September 7, 2005.
Business Intelligence for Virginia's Entrepreneurial Economy
Click here for a free subscription To update subscriber information click here.		In This Issue... Hurricane Katrina: Impact, Hurricane Katrina: Relief, Expansions, Relocations & Launches, Who's Hot, Who's Not, Deals Makers, Deals & Partnerships, Trends, Commentary, Events, Click here to forward to a friend or colleague who might like this newsletter.
Back To Top	Hurricane Katrina: Impact
Sponsors: Legal Services Investment banking Email Marketing Experts Partners: B2B Marketing Research		ORBIMAGE Releases Satellite Images of Katrina Devastation DULLES--ORBIMAGE Inc. has collected imagery of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast with its high resolution satellite OrbView-3. This satellite image over Gulfport, Miss., gives context to the massive power of the hurricane by showing how far inland the Gulfport Casino now sits. The Casino which used to be anchored off-shore can be seen in the bottom center of the image resting on Highway I-90. The colossal steel frames and hulls of these floating casinos are now well inland, hurled across streets and parks by the waves. ORBIMAGE also was the first commercial satellite company to capture imagery over New Orleans shortly after the levees broke. More. Dominion Resumes Gulf Gas Production RICHMOND--Preliminary assessment by Dominion shows that Hurricane Katrina caused minimal damage to its major Gulf of Mexico offshore platforms. Dominion, one of the nation's largest energy companies, has resumed about 75 million cubic feet equivalent of its current daily offshore production of 400 million cubic feet of natural gas, most of that from the West Cameron area near the Texas-Louisiana border. More. Performance Food Experiences Brief Disruptions RICHMOND--Performance Food Group, a food distribution firm with operations in Houma, La., and Magee, Miss., experienced temporary disruption of power and some moderate inventory loss as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, the company has reported, the Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now utilizing "a significant portion of capacity" of the Magee food distribution facility. More.
Back To Top	Hurricane Katrina: Relief
Virginia Technology Conference The Boomer Project National Association of Women Business Owners Virginia FREE Searchable Business Database Virginia Technology Alliance Need a Versatile Marketing Piece? Check out our sponsored profiles. We will develop a compelling storyline about your business. Find out more. Got News? Submit press releases in electronic format to VA Newswire. View our press release guidelines.		Salvation Army Launches Largest Disaster Relief in 125-Year History ALEXANDRIA--The Salvation Army has launched the largest disaster relief in the organization's 125-year history, positioning mobile kitchens and canteens in the Gulf Coast region to provide food and water to victims of Hurricane Katrina. More than 150,000 Katrina refugees are receiving shelter, food and water at Salvation Army facilities from Texas to North Carolina. The mobile kitchens are capable of serving more than 500,000 meals per day. The renowned humanitarian organization was facing a crisis of its own, it reported Tuesday. "Our canteens are providing much needed food and water to the victims, but we're running out of gas and there simply is just no gas available south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi," stated Major Dalton Cunningham, divisional commander for The Salvation Army in the Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi Division. More. Virginia to Shelter 4,000 Evacuees RICHMOND-Gov. Mark R. has announced that Virginia has identified sheltering space around the Commonwealth for at least 4,000 evacuees, and that number is expected to grow as more offers of assistance are inventoried and made public by the end of the week. A breakdown of where the evacuees will go: Virginia's National Guard facility Fort Pickett near Blackstone will serve as an intake/recovery center and short-term shelter for 1,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees. The 4-H, working with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, has offered to house 700 people in the coming weeks at its centers in Abingdon, Smith Mountain Lake, and Holiday Lake. The Baptist General Association of Virginia and its 1,400 member churches are offering to house approximately 500 people through church camps and individual homes throughout Virginia. The Virginia Department of Social Services has received offers to shelter 227 in churches and 116 in individual homes through its faith-based organizations hotline. Virginia's independent colleges, through the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, have offered housing for 100 people. More. An update of other state government actions. MCI Deploys Big Blue Fleet ASHBURN--MCI, Inc., has deployed three Emergency Mobile Communications Facilities to New Orleans, La., and Biloxi, Miss., for use in conjunction with Emergency Operations Centers. These self-contained mobile facilities, also called the MCI Big Blue Fleet, provide free Internet, telephone, wireless hotspot and fax capabilities to the public via satellite links. Among other measures, MCI also is dispatching five communications trailers for use by government agencies that are providing emergency services. More. Sprint Nextel Mobilizes to Restore Gulf Communications RESTON--Sprint Nextel mobilized hundreds of engineers and technicians, two dozen specialty vehicles and a Mobile Command Center to restore communications services to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The company's Emergency Response team included five SatCOLTS, or satellite cells on light trucks and 3,000 Nextel Walkie Talkie handsets for emergency services customers and organizations. More. Defense