APRIL 2011 VOLUME 8 NO.5 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #78 Springfield, VA INSIDE Future Of Rt. 28 Takes Shape .....Page 4 703-468-4151 LOOK INSIDE UP TO 3LBS OF FREON FOR ONLY $38.88! SEE OUR TUNE UP SPECIAL! ON PAGE 7 It was a homecoming of sorts for for- mer Visit Loudoun CEO Cheryl Kilday at the county tourism body’s annual tourism awards, held March 31 at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott. Kilday, who left the organization after 15 years last summer to take a similar posi- tion in Spokane, WA, was honored with the Judy Patterson Award, the highest award given during the tourism body’s annual awards ceremony, named in honor of the late publicist who was instrumental in growing many county tourism events. Fighting back a few joyful tears, Kilday said receiving the award “is the highlight of my career,” noting that two former recipients of the award, Stephen Hines and Margaret Hubert, were on the search com- mittee that selected her as head of Visit Former Visit Loudoun CEO Among Award Honorees By Kara Clark, Staff Writer As the economy tumbled, so did the numbers of leisure and business travelers patronizing lodging establishments nation- wide. In Loudoun, although insulated from much of the catastrophic collapse experi- enced by many in other states, there were some tough times to be had. Some had to lay off employees or drastically reduce rates; others could only watch as night after night unfilled rooms left owners wondering what could be done to hit revenue projec- tions. “This industry is always the last to recover,” Anna Lyons, general manager of the aloft Dulles North Hotel, said. “But in the worst economic times this area is the last to be affected.” While this could mean that Loudoun’s tourism industry has had only a relatively small hiccup compared to others, many hotel general managers locally are eager to see what 2011 will bring. Early indicators are promising. “In the last 12 months through February our hotel revenue is up 5 percent over last year,” Greg Miller, of PM Hospitality Strategies, Inc., said. “Last year at the same 12-month period we were down over 21.6 percent. It does indicate that we hit bottom and we’re coming back.” There are several factors hotel industry heads are closely watching, some of which may turn the tide for a breakout 2011. Other areas have been identified as key strengths and weaknesses in Loudoun. Government National Conference Center General Manager Kurt Krause was patiently wait- ing for the verdict on whether the federal government would experience its first shut- down in more than a decade. That would determine whether a large government agency would be taking up the hundreds of rooms it had committed to for training programs less than a week later. The ambivalence over the federal gov- ernment budget has left many in the hos- pitality industry twiddling their thumbs. Krause said he has had several large federal agencies or government contractors post- pone their training programs as they await an agreed-upon budget. “Of our $35 million to $40 million budget of revenue about $20 million of that comes from the federal government and military; $5.4 million of that $20 million has been postponed or cancelled in three months,” he said. “That’s the reality of numbers.” Krause is still confident the conference center can meet its budget for 2011. He was Tourism Heads Closely Watching Gov't, Travelers See Travel, Page 12 See Awards, Page 8
Transcript
APRIL 2011 VOLUME 8 NO.5
PRSRT STDU.S. Postage
PAIDPermit #78
Springfield, VA
INSIDE
Future Of Rt. 28 Takes Shape
.....Page 4
703-468-4151
LOOK INSIDE Up to 3lbs of freon for only $38.88!
SEE OUR TUNE UP SPECIAL! ON PAGE 7
OneHourBB.indd 1 4/8/11 5:41 PM
It was a homecoming of sorts for for-mer Visit Loudoun CEO Cheryl Kilday at the county tourism body’s annual tourism awards, held March 31 at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott.
Kilday, who left the organization after 15 years last summer to take a similar posi-tion in Spokane, WA, was honored with the Judy Patterson Award, the highest award given during the tourism body’s annual
awards ceremony, named in honor of the late publicist who was instrumental in growing many county tourism events. Fighting back a few joyful tears, Kilday said receiving the award “is the highlight
of my career,” noting that two former recipients of the award, Stephen Hines and Margaret Hubert, were on the search com-mittee that selected her as head of Visit
Former Visit Loudoun CEO Among Award Honorees
By Kara Clark, Staff Writer
As the economy tumbled, so did the numbers of leisure and business travelers patronizing lodging establishments nation-wide. In Loudoun, although insulated from much of the catastrophic collapse experi-enced by many in other states, there were some tough times to be had. Some had to lay off employees or drastically reduce rates; others could only watch as night after night unfilled rooms left owners wondering what could be done to hit revenue projec-tions. “This industry is always the last to
recover,” Anna Lyons, general manager of the aloft Dulles North Hotel, said. “But in the worst economic times this area is the last to be affected.” While this could mean that Loudoun’s tourism industry has had only a relatively small hiccup compared to others, many hotel general managers locally are eager to see what 2011 will bring. Early indicators are promising. “In the last 12 months through February our hotel revenue is up 5 percent over last year,” Greg Miller, of PM Hospitality Strategies, Inc., said. “Last year at the same 12-month period we were down over 21.6 percent. It does indicate that we hit bottom
and we’re coming back.” There are several factors hotel industry heads are closely watching, some of which may turn the tide for a breakout 2011. Other areas have been identified as key strengths and weaknesses in Loudoun.
Government National Conference Center General Manager Kurt Krause was patiently wait-ing for the verdict on whether the federal government would experience its first shut-down in more than a decade. That would determine whether a large government agency would be taking up the hundreds of rooms it had committed to for training programs less than a week later.
The ambivalence over the federal gov-ernment budget has left many in the hos-pitality industry twiddling their thumbs. Krause said he has had several large federal agencies or government contractors post-pone their training programs as they await an agreed-upon budget. “Of our $35 million to $40 million budget of revenue about $20 million of that comes from the federal government and military; $5.4 million of that $20 million has been postponed or cancelled in three months,” he said. “That’s the reality of numbers.” Krause is still confident the conference center can meet its budget for 2011. He was
Tourism Heads Closely Watching Gov't, Travelers
See Travel, Page 12
See Awards, Page 8
PAGE 2 | Loudoun Business APRIL 2011
The Loudoun County government and the Chamber of Commerce have announced the launch of the newly revised 2011 Green Business Challenge Scorecard. The Green Business Challenge is designed to encourage Loudoun business-es to adopt environmentally sound busi-ness practices. As part of the challenge, businesses and organizations can take a number of actions to become more ener-gy efficient, implement more sustainable practices, and improve their bottom line. In turn, the actions help Loudoun County
ensure a healthy and sustainable quality of life for all its citizens. Businesses, nonprofits, and asso-ciations of any size with operations in Loudoun County are eligible to partici-pate. After registering online, businesses will then fill out the 2011 Green Business Challenge Scorecard, recording their actions in five categories: Education and Outreach, Energy, Waste, Water, and Pollutants. Points are awarded based on the number of action items achieved. Achievement awards will be based on busi-
ness or organization size: small, medium, or large. The deadline to enter is Aug. 30. Applications will be reviewed by a com-mittee composed of Loudoun County staff members and the Chamber of Commerce Green Business Committee. Winners and participants will be honored at an event in October. More information is available at www.loudoun.gov/greenbusinesschallenge. Questions can also be directed to [email protected] or 703-777-0187.
