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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alan Fogg
Director of Communications
afogg@fceda.org, 703-790-0600
Fairfax County's Small and Minority Businesses
Honored for National Achievements
Fairfax County, Virginia, December 3, 1997— The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) held their First Annual FCEDA Achievement Awards this morning, honoring 16 small and minority businesses for their exceptional contributions to the economy of Fairfax County. These firms were initially recognized by national media outlets such as Black Enterprise, Hispanic Business and Washington Technology.
The 16 companies receiving awards are: Base Technologies, Inc.; Comprehensive Technologies International, Inc.; Computer Systems Development Corporation; INDUS Corporation; INNOLOG; IntelliSys Technology Corporation; KEMRON Environmental Services; Metters Industries, Inc.; SHERIKON, Inc.; SIGNAL Corporation; Solutions By Design, Inc.; STG, Inc.; TECHNAUTICS, Inc.; Thompson Hospitality Corporation; Universal Systems & Technology, Inc.; and Vastera.
These awards were designed to showcase the contributions of small and minority businesses to the overall economic health of Fairfax County, to laud companies for their successes and for their decision to call Fairfax County home. "Fairfax County applauds the entrepreneurial spirit of these small and minority businesses," said Pat Woolsey, chairman of the FCEDA. "We congratulate them on the success they have achieved and their recent national recognition."
Small businesses account for 47 percent of sales in the United States, and, of the nearly 25,000 business establishments located in Fairfax County, 97 percent of them are small businesses.
Minority-owned businesses continue to increase steadily in Fairfax County. Every five years the U.S. Bureau of Census publishes Surveys of Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, the last in 1992. Between 1987 and 1992 in Fairfax County, African-American-owned firms increased by 71 percent; Asian-/Pacific Islander-/American Indian-/Alaska Native-Owned firms increased by 64 percent; Hispanic-owned firms tripled and women-owned firms increased by 38 percent. These statistics represent the largest growth of their kind in the Washington, D.C., region.
The FCEDA assists small, minority and woman-owned businesses by providing information or referrals concerning start-up, expansion or relocation of businesses. The Authority also produces several publications designed to assist small and minority businesses. For more information visit FCEDA's Web page at www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org.
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