Logistics Agency Supports Katrina Relief Efforts FORT BELVOIR--The Defense Logistics Agency is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Department to deliver Meals-Ready-to-Eat and other supplies needed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. FEMA alone requested 752,333 cases of MREs, and DLA helped load 22 trucks per day to transport them to affected areas. As of late Wednesday evening, 55,322 cases of MREs had been ordered and shipped to support troop mobilization for relief efforts. More. Charlottesville F.D. Sends Equipment to Gulf Coast CHARLOTTESVILLE--The Charlottesville Fire Department has deployed to the Gulf Coast its communications interoperability unit, which includes an Incident Commander's Radio Interface that enables different radio systems to communicate with one another, and a satellite link that establishes a wireless network, internet access and satellite telephone communications. The unit expected to remain in the Gulf region for about two weeks. More. Freddie Mac Donates $10 Million MCLEAN--Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have donated $10 million to aid organizations supporting Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, including the American Red Cross. The company, which packages mortgage-related securities, also affirmed its commitment to pursue "other housing-related strategies and providing resources that will alleviate suffering in the hurricane's aftermath." More. Sallie May to Extend $15 Million in Emergency Loans RESTON--Sallie Mae, the country's largest originator of federally insured student loans, will make interest-free emergency financing of up to $15 million available to students who have applied for or received Sallie Mae loans at schools that are closed indefinitely due to Hurricane Katrina. These zero-fee loans of between $500 and $1,000 per student will help cover living and other education-related expenses. The loans will feature no interest through June 1, 2006. More. Smithfield Donates Lunchmeat, Ice and Water SMITHFIELD--Smithfield Foods, Inc. and its subsidiary companies are donating truckloads of lunchmeat, ice and water to help relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Smithfield has started shipping more than 143,000 pounds of ready-to-eat lunchmeat to America's Second Harvest food banks in the Baton Rouge, La., metropolitan area - enough to create 763,000 sandwiches - along with 80,000 pounds of ice and 32,000 16-ounce bottles of water, all on six Smithfield Foods trucks. More. Albemarle to Donate $250,000 to Red Cross Relief RICHMOND--Albemarle Corporation, a chemical company with extensive operations in Louisiana, said it would donate $250,000 dollars to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund supporting relief and recovery efforts in Louisiana. The donation will be a combination of an immediate company pledge, contributions by our employees and friends, and matching gift funds. Said CEO Mark C. Rohr: "Our concern is for our employees, their families and neighbors who are struggling to come to grips with the devastation of this storm. While we've received no word of injuries to employees, we know that many families are dealing with the destruction of property and missing and/or displaced relatives who have experienced significant damage or loss of property. We hope that these donations in some small way can help the recovery process." More. LMI Responds to Katrina Emergency MCLEAN-LMI, a consulting company, has offered FEMA the services of four full-time employees to work its logistics and operations efforts. The total value of technical support to FEMA and other federal agencies is expected to exceed $100,000. More. Volunteers of America Intervenes to Help Most Vulnerable ALEXANDRIA--Volunteers of America, a not-for-profit serving the frail elderly, people with mental disabilities and other vulnerable groups, is tapping its network community services across the U.S. to relieve the overwhelmed services and beleaguered staff in the Gulf Coast region. The organization deployed the Veterans Mobile Service Center, a 40-foot medical and information center, from Tampa, Fla., to Biloxi, Miss. The group also has moved 70 developmentally disabled individuals to a church camp in Palestine, Tex., and expects to transport 50 elderly individuals to affordable housing in Denver, Col. More. In Brief... MILLWOOD--Project HOPE, a health outreach program best known for the SS Hope, the world's first peacetime hospital ship, has announced its intention to provide medicines and medical supplies -- including antibiotics, pain medication, bandages and first-aid kits -- to the hurricane-stricken Gulf region. More. ARLINGTON--US Airways chipped in a 126-seat Boeing 737-300 aircraft as its part in the airline industry's effort to help in New Orleans evacuation efforts. More. HERNDON--RCN Corporation, a provider of bundled cable, high-speed internet and phone services, has donated $300,000 worth of advertising time on its cable systems to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. More. FAIRFAX--The Public Entity Risk Institute, a not-for-profit that seeks to enhance the practice of risk management and disaster management, has created an online clearinghouse www.riskinstitute.org that lists hundreds of links and resources on disaster management. More. ALEXANDRIA-The International Bottled Water Association has reported that its members have shipped more than four million containers of bottled water to the region affected by Hurricane Katrina. More. RESTON--Global Learning Semesters, a provider of college-level study abroad programs, will reopen select fall programs for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. More. ALEXANDRIA--CALIBRE, an employee-owned management and technology services company, has donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. More.
