Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

Startup Monday: Zoobean Pivots to Reading Programs, Raises New Round Led By Mark Cuban

By ARLnow.com

Startup Monday header

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Zoobean screenshotWhen Arlington-based startup Zoobean appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank in 2014, it was trying to be a “Pandora-like service for curating and delivering children’s books.” That pitch enticed billionaire “shark” Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, to invest $250,000 in the company.

But Zoobean recently pivoted to focus on a new line of business. Called Beanstack, the new service provides cloud-based software to power reading programs at libraries and schools.

It’s a focus that Cuban supports, says co-founder Felix Brandon Lloyd, and the outspoken billionaire led a recent investment round with participation from Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology and Bay Area venture fund Kapor Capital.

The $400,000 funding round closed about a month ago, the company says.

Zoobean screenshotLloyd, who founded the company with his wife, Jordan, said the past few months have “been a whirlwind” for the company. Zoobean’s services are now being used by 140 libraries in North America, from Maine to California to Canada.

“It’s definitely been the most demanding and the rewarding that it’s been because there’s definitely been a correlation between how much work we’re putting in and the result we’re seeing,” Lloyd said.

Arlington Public Library was an early adopter and offers the book recommendation service to parents and children for free, as does Montgomery County, Md. and some other D.C. area jurisdictions. Arlington is also considering implementing a Beanstack-powered reading program this summer, according to Lloyd.

Beanstack helps to power summer reading programs by recommending books, keeping track of who has read what and issuing prizes and badges for top readers. It runs on computers, tablets and mobile phones. Lloyd says it’s a modern solution for making the laborious task of running a reading program more fun and interactive for all involved.

“Libraries have reading programs… and those historically have been run on paper or on outdated software,” he said.

The system works for both children and adult participants and can potentially be expanded beyond reading. “Anything the library is trying to achieve,” from exercise programs to events, could be powered by Beanstack, said Lloyd.

Zoobean founders at White HouseLast summer Felix and Jordan participated in the first-ever White House Demo Day for startup founders. The couple met President Obama and rubbed elbows with investors, tech executives and fellow startup founders.

Since that event, Silicon Valley’s fortunes have taken a tumble; many tech companies with previously sky-high valuations are struggling to raise new funds. Felix, however, said he doesn’t follow the ups and downs in Silicon Valley very closely. From the start Zoobean was generating revenue, in contrast to some tech startup darlings in the Valley.

“One of the things we’ve benefitted from in the beginning — when I was raising money for the first time, [our investors] were very sensitive to us having revenue already,” he said. “They like business-to-business models. They were very wary of very high Silicon Valley valuations. I think that we have from the beginning had to achieve a certain level of revenue… which leaves enough for [investors] to still win coming in later. We’re not already at a peak.”

Zoobean currently has six full time employees, based in the D.C. area and in Pittsburgh, along with four part time employees and about 10 contractors.

Runaway Peacock Captured Near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Peacock (Flickr photo by Sadie Hart)“Fowl running at large” is a local ordinance that doesn’t get used much nowadays, but it was enforced following an unusual incident near Columbia Pike over the weekend.

An animal control officer was called to an address on S. Barton Street on Saturday evening for a report of a runaway peacock. After a brief search, the officer found and captured the rogue peacock — and located its owner, who was issued a ticket for the aforementioned “fowl running at large” violation.

The peacock and its owner may have an even bigger problem than the “at large” charge, which is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $100.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which runs the animal control program, said they notified the county zoning department — which enforces the county’s prohibition on keeping fowl in most residential yards — about the incident.

Flickr photo by Sadie Hart

Three Men Arrested for Assaulting Uber Driver With Beer Bottle

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsThree men were arrested Saturday night after allegedly attacking an Uber driver with a beer bottle.

The incident happened just before 11 p.m. on Washington Blvd near Columbia Pike. It started, police say, after the driver picked up six passengers, then later noticed that they were drinking alcohol from open containers inside the vehicle.

“The driver could smell alcohol,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

The driver asked the passengers to stop drinking; when they refused, the driver pulled over to the side of the road near an I-395 on-ramp and “terminated the fare,” forcing all six to get out, according to Savage.

