Deputy Director Welcomed
SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners promoted Matt Laick to the position of deputy director within Development Review and Permitting (DRP).
Matt Laick
Laick stepped into his new role on May 1.
“Matt is a welcome addition to the leadership team,” DRP Director Jennifer Keener said. “He has an extensive background in project management, which will be an asset to Worcester County, as we move forward with various projects, such as the Comprehensive Plan.”
Laick, who joined DRP as the geographic information systems (GIS) analyst III in 2021, brings 23 years of management and local government experience to this position. He previously served as the 911/GIS coordinator for the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security where he was responsible for coordinating GIS data across all the 911 centers in the state of Delaware as well as managing any special projects. He also served as the director of the Mapping and Addressing Department for Sussex County, where he was responsible for parcel mapping as well as a readdressing project for the entire county.
“It is an honor to serve as the deputy director of DRP,” Laick said. “I look forward to working with all of the County departments, citizens, business owners, and visitors.”
Laick received a Bachelor of Earth Science Degree, with a concentration in meteorology, from California University of Pennsylvania, and he earned a Masters of Applied Geography Degree, with a concentration in geographic information systems, from New Mexico State University. He also served with the Bureau of Land Management in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as a geographer working on land exchanges and range management. He received project management certification from the University of Delaware. Laick is also a certified GIS Professional.
The DRP deputy director is responsible for assisting the director with all aspects of development, review, permitting, and other functions, including staff supervision, and coordinating planning studies and documents.
Laick resides in Worcester County with his wife, Amanda, and two kids, Lily and Matthew.
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Company Expansion
SALISBURY – Dry-Tek Environmental, a well-established company in the crawlspace restoration and encapsulation industry, has expanded its reach to Salisbury, Md.
Senior advisors Meredith Mears and Andy Ball have successfully collaborated to secure the new location at 400 Snow Hill Rd., marking the second facility for DryTek Crawlspace Solutions on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.
DryTek has been a dependable supplier of crawlspace solutions to owners of residential and commercial properties on the Delmarva Peninsula for 20 years. With their team of experts and their commitment to customer satisfaction, DryTek has established itself as the leading company in their industry.
DryTek President Austin Ireland expressed his satisfaction with the lease negotiation process, stating that “Merry was simply outstanding throughout the lease negotiation transition process. Her knowledge of commercial leasing ins and outs gave us peace of mind and confidence that we were making the right move.”
Mears, who represented DryTek during the negotiations, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work with the company on such an important move. She said, “Working with Dry-Tek on such an important move demonstrated a level of trust from them I recognize and am grateful for. I’m glad we were able to secure a long-term lease for them in such a great location.”
Unfortunately, a previous tenant needed to abruptly close their doors, tasking SVN advisors Andy Ball and Rick Tilghman to find a suitable replacement quickly. Ball noted the speed at which the deal was closed, stating that “We were able to secure a long-term lease with a credible tenant within the SVN network before we could even place a ‘For Lease’ sign on the property.”
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Casino Revenues
OCEAN PINES – Maryland’s six casinos combined to generate $174,742,218 in revenue from slot machines and table games during April 2023.
It was the sixth-best single-month gaming revenue total in the history of Maryland’s casino program and represented an increase of $3,997,260 (2.3%) compared to April 2022.
Casino gaming contributions to the state in April 2023 totaled $72,376,182, an increase of $522,884 (0.7%) compared to April 2022.
Contributions to the Education Trust Fund in April 2023 were $52,624,918, an increase of $396,476 (0.8%) compared to April 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 April 2023 are as follows:
MGM National Harbor (2,353 slot machines, 210 table games), $75,496,985 in April 2023, an increase of $4,964,819 (7.0%) from April 2022.
Live! Casino & Hotel (3,830 slot machines, 179 table games), $62,014,953 in April 2023, an increase of $3,207,374 (5.5%) from April 2022.
Horseshoe Casino (1,452 slot machines, 122 table games), $16,444,785 in April 2023, a decrease of $2,491,708 (-13.2%) from April 2022.
Ocean Downs Casino (848 slot machines, 19 table games), $7,926,689 in April 2023, a decrease of $308,141 (-3.7%) from April 2022.
Hollywood Casino (702 slot machines, 19 table games), $7,481,880 in April 2023, a decrease of $984,083 (-11.6%) from April 2022.
Rocky Gap Casino (618 slot machines, 16 table games), $5,376,925 in April 2023, a decrease of $391,002 (-6.8%) from April 2022.
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Retirement Announced
SALISBURY – Perdue Farms, the 103-year-old, family-owned company and fourth-largest producer of chicken products in the United States, today announced the intention of Randy Day, CEO, to retire this summer.
Day, who has worked at Perdue for more than 40 years, has served as CEO since 2017. He will remain in his current role to assist Kevin McAdams, COO and President, in the succession transition.
“I have spent my entire adult career at Perdue, and I love this company. After 43 years, I would like to spend more time with my wife, our children, and our six (soon to be seven!) wonderful grandchildren. I am looking forward to mentoring and transitioning Kevin over the next few months. We are confident that Kevin possesses qualities that align with our company’s values and vision to be the most trusted name in food and agricultural products,” said Day. “It has truly been an honor to lead Perdue Farms the past six years.”
“Randy has been instrumental to some of our company’s biggest initiatives in both agribusiness and food production and will be instrumental in the CEO succession plan as well. I am incredibly grateful to Randy for his more than 40 years of service at Perdue, especially for his leadership as CEO since 2017,” said Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms. “His guidance was invaluable as we navigated the unprecedented and challenging COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”
“I am honored to be succeeding Randy as CEO of Perdue Farms,” said McAdams. “Perdue boasts an unmatched, committed team of associates and strong network of family farmers who are integral to the company’s ability to produce high-quality products that are trusted and recognized by consumers and customers nationwide. I am excited to lead this company in its second century of success.”