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Take a bow: Virginia Business magazine is out with its 10th annual Best Places to Work in Virginia list, which it publishes in collaboration with Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group. Fairfax County-based companies make up two of 24 large employers (Merrifield-based consulting firm MBP and Centreville-based automobile information firm CARFAX), 10 of 21 mid-size employers (including the top-ranked firm, Merrifield-based contractor Dynamis), and 20 of 55 small employers including four in the top 10 (Fairfax-based law firm Harrity & Harrity, Reston-based IT firm ThunderCat Technology, Tysons-based financial advisors Cassaday & Co., and Herndon-based IT firm Four Inc.). And get this: CARFAX has made the list all 10 years. See the lists in Virginia Business.

Two to one: Information technology consulting company OneGlobe moved its headquarters from Ashburn to Reston, merging the Ashburn and previous Reston locations. OneGlobe employs 65 people and has recently added employees, according to citybizlist.

Another crossroads: A team of developers is sketching out plans to convert three buildings in Baileys Crossroads into residential “live/work” units. The Wolff Co. and Highland Square Holdings, working in tandem with new Skyline owner Somera Road, plan to transform the largely vacant office buildings, located at 5201, 5202 and 5205 Leesburg Pike, into a total of 764 residential units. Washington Business Journal reported.

Valuing veterans: Reston-based Carahsoft will participate in the Virginia Values Veterans Certification Program, which aims to help veterans obtain more employment opportunities through training and education, according to Reston Now.

Justice is served: Tysons-based PenFed Credit Union is partnering with the Washington Justice, D.C.’s professional Overwatch League esports team, for its 2020 season and will be the presenting partner for the team’s inaugural homestand this weekend, Technical.ly reported.

On the list: Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of Reston-based General Dynamics, was among the influencers named in the Business Journal’s national list of “People We’re Watching in 2020.” The executives were identified in conjunction with editors and staff writers across The Business Journals’ network of more than 40 publications. Find out more in this Washington Business Journal post.

Cloud reach: Tysons-based Applied Insight (ai) made moves to bolster its footprint in the intelligence market with the acquisition of Reston-based cloud integrator Digital Age Experts (DAE). “Our strategy focused on the cloud and enabling federal agencies to get up and running with cloud at scale, and DAE just fit so nicely into that,” Applied Insight’s CEO John Hynes told the Washington Business Journal in the article for subscribers.

Let the show begin: The ShowPlace Icon Theatre at The Boro, one of the anchor tenants of the massive mixed-use development in Tysons, is expected to open in March. This location, the seventh in the U.S. under the Showplace Icon brand for Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres, spans 72,000 square feet, with 1,795 seats spread across 14 theaters, plus a restaurant and a bar and lounge. See photos in the Washington Business Journal.

Following the North Star: Reston-based SOS International (SOSi) bought NorthStar Systems, an advanced analytics software company based in Denmark. This is the fifth acquisition SOSi has made since 2016, according to a release picked up by citybizlist.

Heart love: Inova Fairfax Hospital ranked in the top 2% of the America’s Best Hospitals survey by Healthgrades. Inova Fairfax was recognized in the nation’s top 50 hospitals for cardiac surgery and in the top 100 for cardiac care and general surgery. In the survey, 83% of patients polled “definitely recommend” the hospital, according to citybizlist.

Swiss miss-ion: Reston-based Leidos partnered with Rusada, a global aviation technology provider headquartered in Switzerland, to serve as systems integrator for ENVISION, Rusada’s Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and Flight Operations software. ExecutiveGov posted the story.

Deal takes flight: Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries Inc., which has a Herndon location, sold its satellite-rideshare business Spaceflight Inc. to Tokyo-based Mitsui & Co. and Chiba, Japan-based Yamasa Co. The parent company, Spaceflight Industries, will use the capital from the sale to grow BlackSky, its geospatial intelligence business, which collects and distributes images and data from its satellites in orbit to clients, the Washington Business Journal reported.

Malaysian tech training: Tysons-based Digital Intelligence Systems (DISYS), a provider of managed technology and staffing services, launched a pilot project in Malaysia to prepare students for future tech careers, including in programming and coding. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Another piece of the apple: In its latest foray into the New York City infrastructure market, Reston-based Bechtel opened an office there to bid on projects in sectors ranging from rail and aviation to power and communications. Bechtel has been involved with construction projects in New York City since 1946, including a Penn Station improvement project, a $3.2 billion Long Island Rail Road improvement and a $1.2 billion Manhattan to JFK Airport Air Train, according to Bechtel spokesperson Juliet Whitcombe in a Construction Dive article.

Decoding the market: Tysons-based Fraym is among the 12 AI and big data companies that are convening in Washington for Dcode Accelerate, which assists startups to develop federal strategies and introduce them to government and tech industry leaders for a 10-week program beginning this month, according to Technical.ly.

Carolina catch: Reston-based home-builder Stanley-Martin Communities agreed to buy assets of Essex Homes in North Carolina and South Carolina. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the month, InsideNOVA reported.

Building bridges: Northern Virginia Community College’s new president, Anne Kress, said the college plans to “build stronger bridges” for its students, either as a bridge to transfer or to the workforce. Find out about Kress’s vision for NOVA in her first interview with the media with the Washington Business Journal ‘s Sara Gilgore.

Affordability grant: Nearly $95 million in federal funding has been earmarked for affordable housing in Virginia, Fairfax County is among the counties that will receive the most, with an allotment of nearly $6 million, according to an announcement by Virginia Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine. The funding comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development through four grant programs. More than 30 localities in Virginia will benefit from the program, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

General Dynamics scored an $883 million Army contract to modernize and maintain hundreds of training systems across the service’s installations. Washington Business Journal

MicroTech and Agile Defense won a $159 million joint contract by the Air Forces Central Command, Combined Air and Space Operations Center, for communications support. citybizlist

Leidos obtained a $100 million follow-on prime contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide technical support services for the Center for Preparedness and Response. Homeland Security Today

Featured business events

February 24 — The Silver Line Impact on our Region, Business and Workforce. The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce presents a panel discussion: “The Key to Attracting and Retaining a Qualified Workforce in the Dulles Region.” Panelists to include David Kelley, Director, National Business Investment, FCEDA. This is part of the chamber’s Metro Monday series. Click here.

February 26 — When Smart Businesswomen Control Their Cashflow. The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce presents a financial planning for business owners talk by Jenevieve J. Lenz, an integrated wealth advisor with First Financial Group. This is part of the chamber’s Business Education Series. Click here.

March 3 — 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.

March 4 — CSR Roundtable of Northern Virginia: The Corporate Role in the 2020 Census. Volunteer Fairfax presents a panel of experts on the corporate role to ensure a complete count and the consequences of an undercount on your business, employees, and the nonprofits your firm supports through its Corporate Social Responsibility. Click here.

March 25 — 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.