By Daniel J. Sernovitz, Staff

Glen Burnie developer Jim Lighthizer thought gratification would be the only reward for helping the right business find the right building.  He didn’t expect it would earn him VIP status when President Barack Obama came to visit the building to tout a stimulus-tied program aimed at small businesses.

Lighthizer was among 20 people on hand Oct. 21 when Obama stopped by Metropolitan Archives LLC’s new offices at 2270 Beaver Road in Landover.  Lighthizer, principal at Chesapeake Real Estate Group LLC, helped the firm buy the building through funding from the Small Business Administration’s 504 Loan program. Metropolitan only needed to put 10 percent down to buy the property for $7 million.