Biz Talk

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

The Washington, D.C. metro region is the epicenter of government contracting activity in the U.S. and as home to the Pentagon, Arlington offers unmatched proximity to the federal government.

The federal government is the largest consumer of goods and services in the entire world, spending roughly $650 billion annually. Combined with state and local procurement, approximately $1 trillion is spent annually.

Part of the region’s federal contracting ecosystem is a wide array of resources available to new and growing government contractors. In order to help these small businesses take advantage of government procurement opportunities, Arlington Economic Development (AED) and BizLaunch have organized an exhibition featuring a variety of these resource providers.

This GovCon Resource Exhibition will help contractors make valuable connections for future opportunities and showcase the resources available for government contractors. Capture a piece of the $650 billion spent in federal procurement.

When: Monday, June 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, VA 22202

Register to attend and check out some of the partners who will be in attendance.

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

On Tuesday, May 2 the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Arlington Economic Development and the National Landing Business Improvement District will be hosting the ‘Building America’s Most Connected Neighborhood’ event.

Discover how JBG SMITH and Federated Wireless’ unique partnership is driving public and private sector innovation in National Landing by deploying 5G private wireless networks.

You’ll learn how JBG SMITH, through its $25.3 million investment in CBRS spectrum, is working with Federated Wireless and several industry partners to develop a converged digital infrastructure platform to deliver advanced connectivity to indoor and outdoor areas across Arlington’s National Landing neighborhood.

The networks will deliver private wireless solutions at scale to a broad set of industries: government, high-tech, professional services, aerospace, aviation, retail, academia, national defense, and cybersecurity.

Guests will then hear from Federated Wireless CTO, Kurt Schaubach, and JBG Smith Vice President, Vardahn Chaudhry, who will explain how the companies are creating an interoperable 5G private wireless network showcase in National Landing. The program will be followed by an interactive networking session with representatives from Arlington Economic Development, Federated Wireless, JBG Smith, National Landing BID, and Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.

When: Tuesday, May 2, 3:30-6 p.m.
Where: National Landing Experience Center, 241 18th Street S, Arlington, VA 22202

Register to Attend.

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

In this era of digital tools, teleworking and Zoom meetings, there’s still nothing quite like good old fashioned face-to-face collaboration when it comes to the business community.

Sometimes, it’s good to just sit down and talk things out — whether it’s concerns about space, workforce or possible expansion plans. That’s exactly what the Arlington Economic Development Business Investment team encountered last year during Business Appreciation Month.

AED staff, County leaders and community ambassadors came together for a series of individual visits to more than 40 Arlington companies in a two-week period last May, allowing companies to meet with a variety of ambassadors and connect them with valuable resource partners as well as providing them with information on everything from workforce programs and financial incentives to community initiatives, AED services and much more.

And now, the Virginia Economic Development Association has recognized AED for those efforts as one of the top initiatives for business retention in the Commonwealth. Arlington Economic Development was awarded a Community Economic Development Award for Business Retention and Expansion for its Business Appreciation Month Outreach program, which directly led to the County’s ability to support several companies in their upcoming office expansions, which totaled nearly 60,000 SF of new office space and 350 new jobs.

In addition to the recognition from VEDA, these one-on-one collaborations also helped to develop some of this past year’s most exciting initiatives, including the Arlington TALENT Pilot Program, which is helping to address local tech workforce shortages, as well as some of the efforts put forth in the commercial market resiliency initiative, which has allowed for potential new uses in commercial corridors that can help make those corridors even more attractive to employees returning to the office.

It was also the catalyst behind the creation of last fall’s REV Awards, which highlighted fast-growing companies in the areas of revenue, employment and venture capital.

While the AED team is connecting with businesses throughout the year, this particular outreach was instrumental in helping Arlington’s business community find the resources and partners they need to reach their goals and also gave us valuable insight on the investments the department should be making to ensure our community remains one of the leaders for business.

Planning is already underway to honor Arlington’s business community again this May.

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

For many international companies, expanding to the United States is high on their growth strategy given the size of the U.S. market.

As the epicenter of government contracting activities, the Washington, D.C. metro region is especially attractive for international companies in the defense, aerospace and security industries. Companies establish operations here to gain access to federal agencies such as the DOD and DHS and to partner with other companies to jointly bid for contract awards.

