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Fairfax County EDA CEO & President Victor Hoskins named to Virginia 500 Power List
Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, has been named for the fourth year in a row to the “Virginia 500 2023 Power List” by Virginia Business. Featured on the list are the Commonwealth’s most influential leaders across sectors, including business, government and education.
“I am honored to be named to the Virginia 500. I am blessed to work with an incredible group of professionals and together we build upon the leadership of Chairman Jeff McKay, the County Board of Supervisors and the County Executive who have consistently focused on the long-term investments that have made Fairfax a world class environment for growing companies and thriving communities,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. “I am grateful and humbled to be included in this list of powerful change makers such as Jason El Koubi, CEO of Virginia Economic Development Partnership whose work across the Commonwealth of Virginia is invaluable.”
According to Virginia Business:
“Hoskins is well known in Virginia for the leading role he played in bringing Amazon.com’s $2.5 billion-plus HQ2 East Coast headquarters to Arlington County, where he previously led economic development. In 2019, he moved next door to lead Fairfax County’s authority. His wins so far have included last year’s announcement that hotelier Hilton Worldwide Holdings would expand its Fairfax County corporate headquarters, creating 350 jobs. Similarly, he’s helped the county gain the North American headquarters for StarKist and retain Volkswagen Group of America’s headquarters.
An advocate for regional economic development cooperation, Hoskins has emphasized job opportunities for military veterans and oversaw the launch of workinnorthernvirginia.com, a website to help people find jobs and workforce training.
In March, Hoskins received accolades for his volunteer work, receiving a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from The White House. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hoskins was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Washington, D.C., district office with a Director’s Partnership Award in 2022.
Trained as an urban planner, Hoskins previously was deputy mayor of Washington, D.C. He serves on the George Mason University President’s Innovation Advisory Council and the Washington Airports Task Force board.”
Click here to see the list of all of the Virginia 500 honorees.
15 Fairfax County Companies Cited as Best Employers
Fifteen Fairfax County companies were named by Forbes on its “America’s Best Employers by State” list. Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey 70,000 workers at companies (minimum of 500 employees) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Participants were asked if they would recommend their employer to others, and to evaluate their employer based on working conditions, diversity, compensation packages, potential for development, company image and more. Participants also assessed employers beyond their own. All surveys were anonymous to encourage candor, according to Forbes.
Here’s the list of Fairfax County companies:
| VA HQ Rank | Name | Employees | CEO | City |
| 1 | Navy Federal Credit Union | 14,700 | Mary McDuffie | Vienna |
| 2 | Hilton Worldwide Holdings | 159,000 | Christopher J. Nassetta | Tysons |
| 6 | Capital One | 55,943 | Richard D. Fairbank | Tysons |
| 7 | Inova Health System | 20,000 | J. Stephen Jones | Falls Church |
| 10 | BAE Systems | 93,100 | Charles Nicolas Woodburn | Falls Church |
| 11 | SAIC | 26,000 | Nazzic Keene | Reston |
| 12 | Northrop Grumman | 95,000 | Kathy J. Warden | Falls Church |
| 16 | Booz Allen Hamilton | 29,300 | Horacio Rozanski | Tysons |
| 17 | ICF International | 9,000 | John Wasson | Reston |
| 21 | General Dynamics | 89,460 | Phebe N. Novakovic | Reston |
| 28 | Fairfax County | 12,000 | Bryan Hill | Fairfax |
| 29 | Fairfax County Public Schools | 24,839 | Michelle C. Reid | Falls Church |
| 42 | Leidos | 41,000 | Thomas A. Bell | Reston |
| 45 | George Mason University | 7,200 | Gregory Washington | Fairfax |
| 47 | CACI International | 22,000 | John S. Mengucci | Reston |
Critical enabler for the burgeoning new space economy
Reston-based SpiderOak, a provider of zero-trust cybersecurity and resiliency software for space systems, has successfully deployed and demonstrated its OrbitSecure technology aboard the International Space Station, reported Intelligence Community News. This milestone, achieved using Herndon-based Amazon Web Services Snowcone edge computing device provided by Axiom Space, completed a critical step in SpiderOak’s plan to demonstrate increasingly complex orbital flight demonstrations. This successful demonstration positions SpiderOak as a critical enabler for the burgeoning new space economy, which heavily relies on the secure transfer of data and mixed workloads across hybrid platforms in space. “The future of space is undeniably software-defined,” said John Moberly, SpiderOak’s senior vice president for space. “Our successful demonstration shows that it’s not just possible, but effective and secure, to run containerized workloads in modern orchestrated environments with secure data channels from orbit to ground and vice versa.” Click here to read FCEDA’s recent interview with SpiderOak CEO Dave Pearah.
Very deliberate unicorn jumps
Herndon cybersecurity company Expel is a “unicorn” status – a private company with a value of over $1 billion – during the height of the venture capital funding boom early in the pandemic. The company has nearly doubled its number of employees, to roughly 500, over the last two years, but it’s facing a vastly different macroeconomic and venture capital environment than it was when it first closed a $140 million Series E round in November 2021, Washington Business Journal reported in an article for subscribers. Like many of its venture-capital-backed peers, Expel is closely watching its spending as it plots its next move, be it a sale, an initial public offering or a return to the VC market, according to the article. Specifically, it’s tapping the brakes on hiring and international expansion to preserve capital and chart a path toward profitability, CEO and co-founder Dave Merkel said in an interview with the Journal. “We’re being very deliberate in how we manage in this moment and watching our customers’ behavior,” Merkel said.
