Working on Things that Matter at Tysons-Headquartered Appian + Weekly Business News Digest

(Photo collage courtesy of Appian.)

Working on Things that Matter at Tysons-Headquartered Appian

Founded 25 years ago by four friends in a Fairfax County apartment, Tysons-based Appian has grown to be a global company. Appian is a leading software company that automates business processes for some of the most innovative businesses and government agencies across the world.

Located in a state-of-the-art glass office tower in Tysons, Appian offers an engaging and collaborative work environment, with a full-size gym, onsite daycare, food establishments, a dry cleaner, and more. With over 2,000 employees, Appian is hiring for nearly 100 jobs, as of this posting, with opportunities in its Engineering, Client Success, Sales, Marketing and Corporate divisions. Thinking of moving to Northern Virginia? Appian even offers relocation packages to some of its new hires.

Susan Charnaux, Chief People Officer, Appian (FCEDA photo)

Appian’s Chief People Officer Susan Charnaux sat down with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to tell us about the company, what it is like to work there, why it’s great to be headquartered in Fairfax County, and how employees work on “things that matter” at Appian.

“Fairfax County is a great place to access talent. We’ve been very intentional about keeping our home base here and making sure that this location continues to grow even as we’ve become a much more international and global company,” Charnaux said.

Click here to read more.

(Photo credit: Amentum)

Ring my bell: Chantilly-based Amentum, a global engineering and technology services firm, marked a significant milestone as it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “AMTM.” With a global footprint spanning approximately 80 countries and a workforce of more than 53,000, Amentum delivers full lifecycle engineering and technology solutions. Adam Harrison, Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at Amentum, posted the following on LinkedIn: “Excited to be a part of this amazing journey. A very big thank you to all the many 24/7 hardworking teams who made this day possible. I couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for our team and the innovative solutions we’ll deliver together.” Homeland Security Today has more.

Well-deserved honor: Tysons-based Booz Allen Hamilton CEO Horacio Rozanski was named as Washington Business Journal’s 2024 CEO of the Year. The Argentinian’s rise to CEO is like few other chief executives: He started with the government contractor as an intern in 1991, working his way up to CEO in 2015. This year he added chairman to his resume. Rozanski gives back to the community as well, serving as chairman of the board at Children’s National Hospital in D.C. He’s also on the boards of Marriott International, CARE USA and the Economic Club of Washington. Washington Business Journal stated that its criteria for CEO of the Year is to honor a person who has moved their organization, their industry and the region forward in a positive way.

Collective defense: MITRE’s Tysons-based Center for Threat-Informed Defense collaborated with more than 15 companies to increase community knowledge of threats and defenses for AI-enabled systems, culminating with the launch of the AI Incident Sharing initiative, according to Yahoo News. Collaborators on the Secure AI project include: AttackIQ, BlueRock, Booz Allen Hamilton, CATO Networks, Citigroup, Cloud Security Alliance, CrowdStrike, FS-ISAC, Fujitsu, HCA Healthcare, HiddenLayer, Intel, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Microsoft, Standard Chartered, and Verizon Business. “As public and private organizations of all sizes and sectors continue to incorporate AI into their systems, the ability to manage potential incidents is essential,” said Douglas Robbins, vice president, MITRE Labs. “Standardized and rapid information sharing about incidents will allow the entire community to improve the collective defense of such systems and mitigate external harms.”

Making the world safer and smaller: Boston-based Zapata AI, a provider of solutions for large enterprises and the defense sector, announced the first commercial agreement of its partnership with Chantilly-based MAG Aerospace. MAG is an independent defense contractor providing full-spectrum outsourced ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) services for manned and unmanned systems, and a full spectrum of multi-domain deep sensing capabilities, including cyber, electronic warfare, and tactical communications in theaters around the world. “MAG’s mission is to make the world smaller and safer. We serve our customers anywhere in the world under extreme and austere operating conditions. As the decisions in our operating theaters become faster-paced, we must look to partner with non-traditional AI and software providers who can rapidly deliver innovations to help us deliver solutions to maintain our customers’ tactical decision superiority. We are excited to partner with a company like Zapata AI to help drive this transformative effort,” said Donald Robinson PhD, MAG Chief Strategy Officer.

Change is the essential process of all existence: SpaceX’s Starlink 6,000-satellite broadband constellation is driving significant changes across the satellite industry, including consolidation, vertical integration, digital transformation and the embrace of partnerships to facilitate and multi-orbit offerings, according to an article by Warren Ferster in Fairfax County-based Kratos‘ Constellations. Starlink’s arrival, with more low Earth orbit constellations entering service or on the way, is spurring innovation while raising the profile of the satellite sector in general. Tysons-based Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras is among the executives quoted in the feature article. “The influx of LEO providers and other “new space” industry entrants is bringing a great deal of awareness and excitement to the space industry overall,” according to Wajsgras. “At Intelsat, we’ve expedited the pace of our innovation. We’re establishing key partnerships, launching new products, and advancing our software-defined 5G network, including virtualizing our ground and space assets.”

Eureka, I think I got some insight: Reston-based CACI International has acquired Reston-based Applied Insight, an Ashburn-based portfolio company of Acacia Group, in an all-cash transaction, according to Intelligence Community News. “With the close of this acquisition, CACI further establishes its unparalleled reputation for delivering expertise and technology to modernize our customers’ enterprise IT infrastructure,” said John Mengucci, CACI president and chief executive officer. “The combined business of CACI and Applied Insight will enhance enterprise-wide cloud, cyber, and user productivity for secure networks in the IC, thus accelerating decision-making and optimizing mission outcomes for analysts and warfighters around the globe.”

Beacon of news: Herndon-based Fortune 500 company Beacon, the publicly-traded wholesale distributor specializing in roofing, waterproofing and exterior products, announced that it has opened new locations in Pelham, Alabama; Queen Creek, Arizona; Port St. Lucie, Florida and Bellingham, Washington. Founded in 1928, Beacon operates over 570 branches throughout all 50 states in the U.S. and seven provinces in Canada. citybiz has more.

Say it like: We’re taking the train! Rail cars in Brazil for freight train company MRS Logística are now equipped with Tysons-based  Iridium satellite connectivity as part of a new collaboration, Via Satellite reported. MRS is a freight train company in Brazil and its train network transports nearly 20 percent of all Brazilian exports and a third of the country’s railway cargo.

Par four for Lorton: Four ribbon-cutting ceremonies were celebrated in Lorton in one week, Mount Vernon on the Move reported:

• On Sept. 23, Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the acquisition of its 100^th housing unit. The three-bedroom home was acquired on Aug. 8 using funds granted by the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development and private contributions.
• On Sept. 25, Mason Neck State Park debuted its all-terrain wheelchair program. The ceremony featured a ribbon cutting and wheelchair demonstration.
• On Sept. 26, the Capital Area Food Bank hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of its brand-new Northern Virginia warehouse and distribution center in Lorton. Click here to learn more.
• On Sept. 27, Bunnyman Brewing’s second location in Lorton was officially welcomed to the Workhouse Campus with a ribbon-cutting event attended by several members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Click here to find out how a long-time urban legend led Bunnyman Brewing to open its second location in Lorton.

Contract Wins

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Mission Technologies (Tysons) won a $458 million federal defense contract to modernize information technology architecture. Virginia Business

HawkEye 360 (Herndon) secured a contract extension and a $2.5 million contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to continue providing radio frequency mapping support and other services. ExecutiveBiz

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 gather the best and brightest minds in the cyber and national security sectors. Click here to register.

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.