Bridge the GapSci, LLC is a nonprofit organization that came to fruition in 2015 when five Ph.D. students at Penn State had a vision of helping younger generations in West Africa to learn about science by delivering research supplies to schools. In fact, they pitched this idea at Pennsylvania State University’s Ag Springboard competition and won the first place prize of $7,500 to fund their venture. They then traveled to Ghana, a country in the subregion of West Africa, to begin forming relationships with schools that lacked working equipment or any equipment at all, as is prominent throughout the country. By getting students tools they needed at no cost to the schools, the five then-doctoral students hoped that the opportunity to work hands-on in science could lead to more opportunities for the children in Ghana.
Shortly after winning Penn State College’s Ag Springboard competition, the team at Oliver & Grimsley began working with Bridge the GapSci as a pro-bono client.
COVID-19 had a significant impact on Bridge the GapSci’s efforts in that travel was banned to various countries, including Ghana, but these delays did not discourage them. In June of this year, they were successful in their first shipment of school supplies and science kits to St. Gregory Senior High School in Budaburam, Ghana. They hope to continue their efforts with St. Gregory Senior High School and to expand to more and more schools in the region. Through their tremendous commitment and efforts, co-directors and present-day doctors Sarah Afua Owusu Cannon, Josephine Garban, Shawntawnee Collins, Jamaal James, and Kerry Belton have created an organization that will undoubtedly help make progress toward a better future.
Oliver & Grimsley is honored to work with them throughout this mission and we look forward watching them continue in this incredible mission. You can follow their journey on Facebook.
Hunt A Killer started in 2016 with a plan to immerse its audience in the world of crime solving. Mixing the cultural fascination of true crime with the game play strategy of a roleplay tabletop game, their monthly subscription box quickly took off with consumers, and the company has grown with more than 3 million game boxes shipped. Now, the Maryland-based company that started with a pair of childhood friends is venturing into the world of publishing as it teams up with Scholastic Books.
Planned to release in spring of 2022, the first book in the Hunt A Killer series will be a young adult novel called Perfect Score by Angelica Monai. It will follow the story of a young sleuth, Jo, who witnesses what she believes to be a murder after moving to a new school. It is currently available for pre-order for paperback and e-book.
That is not all – the interactive game company is also teaming up with the classic young adult detective, Nancy Drew. In October 2021, a special game box called “Mystery at Magnolia Gardens” is planned to release. Players will be tasked with piecing together all the clues Nancy Drew has gathered in order to solve a mysterious poisoning.
Last year, Hunt A Killer teamed with Lionsgate Games to produce a special series based on the Blair Witch universe.
As a client of Oliver & Grimsley, our entire team would like to congratulate Hunt A Killer’s crew on their continued success. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with them and look forward to seeing what new projects are in store for the future. Kudos to you Hunt A Killer!
While we can’t quite enjoy the warmth of summer just yet, guests at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore will soon be able to have the next best thing in their in-room bar selection – Sandy Bottom® Sparkling Rum Cocktails! Tasting almost like a sunny afternoon, the light and fizzy coconut flavored beverage will be offered in rooms, bringing the beach to you.
Founded in 2009, entrepreneur Sandy Mazza was inspired by her friends while boating on the Chesapeake Bay. She created the beverage as a way for busy women to keep summer alive year round whether camping, tailgating, boating, or lounging on the beach. Her ambition ultimately led to Sandy Bottom at retailers throughout Maryland, the pool bar of the MGM National Harbor, and soon to be the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore to welcome guests.
You don’t have to wait to go to the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore to find this refreshingly crisp, sparkling rum cocktail. Check out their website to find where you can purchase some Sandy Bottom® for yourself today!
Special kudos to our client The Sandy Bottom Enterprises, LLC and Sandy Mazza! As our client says, “Never quit and dream big!”
Oliver & Grimsley would like to congratulate Donna Stevenson Robinson of Oliver & Grimsley’s client Early Morning Software, Inc (EMS) and PRiSM Compliance Management (PRiSM) on being named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record. Nominees are judged by business professionals and past winners based on their professional abilities, commitment to their communities, and their role with mentoring.
Donna serves as president and CEO of EMS – her firm develops and publishes PRiSM – a secure, web-based portal that tracks contract spending while producing corporate, federal, state, and local program reports that facilitates both private, federal, and custom diversity program management.
Congratulations Donna from the entire Oliver Grimsley team!
Constellation Rum is a speciality project from Tobacco Barn Distillery that started in 2016, when the distillery first hauled barrels containing 100 gallons of rum into the ship hold of the U.S.S. Constellation, docked in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Working together with the Historic Ships in Baltimore organization, the Distillery made the idea come to life–to make a rum entirely of Maryland ingredients and aged under natural seaboard conditions for a year’s time, instilling an exclusive flavor profile characteristic to the product. The ebb and flow of the harbor tide provides constant movement, sloshing the rum throughout the bourbon soaked barrels, and with the Baltimore weather – the rum is exposed to an extreme range of temperatures ranging between approximately 10 and 100 degrees. After a year’s time, the barrels are unloaded from the historic ship and returned to the Distillery, where the rum is bottled, labeled, and fitted for sale.