Doing business with the U.S. government is complex, and the process can be even more challenging for international companies. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources and expertise in the Washington region that focus on supporting international companies doing business in the United States.

One of those is Rosslyn’s House of NADIC, an incubator geared towards Norwegian Small Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) and startups that are looking to increase their presence in the United States and to develop new business opportunities. Companies located at the House of NADIC will have access to service providers, connections to prime contractors, and education and networking opportunities.

House of NADIC was founded by the Norwegian-American Defense & Homeland Security Industry Council (NADIC), a nonprofit trade association whose objective is to develop and strengthen cooperation between Norwegian and American industries. It facilitates stronger bilateral ties while encouraging a fair competitive environment in U.S. markets. It regularly hosts and participates in events with the Defense Attaché Office of the Norwegian Embassy, Innovation Norway, FSi, and the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, and other key international partners.

On March 30, 2023, NADIC will host the 9th Annual Norwegian-American Defense Conference in Rosslyn. The conference has become one of the most important defense symposia between Norway and the United States with high level speakers and participants representing the government, military and industry.

With unmatched resources and targeted opportunities provided by area organizations like the House of NADIC, it is no wonder international companies choose Arlington and the Washington, D.C. region to launch their presence in the U.S. This region has the access, resources and talent that foreign companies need to succeed.

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

This past fall, Arlington Economic Development introduced the Arlington Talent Pilot Program, a program that provides selected Arlington residents paid, on-the-job learning opportunities to launch a new career in software development while helping businesses modernize their IT codebase infrastructure.

The innovative program is a partnership between Arlington Economic Development (AED) and Arlington-based software consultancy Exelaration and is a new way to address the ongoing challenges of finding tech workers to fill open jobs in the region. The program is now into its second cohort of learners and is already proving to be a success.

From Learners to Coders 

The Arlington Talent Pilot Program graduated its first cohort of learners in January. These learners, all of whom are Arlington residents with an interest in the tech field but no traditional tech education, completed more than 1,450 hours of experiential learning on real-world projects under expert mentorship and earned relevant industry certifications (e.g., Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner) and experience in high-demand programming languages (e.g., HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Angular, and NodeJS). Several learners also landed client projects for an additional six months with Exelaration.

“The Arlington Talent Pilot Program offered me a great opportunity to enter the field with no formal and relevant background in IT, in addition to stellar mentorship on real-world projects to gain both experience and theoretical knowledge,” said participant, Liam Cespedes, who was part of the first cohort and is continuing work on client projects.

AED and Exelaration designed this program to allow local residents to enter the tech workforce without college degree or prior tech experience requirements. The competitive pilot program accepted applications from dozens of individuals for each cohort, many of whom were people who showed promise in the tech field but who lacked those traditional resume credentials to find work.

AED and Exelaration are proud to have collaborated with partners at Capital Youth Empowerment Program, Bridges to Independence, Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council, and Virginia Values Veterans to advertise this program and ensure this unique opportunity reached underrepresented and underserved communities.

Opportunities for Businesses

Companies needing IT modernization and custom software solutions also benefit from the Arlington Talent Pilot Program. Companies receive quality work products led by experienced software developers and can have significant cost savings with the blended billable rate by including learners on projects.

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This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

In 2022, there were several challenges facing tech companies and the venture capital community — inflation, a decrease in tech exits and IPOs, rising interest rates, and over 150,000 layoffs in the tech sector.

While all of these factors affected deal size and valuations for tech companies, Arlington’s tech ecosystem saw some exciting deal flow among its businesses.

Arlington-headquartered companies were involved in 31 deals totaling more than $1.5 billion from venture capital raises, mergers and acquisitions, strategic corporate investments and other activity. Some of the notable venture capital raises in 2022 included:

• Arlington-based Federated Wireless, a provider of shared spectrum and CBRS technology, raised $58 million in Series D funding to help scale the company’s platform and support further investments in its capabilities and partnerships.
• Shift5, an operational technology cybersecurity company, raised $50 million in Series B funding to protect against increasing cyber-physical threats targeting planes, trains, and weapon systems.
• MarginEdge, a restaurant management and bill payment platform startup, raised $45 million in Series C to continue scaling the team and broadening the functionality of core product offerings to deepen its impact on the operators.
• Arlington-based Second Front Systems raised $32 million in Series A funding to be used to grow 2F’s technical talent base and scale up sales and marketing.

