Biz Talk

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

It comes as no surprise that both domestic and international companies select Arlington as their home to grow their businesses. They choose Arlington for similar reasons, such as proximity to customers and partners, accessibility to major transportation infrastructure, and the availability of a talented workforce. Here are perspectives from three international companies based in Arlington.

For the Japanese global conglomerate NEC Corporation, Arlington and the Northern Virginia area are excellent places for technology businesses. Mr. Shin Takahashi, chairman of the board of NEC Corporation of America (NECAM), selected Arlington to both live and work when he began leading NECAM’s government relations and public policy office in early 2018.

“Having a strong local management team is key to success for international companies,” Takahashi said. “Arlington is a good location for hiring great talent with excellent education and experience. There are lots of good companies around here, so it is easy to find highly qualified talent.”

NECAM’s Arlington location has grown to several business units, including a customer experience center to showcase its IT and facial recognition technology. It will relocate to a new office in Ballston in the fall.

“We only looked at Arlington when considering a new location to house the business units,” Takahashi said. “Arlington is diverse, safe and international. I could carry the same lifestyle as in Tokyo, where I could walk every place at night, go to grocery stores and restaurants, and visit movie theaters.”

Takahashi is also amazed at the number of fitness studios and gyms in the area and how healthy Arlingtonians are. “From my window, I can see people carrying yoga mats to exercise, so it is a big booster for my own wellness and a motivation to work out.”

TELE’s Daniel Kroepfl, who established the Austrian industrial electronics, manufacturing and services company in Arlington in late 2018, expresses a similar sentiment. “I travel to many cities throughout the country to visit customers and partners, and I do not see as many people running and exercising as in Arlington,” he said. “Arlington lives up to its name as America’s fittest city.”

When TELE was first considering expanding to the United States, the company looked at different cities across the country. “We chose Arlington because we want a location where we can recruit talent but also where our employees from Austria would enjoy visiting,” Kroepfl explained. “Austrian Airlines offers frequent direct flights from Vienna to Dulles, so I can visit my family and travel to headquarters easily.”

Accessibility to Europe and the U.S., Canada and Mexico markets is also a major consideration. “Access to major transportation hubs is key for our industry, which is industrial production, automation and electronics development,” Kroepfl said. “Everything is within easy reach by having an office here, allowing us to achieve our business goals.”

For the Australian digital intelligence startup Fivecast, accessibility to decision-makers in federal government agencies was the primary reason to choose Arlington for its first U.S. office. Duane Rivett, one of the founders of Fivecast, moved here in late 2019 to build up the company’s U.S. operations.

“The U.S. federal government represents an important customer base for Fivecast. Our digital intelligence solutions are built from the ground up to address challenges facing national security, defense and law enforcement organizations,” Rivett said. “The business community in Arlington provides lots of great opportunities for networking across the public sector and sharing ideas, expertise and connections, which are invaluable for establishing a new business.”

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

Earlier this month, Arlington Economic Development took part in National Economic Development Week, which celebrates the positive contributions that the profession of economic development makes on localities, regions and states across the United States.

National Economic Development Week was established by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the world’s largest organization serving the economic development profession, with more than 5,000 members around the world. Best defined by IEDC, “Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base.”

As we celebrate the contributions that economic development brings to communities, we also recognize that none of the contributions would be possible without great partnerships and strategic investments to make a community attractive to its existing and prospective businesses.

