Just as we celebrate new businesses opening their doors, we are equally excited to see existing businesses choose to reinvest in Frederick!
This month, we are featuring local businesses that are currently or have recently expanded/renovated their Frederick facilities. These projects demonstrate each company’s strong continued commitment to their workforce, customers, and community.
1. Union Mills Public House
Located in the historic factory building along Carroll Creek, the Union Mills Public House has transformed an aging vacant space into a modern event venue full of charm.
Now, a next phase of transformation is underway. Upon completion of the expansion, the facility will additionally feature a cidery and a restaurant/flexible dining space for the event venue. The cidery, "CUTCH" is a collaboration with Bob McCutcheon whose family has been producing apple cider just across the creek for almost a century. The cidery will manufacture and distribute small batch hard cider on-site at Union Mills.
The renovation/expansion project —a recipient of the City of Frederick’s GROW Grant program — is currently finishing some necessary HVAC improvements. The ownership teams looks forward to completing full project within the next 60 to 90 days.
The most exciting part for us is watching an important historical space right in downtown Frederick that has been unoccupied for a couple decades evolve to have a new purpose in our community.
We have raised our children here and have grown up ourselves here. It's a fantastic community to live, to grow, to do business in, to raise a family, to visit —- it is definitely unlike any other community we have experienced.
We are also excited about opening downtown Frederick's first hard cidery which will be on the tail end of our final phase of construction within the next month or two.
— Niko Negas, Union Mills Public House
2. Transportation Management Services
Transportation Management Services (TMS) is the industry leader in transportation for meetings, conventions, and special events for numerous commercial customers — including the FIFA World Cup, Coachella, the International Builders Show, and the Kentucky Derby to name a few, and as well as emergency transportation for various government agencies.
In 2019, Frank Sherman, CEO of TMS, purchased the long vacant 46 S. Market building to accommodate his growing Frederick-based company. “When we began the renovation project, we were working with a shell of a building; it didn’t even have plumbing or electricity,” shares Frank Sherman. After years of restoration efforts, the second floor has at last become the new headquarters of TMS.
The new TMS office space is 5,520 SF and hosts 35 employees. While updated to meet the needs of a modern company, the space has been able to maintain its historic character. Its exposed brick dates back to when the building served as a carriage factory and serves a fitting link between two Frederick transportation companies of different eras.
Next, Transportation Management Services looks forward to welcoming a downstairs neighbor in the renovated building in 2024. Businesses interested in the ground-floor space are invited to contact Ashleigh Rossi for more information at ashleigh@macroltd.com.
Frederick has evolved into a vibrant business community and provides an attractive quality of life for both residents and neighbors. With its new headquarters location, TMS is proud to be part of revitalizing and reinvesting the downtown area of Carroll Creek.
Ashley Allen, TMS
3. Rockwell Brewing
This past summer, Rockwell Brewery celebrated the official ribbon cutting at its new Riverside Tap Room.
Located at 8411 Broad Band Drive in Riverside Tech Park, this new 14,000 SF venue involved the complete buildout of a newly constructed shell space by St. Johns Properties. The final product features a brewery that has 10 times the capacity of the company’s East Street location, an upscale taproom, private event space and a small bank of offices.
The new taproom can accommodate 250 people, and the separate event space will hold up to 100 more people. The expanded footprint allows the company to host large community-focused events— including live music, festivals, yoga, dance parties, social club gatherings and fundraisers; and presents a new opportunity for private rentals for corporate events, weddings, receptions and family parties. The brewery’s increased production capacity has also enabled the company to place more of their product in package stores and restaurants. (Look for them around town!)
The major expansion has led to an increase in workforce at the brewing company including 8 - 12 more staff members and a full-time General Manager. The staff has grown primarily in the taproom where the company is open 7 days a week.
We are Frederick natives and residents. Kids, schools, community has been our lives for many years. Frederick has embraced our little family business so well that we never considered any other location in our expansion. As the city grows, we want to continue to be part of it.
We plan to keep adding features to the Riverside location as time goes on, and continue to enjoy the outdoor space, consistent food options and many more fun events.
Paul Tinney, Rockwell Brewing Co.
4. Shield Co.
This past year, Shield Co., a Frederick-based custom metal sign fabricator, expanded into a second location. In addition to its headquarters at 1209 East Street, the 20-employee company now also operates a 5,000 SF space at 440 Sagner Drive.
The new facility houses a laser, welding area, and workstations that will allow the company to manufacture all of their product in house. This new capacity will lower production costs and expedite the turn-around time for clients.
We expect to see a significant increase in business opportunities in the future. [We’re excited] to offer discounted signs to our local Frederick business community — Our signs are a work of art and will add to the beauty of our city!
Luke Market, Shield Co.
