The Daily Record News Summaries: June 18, 2008

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jun 18, 2008

GBC names panel co-chairs

The Greater Baltimore Committee said it named Joseph DeMattos Jr., and Anne Ferro as co-chairs of an independent private-sector task force that the GBC is putting together to study and recommend a long-term plan for adequately funding Maryland's transportation infrastructure. DeMattos, director of AARP Maryland, has more than 20 years' experience working with federal and state lawmakers on policy issues. Ferro, president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, previously served seven years as administrator of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

Synutra sees higher return

Synutra International Inc., of Rockville, a nutritional and consumer products company operating in China, said fiscal fourth- quarter profit rose sharply as the company began expansion into larger cities. Earnings for the period ended March 31 more than quadrupled to $19.3 million, or 36 cents per basic share, from $4.1 million, or 8 cents per share in the prior-year period. The company did not provide quarterly results on a diluted-share basis. Sales rose 65 percent to $108.2 million, from $65.6 million last year. For the fiscal year, profit more than doubled to $45.7 million, or 85 cents per diluted share, from $19.9 million, or 40 cents per share last year.

Beach weather via WeatherBug

WeatherBug, an online weather information service based in Germantown, unveiled the "beach and boating" section of its desktop application and weatherbug.com Web site. The section contains detailed weather data, including average coastal water temperatures from Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast and Alaska. UV index and weather information based on city and U.S. zip codes are also presented, along with hourly, daily and weekly forecasts from WeatherBug's meteorologists. The new section is sponsored by Take Me Fishing (www.takemefishing.org), an educational Web site for boating and fishing enthusiasts.

Sleep study program accredited

The Community College of Baltimore County announced that its Polysomnographic Technologist Certificate program has been awarded accreditation by the national Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Polysomnography technologists, according to the Illinois-based Association of Polysomnographic Technologists, perform technical evaluations associated with a broad range of sleeping disorders. CCBC said the certificate program, a partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine affiliate Sleep Services of America Inc., is the first such CAAHEP-accredited program in the mid- Atlantic region and one of only 13 accredited programs nationwide.

Channel 45 loads up on Emmys

WBFF-TV Fox 45 in Baltimore took home 14 Emmy Awards for its news programming, more than any other television station in Washington or Baltimore. The awards ceremony on Friday drew more than 500 broadcasters from Maryland, Virginia and Washington to the Ritz- Carlton hotel in Washington. The ceremony was sponsored by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. WBFF-TV is owned by Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Lagan tapped for call center

Lagan Inc., of Bethesda, the U.S. headquarters of a Northern Ireland-based provider of enterprise case management and citizen relationship management software, said it has been selected by the city of Toronto, Canada, to open a 311 non-emergency contact center. Toronto is consolidating and reorganizing a number of its call centers, and the new facility will be the first point of contact for at least 70 percent of the calls now handled by existing centers. Lagan said it has teamed with McLean, Va.-based BearingPoint Inc., a management consulting and systems integration firm, on the project.

Grand opening celebrations

A retirement community in Towson and a minority-owned company in Columbia held grand opening ceremonies recently. After two years of construction, The Terraces at Edenwald, a 12-story high-rise for elderly residents, opened with 60 apartment units and 32 catered living suites. The new building is attached to the original Edenwald facility that was built in 1985. Also, Gantech Inc., a 9-year-old information technology consulting firm, celebrated the relocation of its headquarters from West Baltimore to a larger space in Columbia. Hispanic-owned Gantech employs 80 people in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. A company official said it is hiring an average of three people per month and projects revenue this year of $13 million, up from $8.4 million last year.

Accorsi named to NFL post

Former New York Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi has been hired by the National Football League to co-chair a new advisory committee. According to a statement from the NFL, Accorsi will focus on aiding the league in monitoring compliance with rules and policies and achieving better communication with teams' senior football personnel. Accorsi retired from the Giants after the 2006 season, ending a 35-year career that also included stints as general manager of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts.