Restaurants Open in Founders Row

Our Journey Brands, previously known as Happy Endings Hospitality, is a growing restaurant group with six successful concepts in the Northern Virginia area.  Three of these restaurants have now opened in Founders Row: Chasin’ Tails, seafood that celebrates; Nue, modern Vietnamese and Roll Play, Viet street food.  Carey and Yuan Tang, who earned a Michelin star with Rooster and Owl, have opened Ellie Bird. The Tangs grew up in Falls Church and their daughter, Ellie, inspired the new concept, a contemporary, casual restaurant.

Envision Route 7 – BRT Open House May 16

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is hosting a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Community Open House on Tuesday, May 16, 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.  There will be refreshments at 6:30 and a presentation at 7:00 in the lower-level conference room.  NVTC leads the planning process for Envision Route 7 which is designed to connect the Alexandria Mark Center to Tysons via Bailey’s Crossroads, Seven Corners and Falls Church along the Route 7 corridor.  BRT is a bus-based transit system that gives fast and efficient service that may include dedicated lanes, busways, traffic signal priority, and enhanced stations.  Project team staff will be available to answer questions and get feedback on the draft concepts to improve transit service in Falls Church. 

Class on Independent Contractor Agreements

The Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia (WBC) is facilitating an online class, Top 5 Clauses for Your Independent Contractor Agreement, on Thursday, May 11, 1:00 – 2:00 pm.  The session will explain the difference between being deemed an employee versus an independent contractor and go over the factors that regulators and the IRS take into consideration when determining whether to classify a person working for a business as an employee or an independent contractor, and more.  The speaker is Bonnie Sanchez, Esq., The Law office of Bonnie M. Sanchez.  The session fee is $25 and the link will be shared upon registration at https://wbcnova.centerdynamics.com/workshop.aspx?ekey=10430016

GDIT Spotlight for Mental Health Awareness Campaign

Virginia Business is giving the spotlight to Amy Gilliland, President of General Dynamics Information Technology, in recognition of her work to destigmatize and promote mental health care.  Following an employee’s suicide, she launched a company campaign, “How are you, really,” to raise awareness of mental wellness and better support one another.  Thousands of employees hold security clearances and nearly 30 percent are veterans, both of which have experienced stigma around pursuit of mental health services and the impact upon their clearances.  Gilliland believes that it’s the responsibility of an employer to raise awareness of mental wellness and strives for a healthy and resilient team.  Her dedication to this effort has led to an increase of those seeking counseling.

State Department Clears Possible Sale of BAE-Made Rocket

The State Department approved a possible $31.2 million sale of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II laser-guided munitions to the U.K. government.  BAE Systems will execute the contract.  The U.K. government ordered 768 of single-variant, all-up round units of APKWS-II and supporting equipment. The contract also covers logistics, engineering and technical support.  Five government representatives and five officials from BAE systems will visit the U.K. over a five-year period to ensure delivery and equipment familiarity.  The potential sale is expected to benefit the British Royal Air Force, including its interoperability with U.S. and other military allies.