A verbal confrontation ensued. At one point, three of the passengers — all 20-something men from Woodbridge, Va. — approached the vehicle again to retrieve property they had left inside, Savage said. At that point, one of the men punched and shattered a passenger-side window, and another man struck the driver in the face with a beer bottle, police allege.

The men also allegedly tried to take the keys out of the vehicle ignition, breaking them in the process.

The three men then split with the other three passengers and walked away, Savage said. Police, working with the driver and witnesses, obtained a description of the men. A short time later, police officer on scene noticed three men in an approaching taxicab. The officer pulled over the cab, identified the men and took them into custody.

“Justin Allen Norconk, 26, of Woodbridge VA, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding and assault by mob,” according to an ACPD crime report.” Lance Daniel Ingram, 25, of Woodbridge VA, was arrested and charged with assault by mob. Jeffery Eugene Rowe Jr., 26, of Woodbridge VA, was arrested and charged with destruction of property. All three suspects are being held without bond.”

The Uber driver was treated on scene for cuts to his face.

Update at 6:05 p.m. — Uber says the two riders who split the fare for the ride have been deactivated from the platform pending an investigation. “We’ve been in touch with the driver-partner and stand ready to assist the authorities with their investigation,” said a spokeswoman.

“We are deeply committed to the safety of drivers on the Uber platform,” the company said. “Drivers benefit from many of the same transparency and accountability features that riders do, such as providing feedback and ratings for every trip, which deter bad behavior from passengers.”

County Board Approves ‘Food Star’ Redevelopment on the Pike

By ARLnow.com
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A big new development is coming to the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved the redevelopment, which includes new six-story apartment building with 365 market-rate residential units, new retail spaces and a three-level parking garage.

The “Columbia Pike Village Center” development will close and demolish the Food Star grocery store, along with several small retail businesses. In its place will be a new 50,000 square foot grocery store, 31,530 square feet of new ground-floor retail space and a 22,150 square foot public square.

The public square will “serve residents of the apartment, and the community, as a place to sit, enjoy the surrounding, or hold small-scale events and gatherings,” a county press release notes. “A garden, public art and a water feature are planned for the square.”

In order to accommodate residents, park-goers and shoppers, the parking garage will have 604 vehicle spaces and 152 bike spaces. Additionally, developer Orr Partners will help build new six-foot wide sidewalks and will make streetscape improvements along the Pike and George Mason Drive.

Ballston Movie Theater Getting New Seats

By ARLnow.com

New seats at Ballston's Regal Cinema (Image courtesy Regal Entertainment Group)The movie theater at Ballston Common Mall is getting a big upgrade.

The Regal Ballston Common Stadium 12 is replacing all of its existing seating with new “king size” plush recliners with footrests. The company is replacing the seating one auditorium at a time and expects the entire cinema to be outfitted by the end of March.

“Our guests will soon be able to stretch out, relax and recline while watching the movie,” said Regal exec Rob Del Moro, in a statement. “Regal constantly listens to our guests and looks for ways to improve. With this new concept, these luxurious recliners have scored extremely well. Moviegoers are eager to return for another visit.”

The Ballston theater has garnered poor reviews online for its dated decor, the occasional rodent sighting and various maintenance issues. Del Moro’s statement aside, the new seats seem to be getting a mostly positive reception.

The movie theater is expected to remain open during the upcoming major renovations at the mall over the next two years.

Image courtesy Regal Entertainment Group

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Murals at Courthouse Plaza (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Home Values Jump 14 Percent — Arlington County saw a big bump in the sale price of homes, at least according to one data set from January. Long & Foster says the median price of a home sold in Arlington last month was $590,000, up 14 percent from one year prior. [WTOP]

Wakefield Boys Win Conference — The Wakefield High School boys varsity basketball team captured the Conference 13 championship on Saturday, after defeating Marshall 50-47. [Twitter, Twitter]

Caps Hold Fundraiser for Young Cancer Victim — The Washington Capitals held a fundraiser at Don Tito in Clarendon on Friday for the family of a three-year-old girl who just died of an inoperable brain tumor. The family has more than $100,000 in medical bills to pay and hopes to also raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. [NBC Washington]

Problems Persist at Arlington National Cemetery — More than 5 years after major problems were revealed at Arlington National Cemetery, there’s word of new problems. The cemetery’s burial backlog has increased, it’s taking longer to get headstones approved and previously unenforced rules are now being enforced, frustrating some families, reports a local TV station. [WJLA]

Arlington Students Serving as White House Interns — Three college students who hail from Arlington are on the list of spring 2016 White House interns. The interns are: Jeremy Brown, who attends the University of Michigan; Ryan Cowdin, who attends George Washington University; and Caitlin O’Grady, who attends Pepperdine.