In addition to the dynamic venture capital activity, Arlington companies were also involved in some notable mergers and acquisitions and IPOs.

• Arlington-based Axios Media announced it would sell the business to Axios’ lead investor, Cox Enterprises, for $525 million.
• Evolent Health announced a $375 million acquisition of Georgia-IPG for $375 million to accelerate Evolent Health’s position as a leading provider of value-based specialty care solutions.

Finally, Arlington Economic Development also saw a number of great investments in our community this past year, including:

• Technomics, an employee-owned decision analysis company that specializes in cost analysis, data management, and data analytics, announced with Governor Youngkin a $1.7 million expansion in Arlington County, creating 150 new jobs.
• MarginEdge announced its relocation to Arlington County, taking 23,500 square feet in Ballston.
• Shift5 announced it will double its space in Arlington to 19,840 square feet in Rosslyn citing a 54% growth in employment since the start of 2022 and revenue doubling year-over-year.
• Federated Wireless announced a private wireless partnership with JBG Smith in conjunction with Federated Wireless’ corporate headquarters relocation to National Landing.

Despite the challenges of the past year, it’s clear that Arlington-based tech companies continue to launch and grow, creating several opportunities for employment growth in Arlington and Northern Virginia.

In 2023, AED is excited to continue the momentum of creating a welcoming environment for the tech community to raise capital, launch and grow businesses.

This article was written by Michael Stiefvater, Director of Business Investment for Arlington Economic Development.

At the start of 2022, the state of the office market was in flux as companies and employees adjusted to an uncertain hybrid work environment that continues to challenge the outlook for office real estate.

While strong headwinds remain, bright spots in the local economy have emerged as evidenced by the 24 companies that Arlington Economic Development (AED) has successfully helped expand or retain in 2022. Combined, these company successes totaled 237,000 square feet of new office space and 262,000 square feet of retained office space.

AED saw growth primarily in the aerospace and defense, government contracting and technology sectors. These industries are taking advantage of not only Arlington’s proximity to the nation’s capital, but also the region’s highly skilled workforce and burgeoning tech talent pipeline. With recent investments in higher education institutions including George Mason University and Virginia Tech, Arlington is well-positioned to continue attracting companies in addition to the notable successes from this past year:

• Apogee Research — Headquarters expansion
• Boeing — Headquarters relocation
• Federated Wireless — Headquarters expansion
• Huntington Ingalls — Relocation
• MarginEdge — Headquarters expansion
• Raytheon Technologies — Headquarters relocation
• Shift5 — Headquarters expansion
• Targeted Victory — Headquarters expansion
• Technomics — Headquarters expansion

AED’s commitment and investment in tech talent is perhaps no better demonstrated than with our ongoing Tech Talent Pilot Program in partnership with Exelaration. This program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, provides 10 Arlington residents with the opportunity to gain valuable software development experience and a pathway into a technology career.

The program provides companies with additional local talent by offering Arlington residents experiential opportunities in the tech industry. The first cohort of the pilot is nearing completion with participants gaining experience with some of the area’s top companies, while the second cohort will start in late January. We believe investments in innovative programs like this will continue to allow Arlington to lead the way in providing a top-notch workforce for companies looking to expand or locate here

Other notable 2022 accomplishments include our efforts to engage existing Arlington companies during Business Appreciation Month in May. After a long hiatus of in-person interaction caused by the pandemic, AED visited 40 companies over a two-week period to thank them for investing in Arlington and to connect them with valuable resources that may support their growth.

AED also sponsored the Accelerate Investment Conference, an event designed to ignite the Metro region’s innovation, startup, and investor ecosystems and showcases Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. as a prime destination for venture investment and job creation.

As we begin in 2023, we’re seeing real potential for growth in the technology verticals of artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things and quantum computing. AED looks forward to building on the momentum of a successful 2022 as we head into the new year.

This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Arlington has had an incredible year attracting new businesses to the community, with the notable announcements of Boeing and Raytheon Technologies both deciding to locate their global headquarters in Arlington.

Further, past announcements of Nestlé, Lidl, and Amazon HQ2  prove Arlington has become a magnet for large corporations looking to locate their operations amongst a talented workforce, top-notch infrastructure, proximity to Washington, D.C. and convenient access to other major markets in the country.

