So. Md. Business News Briefs


The Coffee Quarter to Close Its Doors on Sept. 13

CALIFORNIA—The Coffee Quarter—a local coffee roastery and deli—announced on their website that they will close their doors on Saturday, September 13, after 11 years of being in business. The shop is located in San Souci plaza in California.

The owners cited "personal circumstances" for their "quick closure decision."

The website is promising customers a "memorable discount" on in-stock merchandise through closing.

Visit www.coffeequarter.com for more information.

Charles County Entrepreneur to sell indoor composter at New Whole Foods Market

Unique Compact Composter targets environmentally conscientious urban and suburbanites

MARBURY—Heidi Briguglio, inventor of the Compact Composter and co-owner of azure b, LLC, a Charles County family farm, has entered into an agreement to sell her one-of-a-kind indoor composting system at the new Whole Foods Market in Columbia which opened on Wednesday, August 20. This will be the first time that the product has been available through a major retail outlet. Briguglio hopes to make it the next step in getting her composters into stores throughout the region and into kitchens of homes where outdoor composting isn't an option.

Briguglio created the Compact Composter as a response to the alarming costs—environmental and economic—associated with food waste in landfills. Recognizing that people want common sense ways to do good things, Briguglio devised a clean, odorless composting system no bigger than a household bucket that takes up about as much counter space as a coffee maker.

With the Compact Composter, even apartment dwellers can keep their food waste out of trashcans and landfills and turn it into rich compost for their plants, balcony gardens, and small city or suburban yards.

Briguglio has been selling her composters online and in a handful of small, niche stores for several years. They are created at the farm in Marbury with help from her partner, Stefano, and their son, Azure.

She also got encouragement and technical advice from Quality Printers of White Plains, who helped to transform the look of the system into an elegant product that compliments a home's décor while still providing a simple and effective solution for recycling food waste. Collaborator Justen Garrity of Veteran Compost in Aberdeen was another early advocate. "Justen took me seriously on my very first call, and we have worked together ever since," Briguglio says. "He provided—and continues to provide—the key elements that make this product so simple and effective. He understood my vision back then, and now here I am...my compact composter for sale at Whole Foods!"

The product will be for sale at the Columbia location only for now. More information is available at www.azurebllc.com.

Charles County business named 2014 Innovator of the Year by the Daily Record

LA PLATA—The Daily Record has named Frank Duduk, a partner of SmartSite, LLC an Innovator of the Year. The site began the awards in 2002 as a way to recognize Marylanders and Maryland-based companies for their innovative spirit for creating new products, new programs, new services or new processes that have helped their companies, industries or communities.

SmartSite is based in La Plata and was founded in 2008. According to their website, they provide construction management and related products and services supporting residential site/lot development, i.e. earthwork, paving, and utilities infrastructure.

Innovator of the Year nominees were asked to complete an application that explained their innovation and the impact it has made on Maryland. The nominations were judged on four basic criteria: originality, impact, challenge and value.

"This year's Innovators of the Year are on the cutting edge. They represent the best of Maryland in diverse fields such as technology, education, health care and community work," said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, publisher of The Daily Record. "They make the extraordinary, ordinary and the impossible, possible. We applaud their innovative spirit and accomplishments."

The 2014 Innovator of the Year awards will be presented Oct. 15 at a reception/dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. at the American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway in Baltimore. Winners will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted into the Oct. 17 issue of The Daily Record and available online at www.TheDailyRecord.com.

SmartSite was also showcased for "being on the Leading Edge" during the 14th annual Leading Edge Awards ceremony, June 11, presented by the College of Southern Maryland.

For more information about SmartSite, visit www.smartsitematerials.com.

BalanceLogic Launches New Website for Hospice of Charles County

WALDORF—BalanceLogic, a Southern Maryland based Small Business Solutions Company, announced that they have launch the new website for Hospice of Charles County, a provider of passionate, quality, and professional hospice, palliative and bereavement care and education. The custom designed website will provide extensive information and resources so visitors to the site can learn what hospice care really is and help change the perception of hospice care.

The new custom designed and developed website will include comprehensive information on the range of services that Hospice of Charles County provides to residents, including care given in the patient's home and at the Hospice House of Charles County. Visitors to the website who are seeking information about how hospice can benefit their loved one will find extensive information on services, the team members who work with hospice patients and how to begin the process of hospice care. The website also features information for caregivers to individuals who are going through hospice care and bereavement services for loved ones.

The website will also serve as a hub for information about employment and the staff at Hospice of Charles County. Visitors to the site will be able to browse the current employment openings and learn how to apply for these positions. The website will also feature information on volunteers and how residents can help support the mission of Hospice of Charles County through donations, attending fundraising events, and volunteering their time.

BalanceLogic Launches New Website for J&J Build and Remodel

WALDORF—BalanceLogic, a Southern Maryland based Small Business Solutions Company, announced they have launched a brand new custom designed website for J&J Build and Remodel. The website, www.jandjbuildandremodel.com, was designed to provide the award winning remodeling company's current and potential clients with extensive information on services the company provides.

The launch of the new website coincides with the company's new brand identity from J&J Builders General Contractors to J&J Build and Remodel. The new name reflects the company's the expansion and growth of the company. The brand identity also included a new tagline, "You Dream It, We Build It, You Love It." The statement resonates with the commitment to providing top level customer service and satisfaction.

The custom designed website also provides visitors with enhanced resources regarding remodeling, including an expanded portfolio which highlights the company's completed projects.

This partnership will allow J&J Builders to expand their services into new target markets in Northern Virginia while also increasing visibility in their current markets through a series of creative marketing services including email marketing, social media marketing, public relations, and execution of digital and print marketing campaigns.

'Angels of Care' Changes Name to 'A Homemade Plan'

PRINCE FREDERICK—Angels of Care, a locally owned and operated home care agency based in Maryland, announced the name change of their company to 'A Homemade Plan.' A Homemade Plan will continue to provide the same services and the owners, management, and employees will all remain the same.

The owners—Matthew Wozniak, Ryan Friedman, and Tyler Stott—said they decided to change the name due to the "likelihood of confusion among other industry professionals." They said they felt it was best to differentiate themselves from other home care providers with similar names.

Angels of Care, now A Homemade Plan, has been operating in Maryland since January 2012. They currently have three office locations in Maryland (Annapolis, Prince Frederick, and Kensington). The company serves customers in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties.

The company provides caregivers to assist senior citizens and people who have disabilities with activities of daily living in the comfort of their own homes. These activities include: bathing, toileting, walk assistance, transfers, assistance with dressing, medication management, meal preparation, light housekeeping, companionship, transportation, and errand/shopping.

For more information about the company, visit their website at www.AHomemadePlan.com or call their office at 443-837-7768.

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