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Post-ing partnerships: The FCEDA is leading an ambitious program for Northern Virginia to market itself to educated, tech-oriented millennials and Gen Zers, with the goal of  luring a larger share of talent to settle in the area — and stay here — to work in industries such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data science. In an article in The Washington Post yesterday, Robert McCartney quotes FCEDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins and others about how companies’ top concern now is attracting and retaining a talented workforce.

Tech incubator: Southeastern Fairfax County hasn’t experienced the tech business explosion that’s marked the county’s west, but new Lee District Supervisor (and former FCEDA director of national business investment) Rodney Lusk is looking to change that with a government-backed business incubator. Lusk’s plans rely on getting that business accelerator up and running right away, helping companies to grow and taking advantage of the new development he envisions along Richmond Highway, writes Alex Koma in the Washington Business Journal.

Talent tour: 1901 Group, based in Reston, participated in the “Virginia Tech (VT) Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) D.C. Area Company Tour,” on January 17th, 2020. Virginia Tech led the tour to “to fill the tech talent pipeline and bridge the gap between Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia” and expose current students to various companies in the D.C. area and Northern Virginia where ISE alumni currently work, according to ExecutiveGov.

Cloud one: Reston-based Leidos scored a $7.7 billion — yes, with a “b” — IT services contract to help modernize the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, which supports 700,000 users at 2,500 sites, and their enterprise networks with cloud services, according to the Washington Business Journal. This followed on the heels of the company’s acquisition of the security detection and automation businesses of newly formed L3Harris Technologies in a deal worth $1 billion that the Washington Business Journal reported on last week.

More clouds: Reston-based SAIC will spend $1.2 billion to acquire the federal assets of Unisys in a bid to capitalize on the Defense Department’s effort to build cloud computing technology into its operations. It’s the second recent large acquisition by SAIC; the company completed a $2.5 billion buyout of Engility in January 2019, wrote Aaron Gregg in The Washington Post.

Cloud cover: The Central Intelligence Agency is planning a bidders conference this Friday at MITRE in Tysons to review its massive Commercial Cloud Enterprise contract with potential competitors now that the draft solicitation has hit the street. Attendance is limited to companies that plan to bid as a prime contractor, according to Washington Technology.

Aye Aye (no) captain!: Leidos executive Donnelly Bohan was interviewed in a podcast about the company’s Sea Hunter project to build an autonomous Navy vessel. Bohan shares her company’s strategy to dive into this market with Ross Wilkers of Washington Technology.

Big leases: Seven office leases in Fairfax County ranked in the Washington Business Journal’s annual “Largest Greater-D.C. Office Leases in 2019.” To see the list of subscriber-only content click here.

Walk this way: Plans for walkability are taking shape as Tysons evolves from suburb to city. Filling in the spaces between buildings is a growing network of non-street paths, including elevated walkways and mall promenades. D. Taylor Reich penned an article: “What Tysons can learn about walkways and mall paths from other cities” on this topic in Greater Greater Washington.

This ad Bowled us over: Tysons-based USA Today ranked Jeep’s 60-second ad featuring actor Bill Murray reprising his role in the movie “Groundhog Day” in the top spot in its “USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter,” an annual ranking of the top Super Bowl ads based on consumer ratings.

Boots on the ground: Charles Kapur was named CEO and president of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Kapur, who previously served as the chamber’s Chairman of the Board, was interviewed in a Q&A in Reston Patch.

Scouting for an acquisition: Forescout, a US-Israeli IoT company that has an office in Tysons and its U.S. headquarters in San Jose, Calif., was acquired by Boston-headquartered Advent International and San Francisco-headquarted Crosspoint Capital, for $1.9 billion, according to The Times of Israel.

Another bridge: McLean-based Trowbridge & Trowbridge completed its first acquisition since it was purchased in April 2019 by Fredericksburg, Md.-based Enlightenment Capital. Trowbridge closed its deal for IntelliWare Systems, a cyber, intelligence and IT solutions provider to the federal government, Washington Technology reported.

Going to town, Mount Vernon-style: Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storck hosted the Mount Vernon region’s 33rd annual Town Meeting on February 1. The lineup of speakers included FCEDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins, noted the Fort Hunt Herald.

2020 vision: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay joined County Executive Bryan Hill on the February episode of the “Connect with County Leaders” podcast to share his vision for the future of Fairfax County. They discussed the new Board of Supervisors, the importance of regionalism and Census 2020. McKay also covered some of his priorities, including economic development, relates Fairfax County Government News.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

BAE Systems won a $212 million contract from the Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to integrate and sustain its critical communication systems. The company also received a $104.7 million contract by NAWCAD to provide engineering and technical services for radio communications systems. Seapower Magazine

Peraton obtained a $277.5 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security to continue providing operations and integrated logistics support for the Customs and Border Protection’s Tethered Aerostat Radar System, which aims to detect drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling near borders. Potomac Tech Wire posted the release.

M.C. Dean won a five-year, $200 million contract to install, maintain and repair electronic security equipment for the U.S. Marshals Services. GovConWire

Akima Support Operations secured a $101 million contract for Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise logistics support and services at Fort Hood, Texas. Homeland Security Today

Oteemo won  a $95 million contract to provide DevSecOps (development, security and operations) pipeline and platform integration-support services for the Air Force’s LevelUP program. ExecutiveGov

ECS Federal received a three-year, $85.4 million contract to research and develop artificial intelligence algorithms for the Army. GovConWire

IndraSoft obtained a $43 million contract from the Army to support IT and mission operations to enable advanced analytical, intelligent data sharing and DevSecOps (development, security and operations) system integration initiatives. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Zenetex secured a $7.5 million contract to provide contractor support services to temporarily augment government personnel to assist in the acquisition, and management of Navy training systems. Homeland Security Today

MicroTech won a $4.2 million contract from the Coast Guard to provide technical support and services to develop the Communication Station Automated System. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Featured business events

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.