Business Briefs - May 22

Tires Plus


Tires Plus at 1622 Dual Highway celebrated the grand opening of its new store in Hagerstown May 13 to 15.

The Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce was on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting and grand-opening ceremony.

Clearwater, Fla.-based Tires Plus Total Car Care has more than 5,000 employees in 500 stores across 23 states.





Meritus Health


Meritus Health, the largest health care provider in Western Maryland, recently received a credit profile from Fitch Ratings.

Fitch affirmed Meritus Health’s rating at BBB with a stable outlook. Fitch based the outlook on several factors, including:

• As the only hospital in Washington County, Meritus Health holds a dominant market position in the primary service area with an 83 percent market share.

• Relocation to a new facility, which was completed on time and on budget, was successfully accomplished in December.

• After identifying volumes below feasibility study projections in the spring of 2010, management rapidly responded with an expense-reduction initiative.

• A return to positive operating performance has been achieved through the six months of the current fiscal year with operating income of $6.7 million (3.8 percent operating margin).





Susquehanna Bank


LITITZ, Pa. — Susquehanna Bank, a subsidiary of Susquehanna Bancshares Inc., received the highest ranking among commercial banks and second overall out of a field of 32 banks included in the mid-Atlantic region in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.

Susquehanna performed particularly well in the study in overall customer satisfaction, product offerings, account information and transaction methods.

The 2011 study was based on more than 52,000 responses from households across the nation about their experiences with their primary banking providers. Financial institutions across 11 predefined geographic regions were included in the study, which was done in January and February.