However, one of the most important functions in economic development is working with existing businesses to ensure they are successful, spawning more investment and hiring — business retention and expansion. Business retention and expansion projects make up a large percentage of companies with which Arlington Economic Development works, and they are equally, if not more, important than the classic business attraction projects we see in the news.

Two great expansion projects this past calendar year include Federated Wireless and Technomics.

Federated Wireless, a leading innovator of private wireless and shared spectrum services, announced in September 2022 its strategic partnership with JBG Smith, National Landing’s largest developer, to innovate and deploy 5G Private Wireless in National Landing. As part of this partnership, Federated Wireless announced it will move its corporate headquarters to National Landing, occupying approximately 36,000 square feet of office space in JBG SMITH’s 2121 Crystal Drive.

In November 2022, state and local officials gathered for the announcement of Technomics’ expansion in National Landing. Technomics is a cost engineering and data analytics company that has been based in Arlington since 2000. Governor Youngkin announced the company will receive $105,000 in VJIP funding for its 10,000 SF expansion, creating 150 net new jobs and investing $1.7 million over the next three years.

Expansion projects like Federated Wireless and Technomics are great examples of our department proactively working with existing companies to ensure their success and growth in our community. These companies become advocates for our community, promoting Arlington and the resources available to businesses looking to locate here.

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

Arlington has hundreds of businesses and nonprofits with a dedicated mission of positively impacting society, workers, the community and the environment.

Many make community outreach, sustainability and equity an integral part of their business model. Only a handful, however, have achieved the coveted Certified B Corporation status.

Companies become Certified B Corps only when they receive certification from B Lab, a nonprofit company that measures its social and environmental performance against the standards in its B Impact Assessment (BIA) in five impacted areas: Environment; Community; Customers; Governance and Workers. A company must score 80+ out of 300 to qualify for the full B Corporation Certification.

The Certified B Corporations in Arlington are:

• Area 2 Farms — certified since December 2021, the organization brings farmers to your neighborhood.
• Connective Impact — an advisory company that connects nonprofits, private sector leaders and government agencies together to build more partnerships and collaborations.
• Fors Marsh Group — a market and consumer research and strategy firm that works with leading companies and federal agencies that seek to disrupt markets, understand or influence behavior, and drive action on a national and global scale.
• Grey Market Labs — a leading cybersecurity research and development and product company with a mission to protect digital life.
• Public Democracy — a data solutions and market intelligence company on a mission to develop better data and more meaningful AI systems that reflect users’ values, support their priorities and allow them to better share in the value of the data they create.
• Serendipity Creative — a woman-owned, purpose driven creative design and branding company.

These Arlington companies join a global community that includes 400,000 workers in over 5,000 Certified B Corps across 80 countries and 155 industries with a shared mission to prioritize people and the planet in everything they do and to balance profit with purpose. It is not easy to become a Certified B Corp. Companies must go through an intensive, months-long process to provide the necessary supporting documentation to B Lab, which measures and validates their entire social and environmental performance.

Companies are very proud of the recognition and are willing to go through the rigorous certification process to demonstrate their dedication to a higher standard of business practice. Fors Marsh Group’s CEO, Ben Garthwaite said after the company received its recertification in 2021, “This recertification affirms our standing as a people-first company, committed to impactful work and continuous growth.”

Research has shown that an increasing number of employees, especially millennials, prefer to work for a mission-driven company. In a job market where employers are continuously competing for talent, the Certified B Corporation emblem is often displayed prominently on a company’s website as a recruitment tool. The emblem may provide an edge for the company when it comes to hiring by attracting people that share the same values.

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

Eight fast-growing Arlington companies were honored last night in Arlington Economic Development’s inaugural REV Awards ceremony.

REV, which stands for Revenue, Employment and Venture, recognizes Arlington-based companies who have experienced substantial growth in their respective categories. Close to 100 business leaders attended the reception that was held at JBG Smith’s state-of-the art experience center at National Landing. Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Christian Dorsey, as well as partnering organizations like JBG Smith, National Landing Business Improvement District, Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership were on hand to honor the awardees.