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media is not really for teenagers anymore. The fact is the growing demographic is for [users age] 35 and above. I tell businesses not just to jump into social media but also to see if they’re even comfortable with it. It depends on the nature of a company who the target audience is. Based on that you need to figure out what social media tool that audience is using, whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter. I help clients identify their goals, their tar-get market and help them figure out what social media tool is best for them.
Q: What are the three steps a business should take toward evaluating their social media use?
A: Step one is identifying what they’re try-ing to achieve. Are you trying to get into the press, get clients or form partnerships? Once you do that the next step is to iden-tify your target audience. Are you trying to get customers, or do you just want the local community to recognize you as an up-and-coming business? The third step is how do you tailor your messages. You need to have a focus. You don’t want to be talking about being stuck in traffic on the toll road [in your social media messages]. Your objective is to portray yourself or your brand in a professional way. There are things you should be talking about and things you should be avoiding. Those will change for every business, as well
as what social media tool you should be using. Even within the same industry two companies can be competitors but may be trying to achieve different things on social media.
Q: How do you see social media continu-ing to evolve and how has it changed the business world already?
A: I really think that social media has changed the way people communicate a lot. It has already changed the way people want to do business; they want to do busi-ness with other people, not just a brand. Businesses are becoming more transpar-ent; the owners, the people behind the logo are coming forward. For some companies that’s difficult to grasp. People want to know the hurdles a business is facing on a day-to-day basis. They do not want to know just about the problems but the accom-plishments of a company. Social media has helped that a lot. It’s helped people identify with the owners; a lot of times it’s about personal relationships. I think that trend will continue on. The first way social media came on board was through Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs. Videos became a huge thing. I think that’s going to be next chap-ter. People have really adopted foursquare. With the growth of smart phones, I think social media is going to continue growing in the future.
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Green Challenge Has New Scorecard Before the permanent facility for Leesburg’s business incubator even opens, demand is such that the scope of the proj-ect is growing. The Leesburg Town Council has authorized Town Manager John Wells to begin negotiations on an expanded lease for the 202 Church Street SE site. Last fall, the council selected the future Church Street building as the site of its business incubator in partnership with George Mason University’s Mason Enterprise Center. While initially signing on for 7,140 square feet of space on the first and third floors of the building, the lease it signed with the building owners provided the town with the first right of refusal for the additional 3,179 square feet of rentable space in the property. According to a memo from Assistant to the Town Manager Scott Parker to the council, “there has been a steady and sustained increase in demand for business incubator space. As such Staff has deter-mined that leasing that additional 3,179 square feet of space will position the Town to fully realize the benefits and synergy that a robust business incubator provides. In addition, creating a sole-source leasing environment in the incubator building pro-vides the best opportunity to breakeven with respect to expenditures on the facil-ity.” When the council signed the initial lease in the fall, a $200,000 allocation was made for start-up costs for the incubator, which is expected to eventually become self sufficient with the rents received from business tenants. Loudoun County gov-ernment also contributed $200,000 to the incubator. The gross cost of the additional rental space is approximately $89,000. At least 50 percent of this space is estimated to be rented in FY12. The permanent incu-bator site on Church Street is expected to open later this year, with tenants expect-ing to move in the late summer or early fall. One of those tenants will be the Loudoun Small Business Development Center. “It’s very exciting,” SBDC Executive Director Robin Suomi said. “There’s been so many positive changes in Loudoun County in the last couple years, so many really positive things happening on the eco-nomic development front and Leesburg’s been very much a leader in that.” A temporary incubator site at 15 N. King St. houses the Leesburg Economic Development Department, desks for GSA teleworkers and two businesses: Solar4Leesburg and Allegiance Direct. That will remain open until the permanent site is operational later this year.
Leesburg Expands Incubator Plan
The News doesn’t wait
UNTil Friday
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APRIL 2011 Loudoun Business | PAGE 3
By Kara Clark, Staff Writer
It has been described as the “ugly cata-lyst” to sweeping changes in Leesburg’s land development review process. The October 2007 announcement by Wolf Furniture that it was abandoning plans to open a furniture showroom on Fort Evans Road set about massive regulatory and administrative changes jumpstarted by a Town Council res-olution and the direction of Town Manager John Wells. In addition to some staffing chang-es, more attention to a “customer service approach” and the goal of making the town known as a business-friendly destination, the Plan Review Department was formed in early 2008 to offer a “one-stop shop” for all land development review applications. Project managers were assigned to each
application and the goal of rectifying the town’s image was exclaimed throughout Town Hall. Three and a half years later, all that work appears to have paid off: Wolf Furniture has filed paperwork to construct a 46,000-square-foot showroom at the same Fort Evans Road location, the former Loudoun Health & Racquet Club. Wolf has owned the property for several years, although when the company made the October 2007 announcement that it was abandoning its plans to locate in Leesburg-—in what would have been its first location outside of Maryland or Pennsylvania-owner J. Douglas Wolf said the company was considering sell-ing the site altogether. However, in addition to the decision to not pursue the Leesburg location, the recession dampened prospects for selling
the property. Now, the company is excited about its plans to open in Leesburg after all, with a goal of a grand opening Labor Day 2012. “Town staff has been very helpful and it’s been a very efficient review process,” J. Randall Minchew, the attorney with Walsh Colucci in Leesburg who is representing Wolf in the land development process, said. “Wolf has been appreciative of everything that the town did and the town did a very good job at showing that Leesburg has the business-friendly persona that it maybe didn’t have a few years ago.” Noting, “nobody likes to lose,” Economic Development Manager Marantha Edwards said that town staff has been dili-gent about attracting Wolf back to Leesburg in the intervening years. “We really did want to continue to find a way to make it work,”
she said. Assistant to the Town Manager Scott Parker, who is serving as project man-ager for the Wolf Furniture application, said the furniture company is pursuing a zoning concept plan amendment as well as amendments to its approved site plan. The former is necessary because the originally-approved furniture showroom was signifi-cantly larger - 70,000 square feet - than what is being proposed today, meaning that the current site plan is not in substantial confor-mance. Although the site plan amendments will be addressed administratively, the zon-ing concept plan amendment will go before the Planning Commission and Town Council for legislative review and a final vote. “It’s a very straightforward applica-tion,” Parker said. “We are excited to have them back.”
Guess Who’s Back?Wolf Furniture Renews Plans For Leesburg Store
30 Under 30 Nominations Open It’s that time of year again. For the third straight year, Loudoun Business will turn the spotlight on the rising young professionals in the county. Profiles of these future business leaders will be published in our June issue. To nominate an under-30 professional for inclusion in the annual report, email [email protected]. Nominees must live, work or be intimately involved with organizations in Loudoun County. All industries will be represented in the annual issue: from small business owners to restaurateurs to rising stars in any and all organizations. In past years, public safety workers, teachers, bankers, accountants, Realtors, medical professionals and others have been profiled. Deadline for submissions is June 1.
