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40+ Companies Hiring Veterans, Transitioning Service Members, Military Spouses and Cleared Talent at Northern Virginia Career Fair Sept. 21-22

In support of veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses looking to advance their careers, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) is leading a free, two-day career fair Sept. 21-22, 2022. Military.com reported on the FCEDA event.

• To register, visit workinnorthernvirginia.com/virtual-career-fairs.

All backgrounds and experience levels are welcome, and attendees do not need to live in Northern Virginia to interview with participating companies. Cleared talent are also encouraged to attend this event.

• In-person hiring – Wednesday, Sept. 21, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00-3:00 pm EST, at the National Museum of the United States Army, 1775 Liberty Drive Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. For parking and transit information, visit com/virtual-career-fairs.
• Virtual hiring – Thursday, Sept. 22, 1:00-4:00 pm EST, via online meeting portal Premier Virtual. To register, visit com/virtual-career-fairs.

During the two-day career fair, candidates will have the opportunity to network and interview with more than 40 leading companies in Northern Virginia, from Fortune 500s to government agencies and small businesses. Regional employers – including Adobe, Amazon, CACI and the FBI – are actively hiring for more than 10,000 positions across a variety of sectors including government, IT, finance, renewable energy, and healthcare. Veteran career organizations will also attend the in-person event to provide valuable resume translation guidance and military spouse career education services free-of-charge.

“We are grateful to our veterans and their families, and proudly support them with connections to career opportunities at mission-driven companies here in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of FCEDA. “For the past two years, we have hosted several successful career fairs to serve our military community, and because of that, numerous active and retired military have found the opportunity to thrive professionally and personally in the nation’s career capital, Northern Virginia.”

The September 2022 career fair is hosted in collaboration with Fairfax County Government; Fort Belvoir Transition Assistance Program; Fort Belvoir Army Community Service; Northern Virginia Regional Commission; Virginia Department of Veteran Services; Virginia Employment Commission Veterans Services; and HIRE VETS NOW. Home to nearly 80,000 veterans and their families, as well as a vibrant community of 1,968 veteran-owned firms, Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County is a choice location for both active duty and retired military to successfully transition into the civilian workforce.

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Weekly Business News Digest

Powerful & influential leaders: Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, was named by Virginia Business in the Virginia 500 third annual list of “Virginia’s most powerful and influential leaders in business, government, politics and education.” Named in the Economic Development category, Virginia Business notes that Hoskins came to Fairfax County in 2019 after leading Arlington Economic Development and playing a key role in luring Amazon’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters to Virginia. In Fairfax County, Hoskins has continued attracting major businesses and retaining others, including the North American headquarters for StarKist and Volkswagen Group of America. Asked about what makes him passionate about his work, Hoskins replied to Virginia Business: “The results of my work help others. When you save a job, you save a household. And when you save households, you save communities.”

HBCU’s in Northern Virginia: Since last summer, leaders with Virginia State University and Norfolk State University have discussed the idea of a physical campus in the region. President and CEO of the FCEDA Victor Hoskins said the two schools presented their basic requirements for the campus during a Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance meeting. Hoskins said several municipalities are eager to bring the campus to their region because it brings intellectual capacity and income. “Also, something a little bit more important is, it gives our businesses a connection to the labor force, and talent right now is really the new currency of economic development,” Hoskins said, highlighting the high volume of current job openings in the state. InsideNoVa and WTOP have more.

Fairfax County road map: FCEDA’s Executive Vice President Alex Iams; Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh’s Elizabeth Baker; Hoffman & Associates’ Robin Bettarel; and Federal Realty’s Deirdre Johnson spoke during a panel at Bisnow’s Fairfax State of the Market event on Aug. 23, 2022. It was noted during the discussion that Fairfax County saw strong job growth last year, thanks in part to the expansion of Peraton and Starkist’s corporate relocation to the county from Pittsburgh. And future transit, including not just the bus rapid transit line but also a refreshed Yellow Line and expanded Virginia Railway Express service, is still in the cards, Bisnow reported. “The more you create critical mass to be able to connect on foot, by bike, by bus, connectivity to Metro… will be critically important,” said Iams. “We’re not adding any land to this region. We’ve already seen projects be successful, there is a road map out there.”

Unicorns are not a myth in Northern Virginia: Tysons-based Somatus, Reston-based Electrify America, Tysons-based ID.me, Tysons-based IronNet, and Herndon-based Expel, are among the 10 “unicorns,” or companies valued at $1 billion over the past few years in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to Virginia Business. Three additional companies located in Arlington, a fellow Northern Virginia Economic Development jurisdiction ranked on the magazine’s list: Privia Health, Fluence Energy, and Interos. The top valued unicorn in the state is Tysons-based kidney-care company Somatus, valued at $2.5 billion.