This aging process has become an annual tradition for the distillery. Every March, barrels are loaded and unloaded each year and and prepared for sale in May, just in time for spring. Tobacco Barn donates a generous portion of the rum sale proceeds to the Historic Ships organization in support of their mission to preserve Maritime heritage.
Tobacco Barn Distillery is located in Southern Maryland and crafts various whiskies and rums. For more information on Tobacco Barn’s products and where to find them, you can view their website here.
Chilly weather has been plaguing us for longer than usual this spring, but we’re seeing a seasonal shift! The folks of Bloomery Plantation Distillery have coaxed in the warmer weather with a newly launched product that joins the trademark-branded Sweetshine ® ranks of its internationally acclaimed flavored spirits!
Making its official debut, Saffron Rose Sweetshine ® tastes of rose, orange, and hints of saffron, and exhibits the champion-style quality of its family spirits, having been honored with the Silver Medal in the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In addition, the creative artwork of the lovely lady, Miss Rose, adorning the Sweetshine ® label, is indicative of the signature trade dress featured on all Sweetshine ® products and is complimentary to the portfolio of award-winning label illustrations.
Together with having a quality product, Bloomery Plantation’s successful brand foundation is based on its intellectual property, which is built upon its registered trademarks, and distinguishable trade dress creating an iconic look and feel of its products. Through these efforts, Bloomery Plantation has set its business and products apart from other distilleries and products in the industry.
A protectable trademark and brand are essential components of a prosperous business foundation, directly impacting business viability and valuation. Bloomery Plantation has taken its business to a new level by using its intellectual property, registered trademarks and creative trade dress, to visually distinguish its product, increase brand recognition among consumers, and increase product visibility and placement on retail store shelves. Together with a number of factors, including hard work and a quality product, Bloomery Plantation’s new trademark and branding campaign has increased valuation for the BloomerySweetshine ® business, along with also playing a part in the business’ increased sales revenue. Our law firm was instrumental in helping Bloomery Plantation secure its intellectual property in its new branding efforts. We advise clients during the product naming process, perform trademark investigative clearance searches, draft and file trademark and copyright applications with governments, both U.S. and abroad, and handle applications throughout the entire government examination process. In addition, our firm also assists with maintaining protection and enforcing intellectual property against unauthorized third-party users.
For more information on creating, securing, and protecting your Product, Trademark, and Brand, please contact Pamela K. Riewerts, Esq., Partner and Intellectual Property Attorney at Oliver & Grimsley, LLC. Pamela may be reached via email at: pamela@olivergrimsley.com
Bridge the GapSci, LLC is a nonprofit organization that came to fruition in 2015 when five Ph.D. students at Penn State had a vision of helping younger generations in West Africa to learn about science by delivering research supplies to schools. In fact, they pitched this idea at Pennsylvania State University’s Ag Springboard competition and won the first place prize of $7,500 to fund their venture. They then traveled to Ghana, a country in the subregion of West Africa, to begin forming relationships with schools that lacked working equipment or any equipment at all, as is prominent throughout the country. By getting students tools they needed at no cost to the schools, the five then-doctoral students hoped that the opportunity to work hands-on in science could lead to more opportunities for the children in Ghana.
COVID-19 had a significant impact on Bridge the GapSci’s efforts in that travel was banned to various countries, including Ghana, but these delays did not discourage them. In June of this year, they were successful in their first shipment of school supplies and science kits to St. Gregory Senior High School in Budaburam, Ghana. They hope to continue their efforts with St. Gregory Senior High School and to expand to more and more schools in the region. Through their tremendous commitment and efforts, co-directors and present-day doctors Sarah Afua Owusu Cannon, Josephine Garban, Shawntawnee Collins, Jamaal James, and Kerry Belton have created an organization that will undoubtedly help make progress toward a better future.
Oliver & Grimsley would like to congratulate 
Constellation Rum
r a year’s time, instilling an exclusive flavor profile characteristic to the product. The ebb and flow of the harbor tide provides constant movement, sloshing the rum throughout the bourbon soaked barrels, and with the Baltimore weather – the rum is exposed to an extreme range of temperatures ranging between approximately 10 and 100 degrees. After a year’s time, the barrels are unloaded from the historic ship and returned to the Distillery, where the rum is bottled, labeled, and fitted for sale.
Chilly weather has been plaguing us for longer than usual this spring, but we’re seeing a seasonal shift! The folks of 