By Kara Clark, Staff Writer
Fans of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics will notice big changes on the team’s uniform this year. Through a partnership announced April 7, Inova Health System’s logo will be displayed on the front of the team’s jersey beginning with the 2011 season. The move was celebrated with great fanfare and enthusiasm during the press conference, held at Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Lansdowne campus. Mystics players Alana Beard and Crystal Langhorne modeled the new uniforms. The Inova logo will appear on both the team’s home and away jerseys and the partnership also allows for co-branding on signage pertaining to Mystics camps and clinics, in-area recognition at all Mystics and Washington Wizards home games and presence in marketing and social media platforms. Greg Bibb, Mystics’ COO, said the team had been searching for the “right organiza-tion” to join the Mystics as its marquee partner, one that shared the team’s passion to serve the community. “Inova shares the dream, Inova has the vision,” he said. “In Inova we have a partner who is aligned, well respected and always moving forward.” Bibb noted that the partnership between the two organizations was the “largest in terms of depth and scope” in Mystics’ history, and one of the most com-prehensive in WNBA history.
Hopes are that the partnership between the two will help to highlight some of the most pressing needs affecting the community: childhood obesity, women’s health and pre-ventative medical care. “My colleagues and I often see patients that if only they had improved their lifestyle, adjusted their eating habits or simply sought out preventative care they quite possibly
Mystics To Promote Inova’s Medical Services
Continued On Page 9
By Kara Clark, Staff Writer
Just a few weeks into his new job, Visit Loudoun CEO Patrick Kaler has been busy making the rounds, introducing him-self to hospitality industry representatives and government officials while learning the ropes of his new job. Kaler accepted the head job at Visit Loudoun following a months-long search to find a replacement for Cheryl Kilday, who had led the county’s tourism body since its inception in 1995 and left last summer to take a position in Spokane, WA. Kaler spent the last few years in Los Angeles, as the senior director of travel industry and tourism development at LA, INC., The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Los Angeles, where he oversaw multiple international offices. He has also held tour-
ism industry jobs in the Midwest, Great Lakes area and Lake Tahoe. Kaler recently sat down with Loudoun Business to talk about his first few weeks on the job and what types of initiatives he hoped to continue efforts on or put in place. The enthusiasm emanating from Kaler was tangible. He spoke highly of the organi-zation in place, noting that his predecessor Kilday “laid great ground work” and he was “not coming into a situation where I had to put fires out.” He praised the work of the Visit Loudoun staff, particularly in the area of social media. The tourism body has won both awards and accolades for its video series depicting different landmarks and tourism hotspots in Loudoun and Kaler
Visit Loudoun CEO Ready For New Challenges
Washington Mystics forward Crystal Langhorne models the team’s new uniforms, bearing the logo of Inova Health Systems.
Loudoun Business/Kara Clark
Continued On Page 9
PAGE 4 | Loudoun Business APRIL 2011
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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderli-ness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimi-nation.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hear-ing impaired call (804) 367-9753. Email: [email protected]. Web site: www.fairhousing.vipnet.org.
By Erika Jacobson Moore, Staff Writer
With the stated goal of expanding com-mercial growth in Loudoun County and promoting the vitality of the area surround-ing Dulles Airport, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors has enacted new planning poli-cies for development in the corridor. The vote to approve the Rt. 28 Comprehensive Plan amendment March 14 met with the approval of six supervi-sors, with Supervisors Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge), Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) and Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) voting against the changes and citing objections to the pro-posal to permit residential development in the corridor and its impacts on schools and transportation. For a majority of the board, however,
the CPAM presented the best option to boost the economic development potential of what has been billed the county’s pre-mier commercial corridor. “Not all of this is going to happen overnight. This is a long-term vision, but we know what we’re doing today is not working,” Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) said, noting the “only way” out of the current “financial mess” is expanding com-mercial development and creating jobs in Loudoun. “We want it where people don’t have to go to Arlington or Fairfax to work. The Rt. 28 corridor is the right place to do it.” Even Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac), who had expressed reservations about the proposal from the beginning, cast her vote in favor of the changes—after mak-
ing a series of motions aimed at more close-ly linking transportation improvements in the network to any additional development. Those motions, she said, were an attempt to make the CPAM into something she could support, and noted that she has been a leading advocate of increasing opportuni-ties for mixed-use development. “I believe in mixed-use communities. I believe they are efficient. They are energy efficient,” she said. “There are a lot of reasons why mixed-use communities work well.” She added that her intent was to make sure the planning of mixed-use devel-opments did not create unintended conse-quences. For almost two years work has been occurring on the Rt. 28 Comprehensive Plan amendment, designed to examine
changes to the zoning regulations and plan-ning polices for the corridor. Supervisors initiated the CPAM because they believe the existing keynote employment zoning is not allowing the corridor to develop the Class A office and economic development uses envisioned for the properties near Dulles Airport and the extension of the Metro. The plan recommended for approval by the Planning Commission contains draft policies on land use, housing, transporta-tion, design and sustainable development. For land use, there are several development areas and patterns being proposed. There are four different development patterns: flex, defined as laboratory, data centers, research and development and training facilities, in combination with office; office;
By Erika Jacobson Moore, Staff Writer
It what could be seen as the first implementation of the new development strategy for the Rt. 28 corridor, seven mem-bers of the Board of Supervisors lent their support to the Dulles World project, which is designed as a high-density, mixed-use development along Rt. 28 near the Dulles Toll Road and the Fairfax County border. The project, and its developer, received praise from supervisors for the amenities it had agreed to and its willingness to work with the county staff over the past year and a half. “This is prime land for economic development. One could argue this is the best land we have in the county for eco-nomic development,” Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) said during the March 15 vote, listing all the reasons for her support, including extensive environ-mental and sustainable designs like green roofs, contributions to the county’s unmet housing needs, phasing linked to the exten-sion of Metro to Loudoun, and a series of road improvement commitments, an interchange and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Other supervisors echoed McGimsey’s sentiments and appreciation—with some even saying they wished every negotia-tion, and every developer, in the future followed the process that occurred with Dulles World. “This is an example of really work-ing together and reaching a good result,” Vice Chairman Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run) said. “Sometimes they just get it right and this is one of those times.
