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Hot off the press: The FCEDA has just published its 2018 annual report that proclaims “Fairfax County: The Place to Be.” In addition to its infographics and facts, this year’s issue takes note of the multitude of major businesses that expanded to or expanded in the county in 2018, and there is a great interview with five young technology workers about why they like working in Fairfax County and living in the Washington area.

Room to breathe: Karsun Solutions, a Herndon-based provider of IT-modernization services to federal agencies, plans to open new headquarters in Herndon and add more than 100 new jobs. It will occupy 50,000 square feet at Worldgate Metro Plaza as it adds more than 100 employees to its existing base of about 350. According to a release picked up by Potomac Tech Wire, the new facility will include a training auditorium. Karsun, which has experienced rapid growth, counts the General Services Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Homeland Security among its clients.

Avenu goes a’courtin’: Avenu Insights & Analytics, a Centreville-based provider of software and services to state and local governments, acquired Windward Group and Lafayette, La.-based GRIDS Information Technologies. In a releasecited by Potomac Tech Wire, Avenu said the acquisition will bolster its records-management tools for criminal-justice systems. Windward helps judicial systems and other organizations obtain and deliver information, while GRIDS provides conveyance records software to Louisiana court systems.

Best bets for vets: Military Times ranks No.4 LMI, No.6, PenFed Credit Unionand No.9 Concurrent Technologies in its top 10 on the Best for Vets: Employers 2019 list among government and nonprofit organizations. On the for-profit side, No.7 BAE Systems and No.10 Booz Allen Hamilton were among the top-ranked firms. Results were based on a 91-question survey of veterans, service members and military families evaluating culture, recruitment and policies.

Diversity recognized: Northrop Grumman is ranked first among the best companies for veterans and best for people with disabilities, while EY is ranked first for companies with diversity councils and those with employee-resource groups, in 2019 rankings released by DiversityInc. Ranked in an overall top 10 on a list of the top 50 companies are No.1 AT&T, No.4 Hilton, No.7 Accenture and No.9 KPMG. The top 50 list highlights businesses that hire, retain and promote women, minorities, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community and veterans.

Managing a tall order: The Washington Business Journal’s Alex Koma offers a profile with Juliann Clemente, president of Clemente Development. Clemente is overseeing development of the View at Tysons which would include a 600-foot tower, making it the tallest building in the region.

Badge of honor: 1901 Group, which recently expanded its headquarters operations in Reston and maintains facilities in Blacksburg, has been named Company of the Year by the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council. Citybizlistpicked up a release about 1901, which offers cloud, cybersecurity and managed services, helping clients transition to hybrid cloud solutions.

Bid approved: Those holding nearly 79 percent of shares in Inmarsat, which maintains Inmarsat Government offices in Reston, approved a $3.4 billion takeover offer from a consortium of two Canada-based pension funds and private equity firms. Jane Edwards reported for GovConWire that the bid was driven by Inmarsat’s long-term communications contracts with government agencies and the potential of its broadband-connectivity services to support airlines.

Crossing the Ts: Tweaked redevelopment plans are coming together for Reston Crossing, a Tishman Speyer proposal to turn a Reston office park into seven mixed-use buildings at the future Reston Town Center Metro Station. New York-based Tishman is pitching a 2 million-square-foot project on a 14-acre site. Alex Koma of the Washington Business Journal says the Fairfax County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the plan this month.

Help on the way: Deltek in Herndon will provide a cloud-based enterprise resource planning platform to small and mid-size contracting firms through a partnership agreement with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Darwin McDaniel reports for ExecutiveBiz.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

• Northrop Grumman secured a one-year, $163.6 million contract to provide support services for the Army’s fleet of MQ5B Hunter drones. GovConWire
• SAIC received a potential potential 10-year, $106 million contract to help the Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Media Exploitation Center manage paper documents and electronic media. GovConWire
• Under a potential two-year, $79.4 million contract modification, L3 Technologies will supply check sight and targeting sensor components for Navy and Coast Guard MK 34 weapon systems. ExecutiveBiz
• Harris will update countermeasure technology to guard aircraft from radio frequency threats under a potential $71.7 million Air Force contract. ExecutiveBiz
• Raytheon picked up a three-year, $101.3 million contract modification to provide additional tube-launched, optically-tracked wireless guided missile systems to the Army. GovConWire
• Serco won a $30 million contract from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to deliver traffic incident management services in that state. Potomac Tech Wire picked up a release.
• CACI International won a five-year, $415 million contract to design and deploy enhanced, quick-reaction technologies for the Army’s Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities office. GovConWire