E-Newsletter

Fairfax County E-Bird for April 14, 2020

Please join the FCEDA at 10 a.m. Wednesday (tomorrow!) for a live webinar “Business Resources and Contract Opportunities in the Era of COVID-19”.

During this webinar you will:

  • Get an update on the CARES Act from the SBA;
  • Learn about COVID-19-related contract opportunities with Fairfax County;
  • Learn about a new Fairfax County small business funding program;
  • Pick up helpful tips on how to retool your business model with assistance from SCORE; and,
  • Hear from Fairfax County economic development officials.

Click here for more information and to register.

FCEDA Annual Report: Check out the FCEDA 2019 annual report, titled “Forward Together.” Our annual report highlights the formation of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA) in 2019, heralding unprecedented cooperation across boundaries to market Northern Virginia as the best place for businesses of all kinds to succeed and for people of all backgrounds to live, work, play and learn. These efforts are especially important as the region, the nation and the world move forward together in the battle against COVID-19.  Click here to access the report.

Fairfax County Government Emergency Update: Every household in Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Herndon and Vienna, is receiving a COVID-19 toolkit in the mail. The health alert includes actions that must be taken by each resident in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Find out more by clicking here.

How the FCEDA can help your business: Go to the end of this newsletter to find out how the FCEDA can help your business during the health crisis.

Business News and Updates:

Spring breakers tracked: Reston-based data company X-Mode CEO Josh Anton was featured on CNN as he explained X-Mode’s recent partnership with Columbia, MD-based data viz company Tectonix GEO, focusing on a highly visible case that involved tracking the location data from people who visited a  Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beach during spring break. The cell phone tracking data was posted on a map on Twitter that showed where people traveled after they visited the beach, spreading across the country to major cities. “We wanted to showcase the impact of what happens when you don’t exercise social distancing and essentially how small our community is,” Anton told CNN.

IT job surge: Despite the global crisis, IT jobs continued to be posted in Northern Virginia last month, Technical.ly DC reported. Reston’s General Dynamics, Leidos and SAIC, and Northrop Grumman in the Falls Church area, were among the top 10 employers for IT job postings in March. Nationally, software developers for applications was the top IT position for remote or work-from-home job postings with 27,884 openings last month. In the Washington, D.C., region, Virginia was featured in the top 10 states for open remote or work-from-home gigs with 4,136 job postings. The Commonwealth was also among the top five states for IT job postings in March with 21,643 open positions, Technical.ly noted.

Mobile food solutions: Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology’s early-stage fund, CIT Gap Funds, is investing in Tysons-based Curbside Kitchen, developer of a platform to connect food trucks with owners of commercial offices and multi-family residential buildings. Technical.ly DC covered the story.

Crowdsource temp tracker: Reston-based logistics technology company CargoSense created TrackMyTemp Foundation, a nonprofit company to attempt to crowd-source human temperature data to provide researchers and governments with early indicators about the spread of the coronavirus. By using TrackMyTemp.org, people worldwide can easily, voluntarily, securely log their daily temperature for free, using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, and a home thermometer. The data will be sorted geographically and made available to researchers while preserving the anonymity of the sender, according to the company. Potomac Tech Wire posted the details from TrackMyTemp.org.

Everyone is that masked man: Known for selling bulk amounts of T-shirts with personalized designs, Reston-based Custom Ink is now making masks in large quantities. They’re washable, reusable and made of jersey material. The company was among those featured on “Where to buy face masks for yourself and others” on Today.com.

Robots to the rescue: Fairfax City residents should not be surprised if they soon see robots tooling around on neighborhood sidewalks. Starship Technologies, which developed the robots that have been delivering food around the George Mason University Fairfax campus for the last year, is planning to deploy the robots to deliver food and other items, to customers around Fairfax City, WUSA9 and Potomac Local reported.

Parsons projects: Centreville-headquarters Parsons released a comprehensive array of new capabilities the company will deliver to its customers and community to assist during the coronavirus outbreak, according to ExecutiveGov. This includes an effort in Huntsville, Ala., to make face shields with 3D printers. The company released smart technology to support airports, military bases and ports of entry to provide contactless passenger check-in and screening, biometrics and modified baggage handling and virus detection to detect and eliminate dangerous viruses, ExecutiveGov noted.

Amyx on the front line: Reston-based Amyx is implementing new initiatives to help in the global effort to maintain the spreading of coronavirus disease by supporting front-line response agencies, enabling the procurement of critical medical supplies and supporting the military’s urgent and critical medical response activities, the company announced. For example, the company has provided daily operational support to the United States Transportation Command by developing real-time status of COVID-19 impacts to the government’s supply chain operations. ExecutiveGov covered the story.

Competitors united for the cause: Google, which as an office in Reston, and Apple are teaming up to build software that can alert users if they come into direct contact with someone who has the coronavirus. The companies said that they will work together on  software that will allow iPhones and Android phones alike to exchange information via Bluetooth, alerting users if they have been in close physical proximity with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the New York Post reported.

Telework technology: Splunk, which as an office in Tysons, has made available a Remote Work Insights dashboard designed to help IT administrators track and identify the most relevant IT metrics for a workforce that is working from home to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to DevOps.com.

Mason research report: A report by George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting says the federal government continues to engage with industry in the fight against COVID-19, providing guidance to ensure continuity of operations while protecting the overall workforce health and opening more doors for organizations that want to play a vital role in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Executive Biz. Read the Mason report by clicking here.