This is the right project at the right place and at the right time.” With Dulles World originally proposed as a mixed-use development that would include up to 1,495 multi-family units, slightly more than 3.9 million square feet of office, commercial and retail uses and up to 130,245 square feet of civic uses, the developer agreed to reduce the number of multi-family units to 1,265, while leaving 12 percent of them as units that would meet the county’s needs—those units for resi-dents living with incomes up to 70 percent of the Area Median Income. Dulles World will have a 1.48 floor-area ratio when both the residential and the non-residential development are consid-ered, which is .48 above the current density
allowance, but still below what supervisors approved for the area under new policies contained in the Rt. 28 Comprehensive Plan amendment. Supervisors have said that the property’s proximity to the planned rail line makes it the best area for the higher density development design. The property lies within the Rt. 28 Tax District, which does not allow for the con-struction of residential units, but supervi-sors said they could support the inclusion of the multi-family units. The CPAM policies and the business community zoning, under which the project was being reviewed, allow for residential development up to 25 percent, and Dulles World’s residential component is 22 percent of the overall
New Development Policies Aimed At Spurring Business Growth In Key Rt. 28 Corridor
Dulles World Rezoning Approved By BoardSee Rt. 28, Page 10
Continued On Next Page
APRIL 2011 Loudoun Business | PAGE 5
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development. First proposed in 2008, Dulles World has been held up in the review process because of litigation with the Center for Innovative Technology over road right of way and discussions surrounding plans to build a bridge over the Dulles Toll Road, which would provide another connection between Fairfax and Loudoun. The dispute over the location on the Dulles World prop-erty and the right of way battle with CIT prompted the developer to propose a dif-ferent construction plan based on by-right uses, a plan supervisors said would not provide for the best use of the property. With the help of Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) and Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) on the joint committee with Fairfax County and the Town of Herndon, the project was ultimately able to go back to a plan that would make best use of the property. “VDOT is already estimating that bridge will handle around 40,000 trips,” York said. “And we now have a design in the project itself for what we would find for better traffic movement through the project and more of a walkable neighbor-hood and community.” Not all supervisors were sold on the idea. Supervisors Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) and Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) voted against the project, with Burton saying his reason was primarily because of the residential units. The 1,265 units have been proffered to be smaller units that would not be ideal for families and would be geared more toward young profession-als or retirees, but Burton and Delgaudio continued to be concerned over the poten-tial impact on area schools and the road network from the project. Delgaudio, who voted for the Kincora mixed-use project at the northern end of Rt. 28, said he believed there were distinct differences between the two projects. “I fixate on the uniqueness, the contribution that the Kincora project gave…I don’t know what is going on with this [Dulles] World thing, but this particular application we’re voting on now, what’s unique about Dulles World?,” he asked. “I just don’t see any of the uniqueness here.” But other supervisors said they saw what was special about the project, and Miller said it was one project this board has approved that he looked forward to taking his son to in future years and telling him he had a role in making Dulles World happen. “It’s the sort of thing I wish we could do a lot more of,” he said. “I hear people talk about Reston Town Center as a compari-son a lot. This isn’t Reston Town Center. It’s better than Reston Town Center. This is the place that people are going to want to be like in the future.”
Dulles WorldContinued From Previous Page
PAGE 6 | Loudoun Business APRIL 2011
• It’s been a big month for Inova Loudoun Hospital. The hospital ranked among the nation’s top medical centers in a new report by U.S. News & World Report. Cited for its high patient satisfaction rate and offering of specialty services, the Lansdowne facility was ranked eighth among the Washington region’s 57 hospitals. It was among 622 hos-pitals in or near major cities with a record of high performance in medical specialties reviewed for the report. There are just over 4,800 hospitals nationwide. Inova Loudoun Hospital has 183 beds and handles more than 10,000 admissions per year, with more than 7,000 surgeries and 60,000 emergency room visits. The magazine gave the hospital high rankings for its treatments in diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, geri-atrics, kidney disorders, pulmonology and urology. While U.S. News has compiled the report for the past 20 years, this is the first time hospitals were compared on a regional scale. Overall, Inova Health System facili-ties rated well. Fairfax Hospital ranked sec-ond, only behind the Washington Hospital Center. Inova Alexandria Hospital ranked 13th, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital ranked 15th and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital ranked 21st. In addition, Inova Loudoun’s Telemetry Unit has been recognized by The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses with a Beacon Award for Excellence. Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Telemetry Unit is the first Telemetry Unit in the Inova Health System and only the fourth telemetry unit in the country to receive this prestigious designation. The AACN created the Beacon Award to recognize individual units that distinguish themselves by improving every facet of patient care. For patients and their families, the Beacon Award signifies excep-tional care through improved outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. For criti-cal care and telemetry/stepdown nurses, a Beacon Award can mean a positive and supportive work environment, collabora-tion between colleagues and leaders, high morale and low turnover. The Telemetry Unit joins the Inova Loudoun Hospital Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit as recipients of the AACN Beacon Award. Inova Loudoun Hospital’s ICU was given the prestigious Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence in the fall of 2010.• Rosemary deButts has joined Atoka Properties’ Purcellville office. A Realtor since 2003, deButts serves as the hous-ing analyst for the Virginia Association of Realtors and has almost 10 years of expe-rience analyzing new and existing home markets in the Washington, DC, area. She has earned four National Association of
Home Building des-ignations and is certified as a fore-closure and short sale resource. She resides in Purcellville. • Two more ten-ants have signed on at the Village at Leesburg. Charlotte, NC-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill recently signed a lease for 5,286 square feet of space in suite 100 of the 1606 block of the Village and plans to begin construction during the second quarter. The restaurant began in Charlotte in 2000 and now boasts 17 locations across the country. In Virginia, Firebirds can be found in the Spotsylvania Towne Centre in Fredericksburg, along with two locations in Richmond. The restaurant boasts Colorado-style cuisine, drawn from owner and restaurateur Dennis Thompson’s travels out west, with grilling over an open flame that he says gives Firebirds’ food “a tremendous flavor.” More information on Firebirds can be found online at www.fire-birdsrestaurants.com. First Home Mortgage Corporation recently opened in suite 330 of the Village’s four-story, Class A office building. A full-service mortgage lender with more than 30 offices in 18 states, First Home Mortgage Corporation provides pro-cessing, underwriting and closing for mort-gages on properties throughout Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland and 16 other states primarily on the East Coast. The company offers first-time mortgages, fixed and adjustable rate products as well as refinancing, construction and VA loans. The Leesburg branch is being led by area manager Darran Anthony and will employ approximately 18 total employees in the 1602 Village Market Blvd. space. For more information about First Home Mortgage Corporation, visit www.firsthomemtg.com. • Virginia Commerce Bank has promoted Charles Kapur to vice president of commu-nity banking. Kapur will lead the Loudoun and Reston markets for the Arlington-based bank. He has served as manager of the bank’s Ashburn branch since it opened in 2007. • Purcellville’s Catoctin Creek Distilling Company has been awarded two silver medals from the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago, IL. Catoctin Creek Organic Roundstone Rye was awarded 87 points (Highly Recommended) and won silver in the category of rye whiskey, and Catoctin Creek Organic Mosby’s Spirit was awarded
