E-Newsletter

Fairfax County E-Bird for December 3, 2019

Steering to success: Reston-based Active Navigation announced it closed on a $11 million Series A funding round led by venture capital firm Mobeus. Technical.ly DC reports that the company, which develops file-analysis software, will use the funds to advance product development and scale up operations and expand into the New York and Los Angeles markets with remote offices.

Dutch treat: McLean-based cloud networking provider GTT Communications wrapped up its purchase of Dutch telecommunications and IT provider KPN International for about $55.4 million. According to Virginia Business, GTT said the acquisition will add more than 400 clients, make GTT the preferred international network supplier for several hundred of KPN’s clients, and will expand GTT’s cloud networking services portfolio and add depth to its global Tier 1 IP network in Europe.

Dutch treat, part 2: McLean-based Aireon is partnering with Dutch Caribbean Air Navigation Service Provider (DC-ANSP) in the flight information region (FIR) of Curaçao. According to Financial News, DC-ANSP use Aireon flight-tracking technology to achieve 100 percent air traffic surveillance over the 115,000 square miles (300,000 square kilometers), most of it ocean, that make up Curaçao´s FIR.

Constructive feedback: Almost every week, dozens of entrepreneurs and tech gurus gather to network and share ideas in a Tysons office building as part of the 1 Million Cups Fairfax initiative. Tysons Reporter attended a recent event and wrote about the history and goals of this peer-to-peer organization, part of a 160-chapter nationwide initiative of the Kauffman Foundation that aims especially to help businesses owners from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential. The FCEDA is a 1 Million Cups Fairfax partner.

Clearly cloudy: Clearwater, Fla.-based technology distributor Tech Data said yesterday it purchased of Herndon-based software and cloud solutions company DLT Solutions. Virginia Business has more on the deal.

Anchors aweigh: The Defense Department awarded the Electric Boat division of Reston-based General Dynamics a $22.2 billion (yes, with a b) modification to a previously awarded contract for construction of nine Virginia-class submarines. It is the Pentagon’s largest-ever shipbuilding award, says the Washington Business Journal. The modification includes an option for one additional submarine that could bring the total value of the contract award to $24 billion.

Center of attention: Northridge Capital and partner KAMCO Investment acquired Centerstone at Tysons for $80.5 million from Rubenstein Partners and Griffith Properties, roughly three times the amount it was sold for in 2015 thanks to being fully leased. According to the Washington Business Journal, the building will serve as a prototype for the “office of the future.”

Done deal: Tysons-based Capital Automotive Real Estate Services Inc. sold part of its Dominion Square development site near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons. The Washington Business Journal shares more about the sale of the site, which currently hosts four automobile dealerships.

Take a bow: Virginia Business revealed its 2019 Virginia Business Person of the Year: Stephen Moret, president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. He was instrumental in Amazon’s 2018 decision to locate its second headquarters in Northern Virginia, and this year he has led creation of the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.  The cover story of the magazine’s December edition, “The 7 habits of the highly effective Stephen Moret,” the magazine describes Moret as a “relentless worker and inspiring collaborator.”

As clear as glass: Fairfax County’s new glass-recycling program, the “Purple Can Club” is a hit, collecting more than 2.8 million pounds of glass since the program started in the spring. WTOP has more about how the program works.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

  • ICF received a potential five-year, $98 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide child-welfare capacity-building support. GovConWire
  • General Dynamics IT won a $57 million contract to support the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. Virginia Business
  • I-Link Solutions received a $3.9 million contract from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to help accelerate the agency’s modernization efforts. Potomac Tech Wire carried the press release.

Featured business events

  • December 11 — Spotting Phishing in 2020 – Safeguard Yourself and Your Organization. Part of the Business Education Series presented by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Click here.
  • December 12 — Hispanic Connect NOVA. Presented by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber. Speaker Filka Forkin will outline planning strategies that entrepreneurs should employ to sustain a business. Click here.