Pandemic relief pantry: The Transportation Security Administration at Washington Dulles International Airport set up a food pantry inside the airport for airport employees who have been laid off or furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic. One TSA officer staffs the pantry, and a maximum of four people are allowed to go in due to social distancing guidelines. Most of what is in the pantry has been donated by TSA employees, but members of the public are encouraged to donate as well, according to WTOP.

Non-coronavirus news

Meanwhile, while you are teleworking: Leesburg Pike in Tysons is getting new sidewalks and pedestrian ramps. The work is a part of the Silver Line Phase 1, according to the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Work has already been finished on the eastbound side, and now crews are working on the westbound side of Leesburg Pike before starting similar work along Route 123 near Tysons Blvd, according to Tysons Reporter.

Chain link: Reston-based Carahsoft will participate in a partnership program launched by Chainalysis to expand cryptocurrency transaction monitoring capacities through streamlined integrations, data providers and reseller partners worldwide. Chainalysis plans to foster partnerships with financial institutions, businesses and governments to promote the secure adoption of cryptocurrencies. “Our law enforcement end-users are increasingly looking for cryptocurrency investigative technology to help in cases with criminal and national security implications,” said Lacey Wean, manager at Carahsoft’s Chainalysis team. Executive Biz has more.

IoT partnership: Herndon-based SAP National Security Services and Belleview, WA-headquartered Ossia established a partnership to help intelligence, defense and industry clients manage internet-of-things devices. SAP NS2 will combine its cloud offerings, SAP Digital Core Software Extensions and hyper-scaler integration services with Ossia’s Cota Real Wireless Power technology to support customers in fielding sensors and smart technology platforms designed to collect data and uncover insights, according to ExecutiveBiz.

Satellite link: Omnispace, a Tysons-based satellite networking company, selected Thales Alenia Space to build its initial satellite infrastructure. Omnispace is building a global hybrid network linking satellites with mobile networks. French-Italian joint venture Thales Alenia Space will build the first two satellites for the project, which are scheduled to launch next year. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Polar expedition: Inmarsat Government, a Reston-based government-focused telecommunications company, announced that it provided Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) satellite communications for the recent South Orkney Expedition in Antarctica. The expedition partnered with middle and high school teachers to provide information for use in their classrooms, Via Satellite reported.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

Serco secured a six-year, $57 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to manage, operate and maintain the Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) system. ExecutiveGov

Leidos won a $69 million task order to modernize and sustain the Internal Revenue Service’s web-based customer service portal for tax practitioners who want to transact with the agency electronically. GovConWire

Parsons landed a $40 million contract for New York State alternate-care facilities. Homeland Security Today

Perspecta scored a $36.4 million task order award to continue work on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Virtual Data Center Prime (VDCP) contract. ExecutiveGov

Science Applications International Corp. landed an eight-year, $36 million prime contract from the Texas Department of Information Resources to carry out cybersecurity services for network systems and data center infrastructure. ExecutiveBiz

Featured business events

April 15 — Business Resources and Contract Opportunities in the Era of COVID-19. FCEDA presents a webinar designed to provide guidance on navigating local business resources, contract opportunities and funding options. You will hear from dynamic speakers from the Community Business Partnership, Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives, Fairfax County Department of Procurement and Material Management, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Click here to register.

April 21 –Tech for the Next Decade. TIE DC presents a virtual showcase of technologies that will lead the way for the next ten years. Click here to register.

May 5 — Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County. The FCEDA presents monthly workshops with our partners: the Fairfax County Government, Fairfax County-based Community Business Partnership, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Click here to register.

June 16 — Impact AI: National Impact, Local Innovation. The Northern Virginia Technology Council presents a conference on developments in artificial intelligence and the strength of the regional AI ecosystem. Click here to register.

How the Fairfax County EDA can help

Get business assistance: Continuing business operations in today’s situation is challenging and the FCEDA is working to assist businesses with information and access to critical resources during this emergency. Visit the FCEDA’s Covid-19 Business Resource Hub for up-to-date information, resources and assistance for businesses.

The FCEDA, like other economic development organizations in the region, is working virtually until at least April 30, and our staff is working full-time with businesses of all kinds to offer assistance and direct them to resources. For direct assistance, email the FCEDA at info@fceda.org, or call 703-790-0600 to leave a voice message for our staff. And click here for resources available in the other nine jurisdictions that make up the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance.

Call to action: How is your company reacting to the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis? Is your company developing any technologies, implementing any noteworthy procedures or have advice for other companies on how conduct business more effectively in this situation? Please contact the FCEDA communications division at info@fceda.org with relevant information that we may possibly share with our readers. Thank you for your assistance in these unprecedented times.

Here are more useful informational resources:

  • Fairfax County information for businesses impacted by coronavirus: click here
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Virginia: click here
  • SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program information and other COVID-19 related resources and guidance for small business: click here
  • CDC resources for businesses and employers: click here
  • Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance — links to COVID 19-related resources throughout the region: click here

Get text updates: Fairfax County residents are encouraged to sign up for coronavirus-related text message alerts from the Fairfax County Health Department in order to stay current with important updates. To receive these alerts, text FFXCOVID to 888-777. In addition, residents can send specific questions or concerns related to the coronavirus to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to respond to questions.