85 points (Highly Recommended) and also won silver in the category of unaged whis-key. Mosby’s Spirit was also awarded a “Very Good / Strong Recommendation” with an 87-point rating by the Ultimate Beverage Challenge. Notably, Mosby’s Spirit was the third highest whiskey rated in the category of American Whiskey by UBC. • Joanne Theurich, the chief administra-tive officer for the Howard Hughes Medical Center Janelia Farm Research Center, has been appointed to the Economic D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n . Theurich became Janelia Farm’s CAO in October. In this role, she oversees the departments of Technology Transfer, Human Resources, Finance, Facilities, Laboratory Support Services and Purchasing. Before taking on the CAO position, Theurich had served as Janelia’s director of administration and finance from 2005. Prior to that Theurich worked for DST Health Solutions, a solution provider for the healthcare industry, and was respon-sible for the administration of business pro-cess outsourcing contracts. Previously, she built, developed and directed the finance and administrative functions of several start-up healthcare organizations. Theurich has been a member of the board of the Loudon County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on its Public Policy Committee. She is also a member of the Science and Technology Advisory Council for George Washington University’s Ashburn campus. Theurich will replace George Mason University’s Jerry Coughter as a Group B member on the EDC, in one of 20 slots that are reserved for members of certain aspects of Loudoun’s business com-munity. Her term will end Dec. 31, 2012.• Telos Corporation has been awarded a new contract to provide information tech-nology security support to the Defense Manpower Data Center. The task order, worth more than $4 million if all options are exercised, was awarded under the Network Centric Solutions (NETCENTS) contract vehicle and will run for approximately two years. Under the contract, Telos will con-tinue its 12-year partnership with DMDC, providing information assurance profes-sionals to support security engineering and security operations, as well as main-tain the accreditation of DMDC infrastruc-ture, information systems, stand-alone applications and automated tools in accor-dance with the Department of Defense Information Assurance Program and the Federal Information Security Management Act. Telos cybersecurity experts will assist DMDC to analyze new architecture designs, evaluate new technologies, recommend
security enhancements, and monitor and respond to security events.• Niklaus Braun has been named the new CEO for Rehau’s Automotive Strategic Business Division. A Rehau employee since 2002, Braun is a past member of the Rehau North American Executive Board. He was appointed to the Worldwide Automotive Executive Board in 2009. Braun will focus on the company’s long-term continuity and its role as an innovator in and sup-plier to the worldwide automotive industry. Markus Grundmann, who joined Rehau in 1998, has been appointed as deputy CEO of the division. • Two Loudouners are winners of the 2011 Enterprising Women of the Year awards. Pat Wirth, owner of Potomac Falls Express Lube & Car Wash, and Beverly Morton Billand, owner of The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, were both recognized in the up to $1 million in annual sales revenues category. Two local ladies were also Honorable Mention recipi-ents: Tina Johnson, owner of Leesburg’s Johnson Promotions & Events, and Brigitta Toruno, owner of Lansdowne’s UNO Communications. • Keller Williams Loudoun Gateway Office in Ashburn has a number of new additions to report. Robert Pizzimenti has joined the office as its new Realtor. He has more than 11 years of real estate experience. Philip Braxton has also signed on as Realtor. New to the industry, Braxton spent the last 12 years as the Chief Information Officer for the Maryland Court System. Fifteen-year county resident Lisa Erazo has also joined up as a Realtor. Erazo has been involved in the community as a volunteer for many organizations and churches. • Tim Keilty is the new vice president of GeoStructures’ EarthTec division, the designer and supplier of mechanically
stabilized earth retaining walls and wall-related products. In his role Keilty will expand EarthTec’s pres-ence among local highway and com-mercial builders, as well as target southern states and the federal market. An expe-
rienced executive in the construction and engineering industries, Keilty served as vice president of strategic markets for CONTECH Construction Products. Prior to his CONTECH position he was vice president and a partner with BridgeTek, a company with a pre-engineered bridge system that grew to more than $80 million in revenue before its 2005 sale.
In Brief
deButts
Theurich
Keilty
APRIL 2011 Loudoun Business | PAGE 7
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Loudoun. “Loudoun County and our towns here are amazing, and you all are amazing,” Kilday said. “It’s that passion we share, that vision we share that Loudoun will not be just a tertiary market to D.C. We have rich heritage here, we have a growing wine county —we have a lot of things going on here, but how do we want it to look. Yes, I played a role, but you all taught me and you inspired me, and we have an awesome board, and still do, and an amazing team that I miss every day.” Other award winners included Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn & Estate and Pev’s Paintball on Rt. 15 south of Gilberts Corner, who shared the award for Partners of the Year; the Town of Middleburg, recognized as Volunteer of the Year because of the town’s numerous volunteers who offer their services in different ways; Middleburg Streets Supervisor Marvin Simms, who was rec-ognized with the Hometown Star award for his all-round service to the in clearing the streets during the 2009 and 2010 blizzards and in gener-al keeping the town in top shape; Middleburg’s Duchessa women’s clothing store owner Robin Cavanaugh, who won the Humanitarian Award for her charitable work, including the Wounded Warrior program to which she donated clothing and a portion of the store’s sales; and George Lengauer, winner of the Distinguished Service award for his services to the hungry in the Middleburg through the Seven Loaves Food Bank, of which he is the manager. Middleburg Mayor Betsy Davis congratu-lated the volunteers of the town on their award, saying “we could not do this without you. You make our town, and we love you.” Comfort Suites Leesburg General Manager Laura Fletcher was honored with Management Employee of the Year, while miller Mike Devine from the Aldie Mill took home Front-Line Employee of the Year honors. As always, the events that draw people to Loudoun were highlighted. The two-day Aldie Harvest Festival was honored as Event of the Year, with attendance over 3,000, while the Mosby three-day October 2010 Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War won for Event of the Year in the attendance up to 3,000 category. Treasures on the Turnpike won for Promotion/Campaign of the Year. The annual awards event also served as a time to induct members of Visit Loudoun’s board of directors for three-year terms, set to begin July 1. Those inducted include: Loudoun resident Amy Cross-Monroe; Genie Ford, presi-dent of Print Management Inc.; Warren Breaux, director of sales and marketing for Lansdowne Resort; Lori Corcoran, owner of Corcoran Vineyards; Vicki Bendure, owner of Bendure Communications; LaMott Smith, partner and principal with Raspberry Golf Management; Eric Whitson, director of sales and marketing for National Conference Center; and Tina Johnson, president and CEO of Johnson Promotions & Events.
Awards Continued From Page 1
• Volunteer of the Year: The Town of Middleburg was recognized for its robust corps of vol-unteers, who turn out in droves for town events and other activities, lending their expertise and passion to planning and promotion. • Promotion of the Year: Treasures on the Turnpike, now planned to be an annual event, is
a village-wide yard sale and flea market held in Aldie.• Partner of the Year: Pev's Paintball, located south of Gilbert's Corner in Aldie, was also named Partner of the Year.
