• E-Newsletter

Playing tourist: The Mount Vernon Gazette reports that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 budget item to fund a tourism initiative in the South County area. The funding will advance a tourism task force’s branding efforts for the southeastern Fairfax County Cultural Corridor, provide greater opportunities to promote historic and cultural attractions in the area and attract new food and entertainment venues.

Small is big: Amazon is ramping up its service offerings for small businesses around the Washington area with a Small Business Spotlight on October 15. Click here to learn more.

Silver Line playbook: Fairfax County Deputy County Executive Rachel Flynn and FCEDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins are speaking Thursday at Bisnow’s “Future of Fairfax County” event that will focus on the changes being created by Metro’s Silver Line and other opportunities around the county. Check out more in Bisnow’s interview with Flynn. And ICYMI, here is the Bisnow interview with Hoskins.

Sunny side up: NBC4 Washington reports that Dominion Energy and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are considering a 1,200-acre solar energy farm on the airport grounds. It would be the largest in Northern Virginia. Dominion says at peak output, the 100-megawatt development could power up to 25,000 homes. Dominion recently signed a sublease with MWAA to begin feasibility studies, with a hope the farm could be active as soon as 2023.

The whole picture: Whole Foods Market will open the doors to its new 70,000-square-foot store at The Boro in Tysons on October 30. As the Austin-based grocer’s flagship location for the mid-Atlantic region, the store will employ 325 full and part-time workers, and feature a food hall on the first floor and a bar and game room on the second floor. The Washington Business Journal has the full story.

Global footprint: Reston Now shared that global performance marketing agency Sandstorm Digital plans to take up office space at Comstock’s Reston Station. The company, which has offices in the Middle East and Europe, is expanding its global footprint to cater to the North American market, company officials wrote in a statement. The location is the company’s first in the United States.

All naval systems a go: Chantilly-based technology integrator VT Group announced the purchase of DELTA Resources, which is based in Alexandria and specializes in naval systems engineering. WashingtonExec has more.

We sense a deal: QinetiQ, a U.K.-based defense and security company, announced that it will acquire Lorton-based Manufacturing Techniques (MTEQ) for $105 million. MTEQ provides advanced sensor technology. It employs 360 people in Virginia. Jane’s 360 picked up a Qinetic release.

New media: Reston-based Comscore announced a partnership with CTV Media to provide advanced audience data for all clients on a regional and national scale. Citybizlist picked up a release.

Now all we need is George Clooney to staff it: InsideNOVA notes that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved plans by Reston Hospital Center to convert a three-story restaurant/bank building at 8240 Leesburg Pike in Tysons into a freestanding emergency room. The facility will provide 24-hour hospital-level emergency-care services. Reston Hospital is part of the HCA Virginia Health System.

Third time’s a charm: Tysons Reporter noted that signs have popped up indicating that Lerner is planning a 2 million-square-foot mixed-use development called Tysons III adjacent to the Tysons Corner Metro Station and the Tysons II office, retail and hotel complex. The signs are on the grassy spot near the area that has been used by Cirque du Soleil. The Tysons Comprehensive Plan envisions the area as “Transit Station Mixed Use,” Tysons Reporter notes.

Sprouting grocery options: Rebecca Cooper of the Washington Business Journal shares that the D.C. area’s grocery store options are growing again with the arrival of Sprouts Farmers Market, an organic-centric chain out of Phoenix. The company’s first Washington-area store is slated to open at 494 Elden Street in Herndon. The store took part of a space that was previously a Kmart.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County:

• Northrop Grumman secured a pair of contracts worth almost $1.9 billion to modernize GPS systems and several surveillance aircraft for the Air Force. Washington Business Journal
• Parsons won a potential five-year, $590 million task order to help the U.S. military research, develop and roll out new technologies to support cyberspace capabilities. Washington Technology
• MITRE received a one-year, $451.3 million contract from the Air Force to administer a federally funded research and development center that focuses on engineering systems designed to help advance the government’s national security goals. GovConWire
• Serco’s North American division won a potential five-year, $162 million contract to continue providing professional support services to the Navy’s Amphibious Warfare Program Office. GovConWire
• Elbit Systems of America–Night Vision (previously Harris Night Vision) received a delivery order worth about $23 million for a night-vision goggle system used by the Marine Corps. Yahoo Finance

Featured business events

• October 17 — GMU’s Annual Business Celebration. Annual networking gala, business showcase, and distinguished alumni awards, which highlights the entrepreneurial spirit, success, and engagement of GMU’s School of Business community. Click here.
• October 29 — TiE DC Capital GovCon. A forward-looking and informative conference for companies looking to do business with the federal government. Hear from government contracting leaders in our region, connect with TiE DC’s community of government contractors and learn how to achieve your growth goals. E-Bird readers get 10% off tickets. Enter the code “PARTNER10” at check out. Click here.
• November 5 — Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County. Presented by the FCEDA with its partners the Community Business Partnership, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, and the Fairfax County government. Click here.
• November 14 — BL Small Business Expo. Visit with about 70 different exhibitors presenting a wide range of products and services that could help you enhance your business and/or life. Keynote speaker will be Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the FCEDA. Click here.
• November 14 — Opportunity Richmond Highway. Learn about new financial incentives for new development on Richmond Highway such as Opportunity Zones and the Economic Growth Improvement Program. Presented by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation and the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce. Speakers include Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the FCEDA. Click here.