Broadening a network
Tysons-based e-commerce software company Aravenda, which targets consignment shops and resellers, has landed a spot in the latest women’s founders cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator, reported Washington Business Journal in subscriber-only content. Aravenda CEO Carolyn Thompson, who founded Aravenda in 2018, said the coveted 10-week virtual program will help broaden her network and find access to capital outside of D.C. “As a nongovernment contractor in Washington, we don’t get a lot of attention because everybody wants to buy something that’s cybersecurity,” Thompson said. “They want to invest in things that support the government.”
Refugee and immigrant entrepreneurship
Buoyed by a $1.5 million donation from a local tech executive, Fairfax-based George Mason University is launching a training program for aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds, the first phase of its inclusive entrepreneurship training initiative, DCINNO reported in subscriber-only content. The donation from Sumeet Shrivastava, former president and CEO of Fairfax-based government technology services firm Array Information Technology, will fully fund the RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship) Program at GMU, the largest public university in Virginia. WJLA has more.
Expanding in-flight connectivity
Air Canada is expanding its in-flight connectivity (IFC) deal with Tysons-based Intelsat, ordering Intelsat’s IFC solution for nearly 100 more aircraft, reported Avionics Today. Intelsat and its IFC predecessor, Gogo, have worked with the flagship Canadian air carrier for 14 years. Intelsat currently operates in-flight internet on 240 aircraft on Air Canada, Rouge, and Air Canada Express. The new program includes IFC installations on three types of Air Canada aircraft including 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which will be equipped starting this year with Intelsat’s 2Ku IFC system. Intelsat’s 2Ku solution includes a low-profile, fuselage-mounted antenna that is less than three inches tall. The antenna interoperates on both Intelsat’s family of Geostationary (GEO) satellites and on London-based OneWeb’s, which bases its U.S. headquarters in Tysons, constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
Another pillar
Fairfax-based 3Pillar Global acquired N.J. and India-based digital engineering firm Chenoa Information Services. Chenoa was an early entrant into the low-code and no-code development market that is estimated by Gartner to be $27 billion in 2023. The acquisition augments 3Pillar’s deep experience in providing cloud-native product development with Chenoa’s low-code and no-code development services while building greater scale in AI and machine learning capabilities across the combined entity. Chenoa’s expertise in banking, financial services and insurance further enhances 3Pillar’s extensive expertise in these sectors, citybiz reported. The acquisition of Chenoa will add 425 team members to 3Pillar’s growing global footprint across nine countries.
Evolving landscape
Tysons-based Bridge Core Federal, a provider of visual intelligence and technical offerings to the federal government, has acquired Haymarket, Va.-based GeoYeti, a data science and analytics firm focused on the government. Bridge Core, acquired by private equity and holding company NewSpring Holdings earlier this year, said the acquisition will strengthen its data and analytics capabilities. “As the data landscape evolves, the human element – our analysts, data scientists, and engineers – becomes increasingly critical in transforming raw data into precise, actionable insights,” said Chad Kim, the CEO of Bridge Core. “Our collaboration with Bridge Core and GeoYeti underscores our commitment to nurturing talent that can innovate and excel in this complex arena. We’re not just backing technology; we’re investing in people who will set new benchmarks for analytics and mission impact.” Washington Technology has more.
Teaming up
Fairfax-based MAG Aerospace is partnering with Cary, N.C.-based artificial intelligence specialist SAS to compete for U.S. Space Force data analytics contracts, SpaceNews reported. MAG Aerospace is one of 18 vendors the Space Force selected in March for a five-year $900 million contract overseen by the Space Systems Command. The contract seeks new ways to employ data analytics tools to turn data collected by tracking radars and other sensors into useful intelligence and distribute it to users around the world.
Timely, data-drive decisions
Reston-based Science Applications International Corp. announced the launch of ReadyOne, a rapidly deployable digital engineering ecosystem that offers an end-to-end digital thread for consistent, traceable and complete engineering solutions, according to Intelligence Community News. “This offering brings together an organization’s technical data, engineering tools and management processes into one environment enabling engineers to start solutioning on day one, saving time and cost,” said Josh Sorkin, senior vice president, digital engineering, at SAIC. “Stakeholders need the freedom to focus on the mission at hand. ReadyOne allows the user to worry less about administering and connecting engineering tools while allowing them to ask, “what if?” and make timely, data-driven decisions.”
Joining forces
Loudoun County-based REI Systems, which has a Chantilly location, has formed a joint venture with Herndon-headquartered software company TechSur Solutions to provide information technology products and services to U.S. government customers, reported ExecutiveBiz. FusionEdge Solutions was established through the Small Business Administration’s Mentor-Protege Program as an economically disadvantaged women-owned small business supporting the civilian, defense and health sectors, REI Systems said. The joint venture will combine resources from REI Systems and TechSur Solutions to help customers, including the Department of Homeland Security, advance their digital transformation strategies. “In joining forces with REI Systems, we’re combining our industry-leading expertise with their proven track record of successful government IT implementations,” said Rupinder Yadav, president of TechSur Solutions.
About the Fairfax County
Economic Development Authority
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) promotes Fairfax County, Virginia, as a business and technology center. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County.
Want to know more about the services of the FCEDA, or how economic development helps Fairfax County? Visit the FCEDA website or e-mail info@fceda.org.
Fairfax County: “One of the great economic success stories of our time” — TIME
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