“The REV Awards were created to celebrate the innovation and perseverance in Arlington’s business community,” said Michael Stiefvater, Acting Director of AED’s Business Investment Group. “The eight winning companies exemplify these traits as leaders in their respective industries and we are proud that they call Arlington home.”

Companies honored at last night’s event include:

Revenue

• Under $5M: Franklin IQ, a management consulting company that helps companies align strategy, empower talent, simplify challenges to create real impact for their clients.
• $5M-$15M: C3 Integrated Solutions, a full-service IT provider that specializes in securing companies through cloud-based solutions with industry leading partners.
• $15M-$25M: Black Cape, has a proven track record and expertise in developing mission applications and applying machine learning and artificial Intelligence to hard problems in the government and commercial sectors.
• $25+M: PGLS, offers translation, interpretation, transcription, language training, and localization in more than 200 languages and dialects. The company delivers on-time, accurate, and personalized language service solutions to numerous companies and government agencies.

Employment

• Under 100: Shift5, an operational technology cybersecurity company that protects the world’s transportation infrastructure and weapons systems from cyberattacks.
• Over 100: Targeted Victory, a fast-growing digital first agency built for the mobile age, sitting at the intersection of politics and business. The company has collectively helped their clients raise more than $1.45 billion in online fundraising and managed over $330 million in digital advertising.

Venture Capital

• Early-stage: EarthOptics, a soil data measurement and mapping company whose technology helps farmers more sustainably manage their soil, increase yields and feed the growing world.
• Late-stage: Federated Wireless, a leading innovator of private wireless and shared spectrum services.

All REV winners were required to be privately held Arlington-based companies outside the retail sector and were required to provide documentation to demonstrate their growth in each relevant category. We salute these companies for their accomplishments and contributions to Arlington’s economy.

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

On September 6, Arlington’s Talent Pilot Program kicked off by welcoming its initial four program participants.

Over the next 12 to 20 weeks, these individuals will gain valuable experience by working on real-world technology projects under senior-level mentorship. Arlington Economic Development partnered with Arlington-based Exelaration, the #2 tech and engineering internship provider in the U.S., to provide these participants with a paid, full-time experiential-learning opportunity.

Meaningful Progress

October marks a significant milestone for the Program and its participants. Starting this month, the Program’s four participants will begin applying their skillsets to real-world client projects. The participants will supplement these projects by receiving relevant technical instruction, including earning a Certified Scrum Master certification. The Arlington Talent Pilot program strives to increase the local tech talent supply by leveraging Arlington’s highly educated workforce.

Forming Strategic Partnerships

The Arlington Talent Pilot Program partners with local organizations such as Bridges to Independence, the Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council, the Capital Youth Empowerment Program, and, most recently, Virginia Values Veterans (V3) as sources for program participants.

Companies and organizations can get involved through events, networking, projects, donations, lectures, and more. To learn more, visit Exelaration’s partnership page.

Make Your Application Stand Out!

Changing careers can be a time-consuming and costly effort, especially for those changing careers toward software development. With entry-level software development positions often requiring at least one year of experience, aspiring software developers are left with few options to overcome this experience barrier.

Purposefully, the Arlington Talent Pilot Program does not require a bachelor’s degree or tech industry experience. Individuals can demonstrate their interest in coding or software development by utilizing free online resources such as Udemy, Code Academy and Coursera.

Leveraging these free resources can serve a dual-purpose: (1) they help you form a basic understanding of coding and software development, and, (2) by listing them on your resume, they demonstrate your interest and passion for software development. To learn more about changing careers, check out Exelaration’s blog, Behavioral Best Practices for Launching a Tech Career.

If you need help with your resume or want resume feedback, the Arlington Employment Center offers free webinars, workshops and live Q&A sessions to assist you. Check out their resources page here.

Apply Now

The Program’s second cohort starts on January 24, 2023 and will consist of six program participants. The application deadline for the second cohort is October 23, 2022, and those interested in learning more about the program or applying can do so directly through Exelaration’s applicant portal. The program is limited to Arlington residents and does not require a secondary degree.

About Arlington Economic Development 

Arlington Economic Development (AED), part of Arlington County Government, is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of an economically competitive and sustainable community, and the creation of exciting, diverse and amenity-rich places. AED provides visionary leadership and superior services to Arlington’s business and arts community, its tourism industry and its real estate development. For more information, visit arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com.