2011 Tourism Award Winners
• Hometown Star: Middleburg’s Streets Supervisor Marvin Simms was honored for his work in clearing the town streets during the blizzards of 2009 and 2010 and in general for keeping the town in good shape.
• Humanitarian Award: Robin Cavanaugh, owner of the Duchessa clothing store in Middleburg, was hon-ored for her charita-ble work. Cavanaugh donated clothing and a portion of her store’s sales to the Wounded Warrior program.
• Management Employee of the Year: Laura Fletcher, general manager of the Comfort Suites in Leesburg, beat out five others to take home the prize.
• Front-Line Employee of the Year: Mike Devine, miller at the Aldie Mill, was recognized for the work he does in dem-onstrating the art of milling to visitors of the only working mill left in Loudoun.
• Judy Patterson Award: Former Visit Loudoun CEO Cheryl Kilday was honored for her 15 years of service as head of the county’s tourism body.
• Distinguished Service Award: George Lengauer was honored for his services to Middleburg through the Seven Loaves Food Bank, of which he is manager.
• Event of the Year – Attendance Over 3,000: The Aldie Harvest Festival, the last of Loudoun’s festi-vals for the fall season, is held for two days each October and features exhibits, demonstrations and more that mimic the life of old-time Aldie. John Hutchison is pictured accepting the award.
• Event of the Year – Attendance Up to 3,000: The Mosby Heritage Area Association’s 13th Annual Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War took place in Middleburg in October 2010 and highlighted the Battle of Fredericksburg. Childs Burden is pictured accepting the award.
• Partner of the Year: Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn was recognized for work it does in attract-ing travelers to the county. Emily Tabachka is pictured accepting the award.
Photos Courtesy Of
Visit Loudoun
APRIL 2011 Loudoun Business | PAGE 9
would not be facing such serious health issues,” Janell Hoffman, board member and nurse leader for Inova Loudoun Hospital, said. “The Mystics demonstrate the impor-tance of being healthy and staying healthy. By partnering with Inova the Mystics prove to be ambassadors for health. It’s a winning lineup and a team which I am so proud to be a part of.” Sheila C. Johnson, president and man-aging partner of the Washington Mystics, applauded the move, calling it the “proud-est moment” during her ownership of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Mystics, Wizards and Washington Capitals. “The Washington Mystics are deeply committed to the community…and make hundreds of appearances throughout the year focusing on programs that improve quality of life for all people,” she said. “Our league and its players are continually recognized for commitment to community. That is the reason why we wanted to part-ner with Inova: they share our commitment to the community.”
MysticsContinued From Page 3
said this work puts Loudoun “light years ahead” of tourism bodies in Chicago, Miami and New York, who also boast much larger budgets. While noting that he hopes to build on the success already created at Visit Loudoun, Kaler said that every organization can benefit from “a fresh pair of eyes” every now and then. Not one to sit on his hands and ease into his new job, Kaler already has some fresh ideas he is looking to implement. Starting a sports commission and capi-talizing on Loudoun as a destination for sports tournaments is one of them. “Sports is a big deal for us,” he says. Kaler said that forming a commission with staff and volunteers from both the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, the Leesburg Parks & Recreation Department, other small com-munities and lodging establishments will allow Loudoun to go after landing these tournaments “as a collective effort.” He also hopes to participate in more aggressive marketing to Washington, DC, residents and visitors, which he calls “an untapped market.” Noting that a recent article showed that DC contains the most social media users in the country, Kaler said he’d like to capitalize on that and also show those residents how Loudoun can satisfy a different market than the nation’s capital. He cites Loudoun’s robust rural econ-omy and the agritourism movement as one example. By working cooperatively with
Visit DC, Loudoun’s campaign of DC’s Wine Country can be exposed not only to DC residents, but also to all the vendors who exhibit at the international trade shows where Visit DC appears. Kaler said creating a Loudoun Restaurant Week could be another good opportunity to capitalize on the agritourism movement. “It’s an opportunity to engage the com-munity in what we do,” he said. Engaging the community in Visit Loudoun’s efforts and communicating the message of how the tourism body can be a resource to the community, like by provid-ing updates on upcoming local events, is
also a priority for Kaler. Kaler has also spoken to county Economic Development Director Tom Flynn, himself new at his position, about the pos-sibility of forming a film office in Loudoun, where the county can go after landing mov-ies and television shows to film in the coun-ty. Pointing to Loudoun’s beautiful natural scenery, Kaler said anything from episodes of ABC’s hit reality show "The Bachelor" to a segment showcasing Loudoun wines on "The Today Show" to car commercials could be a big boon for the tourism industry. With Loudoun County landing the inau-gural Symposium on the Use of Social Media in Tourism, or SoMeT, last November Kaler
said he hopes to continue to expand the county’s social media efforts. Emphasizing that it is hard to calculate a return on invest-ment for social media strategies he said it is vital that the county have its message out there. Already setting out on an ambitious agenda for his first few weeks on the job, Kaler said he is looking forward to meet-ing new faces and exploring new places in Loudoun County. He also welcomes any and all input, positive or negative, from the com-munity. “I want to hear from everybody,” he said. “It’s important that we operate as a community organization.”
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PAGE 10 | Loudoun Business APRIL 2011
Kincora project put an undue burden on the rest of the county. Some supervisors said the majority of the board was about to make a grave mistake in approving the CPAM, and others that said detractors of the plan were intent on holding up the future of Loudoun. Those differences came to a head dur-ing debate over McGimsey’s two motions—the first that would have removed the mixed-use node allowed in the center of the corridor near the W&OD Trail and the second that would require approval of any application for the center node to be con-tingent on “significant completion” of the parallel road network along Rt. 28. Only her second notion passed, despite contentions by some supervisors that it was unnecessary given existing plans for the parallel roads and other language in the CPAM. “I only supported the language because the parallel network is pretty much done,” Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) said. Waters took her criticism one step further saying McGimsey’s motion would be a “killer to any application that comes through. It’s a death pill.” McGimsey’s motion to remove the cen-tral mixed-use node kicked off the debate over whether residential development belonged in the corridor and whether it would truly spur more commercial devel-opment. “For every success there several [mixed-use developments] failing to live up to their promises,” Burton said. “To my mind, trusting a mixed-use develop-ment will maximize the county’s economic development potential is nothing more than an act of faith.” The Blue Ridge District supervisor noted after the vote that the 13,000 resi-dential units allowed by the plan are more than double the size of South Riding. “How can anyone think that will spur
commercial development I don’t know,” he said. Burton, Delgaudio and Burk ques-tioned whether the residential develop-ment would have any positive impact or if it would simply put further burden on the rest of the county, particularly when it comes to schools. “This will be another spiral that adds to the traffic; it adds to the schools,” Delgaudio said. “We have spent half our executive session time trying to compute the value of land purchases, land banking. You’re going to pack them into our schools in Sterling when there are really no other schools available.” But county staff members and some supervisors have argued that the student generation numbers in the plan are over-stated because the county has never had multi-family housing that is as small as is being proposed in the corridor. Similar housing in Arlington and Fairfax have much lower student generation numbers. Even some of the supervisors who supported the CPAM acknowledged that mixed-use development was not ideal, but that is what is being sought by the landowners, and ultimately they are the ones who have to develop the property. “I am willing to look at this compro-mise and see what happens,” Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) said. “Because approving a type of development no one wants to bring us is approving nothing.” Waters also noted that part of Loudoun’s problem has been the lack of available space for large companies and corporations to move into immediately, and all the county has now to offer new businesses to Loudoun is what they see now—what she called a “hodge-podge of development.” “Let’s give them something that has vision. And this has vision,” she said.
