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 Originally published January 2008 Moving Along
ICC Constructors, a joint venture of five construction firms, has been selected to design and build the second major segment of the Intercounty Connector (ICC).
ICC Constructors consists of: Clark Construction Group LLC, of Bethesda; Facchina Construction Co. Inc. of La Plata; Shirley Contracting Co. LLC of Lorton, Va.; Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC of Broomfield, Conn. and Trumbull Corp. of Pennsylvania.
The $513 million contract is the second of five that will help build the 18.8-mile ICC, which will connect the I-270 and I-370 Corridor in Montgomery County to the I-95 and US 1 Corridor in Prince George's County.
The latest contract includes design and construction of approximately four miles of the ICC from west of Route 29 to east of I-95 and two miles of roadway along I-95 which include two interchanges at Route 29 and I-95.
Design work began last month and mainline construction is slated for early 2008.
The first seven-mile segment of the ICC project is scheduled for completion in late 2010.
-Tammi Slater Chance encounter
 When Del Karfonta’s car got a flat tire last July, the executive vice president of the Columbia Bank never expected it would turn into a business opportunity.
Neither did John Bruns, a Baltimore County resident and eighth grade English teacher in Owings Mills, who stopped to help him.
Karfonta offered Bruns $25 on the spot for his assistance, but Bruns refused.
"I told him to donate the money to a charity or church," said Bruns, 26.
The two exchanged business cards and the next day Bruns received an offer to start a Web site focused on environmentally friendly businesses and www.GreenConnected.com was born.
The new Web site, started in October, is building awareness on how businesses can operate in a more eco-friendly way.
"I felt John was someone I needed to know, that he had a lot of entrepreneurial skills and I was very impressed with his credentials," said Karfonta. "I thought we needed to do something for the environment so I said if I start the funding he could do the technical side."
GreenConnected helps businesses, non-profits and consumers find companies who provide or use green products and services.
The site has seven main areas — Build, Eat, Live, Power, Travel, Wear and Work.
Two more categories highlighting technology and research will be added Feb. 1.
To date, the site, updated daily, has nearly 100 company profiles, both local and national, with a goal of reaching 4,000 companies nationwide in two years.
Companies get six months of free listing before they are charged a $155 annual fee. Current participating companies include Star Hotels, Eyre Bus and Travel and CB Richard Ellis.
-Tammi Slater Foreign Soil
Montgomery County is hoping to become home to Indian companies.
The county's economic development department took 20 local companies, mainly biotech, to India for a four day trip in November. The group visited New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
Montgomery County, home to a plethora of the Baltimore-Washington Corridor's biotech firms, is working to attract international life science companies looking for a presence in the United States.
“The purpose of the trip was to show all the different resources and networking opportunities we can offer to them,” said Corinne Rothblum, business development specialist at Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and coordinator of the mission on behalf of the county. “Our strategy was to enable companies already based here to increase their customer base in India and attract Indian investment back to the United States.”
And the mission is working, said Rothblum. After meeting with nearly 200 companies in India, 12 are currently serious prospects and at the end of the month half a dozen IT companies will be paying Montgomery County a visit, she said.
“It was a really successful trip; within a week of our return we had one computer service company we met with come visit and they plan to set up in the county incubator,” said Rothblum. “We are still in the process of shifting through to determine which companies are the most likely candidates but I think there's a huge chance that these companies will choose Montgomery County.”
-Tammi Slater Military Money
The amount of money Maryland has put towards military construction deserves some attention, said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski at the December BWI Business Partnership breakfast.
“It's a big deal,” she said. “This year we have spent close to $700 million in military construction.”
All that money has gone to locations within the Baltimore-Washington Corridor.
Specifically, $152 million has been spent at Fort George G. Meade, $275 million at Aberdeen Proving Ground, $214 million at the Joint Medical Command headquarters at National Naval Medical Center, $28 million at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head and $28 million at the Air National Guard and Readiness Center at Andrews Air Force Base.
-Tammi Slater |