County Board Approves Rosslyn Changes — At a relatively uneventful meeting on Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved a series of land use, transportation and zoning changes as part of the Western Rosslyn Area Plan. The changes will allow a new school and new development. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Video: Owners Talk About What It’s Like to Run a Restaurant in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

What’s it like to run a restaurant in a competitive market like Arlington? Four prominent local restaurant owners sat down with Sarah Fraser and ARLnow.com to discuss the business at our ARLnow Presents event last month, just after the big blizzard.

The full video from the event, courtesy of Arlington Independent Media, is above. The following are some of the interesting insights from the evening’s program.

What are some of the challenges in running a restaurant in Arlington?

Javier Candon, SER: “In Arlington, the biggest challenge, I think is the mentality, and proximity to the city. A lot of Arlington residents when they are having a real date night, they go to D.C.”

Does local government make it difficult to open a restaurant?

Mark Fedorchak, Liberty Tavern: “I think that Arlington county is pretty aware of the issue, but it is pretty difficult to open a restaurant with permits, and time. Every single day that you are paying rent waiting for permits, your are losing money.”

What’s more difficult, attracting customers when you first open, or keeping them?

Tim Ma, Water & Wall: “Everybody was coming through the door on day one, two years later, it’s all about retention. Staying relevant is probably the hardest thing. There’s so many new restaurants opening, so many different areas coming back to life, staying relevant is hard. Keeping the food good keeps people coming back.”

How do you feel about Yelp?

Mikala Brennan, Hula Girl Bar and Grill: “I think that as an opening restaurant you have to look at it and see if there’s trends happening. I think as chefs and owners we tend to take things a little personal sometimes. It’s sometimes hard not to respond immediately my GM reads them first and decides if there’s something I need to respond to immediately. I’ll be honest I think it’s relevant, but there is some things that are nit picky and irrelevant. I want to listen to people’s critiques, people that really want to tell you how they’re experience was sometimes email you, which I can respond to faster.”

How do you feel about new restaurants opening?

Scott Parker, A-Town Bar and Grill: “Arlington is in a very transitional time right now. Having two venues that are getting older and older, I wish new restaurants would open in Ballston, we don’t get the foot traffic that they get in Clarendon.”

How do you feel about bar crawls? Will we see more restrictions on them in the future?

Mark Fedorchak: “We are pro bar crawl, it’s been proven that they can be done in a controlled manner where they set a limit on the number of participants. While we don’t participate in them, it’s good for business across the board. They bring new guests from D.C. to Arlington.

What do you know now that you knew you wish you knew earlier?

Javier Candon: “How hard it is. Being there every single day, I took a break from being on the floor every day, and I think I forgot just how hard it is to be there seven days a week.”

How do you attract regular customers and locals?

Mikala Brennan: “We have a lot of residential people in the Shirlington area, and we find that they want to come in, they want to live there and support local business. So for us it’s important that we take care of neighborhood people. Making sure that they understand it’s okay to bring their kids in, it’s okay for them their kids to throw Cheerios on the ground, and do whatever they need to do. We want them to know it’s okay for them to come in with a shirt and flip flops on but if they want to wear a suit that’s fine too. We want to welcome everyone in.”

What have you found to love about being a restaurant and small business owner?

Scott Parker: “It’s just something you can’t describe, it’s grueling, late nights, long days. To be able to look around and see one of you venues packed, people smiling, enjoying your food and drink, in that moment it’s not about the money, it’s so thrilling.”

Thank you to our participants and to A-Town Bar and Grill for housing us. Look out for details about the March ARLnow Presents event, which will be held in Crystal City and will focus on Arlington’s burgeoning tech scene.