office clusters, which are medium and high density compact, pedestrian-oriented office developments that can contain up to 100 percent office development and office-supportive amenities, such as retail, res-taurants, hotels, personal services, parks and open spaces; and mixed-use office clusters, defined as live-work centers that allow for the highest density of develop-ment in the corridor and the only location for residential development. The three areas of the corridor are the Rt. 28 Core between Pacific Boulevard and the Broad Run to the west and Atlantic Boulevard to the east; Rt. 28 business immediately outside the core; and Rt. 28 Industrial which is traditionally clustered close to Dulles Airport. Staff members said the overall den-sity of development in the corridor would not increase with the Comprehensive Plan amendment, just be rearranged. The CPAM is calling for three nodes that would allow for multi-family residen-tial developments as a way to attract businesses and create the more integrated “live, work, play” communities many com-panies are seeking. There already is resi-dential development in the Rt. 28 corridor, some places where it is allowed through the plan and others, like the 1,400-unit
Kincora development at the corner of Rt. 7 and Rt. 28, where it has been approved by action of the Board of Supervisors. Based on ranges included in the CPAM, the plan could allow for residential devel-opment between 11,075 and 13,387 units—but only up to 3,414 of those units would be new to the corridor. The remaining units either have been planned, like Dominion Station or Parc Dulles, or approved by the Board of Supervisors, like Kincora and Victoria Station. The planned urban center, at Dulles Town Center, is already approved for up to 2,150 units. The additional 3,414 units come from two of the mixed-use center nodes in the plan—one at the center of the corridor near the W&OD Trail and one at the south end near the Fairfax County border. The third node, to be located on the north end of the corridor, is already spoken for through the Kincora application. The Dulles World development’s, locat-ed in the southern node, proposed number of residential units—1,265—requested in that application were not included in the calculations for the Rt. 28 plan because they had not been approved at the time of the CPAM vote. There were claims by supervisors that some did not support economic develop-ment because of their vote against the Kincora project last year, as well as those who said supervisors who approved the
Rt. 28Continued From Page 4
There has been a flurry of chang-es in the Department of Economic Development over the past few months. It began with the appointment of Charlotte, NC, transplant Thomas Flynn to department director in November. Shortly before his arrival, Kellie Boles joined the department as its agricultural development officer, following six years in Jefferson County, WV, with the same position. Buddy Rizer was recently promoted to economic development officer. Rizer leads the four-person business devel-opment team tasked with increasing Loudoun’s commercial base by execut-ing business recruitment, retention, expansion, and formation programs. He has been with Loudoun for more than four years in a business development
role and has managed the explosive growth in the data center market in Loudoun. Rizer has more than 25 years of experience in sales management and marketing. Rounding out the leadership team are Robyn Bailey, Dorri Morin and Alison Howard. Bailey heads the four-person business support team which provides targeted business intelligence research, proposal management and real estate services. Morin leads the three-person marketing and communications team that delivers the department’s core messages via web 2.0, and manages media outreach, advertising and events. Howard is the department’s office man-ager and is responsible for internal oper-ations and customer service.
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April 12Grow Your Business LuncheonLoudoun Chamber of Commerce11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Chamber offices, 19301 Winmeade Drive #210, Lansdowne “Grow Your Business Using Facebook” will be the monthly topic in a series that gets attendees up close and personal with experts in different business fields. Each luncheon in the Grow Your Business series features a prepared presentation followed by an extensive Q&A session. Lunch is provided. Cost for the event is $10 for Chamber members and $15 for non-members. To register, visit www.loud-ounchamber.org.
April 14Business Showcase BreakfastLoudoun Chamber of Commerce7:30 to 9 a.m., Belmont Country Club, 19661 Belmont Manor Lane, Ashburn Join almost 150 Chamber members, new and old, at this monthly, signature roundtable networking breakfast. Early registrants will have their name and com-pany information displayed on the mem-bers-only attendee list. Fee for the break-fast is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. To register, visit www.loudounchamber.org.
Sterling Women11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., The National Conference Center, 18980 Upper Belmont Place, Lansdowne Laura Lee Williams, owner of Laura Lee Designs, serves as the speaker for the networking group’s monthly luncheon. Networking opportunities are available before and after the lunch. For pricing information and to register, visit www.sterlingwomen.org.
Committee For Dulles Luncheon11:30 a.m., The National Conference Center, 18980 Upper Belmont Place, Lansdowne Journey Through Hallowed Ground President Cate Magennis Wyatt is the featured speaker during the monthly lun-cheon, where she will apprise attendees of JTHG’s latest efforts in preserving the 185-mile-long National Scenic Byway from Gettysburg, PA, to Monticello. For full pricing and registration information, visit www.committeefordulles.org.
Start Your BusinessLoudoun Small Business Development Center6 to 8:30 p.m., Comfort Suites, 80 Prosperity Avenue, Leesburg SBDC Business Counselor Rabiya Jilani and Art Thompson, principal with
Keyser Thompson Insurance Agency, Inc., provide attendees with the basics of start-ing a business. Highlights of the semi-nar include: taxes and licensing; business plan development; sources of financing; marketing; insurance; and entrepreneurial traits. Pre-registration fee is $10 or $15 at the door. To register, visit www.loudoun-sbdc.org.
April 21After Hours MixerLoudoun Chamber of Commerce5:30 to 7 p.m., Bogati Bodega & Vineyard, 35246 Harry Byrd Highway, Round Hill Join Chamber members, board mem-bers and new members as they power network around fine catering and tasty beverages at this monthly event. Pre-registration fee is $15 for members and guests or $20 at the door. To register, visit www.loudounchamber.org.
April 26LeadShare Luncheon11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Belmont Country Club, 19661 Belmont Manor Lane, Ashburn Join Daniel Abramson, president of Staffdynamics, as he leads an interac-tive session exploring the communication techniques used in sales and management across multiple generations. This annual event is free for all LeadShare members; otherwise cost is $30 for Chamber mem-bers and $45 for non-members. To regis-ter, visit www.loudounchamber.org.