Back To Top	Expansions, Relocations & Launches
		OPTIMUS Relocates from Maryland to Tysons Corner TYSONS CORNER--OPTIMUS Corporation, an IT services provider to government agencies, will invest $1.15 million to move its headquarters to Fairfax County from Montgomery County, Md. The project brings 234 new jobs to the Virginia economy. CEO Eric Adolphe had been recognized as the 2002 Maryland High-Tech Council's Entrepreneur of the Year. More. GMU Expanding to Loudoun County FAIRFAX--George Mason University will establish a new campus in Loudoun County on 123 acres located near the intersection of Routes 50 and 659. The property is being donated to the university by Greenvest LLC, a North Carolina developer. The expansion addresses a growing demand in Loudoun County for higher education and enhances George Mason's own "distributed university" concept in Northern Virginia. Besides offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, the new campus will conduct research in medical imaging, biotechnology and clinical trials. More. In Brief... WILLIAMSBURG--EFX Group/Williamsburg, a broker for MBT Technologies, LLC -- a futures commission merchant for foreign currency traders - has opened a branch office in Williamsburg. More.
Back To Top	Who's Hot...
		In Brief... MECHANICSVILLE--River City Bank, a community bank, has reported growth in total assets from $23.6 million in the quarter ending June 30 last year to $37.9 million. More.
Back To Top	Who's Not...
Partners: B2B Marketing Research Virginia Technology Conference		HRH to Take $40 Million+ Write Off RICHMOND--Hilb Rogal & Hobbs Company, the nation's eighth largest insurance and risk management intermediary, has reported that it will take a 3Q pretax charge of $40 to $50 million to resolve to resolve regulatory issues with the Connecticut State Attorney General's Office. Key provisions under the terms of the agreement include establishing a $20 million fund to be distributed to HRH clients, and enhanced disclosure practices for brokerage and agency clients. Said CEO, Martin L. Vaughan, III: "I believe this agreement should become the new industry standard by recognizing the distinction between fee-based brokerage business, where we typically get paid by the client, and traditional agency business, where we're normally paid by the underwriter in the form of commissions, while allowing us to maintain our existing agency compensation model, including contingent commissions." More. Mirant Shuts Down Alexandria Power Station ALEXANDRIA-Atlanta-based Mirant has agreed to temporarily shut down its Potomac River Generating Station in response to Virginia Department of Environmental Quality concerns about its air emissions. The coal-fired power plant, which began operation in 1949, produces 482 megawatts of electricity for Washington, D.C. and surrounding communities. More.
Back To Top	Deals & Partnerships
		PNC to Acquire Harris Williams RICHMOND-Harris Williams & Co., a mergers & acquisitions advisor to middle-market companies, has agreed to be acquired by Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services. Harris Williams employs 110 people in its Richmond headquarters and in offices in Boston and San Francisco. When the transaction closes in the 4Q of 2005, the company will retain its corporate identity as a PNC subsidiary. Said PNC CEO James E. Rohr: "This acquisition will establish PNC as a leader in the middle market mergers and acquisitions business. We expect this combination to generate significant synergies across our institutional banking businesses by helping us develop deeper client relationships." More. Carfax and Autotrader.com Form Strategic Partnership FAIRFAX--Carfax, a provider of vehicle history reports for used cars, has partnered with Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, the leading online automotive classified advertising company in the U.S. Used car shoppers on AutoTrader.com will have access to free Carfax Vehicle History Reports for cars being sold by participating dealers, further establishing AutoTrader.com as one of the Web's most comprehensive and useful automotive marketplaces. Said AutoTrader.com CEO Chip Perry: "Carfax Vehicle History Reports enhance the overall value of used cars for both buyers and sellers. With this partnership, vehicles listed on AutoTrader.com that include a Carfax Vehicle History Report will provide prospective buyers with more robust information, aiding in their purchasing decision." More. Capital Automotive to Be Acquired for $38.75 Per Share MCLEAN--Capital Automotive REIT, a specialty finance company dealing in automotive retail real estate, has signed an agreement to be acquired by "clients advised by DRA Advisors LLC." Holders of the company's common shares will receive $38.75 per share payable in cash, a 9.0 percent premium over the company's closing share price on Sept. 2, 2005. Said CEO Thomas D. Eckert: "We strongly believe that this transaction provides substantial value to our shareholders and is in their best interests. We are confident that our tenants will also be well-served by our ability to pursue our business strategy as a private company and by the resources and experience that DRA possesses." More.