Quotes compiled by Justin Funkhouser.

Pentagon Row to Host 80’s Night on Saturday

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Row will be bringing the 80s back Saturday night.

The shopping center will host an “80’s Night” event from 6-10 p.m. at its outdoor skating rink. The event will include a costume contest and a live DJ.

Warm weather is expected Saturday, with forecasters predicting a high temperature of 61 degrees.

New Metro GM Promises Change, But Tempers Expectations

By ARLnow.com

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld addresses the Arlington Committee of 100

You know a top executive’s gig is tough when an entire room applauds after someone gets up and says, “thank you for taking the job.”

That’s what happened Wednesday night at the Arlington Committee of 100 meeting at Marymount University, featuring new Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld.

Wiedefeld started the night by telling the crowd he has been fighting a cold since the January blizzard, when Metro shut down for a couple days, and will be taking a decidedly unglamorous trip to Lincoln, Nebraska later this month to check on the manufacturer of Metro’s problematic 7000-series railcars.

Turning around Metro is an exhausting job and Wiedefeld sounded, well, a bit exhausted.

During the audience question-and-answer session, he was asked whether Metro should lower the expectations of riders for the reliability of a two-track system built in the 1970s for a sleepier capital city

“I do think we need to be more realistic about what’s achievable and what’s not,” Wiedefeld said. “You can only fit so much through a small tube, that’s just reality. We need to do a better job of educating the public, for sure.”

Despite that, Wiedefeld acknowledged Metro’s problems, took responsibility for rider frustration and promised change.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld addresses the Arlington Committee of 100 (as seen in a video camera monitor)“Failure in some of the basic service delivery,” he said, listing Metro’s woes. “Communication isn’t to the standard it should be. In some cases there’s been a total lack of transparency.”

“I don’t think we’re doing the best we can do,” he continued. “We’re not putting out the service the best we could, and that’s the first thing we need to do.”

Under Wiedefeld, who was formerly the CEO of BWI Airport in Maryland, Metro has three main priorities: improve safety, improve basic service reliability, and get its fiscal house in order.

Wiedefeld is approaching the challenge from the bottom up: he’s been trying to spend as much time as possible with Metro’s front-line employees: those maintaining the rails, driving the buses and cleaning the trains. He said Metro’s headquarters and leaders have been too removed from its day-to-day operations on the ground, something he wants to improve.

Wiedefeld has also been making an effort to be a more visible leader in the region. That’s what brought him to the Committee of 100. At the meeting, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey marveled that Wiedefeld was the first Metro general manager she had actually met in person in all of her years of public service.

The realities of Metrorail’s maintenance needs may require some fundamental changes in the way Metro operates. Poor maintenance, after all, is what’s causing much of Metro’s current unreliability. The agency doesn’t even have enough working rail cars to meet its promises about eight-car trains. The delivery of the new 7000-series cars — only 80 are in service so far — will help, but they must be maintained, in addition to track and the myriad other components of the Metro system.

“We need to take a hard look at how we’re doing things, particularly on the maintenance side,” Wiedefeld said. “These are big, complex systems.”

(more…)

Arlington Has the Highest-Earning Millennials in the U.S.

By ARLnow.com

Millennials and taxes (image via SmartAsset.com)Arlington County has the highest-earning Millennials in the U.S.

That’s according to the website SmartAsset, which says that 18-to-34-year-olds in Arlington have a median income of $61,620, the highest in the country.

The bad news is that Millennials in Arlington, by virtue of their high earnings, pay the second-highest taxes of any locality in the U.S. The average person age 18-34 in Arlington pays 26.36 percent of their income as taxes, SmartAsset roughly estimates.

San Francisco is No. 1 on the last, paying 26.84 percent in taxes, while D.C., New York City and Baltimore round out the top five.

From SmartAsset:

The country’s wealthiest millennials live in Arlington. The median income among 18-to-34-year-olds in Arlington is $61,620, highest in the country. That means they also pay the highest federal income taxes. While the state income tax in Virginia is not quite as high as that of California, most taxpayers still pay a top marginal rate of 5.75%. For a millennial in Arlington earning median income, that adds up to over $3,040 in state taxes.

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