 2019. She immediately adapted to a virtual business model and continued to grow her client base from 250 to 1,100, managing 1,500 policies.
“What really stood out in Melissa’s nomination package is that despite having started her business just as the pandemic began, she didn’t give up,” added Umberger. “She dug in and got to work, revising her own business operations all while helping her customers adapt to new mandates and market fluctuations. On top of that, her community work is outstanding. She freely shares her expertise and time with numerous community and economic development organizations across the mid and lower shore.”
In addition to running her business, Geeslin donates her time and resources to various community groups including Wicomico Women Who Care, serving on the development committee of Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County, serving as a Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce board member and ambassador committee chair, and serves on the board of Operation We Care.
“Active involvement in community organizations is part of my inner fiber because I was raised in a family business that was very community-minded,” added Geeslin. “It is second nature to me.”
Geeslin is one of thirteen Maryland award winners to be honored at the 37th Annual Maryland Small Business Week Awards luncheon on June 8, 2023, at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, Md. She was nominated by Lisa Twilley, director of Women’s Business Center at Maryland Capital Enterprises Inc.
Goosehead Insurance is one of the fastest-growing insurance companies in the country. Launched in 2003, Goosehead Insurance transformed the insurance industry by providing transparent pricing and information by shopping hundreds of insurance companies to provide choice that offers the right protection at the best value to clients. Throughout the years, the company has continued to build partnerships to provide superior plans at competitive prices.