Pro-density renters group grows, snags tech giant CEO donation

The San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation, a group of activists who believe more market-rate housing will alleviate high rents, has gained a powerful backer from the tech industry: Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of Yelp.

Stoppelman donated $10,000 to the group’s founder, Sonja Trauss, a former private school math teacher who began working full-time on promoting real estate development at the beginning of the year.

Stoppelman first heard about SFBARF after his mom forwarded him a Business Times profile…

Work starts on Pizza Plant’s Canalside restaurant

Crews have started building out the 4,000-square-foot Pizza Plant Italian Pub, which is going in the first floor of the One Canalside Building.

Picone Construction of Clarence has been retained to handle the build out. While Sutton Architects was hired as the project architect.

The Pizza Plant is scheduled to open by the middle of June.

The location will feature a full bar, dining room and a ‘grab-and-go’ section.

From an interior perspective, the Canalside location will have the same motif…

Oil's plunge leads Kansas tank maker to cut 40% of work force

Weak demand, a result of low oil prices, is prompting a pressurized tank manufacturing company in Garden City to cut 80 jobs.

The Hutchinson News reports Palmer Manufacturing and Tank is reducing its work force by about 40 percent. The company is a subsidiary of Ohio-based Worthington Industries, which is eliminating 245 jobs nationwide, plus shutting down a 310-employee plant in Florence, S.C.

Palmer was acquired by Worthington (NYSE: WOR) in April of 2013. It makes steel and fiberglass tanks…

Old Angler's seeking rooms at the inn

The historic Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac is once again looking to accommodate not just diners and event attendees, but overnight guests as well.

The restaurant-event center at 10801 MacArthur Blvd. has filed a zoning application with Montgomery County for “Country Inn” status, which would allow it to build eight overnight guest suites, according to BethesdaNow.

The move is a callback to the Old Angler’s Inn’s early days. Union and Confederate officers often stayed overnight at Old Angler’s during…

More on the cover story: Coors Field puts baseball in a social setting

Last spring, the Colorado Rockies’ ballpark opened for its 19th season with a new feature: the Rooftop at Coors Field.

The amenity was added to the upper levels of right field at the expense of 3,500 seats, offering in their place a variety of food and drink options on two levels.

The Tavern, for example, opened the Tavern Ballpark, a 52-foot, 80-inch full-service bar in the Rooftop, said Kevin Kahn, vice president of ballpark operations at Coors Field.

He said Coors Field wanted to begin taking…