August 15, 2024
E-Newsletter
Mars Global HQ News, Two Relocations + Weekly Business News
(Rendering courtesy of Mars.)
Mars Takes the Next Step in Global Headquarters Transformation
Multi-year renovation project to create a modern, sustainably designed workplace in McLean, Virginia, begins in August 2024
Mars is beginning renovations this month of its corporate headquarters in the McLean area of Fairfax County to meet the changing needs of its business and Associates. The new building will model a dynamic, pet-friendly workplace and role model the company’s sustainability commitments and plans to reopen the building to Associates in 2026, Mars announced.
The McLean headquarters opened on Elm Street in 1984 to support the business which back then employed approximately 20,000 Associates globally. The business has since grown significantly with more than 150,000 Associates worldwide, with over $50 billion dollars in annual sales and a diverse and expanding portfolio of pet care products, veterinary services, quality snacking and food.
“When the Mars Family opened our corporate headquarters nearly four decades ago, it was important that the headquarters remained modest with a purpose to support Associates in markets worldwide,” said Nici Bush, Vice President of Innovation, Science & Technology and executive project sponsor. “We have strived to ensure the design of our renovation honors this spirit and, simultaneously, enhances the Associate experience for those who visit and work in McLean.”
The renovated headquarters will have on-site renewable energy generation with roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, a new geothermal water source heat pump system, and high-efficiency light and water fixtures. The company will pursue LEED Gold certification. Pets are one of the highlights of Mars workplaces, and the design of the corporate headquarters will showcase the best practices of its BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program in action.
Riverside Research Relocates to Fairfax
Riverside Research moves to Fairfax, VA (Photo courtesy of Riverside Research.)
Riverside Research will relocate its regionally-based business operations to Fairfax County in September 2024, as part of its strategy to centralize Northern Virginia operations and accommodate growth. This move will merge its current facility in Arlington with its Centreville office.
“Our new, consolidated Fairfax location ensures close proximity to many of our government customers and underscores our ongoing commitment to innovation on behalf of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community,” said Dr. Steven Omick, President and CEO of Riverside Research.
The new, state-of-the-art 38,707-square-foot facility in Fairfax is strategically located to sustain the company’s proximity to key government contracting and business activities. The move to 12601 Fair Lakes Circle in Fairfax represents $14.7 million in lease dollars over the next decade, with a $7.5 million capital improvement investment from the company. The facility will house 55 high-tech jobs and $9.1 million in overall annual salary. Additionally, the company anticipates adding an estimated 60 new high-tech jobs to this office. citybiz has more.
GuidePoint Security Moves to Reston
(Photo courtesy of Comstock.)
Comstock Holding Companies has announced the signing of a 7,700 square foot office lease with GuidePoint Security at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza at Reston Station, according to citybiz.
“With Reston Station’s roster of innovative and established tech companies, this move felt like a natural fit as GuidePoint Security embarks on its next phase of growth,” said Michael Volk, Founder, Chairman and CEO of GuidePoint Security. “Relocating to the center of such an exceptionally strong technology corridor marks a significant and exciting milestone for us. We’ve purposefully designed our new headquarters to foster community, reflect our customer-centric ethos, and provide a dynamic environment equipped with the cutting-edge resources we need to support our rapid expansion as the leading cybersecurity solutions provider.”
GuidePoint Security joins the rapidly expanding neighborhood of Reston Station, which already hosts the corporate and regional headquarters of prominent companies such as Google, ICF Global, Spotify, Qualtrics, Rolls-Royce North America, Kimley Horn, and others.
Weekly Business News Digest
On top of the world: Four Fairfax County-based companies made Fortune magazine’s 35th Global 500 list. Companies were ranked by total revenues for fiscal years ending on or before March 31. Tysons-based Freddie Mac remained the commonwealth’s top-ranked company at No. 88 — up 45 spots from 2023. The government-sponsored home mortgage company reported net income of $10.5 billion for full-year 2023, an increase of 13 percent year-over-year. Capital One Financial (Tysons), General Dynamics (Reston) and Northrop Grumman (Falls Church area) also landed on the list. Boeing and RTX, located Arlington, an additional Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance jurisdiction, placed on the list. One additional Virginia-based company, Performance Food Group (Goochland County) ranked on the list.
If you build it, they will come: The Row at Reston Station ranked by Washington Business Journal as no. 1 in its latest list of “Largest Ongoing Construction Projects in Greater Washington,” ranked by estimated project cost. Phase II of Reston Station, including a JW Marriott luxury hotel with 90+ JW-branded condominiums above the hotel floors, 588,000 square feet of office, 450 apartments, entertainment venues, fitness/wellness services, dining and retail venues around a large central park. The Comstock Cos., James G. Davis Construction Corp. project is estimated to cost $1.3 billion.
Meeting regional workforce demands: Northern Virginia Community College has received nearly $5 million in grants to fund engineering apprenticeships with industry giants in the semiconductor and date center fields, according to Washington Business Journal. Nearly $4 million comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America program. And $1 million is from the National Science Foundation’s ExLENT initiative, which funds higher education institutions and nonprofits invested in science, technology, engineering and math opportunities. The grants will allow NOVA to provide stipends to students in the programs. It’s the latest example of education and industry working together to ensure students are trained to meet the region’s workforce demands.
