Second Rockville Business Forum will Discuss Available Resources and Offer Opportunity for Businesses to Discuss Their Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous stress on local businesses, and the City of Rockville has partnered with the Rockville Chamber of Commerce, Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), and Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC) to help.

Business operators will be able to discover resources and discuss their needs at the virtual Rockville Business Forum, 9-10 a.m. Monday, March 29.

The city, REDI, MWBC and the Chamber of Commerce will discuss services they provide to support businesses. Businesses will learn how the city can help with permitting requirements and other business needs, and about available financial resources. Businesses will also be able to ask questions to and discuss needs with the panel of experts.

The forum will be held via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting (enter name and email):

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoduqqqDovHtYGn-mG1bsZ7GOZ3RBaompR

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Feel free to share this event with anyone you think may benefit from the discussion.

For more information, email Lori Crowe at REDI.

Rockville Economic Development Inc.’s Workforce Education Committee presents the next virtual roundtable in its series:

Turbulence on Re-entry—Employers, Employees and the Vaccine

We’re delighted to have Michael Gottlieb, attorney and founder of Momentum Law Group, to lead our conversation, which is designed to help employers consider the issues that will arise as they ease back into the workplace and bring back jobs that do not work as well in a completely, virtual environment.  Further, the roundtable will examine the legal issues with requiring/encouraging employees to get vaccinated.

Mr. Gottlieb will facilitate a panel discussion that includes these professionals, representing clinical, legal and human resources perspectives:

• Dr. Joe Sliman, Chief Medical Officer, The Emmes Company
• Dr. Arlene Pietranton, Chief Executive Officer, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Lynn Perry Parker, Attorney & Founder, LPP Law
• Jennifer Hester, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Emmes Company 

Register in advance for this meeting (enter name and email):

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlduuqpz4rGdfiQOUOmJUxr0o7D-C0SnEq

Make plans now to attend the next virtual roundtable to learn more about this timely workforce and employment issue.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

Feel free to share this with anyone you think may benefit from this discussion. Questions? Contact Cindy Rivarde at cindy@rockvilleredi.org.

Article Originally Published by Peerless Rockville

On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, the Secretary of the Interior designated Frieda’s Cottage as a National Historic Landmark for its association with Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1889–1957) was a psychiatrist internationally renowned for her pioneering contribution to the treatment of schizophrenia. She made history as the paramount figure at Chestnut Lodge, the premier center for the psychoanalytically-oriented treatment of schizophrenia.

Dr. Fromm-Reichmann was internationally prominent by 1935, when she fled Nazi Germany and emigrated to the United States to continue her work. Several hospitals and institutions offered her positions, but she was persuaded to come to Chestnut Lodge in 1936 by Dr. Dexter Bullard, who promised to build her a home on the grounds. The house was designed by Washington architect Walter G. Peter and constructed by Rockville builder Franklin H. Karn.

She served as Chestnut Lodge’s director of psychotherapy and her cottage housed her office where she saw the majority of her patients. During her tenure, she was instrumental in transforming the institution into an internationally recognized mental health care facility that treated patients based on a philosophy that mental illness is treatable by a combination of psychoanalysis and occupational therapy. She worked at Chestnut Lodge until her death in 1957 at the age of 67. 

Peerless Rockville restored and continues to care for this special historic property. Peerless and The City of Rockville are honored to have it designated a National Historic Landmark as it recognizes a trail-blazing woman in the field of medicine when there were very few women, who transformed Chestnut Lodge into a renowned mental health institution, and ultimately changed how psychiatrists treat severe mental illness.

Peerless Rockville plans to host programs about Frieda’s Cottage this spring, so check the website for upcoming events. 

Rockville Economic Development Inc.’s Workforce Education Committee presents the next virtual roundtable in its series:

The REDI Roadmap to Recovery for Rockville Businesses Post-COVID
Workforce Education and Employer Needs

Please join Monica Escalante, CFO/CCO for Montgomery Hospice for a conversation about the challenges employers face about addressing mental health issues in the workplace, especially as escalated by the pandemic. Ms. Escalante will facilitate a panel discussion that includes: 

• Susan Webb, Director of Behavioral Health Crisis and Outpatient Services, Suburban Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Meredith “Merry” Campbell, Attorney at Shulman Rogers
• Denise Dewhurst, Professor and Coordinator, Psychology, Montgomery College
• Joann Bagshaw, Professor of Psychology, Montgomery College
• Kip Ingram, Director of Bereavement Care, Montgomery Hospice

Register in advance for this meeting (enter name and email):

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvd-qtrTwpHNCLxgo0WVzWTZLVktO_40Fo  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Feel free to share this with anyone you think may benefit from this discussion. Questions? Contact Alexis Castillo at alexis@rockvilleredi.org.