Back To Top	R&D / Intellectual Property
		Coping with Complexity Pharmaceutical compounds are getting larger and more complicated. Boehringer-Ingelheim's R&D shop in Richmond figures out how to process them more efficiently. On the third floor of the Biotech One building at the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in Richmond, Va., Dr. Jack Brown skims over the screen of his desktop computer. He's illustrating a point crucial to the pharmaceutical industry and, in particular, to his company, the German firm of Boehringer-Ingelheim, the 14th largest drug maker in the world. (Sponsored content, from Richmond BioSynthesis) More.
Back To Top	Trends
Chmura Economics & Analytics		Initial unemployment claims in the state have risen slightly during recent months after continual decline over the past two years. After falling to a level below 23,000 in February, the six-month moving average for initial claims has edged up by over 1,000 claimants. Despite the recent rise, initial unemployment claims have fallen in the state over the past year. For the year ending with July 2005, the number of initial applicants for unemployment insurance dropped by 13.1 percent or by over 3,600 claimants per month (six-month average). For details on labor market conditions across Virginia, as well as a list of Chmura Economics & Analytics (CEA) products and services, click here, or call (804) 649-1107. Fairfax Vacancies Drop to 10.1 Percent FAIRFAX COUNTY--Office space vacancies in Fairfax County dropped to 10.1 percent as of mid-year 2005, down from 11.6 percent at the end of 2004 and a high of 18.8 percent in 2002, according to data compiled by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. At the same time, the total volume of office space in the county rose slightly in the first half of 2005 to almost 102.5 million square feet. More.
Back To Top	Commentary
The Last Hurricane Party When New Orleans needed competence from the feds, it got lame excuses, political spin and an avoidable catastrophe. Without changes, we're next. More.		Down Memory Lane with Katrina Hurricane Katrina was anything but a "natural" disaster. New Orleans' vulnerability to a Cat 5 hurricane has been well documented since the 1970s, if not earlier. This has been deja vu week at SYNERGY/Planning what with Katrina bashing the gulf coast, crude oil passing $70 a barrel and gasoline moving up toward $4.00 a gallon. No sane person would wish a Category 4 hurricane on anyone. However, there is critical history to understand and important lessons to be learned. More.
Back To Top	Events
Hosting an event? Post the details in our weekly events listing. Click here for our listing guidelines.		Sept. 14 Tysons Corner The Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc., in cooperation with the NVTC B2G Committee, will present the Homeland Security Showcase. The showcase will introduce 10 pre-qualified companies from Southwest Virginia in the engineering and IT industry sectors with Homeland Security applications to meet key decision makers from 20 top Northern Virginia companies. Under Secretary Asa Hutchison will address the function. Time: 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Location: Hilton McLean, Tysons Corner. Charge: $300 for two representatives. For details and registration, click here. Sept. 15 Roanoke The NewVa Corridor Technology Council is presenting a panel discussion on the topic, "Everything You Wanted to Know about VoIP But Were Afraid to Ask." Time: 7:30 a.m to 9 a.m. Location: Wyndham Hotel. Charge: $25 for non-members. For information and registration, click here. Sept. 18-20 Richmond The Greater Richmond Convention Center is the site for the 7th annual Commonwealth of Virginia Information Technology Symposium (COVITS 2005). Virginia's signature business and technology event is hosted by Secretary of Technology, Eugene Huang for the Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner. The COVITS 2005 theme is: "The Promise of the Digital Government." COVITS 2005 is nationally recognized as a key event where industry solutions meet government requirements. Issues and challenges facing governments and the solutions offered by the private sector will be examined. For more information and to register, please click here. Sept. 21 Charlottesville The Charlottesville Venture Group will present Douglass Tatum, with Tatum Partners LLP on the topic, "No Man's Land," that tricky stage of growth between being too big to be small and too small to be big. Time: Event begins 5:30 p.m. Location: The Darden School. Charge: $50 for non-members at the door. For more information, please click here. Sept. 23 Richmond At its monthly "Good Morning Technology Breakfast," the Greater Richmond Technology Council will present Richard W. Mears, senior vice president and CIO of Owens & Minor. Time: Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. Location: The Place Restaurant. Charge: $40 for non-members. Register online at www.richtech.com Sept. 28 Blacksburg The Virginia Department of Business Assistance in cooperation with Virginia Tech's Office of Economic Development are presenting a seminar, "From Campus to Community: University Partners in Economic Development." Time: 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location: The Inn at Virginia Tech. Charge: $60. For details and registration, click here. October 26-28 Roanoke The Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority, Virginia Department of Aviation, and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will co-host the 54th Virginia Transportation Conference. This year's theme is "Virginia Transportation: At the Crossroads Investing in Mobility and Accessibility." Transportation leaders from across Virginia and other states will participate in this high-caliber event. Location: Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. For more information please visit the website here.
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