Expanding capabilities: Tysons-based 22nd Century Technologies has acquired Herndon-based Treasury Soft in a transaction that expands its enterprise resource planning practice and capabilities to deliver digital transformation platforms to federal, state, local government and transit agencies, according to GovConWire.“By bringing TreasurySoft into our fold, we are not only expanding our ERP capabilities but also setting the stage to provide tailored solutions that extend and optimize Oracle ERP implementations,” said 22nd Century Technologies CEO Anil Sharma. 22nd Century Technologies has more than 400 contracts and approximately 6,000 employees focused on supporting the mission-critical programs of defense, intelligence and federal civilian agencies in digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud migration and application modernization.
Piece by piece: InterMountain Management, a hotel development and management company, bought 1.1 acres on Loisdale Road on Springfield Town Center’s western edge for $2.75 million on Aug. 2, according to Washington Business Journal. It is the second piece of Springfield Town Center to sell, nearly a decade after PREIT, then a public company, agreed to pay $465 million for the 78-acre mall property, in part for its additional development potential.
Not out of the blue: Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin, which has a Reston location, will take a NASA payload to the moon on its first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March, SpaceNews reported. In an Aug. 6 procurement filing, NASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith, which means loose unconsolidated rock and dust that sits atop a layer of bedrock, at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions.
What does the fox say? Global high-assurance cybersecurity leader, Everfox, formerly Forcepoint Federal, completed its acquisition of Garrison Technology, Everfox announced. “Garrison’s solutions are highly complementary to our existing portfolio and have immense value for customers. These synergies and our track record of collaboration opened the door for a more permanent partnership,” said Sean Berg, CEO of Everfox. “This acquisition reinforces our dedication to securing the world’s most critical organizations and our ongoing commitment to ensuring that the Everfox portfolio is as comprehensive, secure and impactful as it can be.”
Well deserved honor: Barry Biggar, president and CEO of Visit Fairfax, has been honored with the Tower of Dulles award, following in the footsteps of notable figures like Steven F. Udvar-Hazy and senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, FFXnow reported. Presented annually by the Committee for Dulles, the award honors individuals or organizations that significantly enhance Washington Dulles International Airport and its surrounding economic corridor. Since Biggar took the helm in 2008, Fairfax County’s tourism sector has doubled, adding more than $3 billion annually to the local economy, according to Visit Fairfax. “Washington Dulles International Airport and, indeed, the entirety of the Dulles Corridor is an incredibly vital artery to not just the Washington, D.C. region but also the United States of America,” Biggar said. “With all the innovative progress and work that continues to shape this area, I have no doubt we will see continued growth as years go by. It is truly with the utmost gratitude that I thank the Committee for Dulles for this incredible honor.”
Contract Wins
Leidos (Reston) received a $191 million contract from the Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground to advance joint lifecycle software and management systems throughout the center. ExecutiveBiz
FCEDA Hosted and Sponsored Events
August 20, 2024 — MIT Employer Summit: Recruit the Leaders of the Future. FCEDA is proud to host the career leaders from MIT Sloan Business School and MIT School of Engineering in an online panel focused on talent. Learn how to build your brand on this campus and attract top candidates to your organization. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to promote your company and gain access to MIT’s career centers. Click here to register.
August 27, 2024 — U.S.- Israel Collaborations in the Space Technology Sector: Innovations and Opportunities. This webinar will encourage and support collaborations in the space technology sector between the U.S. and Israel. It will also provide a matchmaking platform for companies. Speakers will include Asher Kotz, Assistant Director, International Business Investment – Cybersecurity and Israel, FCEDA. Click here for more information and to register.
September 4, 2024 — Entrepreneurship 101: Starting A Business in Fairfax County. The Entrepreneurship 101 workshop is intended for start-up entrepreneurs who want to launch or grow a business in Fairfax County. The topics that will be covered, during this interactive workshop, include doing business in Fairfax County, business registration, business and property taxes, financing programs, licensing and certifications, local, state, and federal business resources, and other general topics related to starting and growing a business. The workshop is free however registration is required. Click here for more information and to register.
September 11, 2024 — The Dulles Airport Job & Career Fair. Come meet a diverse group of employers located at Washington Dulles International Airport hiring for full and part-time career opportunities. Click here for more information and to register.
October 23-24, 2024 — Accelerate Investor Conference. This venture and startup conference showcases the Virginia, Maryland, and Metro DC region as a powerhouse for innovation and business opportunities. Registration is open. Click here for more information and to register.
October 29, 2024 — NVTC Cyber Summit and Cyber50 Awards. NVTC’s Cyber Summit and Cyber50 awards will highlight the latest cybersecurity trends, technologies, and federal policies and gathers the best and brightest minds in the cyber and national security sectors. Click here to register.
FCEDA is Here to Help Your Business Thrive
Fairfax County EDA is here to connect businesses of all kinds to resources and information. For direct assistance, email the FCEDA at info@fceda.org, or call 703-790-0600. If you have company news or announcements to share, email FCEDA at News@fceda.org.