5. Idiom Brewing
Late last year, Idiom Brewing Company celebrated its 5-year anniversary. At the time, what originally started as a home-based hobby had grown into a 7,000 SF retail space along Carroll Creek in the beautifully restored Union Knitting Mills Building.
Now, Idiom Brewing Co. is once again expanding — this time in its services. The brewery is currently undergoing a renovation to open its first onsite kitchen. When complete the kitchen will feature pizza, salad, sandwich, and appetizers, and provide in-demand dining options to craft beverage enthusiasts and others exploring the east-end of Carroll Creek. The establishment plans to continue featuring food truck options on weekends to provide additional options.
In recognition of the important investment in the historic building and the continued economic development of Carroll Creek Park, the expansion project was a City of Frederick GROW Grant recipient.
6. Clue IQ Escape Room
Clue IQ is a small family-run business that features full theatrical sets to transport people to a unique place, time, or event where they are able to participate in an exciting puzzle-based adventure game. Since its open, the company has already completed two expansions and is now finishing work on its third and largest ever.
This past year, the company leased the vacant space adjacent to its existing footprint —now occupying the entirety of the 1st floor of 103 S Carroll Street.
The new space was leased as an empty shell with bare walls and concrete floors. When complete, Clue IQ’s current project will have fully renovated the space to feature three brand new escape rooms and an additional back of house area for staff. The project also allowed for the renovation and expansion of the businesses’ existing bathrooms.
The additional square footage will make Clue IQ the largest escape room facility in the state. The new capacity will allow for larger corporate events and attract new and returning customers. The company anticipates increasing the size of their staff by 50-75% over the next two years.
In support of the significant investment to the historic building’s improved functionality, the project was awarded GROW Grant by The City of Frederick’s Department of Economic Development.
Much of the [Carroll Street] area, including almost the entirety of the building we are in, was empty when we first viewed the property back in 2016. We have tried to really become an anchor for the area and help it grow by hosting events by partnering with our neighbors, and bringing a new level of visibility to the area.
Today, Clue IQ is an internationally award-winning escape room that brings escape room tourism to Frederick. People travel to the area just to visit our business, and by expanding this type of tourism will only grow. This is very exciting for us because, when they come, they are staying, shopping, and eating locally. We have seen great growth in this part of town since we opened, and we continue to strive to be a great partner for the downtown community.
Steven Winder, Clue IQ
7. Rice Tire
Donald B. Rice, Sr. went into business in 1929, opening a Gulf Service Station on South Market Street in Frederick, MD. Today, the 4th generation of the family operates the thriving business which spans a network of 13 tire & service centers and 2 retread plants in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Recently the business announced the addition of a 53,000 sq ft warehouse at 1524 Tilco Dr Frederick Md. The newly constructed warehouse will provide additional warehouse space for the company’s many locations across Maryland, Virginia & Pennsylvania, and create a more efficient delivery system to better service their customers.
The new warehouse is set to open the 2nd week of February 2024.
8. Stauffer Funeral Home
Established in 1973, Stauffer Funeral Homes P.A. has served the Frederick community for half of a century. Over these 50 years, their dedicated team has supported local families & friends through their hardest days and helped honor the lives of our residents.
Committed to continuing its service, the second-generation family-owned business is currently making a major reinvestment in its Frederick facility. The multi-phased project will feature new & renovated office space, upgrades to the onsite crematory, and a new layout to better serve both staff and visiting families.
The new crematory, including two new retorts and an expanded witness area, is now complete, as is the new office space for the staff.
We are confident that the changes we are making will allow us to offer the community a more comfortable, intimate, and personal experience when the time comes to say good-bye to a loved one.
The Stauffer family has been part of the Frederick County community for over 250 years. We continue to live and work here because we believe a local funeral home with deep roots in the community and relationships with local families and friends is best suited to help those who are grieving. We love this place we call home and believe in doing our part in continuing to make it a better place for everyone.
Courtney Stauffer, Stauffer Funeral Home
9. Black Hog
The Black Hog BBQ Restaurant located at 118 S Market Street is currently undergoing a major renovation and expansion. The improvements will reconfigure the existing footprint to feature an expanded bar, carryout and dining area, and construct a new addition to house expanded kitchen, Smoke House, and roof-top terrace. The exterior area around the new and old buildings will be newly landscaped with fresh paved black top and outside finishings.
The expansion will add over 2,000 SF and is projected to increase the company’s workforce by 5 employees. The project was awarded a GROW Grant by The City of Frederick’s Economic Development team in recognition of the sizable private investment that will act as an economic catalyst to the area.
Black Hog 2.0 is anticipated to open this spring.
Are you looking to grow your business in Frederick? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our staff at business@cityoffrederickmd.gov for local resources and help along the way!