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Take a gander: In case you haven’t noticed, the FCEDA has launched a newly enhanced and streamlined website that conveys the success and assets of Fairfax County to the business community and those who are considering working and living here. Packed with infographics and Fairfax County photography, the site is easier to navigate yet retains all the vital information, news and up-to-date content that visitors demand. Click here to check out the site.

Israeli firms on Mars’ radar: McLean-based Mars will partner with venture capital fund Jerusalem Venture Partners to promote technologies to help solve global food, agriculture and nutrition challenges.The organizations will collaborate on R&D investments, supporting Israeli startups and new companies by working with multiple Israeli academic institutions. In a release cited by Potomac Tech Wire, Mars says it is eyeing the emerging field of personalized nutrition and plans to explore the converging worlds of food, health and technology to fuel a new generation of agriculture and nutritional products.

Forcing the issue:  Forcepoint Federal, a global cybersecurity company owned by defense contractor Raytheon and private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, leased more than 46,000 square feet of space at the Monument II building on Worldgate Drive in Herndon. A release picked up by Citybizlist notes that  Edge Commercial Real Estate, which has offices in Tysons, brokered the deal.

Tacos for everyone: Six Fairfax County is home to six of the 12 honorees at the inaugural CYBERTACOS Cybersecurity Impact Awards, which honor firms with headquarters in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. for leadership and innovation. Among the winners, presented by W2 Communications and  CBRE on Tuesday were: Large Companies Paladion (Reston) and Sonatype (Tysons); Midsize company Dark Wolf Solutions (Chantilly); Small Business PFP Cybersecurity (Tysons); and Startups Caveonix (Tysons) and RunSafe Security (Tysons). Potomac Tech Wire carried a release.

Decibels vs. development: Fairfax County officials cleared the way for construction of housing for the first time in the Westfields office park in Chantilly. The Board of Supervisors weighed concerns about the health of the office park and need for housing against warnings about allowing housing under flight paths approaching Washington Dulles International Airport. Alex Koma reports the board’s debate in this story for Washington Business Journal subscribers.

Space available: Co-working space provider Office Evolution opened a Herndon location on Van Buren Street. Located within walking distance of a future Metro station, the location offers dedicated workspaces, conference rooms and day offices as well as phone answering services. Merica Hobson covered the ribbon-cutting for the Connection.

Funding the long run: TechnoMile of Tysons landed what it terms a “major” investment from Seattle-based Lighter Capital, according to a release carried by Potomac Tech Wire. TechnoMile develops industry-specific cloud software and provides business-process consulting services, focusing on portfolio, campaign, sales management, compliance and operational management.

More than Able: Hildi Pineda of Chantilly-based AbleVets LLC was among the winners when Women in Technology announced recipients of its 20th annual Leadership Awards. Potomac Tech Wire carried a release listing all 10 of the honorees of the Falls Church-based organization that supports women in the Washington-area tech community.

Getting saasy: Hitachi Vantara Federal, a Reston-based provider of data and analytics tools to federal agencies, is launching a new “as-a-service” offering. The SaaS platform will enable federal customers to procure the company’s data services, including traditional infrastructure, data technology solutions and REAN Cloud services, without investing capital in IT infrastructure. Washington Technology’s Nick Wakeman reports that its part of Hitachi Vantara Federal ‘s evolution from data storage hardware provider to service provider.

Foot on the gas: Fairfax-based Virginia Tire & Auto is expanding with three more county locations. One in Vienna has opened, and centers in Tysons and Herndon are scheduled to open later this year. Citybizlist carried the release.

Fired up for Fairfax: George Mason University grad Chris Comerford of Fire Toga Productions created a video after attending the FCEDA’s May 8 Build It With #FairfaxEDA event. Click here to see his fresh take — unsolicited to boot.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

• ASRC Federal won a potential five-year, $100 million contract to provide service transition support for global mission-critical systems used by the State Department. GovConWire
• L3 Technologies will produce and install explosive detection systems for the Transportation Security Administration under a potential five-year, $500 million contract. GovConWire
• DynCorp International received a potential $50 million task order to support disaster-recovery efforts at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, following floods in that area. ExecutiveBiz
• General Dynamics will provide mobile-satellite services and voice communications platforms to the Defense Information Systems Agency under a potential five-year, $32.6 million contract. ExecutiveBiz
• Boeing secured a $139.8 million contract modification to continue manufacturing laser guidance sets for the Navy. GovConWire
• Modern Technology Solutions Inc. will examine potential uses of artificial intelligence in military aviation under an agreement with the Army. ExecutiveBiz

Upcoming Business Events

• May 17: Small Business Expo. 15th-anniversary networking event featuring business speakers and exhibitors. Presented by BL Networking. Click here.
• May 17: Uniting Women in Cyber — Creating a Fearless Workforce: Day-long symposium to celebrate the success of women leaders thriving in today’s cybersecurity ecosystem and to address issues that may be preventing more women from reaching leadership positions. Click here.
• May 22: Boost Your B2B Authority with Savvy Social Marketing: Learn to focus on what really matters to clients and how to achieve success through social media and content marketing. Part of the Business Education Series presented by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Click here.
• June 1: TiE DC Startup Workshop — Scaling and Growing Ventures. Government contracting leaders discuss ways to achieve goals and opportunities for founders and CEOs of 8(a), woman-owned, HUBZones and veteran-owned businesses. Click here
• June 4: Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County. This FCEDA workshop is for those contemplating doing business in the county. The series, which covers a full range of basics, is held in partnership with the Community Business Partnership, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Registration is required. Click here.
• June 26: Access to Success Multicultural Business Conference — Roadmap to Resources. Free event designed to provide practical knowledge to small, women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. Presented by the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity. Click here.

FAIRFACT: Fairfax County’s population is about 1.15 million. That’s just one of many facts available in the FCEDA’s newly released annual report.