Below are some examples of partnerships and investments AED has taken part in that support the business community and boost its profile as an ideal location to do business:

• Gazelle Grant Program — Launched in 2016, Arlington Economic Development’s Gazelle Grant program was designed to be a deal-closing incentive program for fast-growing or “gazelle” technology companies. This program is a tool to help grow the tech ecosystem economy in Arlington by expanding the tech employment base and decreasing the commercial real estate vacancy rate. Since the inception of the program, Arlington Economic Development has attracted and expanded five high-growth technology companies with the Gazelle Grant. To date, the program helped create and retain an estimated 778 jobs and absorb over 83,000 square feet of commercial space.
• Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance — In September 2019, 10 jurisdictions from Northern Virginia came together to announce the formation of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA). The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Arlington County, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, City of Falls Church, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park and Prince William County Department of Economic Development comprise NOVA EDA’s membership. NOVA EDA was created following the Amazon HQ2 and Virginia Tech Innovation Campus announcements in Northern Virginia to better collaborate as a region and develop a strong brand and story that showcases the value proposition of doing business in Northern Virginia.
• Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program — In response to the pandemic in 2020, Arlington County partnered with the Arlington Industrial Development Authority and the Ballston, Crystal City and Rosslyn Business Improvement Districts to develop and implement the Emergency GRANT program to support small businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, Arlington County supported 393 businesses through the $2.8 million program with awards of up to $10,000 per business.

These examples are only a few of the many ways Arlington Economic Development’s efforts make the community a competitive and viable option for companies to launch, expand and locate their businesses.

Through existing business support and programs to attract new investment to the community, Arlington is well-positioned to diversify its economy further, expand its technology ecosystem, and provide an environment for enhanced economic well-being and quality of life to all its residents.

This article was written by Alex Taylor, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

As more people around the country receive the COVID-19 vaccine, companies are starting to weigh the many factors impacting a return to the physical office.

While for most of the pandemic focus was on the workforce adapting to working from home, workforce surveys are now starting to reflect what we can expect the new world to look like. Many remote work skeptics have come around to the reality that much of the workforce became more effective during the pandemic. Cutting out commutes and allowing for more time with family were some of the silver linings at-home workers experienced in the past 14 months — and many will cling to these new benefits as companies start calling employees back into the office.

A recent survey from Savills North America found that while 73% of companies expect employees to be in the office at least three days a week, only 4% expect employees to be in the office every day. In other words, flexible work is here to stay.

On the surface, this sounds like bad news for communities reliant on occupied office buildings for tax revenue, particularly as almost 80% of companies surveyed by Savills claimed that at least some employees have been allowed to permanently relocate away from their previously assigned office. Coming out of the pandemic, locations like Arlington could be primed to benefit from an increased focus on amenity-rich environments.

Pre-pandemic, the number one driver for real estate decisions was positioning the office space as a desirable, interactive and engaging environment for employees. That will not change post-pandemic. High-quality amenities like restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, as well as robust transportation infrastructure, will move even higher on the list for companies looking to create a high-quality office environment. Employees that leave their home to travel to work will want the end destination to be fun, vibrant and amenity-rich to make their efforts worthwhile. Arlington has these in spades, but in a pre-pandemic world, companies had to weigh an employee’s commute into office location decisions, often placing the office in the center of an employee residential location heat map.

In a post-pandemic world, where employees are commuting into the office only one to three days a week, being centrally located to employees’ homes becomes of less importance. Companies, instead, can double down on high-quality, engaging offices in vibrant and accessible neighborhoods, with the expectation employees will be willing to make a longer journey knowing it will be less often. Companies that previously bet on bring located inside the beltway to attract the young and highly-educated workforce that resides closer to the city will now be able to double-dip into an additional pool of talented workers who have settled in the region’s suburbs and beyond.

A lot of unknowns still surround the return to the office, but as it draws closer there are reasons to be optimistic that Arlington will continue to be an attractive location to do business in the coming years.

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

This month, Arlington Economic Development is celebrating innovation and all the business community members that contribute to the innovation economy. From venture capital raises to project announcements, Arlington has kicked off 2021 with great momentum in many areas that contribute to our innovation ecosystem.

In January 2021, Microsoft announced its decision to grow its presence in the Washington, D.C. area with a new lease at 1300 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington for its DMV Sales Headquarters. According to a LinkedIn post by Toni Townes-Whitley, President of U.S. Regulated Industries at Microsoft, “[the] new offices will feature a Microsoft Technology Center, state-of-the-art customer facilities, and innovative employee workspaces to support collaboration and innovation.”