April 28Building Business TogetherLoudoun Small Business Development Center7 a.m. to 7 p.m., George Washington University Virginia Campus, 20101 Academic Way, Exploration Hall, Ashburn The fourth annual, daylong event features a slew of seminars, network-ing opportunities, technology exhibits, a Finance Fair and more. An evening mixer follows the action, beginning at 5 p.m. Online registration is $65 through April 22. Thereafter, only day-of-event registration will be available at $80. To register, visit www.loudounsbdc.org.
May 4Leesburg Economic Development Commission7 p.m., Town Hall lower level conference room, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg The public, local business owners/employees and other interested parties
are welcome to attend the commission’s monthly meeting, where updates are pro-vided on important town economic devel-opment initiatives or programs.
May 6Loudoun Economic Development Commission7:30-10 a.m., Loudoun Water, 44865 Loudoun Water Way, Ashburn Updates on county and business issues, along with economic statistics and other information, are provided at the county commission’s monthly meeting.
May 12Business Showcase BreakfastLoudoun Chamber of Commerce7:30 to 9 a.m., Belmont Country Club, 19661 Belmont Manor Lane, Ashburn
Join almost 150 Chamber members, new and old, at this monthly, signature roundtable networking breakfast. Early registrants will have their name and com-pany information displayed on the mem-bers-only attendee list. Fee for the break-fast is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-members. To register, visit www.loudounchamber.org.
May 17Leesburg Business Appreciation Awards6 to 8 p.m., ProJet Aviation Hangar, Leesburg Executive Airport, 957 Sycolin Road SE, Leesburg Join the Leesburg Town Council and Economic Development Commission dur-ing the 10th annual awards ceremony, where the town’s business community and the individuals that make it up will be honored. RSVP online at www.leesburgva.gov through May 10.
■ Business Calendar
By Kara Clark, Staff Writer
The Loudoun Small Business Development Center staff and volun-teers are readying for April 28, the date of the annual Building Business Together event at George Washington University’s Ashburn campus. The daylong event will feature 18 seminars, the second installment of the popular Finance Fair, which debuted last year and featured speakers on dif-ferent forms of business financing and investing, a silent auction, exhibitor tables and will cap off with an evening mixer. A new emphasis this year will be on the use of video, SBDC Executive Director Robin Suomi said. “The concept is video is taking over the world as far as online market-ing but small businesses are reticent to get into that,” she said. “How can we lower that barrier to make it fun at no risk?” Two seminars will highlight video use for businesses. The first will talk about the basics of video marketing,
how to use a Flip video camera and more. A second seminar will work to put that knowledge to use: attendees will have an opportunity to film a 15- to 30-second elevator speech with a simple edit. These videos will then be uploaded to the SBDC’s YouTube chan-nel and will be streamed throughout the day’s events. At the evening mixer, attendees can vote on which elevator speech they liked the best. Other seminars offered during the day will delve into government contracting, agribusiness, blogging, mobile apps and branding, to name a few. The day begins with registration at 7 a.m. and the Finance Fair kicks off at 8 a.m., with general seminars begin-ning at 10 a.m. For a full schedule and list of seminars, visit www.loudoun-sbdc.org. Online registration is $65 through April 22. Thereafter, only day-of-event registration will be available at $80. Registration prices include continen-tal breakfast, boxed lunch and the evening mixer. To register, visit www.loudounsbdc.org.
Building Business Together
SBDC Readies For Annual Event At GWU
PAGE 12 | Loudoun Business APRIL 2011
projecting a 25 percent increase in revenue over last year but based on the number of bookings, particularly in the late spring through summer, Krause was hoping for an even better year. Now, his sole focus is on meeting the budget, something he said is still achievable. But the drop in government business will mean the conference center will likely not hire the extra hands it had hoped to. A 25-percent increase in revenue would mark the best year for the conference since 2008, after double-digit drops in 2009 and 2010. To make up for the potential cancel-lations or postponements in government or military training sessions, Krause said he has begun redirecting his sales staff to reach out to corporations or associations to bring their training to the conference center. Another government-related line item that has local hospitality establishments concerned is the per diem given to fed-eral employees when traveling. In nearby Fairfax County, employees get a per diem in excess of $200, about $50-75 more than in Loudoun. Visit Loudoun staff members say they are attempting to tackle this discrepancy by promoting Loudoun hotels’ competitive rates to increase booking volume. Local GMs say they are hopeful that the short timeframe to spend money, based on the delayed approval of the federal budget, will give agencies less time to negotiate rates, making them more likely to choose to stay near Dulles Airport and other attractions. GMs say they also rely heavily on com-pression from Crystal City and Washington, DC. But, with those areas dropping rates and adding to its already robust room inventory, attracting hotel-goers from those locations has been difficult.
Sports Newly-hired Visit Loudoun CEO Patrick Kaler has identified sports tournaments as a major group he wants to go after to come to Loudoun (See Story, Page 3). Local GMs see the opportunity there as well, but some say changes need to be made if Loudoun wants to stay competitive with that mar-ket. “We need more sports fields,” Miller said. He pointed to a recent sports tourna-ment where all the games were held on fields in Prince William and Fairfax coun-ties. This made for some unhappy parents, who were less than pleased to find them-selves in hour-long commutes to get their kids to sports fields. “They’re not going to come back [to stay in Loudoun] because they had to drive 20-plus miles,” Jim Ruedinger, general man-ager of the Embassy Suites Dulles North
Hotel, said. Visit Loudoun, however, notes that it is the popularity of the county’s sports fields—often solidly booked from March through the end of the summer—which poses the challenge. And, staff notes, many hotels experience compression from Fairfax County during sports tournament season. “Our sports venues are actively work-ing to book both tournaments and over-night accommodations in the county,” Visit Loudoun staff say. They point to Mike Peverill, owner of Pev’s Paintball south of Gilbert’s Corner in Aldie, as a prime example. Peverill mandates that any tour-naments utilizing Pev’s must book hotel
rooms in Loudoun only. Assets
With leisure travel picking up, Visit Loudoun staff and others in the hospitality industry are cautiously optimistic for a pos-itive 2011. The U.S. Travel Association’s U.S. Travel Outlook is predicting a slow recov-ery beginning this year, gaining momentum in 2012. With the wedding industry continu-ing its strong revenues and interest from sports tournaments picking up, hopes are for a strong showing of leisure travelers to the area. “We are mindful that it will take a while for the low rates we have seen in recent years to come back up to pre-recession
levels, but we have seen an increase in the average daily rate the past two months over the same period last year,” Visit Loudoun staff say. So what are the most popular attrac-tions for visitors? Local GMs cite the Air & Space Museum, the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets and wineries as the most sought-after destinations. Visit Loudoun also says the towns of Leesburg and Middleburg attract quite a bit of attention, in addition to robust heritage areas and Civil War battlefields. The upcoming 150th Civil War anniversary celebration is expect-ed to bring quite a bit of history travelers to the area as well.
TravelContinued From Page 1
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