According to the filing, the money will also help fund the development of its ImmunoPhage platform — which uses genetically engineered viruses to create robust immune responses to cancer proteins.

“Our business is highly dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, SNS-301, and any other product candidates that we advance into the clinic,” the company wrote.

Sensei — which was originally founded in 1999 as Panacea Pharmaceuticals Inc. — reported a net loss of $16.7 million in 2019. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the company has accumulated a deficit of $107.3 million.

The company said it has funded its operations “to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of (its) equity securities and borrowings of convertible debt.”

Sensei, which is headquartered at 1405 Research Blvd., plans to join the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol “SNSE.”

Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), an innovative and highly successful nonprofit economic development agency located in beautiful Rockville, Maryland, is seeking a dynamic, talented and experienced candidate for the position of Deputy Economic Development Director to help sustain the progress and continued growth experienced by the community over the last 20+ years.   

REDI is a public-private partnership established to strengthen and broaden the City of Rockville’s economic base through business entrepreneurship, expansion, retention, and recruitment programs. Rockville, the 3^rd largest city in Maryland with a population of nearly 70,000, is a vibrant community developed over 14 square miles, poised for future success. The city is located just 12 miles northwest of the nation’s capital and 35 miles southwest of Baltimore with easy access to Washington, D.C.

Rockville is served by three Metro rail stations, several major highways, and three major airports. Uniquely positioned along the I-270 Bio-Tech Corridor, Rockville is in the center of a variety of technology-based businesses and a daytime labor force of over 80,000 people. There is also a wealth of existing key business clusters providing Rockville a competitive advantage in a variety of areas including the life sciences, advanced immunology, hospitality, cybersecurity, quantum computing, advanced technologies, video gaming, professional services companies and entrepreneurship.  Rockville possesses a strong sense of community and benefits from an educated, ethnically diverse and engaged citizenry, stable neighborhoods, annual celebrations, and a wide range of recreational and cultural opportunities. The City’s downtown serves as the county seat for Montgomery County, one of the most affluent and well-educated counties in the United States. 

REDI is funded primarily by the City of Rockville, serving as its economic development agency since being established in 1997. In addition to traditional economic development activities, REDI assists with site selection and relocation support, helps to establish financing and incentive programs, and serves as a networking hub by connecting potential clients, partners and funders with local public and private leaders. The organization also serves as a liaison between the business community and City staff to discuss and help expedite projects and troubleshoot issues. 

REDI is governed by a Board of approximately 20 Directors appointed by the Rockville Mayor and City Council and consists of volunteer business representatives and residents who generally live and/or work in the City, including the Mayor and City Manager. REDI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) reports directly to the Board of Directors and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the operation, including two full-time employees directly related to economic development. The CEO also is responsible for overseeing seven employees supporting the mission of the Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC), an innovative program created in 2010 and certified by the SBA in 2013 to meet the needs of entrepreneurs, especially women-owned businesses, at every stage of building and sustaining their business.

The Deputy Economic Development Director reports directly to REDI’s CEO and will serve as the second position in the executive structure of the organization and assist in the implementation of the strategic plan for economic development and in overseeing REDI’s operations in accordance with the policy direction by the Board of Directors. The position will be responsible for ensuring the accurate updating of relevant market and demographic data used by site selectors and included in the organization’s marketing materials. Other responsibilities include administering various incentive programs and assisting the CEO with overseeing the operations of the organization including purchasing, accounting, human resource issues, equipment and other tasks as needed.   

The ideal candidate will have experience in business retention, business expansion, and business recruitment, new business start-up, and retail development to strengthen the commercial tax base resulting in the enhancement of a community’s quality of life.  Candidates with exceptional marketing and writing skills, enthusiasm, and the desire to work collaboratively with other members of the team will have an advantage. Candidates possessing an understanding of how the local development process works and are knowledgeable about a variety of economic development best practices will receive strong consideration. The selected candidate must be a recognized team player with a record of communicating effectively and working collaboratively with colleagues, state and local development officials, other economic development agencies, neighborhoods, business and community leaders, and prospective businesses and developers. Experience in marketing, strategic planning, and overseeing or reviewing financial operations, proformas, and conducting cost-benefit analyses is desired. 

Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, economics, real estate, finance, or a related field, and at least five (5) years of experience in economic development or a similar area. CEcD certification is desired but is not a requirement, and the selected candidate must possess a valid driver’s license.

Applicants should submit a confidential cover letter and résumé online at https://bakertilly.recruitmenthome.com/postings/2754; the position is open until filled with a first review of candidates occurring on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.  Following the first review date, résumés will be screened in relation to the criteria outlined in the recruitment brochure. For more information, please contact Art Davis at Art.Davis@BakerTilly.com or by phone at 816.868.7042. Applicants selected as finalists for this position will be subject to a comprehensive background and reference check prior to an onsite interview.