In February 2021, Governor Northam announced the location of ZEBOX in Arlington as part of a larger announcement for the Commonwealth. According to the press release, “ZEBOX will assist innovative start-ups in developing new technologies for transportation, logistics, mobilities, and industry 4.0.” This was a great win for Arlington County as the community continues to expand its offerings of co-working and incubator spaces for tech startups.

Also announced in February 2021 was George Mason University’s President’s Advisory Council. This council, comprised of business executives and community leaders in the region, including AED’s director, Telly Tucker, will provide strategic guidance and advocacy to the University’s Arlington innovation initiatives.

Last month, DeepSig announced the opening of its 5G Wireless AI Lab in Rosslyn. According to the press release, “The lab includes an end-to-end 5G network using state-of-art, commercial grade, multi-vendor products and tools. The 5G Wireless AI Lab focuses on measuring and validating machine learning software on over-the-air calls and data using 5G Open virtual radio access network (vRAN) and signal classification for dynamic spectrum allocation and interference mitigation.”

Finally, 2021 has been a great year thus far for venture activity for Arlington-based companies. Since the beginning of 2021, notable deals include Stacklet’s announcement that it secured $18 million Series A funding and WireWheel’s announcement that it raised $20 million in Series B funding. Additionally, CareerGig announced the acquisition of Charlottesville, Virginia-based Moonlighting, a SaaS platform that empowers individuals to build their freelancer profiles and allows businesses to hire talented professionals quickly and affordably, according to a January press release.

All these announcements contribute to the success of Arlingtonʼs innovation ecosystem by helping the community attract and expand the businesses, talent and venture funding to make Arlington an ideal hub for innovation.

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

March 25 to 26 is American Associations Day. There are more than a hundred business, trade and professional associations based in Arlington. These associations vary widely in size of membership, industry, political inclination and influence. Their membership bases range from individuals and small businesses to large corporations and public agencies located throughout the country and even overseas.

Many of these associations may not be household names, but they play a crucial role in providing a unified lobbying and public relations platform to protect their members’ shared interests. Associations serve their members by providing education, professional development, research, networking and advocacy at the federal, state and local levels — often having national impacts.

It has been a year since COVID-19 changed how we live and work. Similar to all businesses, associations adapted to the new work realities by introducing COVID-specific resources, tools and best practices for their members.

Below we highlight several Arlington associations and describe how they are supporting their members during the pandemic.

Associations Focused on Public Health

No industry was more impacted by the pandemic over the past year than the health care industry. Arlington is unique in having several associations with members on the frontlines combating the virus. These associations represent physicians, nurses and practicing clinicians who provide direct patient care. Some also represent members working in academic and research settings, like scientists, epidemiologists, researchers and medical technologists. Their members are public health experts, and they provide input and policy guidance to government health officials who, in turn, develop recommended guidelines for the public. It’s routine to see these associations mentioned in national and international news media, and their members are interviewed for their expertise.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) are three Arlington associations with members leading the response against the pandemic. As their names suggest, their primary missions are the prevention of infectious diseases.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, these associations quickly developed dedicated COVID-19 webpages to disseminate timely information and resources, along with the latest healthcare guidelines and fact sheets to assist their members in navigating the health crisis. Given that their members are leaders in the field of epidemiology, the associations regularly hosted forums with subject matter experts to discuss the latest research results. The information is directed to their membership base and as resources to assist government officials and members of the public in making informed decisions. The associations also supported their members by advocating to Congress for COVID relief legislation, which includes new funding for vaccination, testing, treatments and medical supplies that have directly impacted patient care.