Helping Korean companies attract U.S. investors: The Korea Innovation Center Washington D.C. (KIC DC), based in Tysons, a startup accelerator funded by the South Korean government, is on a mission to help more Korean companies go public on U.S. exchanges, the Washington Business Journal. KIC DC has partnered with Houston’s Parliament Ventures Fund Capital on a three-month accelerator focused on large technology companies based in Korea with market valuations between $600 million and $10 billion. KIC DC works with more than 80 Korean startups every year, according to its website, by providing training programs, marketing, co-working space, introductions to angel investors and accelerators and other services for tech firms.

Live, work, play in Reston: Comstock, the developer behind the 80-acre Reston Station, acquired nearly eight acres near the upcoming Midline at Reston Station development in Reston, Commercial Observer reported. Midline, which is being developed by a joint venture involving EYA, Knutson Homes and Chevy Chase Land Company, is a 1.8 million-square-foot mixed-use development. The land Comstock acquired represents the largest portion of undeveloped acreage within the Midline development. “This natural integration of additional surrounding areas into the Reston Station neighborhood will further enhance access to Reston’s only Metro Station and improve the neighborhood experience for all who live, work and play in Reston,” Timothy Steffan, COO of Comstock.

Space talent pipeline: George Mason University and Reston-based Interstellar Dreams launched their strategy to develop a pipeline of local talent for future space travel on Monday at a NASA Artemis launch event in Reston. Interstellar Dreams, which specializes in simulation and immersion as an educational tool, will open its first space center at Mason’s College of Science Research Hall, home to the university’s observatory at the Fairfax campus. The nonprofit, founded by Robin McDougal in 2017 as a product of the Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM Literacy, is currently looking for a 40,000-square-foot space in Reston or along the Dulles corridor for a new space center. Find out more in the Washington Business Journal.

Speaking of space: The Artemis 1 moon mission launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be powered in part by the work of Virginia-based contractors. Falls Church area-based Northrop Grumman, Reston-based SAIC, and Boeing, which in May announced it would move its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, play roles in mission. Find out about how these companies have contributed technologies to the historic Artemis moon mission in Virginia Business. The launch planned for Monday, August 29, was re-scheduled for Saturday, September 30 at 12:13 p.m. ET.

Shark Tank in Dulles: Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted a “Shark Tank” session Wednesday, August 31, during which local non-profits and community support groups pitched ways business leaders and elected officials could become involved in their efforts, Herndon Patch reported. The speakers included Michael Batt, Director of the Talent Program at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Attendees who participated in the discussion included elected officials from the Town of Herndon; Fairfax and Loudoun counties; and representatives from local school districts and community support organizations.

Army contract: Herndon-based HawkEye 360 will build and demonstrate overhead radio frequency-sensing capabilities for U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command under a two-year cooperative research and development agreement, ExecutiveBiz reported. “This partnership will support the Army’s modernization initiative to develop more efficient, effective, and resilient systems that strengthen how the U.S. Army mobilizes, protects, and sustains expeditionary forces leveraging tactically relevant commercial RF information,” according to Alex Fox, chief growth officer of HawkEye 360.

Caring companies: Tysons-based Hilton and Tysons-based Capital One were recognized as 2022 PEOPLE Companies That Care winners. PEOPLE magazine and Great Places to Work teamed up to “recognize companies that take care of their bottom line while also displaying remarkable care for their people, their local communities, and the world at large.”

Get your passport ready: Iceland’s Play Airlines announced plans for daily nonstop service between Washington Dulles International Airport and Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. Service is projected to begin on April 23, with connecting service to Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, Dublin and other European destinations, InsideNoVa reported.

Public input requested: The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is looking for feedback from the public on its long-range TransAction Plan, estimated $75.7 billion in potential projects, which aims to guide the region’s transportation project priorities through 2045, according to InsideNoVa. To learn more and give input on the long-range plans, see nvtatransaction.org.

Tysons touted: FOX 5 DC focused on Tysons during its recent “Zip Trip,” the station’s broadcast series this summer highlighting places to visit in the DMV region. FOX 5 recommended 5 “Must Stops” places to visit in Tysons: 1st Stage Theater, The Boro, Tysons Galleria, Capital One Center, and Tysons Corner Center. “There are so many fun things to do when visiting Tysons it’s hard to keep count!” FOX 5 posted. Click here to see some short FOX 5 videos of places and events taken during Fox 5’s “Zip Trip” to Tysons. Chantilly was highlighted in June, as well as other communities throughout the region this past summer.

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Contract Wins

BlackSky Technology (Herndon) landed a $1.7 million order from NASA to evaluate the use of its imaging data services to provide data for research on global change. Via Satellite