Rockville Economic Development Inc. (REDI) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of its organization (EOE).

Learn more about the City of Rockville, Maryland, at www.rockvillemd.gov.

“This is an important and exciting step for Emmes, demonstrating significant progress on our strategic plans to grow our biopharmaceutical business,” said Dr. Christine Dingivan, Chief Executive Officer of Emmes. “Neox adds a sizable, well-established biopharmaceutical research services business to Emmes and significantly expands our international presence.”

Based in Prague, Neox has operations primarily in central and eastern Europe, with a direct presence in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The company operates in another 11 European countries, including a recently established entity in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2004 by brothers Dr. Pavel Marek and Petr Marek, Neox has provided clinical research support for more than 1,000 studies and has built deep experience across multiple therapeutic areas. Both Pavel and Petr Marek will remain with Neox and continue to serve in their leadership roles. “Pavel and his team have built a CRO with an excellent reputation,” noted Dr. Dingivan. “Our companies share a dedication to science, long-term partnerships with clients, and a corporate culture that centers on integrity, agility and passion for excellence.”

According to Dr. Marek, “Neox and Emmes will be a powerful combination. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers with the expanded resources of the Emmes organization, as well as helping Emmes support rapid patient enrollment in global clinical trials. Our regulatory contacts throughout Europe, who understand country-specific requirements, will be an asset in helping Emmes’ current and future biopharma customers with their global drug development strategic planning and clinical operations.”

Emmes conducts its operations from, and is focused on growing, its two strategic business groups: Emmes Biopharma and Emmes Public Sector. Neox will be part of Emmes Biopharma, which also includes Emmes’ established, experienced teams in the USA, India and Canada.

“Neox will broaden our biopharmaceutical platform by expanding our customer base and capabilities to conduct global trials at sites across the US, Canada, UK, EU, and India,” noted Dr. Dingivan. “The acquisition will leverage the systems and technology investments Emmes has made to support future growth.”

This acquisition will bring the total number of employees at Emmes to over 1,000 across the globe.

ABOUT EMMES:
Founded in 1977, Emmes is a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization dedicated to excellence in supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation. The company’s clients include numerous agencies and institutes of the U.S. federal government and a wide range of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies throughout the world. To learn more about how our research is making a positive impact on human health, go to the Emmes website at www.emmes.com.

Article originally published by Ella Anderson of CoStar Research. 

A Montgomery County, Maryland, office building leased to a mix of biotech and life science industry tenants sold for $32.68 million or about $200 per square foot in a year-end sale.

Morning Calm Management, a South Florida-based real estate investment and management firm which has acquired several office properties in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, purchased the seven-story Twinbrook Office Center from Ivy Realty Services, a Montvale, New Jersey-based firm that acquired the building in 2016 for $33 million.

Located at 1700 Rockville Pike, the 163,936-square-foot structure was built in 1983 and recently underwent $3.4 million in common area renovations. At the time of the sale, the building was 80 percent leased to multiple tenants such as Dovel Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Novartis. 

“Commercial real estate located in bioscience clusters around the country continues to outperform the broader marketplace,” said Jud Ryan, executive managing director at Newmark, who marketed the building with James Cassidy and Cliff Cummings.

Ryan cited the property’s tenancy and location near the headquarters of U.S. Pharmacopeia and the NIH’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) division as factors in the property holding its value during the pandemic.

Article originally published by William Jordan of CoStar Research. 

Bethesda-based GlenLine Investments has partnered with Singerman Real Estate, a Chicago-based opportunistic real estate investment firm, to acquire a pair of flex buildings in Rockville, Maryland.

The buyers plan to reposition the pair of vacant buildings totaling 74,500 square feet as office-lab space in the first of a programmatic joint venture between the firms focusing on life science property investments.

JLL Capital Markets arranged the joint venture equity partnership that purchased the single-level 5640 Fishers Lane and the two-story 12441 Parklawn Drive. The buildings are located in the suburban Twinbrook Metro Park complex adjacent to the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, which previously occupied both buildings before vacating prior to the sale.

JLL Capital Markets Senior Managing Directors Jim Meisel and Andrew Weir, Managing Director Matt Nicholson and Director Dave Baker arranged the joint venture and initial property acquisition. The buyers have retained JLL’s Danny Sheridan and Amanda Davis to provide leasing advisory services.

GlenLine Investments was formed in 2019 by Scott Nudelman, formerly a senior vice president for acquisitions with Carr Properties, with financial backing from the owners of Minkoff Development and the Fred Schnider Investment Group.