Associations Representing the Food Industry

Throughout the pandemic, food industry associations have worked tirelessly to keep the nation’s food supply chain intact and to ensure Americans continue to have access to safe food. Once again, Arlington is home to several organizations that play a leading role in aligning this complex industry’s interests and providing a common voice on behalf of its large group of members.

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

Arlington Economic Development (AED) and its partner organizations offer a variety of resources to businesses as they consider Arlington as a place to establish, locate or expand their operations.

To help businesses identify suitable programs, resources and services, AED launched a user-friendly tool that allows users to filter 30-plus resources by company role and resource type to pinpoint the most appropriate resources for a company’s needs.

A sampling of the resources available to businesses looking to establish, retain, locate or expand operations in Arlington include:

• Arlington County Real Estate Search: AED’s Business Investment Group works with businesses to identify prospective spaces for a relocation or expansion search.
• On-Site Business Retention Visits: AED’s Business Development Managers can assist with solutions and feedback to ensure existing companies’ needs and challenges are being addressed.
• State Workforce Development Programs: AED’s state partner, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, offers financial assistance and training to companies via the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) and the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.
• Tax and Business Cost Comparisons: AED and its state economic development partners provide business cost comparisons between states and regions for companies evaluating a relocation or expansion using Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s CompareVA website. AED can also provide businesses more detailed cost comparisons locally and regionally.
• University Connections: AED has a number of connections with local community colleges and universities in the region, including George Mason University, Marymount University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, George Washington University and Northern Virginia Community College.
• Workforce and Talent Research: AED can provide detailed economic, workforce and talent research through various labor and talent-market database tools to determine staffing and hiring trends at the city, county and regional levels.

As businesses navigate the resources available to them, AED encourages them to connect with an experienced team member of our Business Investment Group who can discuss the resources in greater detail or facilitate introductions with the appropriate contacts at our partner organizations. These resources are vital to growing our local business community and helping prospective businesses hit the ground running in Arlington County.

This article was written by Susan Soroko, Director of Creative Economy for Arlington Economic Development.

Made in Arlington vendors may not be holding pop-up markets or selling goods in the County Library’s Plaza Shop these days, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t creating new items and selling directly and through various online portals.

While the pandemic has taken its toll on retail, these local artisans and makers are at the ready for celebrating with unique Valentine’s Day options. Some are available to ship, deliver or pickup; many take advance orders. Receiving a locally made gift is sure to sweeten your loved one’s day!

Need some pampering? Elodie’s Naturals puts nature as the main ingredient for skin care products. When educating customers is part of the fun, Elodie’s DIY kits for kids are much more than entertainment. For soap and candle maker All That Yazz, Valentine’s Day inspired heart-shaped foot fizzies offer a relaxing soak.

Sweets, lots of sweets. Arlington favorites, Kingsbury Chocolates and Village Sweet, will be your go-to for handmade chocolates, artfully iced cookies and fresh-baked treats. From artisan truffles to hot chocolate cubes, Kingsbury will satisfy your bonbon desires. Tempted to wake up to muffins, scones or cookies? Village Sweet has something new every day that can be ordered ahead or shopped safely at the entrance. Don’t wait! These Arlington treasures sell fast.

Nothing says love like jewelry. Debra Fabian Jewelry has been creating modern classics that are featured in trunk shows and online. Her artisan pieces are timeless, elegant and designed for special days and any day.

Can’t find the right words? Let Fast Snail do the job with heartfelt messages and illustrations on greeting cards and prints. Love notes travel the globe even if you’re at a loss for words.

Heart-healthy will be your new Valentine this year with edible flowers and super greens from Arlington’s only commercial grower, Fresh Impact Farms. Bathed in pink-tinted lighting, this tech-savvy enterprise takes sustainability and urban agriculture to a new level. And the flavors? Unrivaled.

Classic. Arlington’s new Privé Roses will have you looking no further for the ultimate dozen (or more!) of the flower of love. Quality and presentation in modern containers make these carefully selected blooms cupid approved and packaged to last.