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| Business Intelligence for Virginia's Entrepreneurial Economy | ||||||||||
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In This Issue... Expansions, Relocations & Launches, Who's Hot, Who's Not, Who's Winning Business, Deals & Partnerships, Innovations, Collaborations, R&D / Intellectual Property, People, Trends, Other News, Commentary, Events, Click here to forward to a friend or colleague who might like this newsletter. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Expansions, Relocations & Launches  | |||||||||
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Dynamic Aviation to Expand Bridgewater Facility BRIDGEWATER-Dynamic Aviation, the largest provider of leased and operated Beechcraft King Airs throughout the world, will invest $4.1 million to expand its facility at Bridgewater Airport in Rockingham County. The project will create 206 new jobs, including avionics technicians, airframe technicians, engine repair technicians and electricians. Customers include federal, state and local governments, non-profit research organizations and private corporations. More. Turman Expands Hardwood Flooring Plant in Galax GALAX--Turman Hardwood Flooring, Inc., a manufacturer of hardwood flooring, will invest $2.7 million to expand its Galax facility. The company will add a new wood pellet manufacturing operation, creating 40 jobs. Headquartered in Floyd, the Hardwood Flooring operation was founded in 2002 when Turman purchased the former Burriss Lumber Company facility in Galax out of bankruptcy. More. In Brief... VIENNA--MSSI has expanded its presence in the South Florida medical staffing market with the opening of an office in Ft. Lauderdale. More. Bacon & Eggheads publishes websites, blogs and electronic newsletters.  The Art of Digital Communications. Blogs, websites, electronic newsletters, Internet clipping services... The digital world is racing ahead so quickly it's hard to keep up. Bacon & Eggheads can help you integrate these amazing tools -- and provide the content to make it compelling. More. View the lead stories from our latest newsletters here. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Hot... | |||||||||
Virginia FREE 
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Like Magic! MGC Raises $42.6 Million in Public Offering ARLINGTON--MCG Capital Corporation has raised $42.6 million in gross proceeds through the sale of three million shares of common stock. The company will use the capital to originate loans to, and make investments in, small and midsized private companies for working capital and general corporate purposes. More. Windward Consulting Achieves Record Growth in 2005 HERNDON-Consulting revenue for Windward Consulting Group, a management consulting and systems engineering firm, grew a record 43 percent year over year in 2005. Windward achieved this performance through reinvestment of profits in the company, without any external funds. Windward maintained positive cash flow and zero debt on the balance sheet throughout. More. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Not... | |||||||||
Searchable Business Database |
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Investor Interest Piqued in Independence Air DULLES-FLYi, Inc., the parent of low-fare airline Independence Air, has received expressions of interest from parties about participating in its court-supervised auction process. The expressions include proposals to acquire the company as a going concern, to invest in the company, and to acquire specific assets. More. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Winning Business... | |||||||||
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Orbital Science Snags $11.7 Million SmartBus Contract DULLES--Orbital Sciences Corporation has been awarded an $11.7 million contract to provide a SmartBus System to track the 300-vehicle fleet of Foothill Transit of West Covina, Calif. Orbital will utilize its GPS satellite-based OrbCAD fleet management system to keep buses running on time by coordinating with traffic signals, to keep riders updated on real-time scheduling information, and to provide other efficiencies. More. Sutron Sutures up $4.6 Million India Contract STERLING--Sutron Corporation has won a $4.6 million contract from the Government of India's Central Water Commission to install and maintain a data-acquisition network for 168 hydro-meteorological stations and related work. Combined with an India Meteorological Department contract, Sutron has sewed up more than $6.1 million worth of business in India. More. FBI Procures Excalibur Web Search Offering VIENNA-Convera Corporation, a provider of advanced search technologies, has won a contract to provide its Excalibur Web search technology to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Excalibur's proprietary taxonomies and ontologies, semantic analysis and deep knowledge resources provide users with more relevant search results. More. In Brief... ALEXANDRIA--Halifax Corporation has won a contract potentially worth $20 million over five years to maintain the desktop computers and peripherals for a "major pharmaceutical industry account" with 12 campus locations. More. FAIRFAX--Anteon International Corporation, an IT services company, has won a contract potentially worth $18.5 million over five years to operate Military Health System Patient Safety Systems Support and Data Analysis Program at 34 Air Force sites across the continental United States, Alaska, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Korea, and Japan. More. FALLS CHURCH--The CESSI Division of Axiom Resource Management, Inc., has won an $18.2 million contract from the Social Security Administration to provide program management support for the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. More. MCLEAN--BearingPoint, Inc., has been awarded a contract potentially worth $9.8 million over 33 months to support program management efforts for the National Center for Public Health Informatics. More. RICHMOND--Cadmus Communications Corporation has been selected by the British Library to provide its RapidRights digital rights management (DRM) solution to provide electronic article reprints ("e-prints"). More. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Deals & Partnerships | |||||||||
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Tridium Acquired by Honeywell RICHMOND-Tridium Inc., one of the Richmond region's fastest-growing software development companies, has been acquired by Honeywell Intl, of Morristown, N.J. "Honeywell is extremely impressed with Tridium's technology, talent and business model," said Honeywell executive Andreas Kramvis. "They have developed a software platform that cuts through the barriers of operating multiple systems and devices by providing easy, real-time communication between devices in homes, commercial buildings and industrial applications. We don't know of anyone else offering such cutting-edge device-to-device communications and data gathering capabilities." Joining Honeywell will help Tridium overcome some of the limitations of operating independently, said Tridium CEO John Petze. "The limitations have always been size, depth of resources, name recognition, and the whole concept of trying to prove yourself to much larger customers. Being an independent business entity under Honeywell will … improve our ability to engage and be successful with more customers." More. RCN to Acquire Con Ed Communications HERNDON--RCN Corporation, a provider of communications services, has agreed to purchase the telecommunications subsidiary of New York's Consolidated Edison for $32 million in cash. The combination of the RCN and Con Ed networks will create "one of the premier state-of-the-art alternative fiber networks in the metro New York region" and more than double RCN's annualized commercial revenue to approximately $70 million. RCN expects to save $3 million to $4 million per year in operating costs, primarily through eliminating redundant overhead. More. Measurement Specialties to Sell Consumer Division HAMPTON--Measurement Specialties, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of sensors and sensor-based consumer products, has inked a deal to sell its Consumer Division to Fervent Group Limited for $17.5 million, contingent upon performance. Fervent Group is controlled by the Virginia firm's long-time partner and primary supplier of consumer products in Shenzhen, China. The Consumer Division had posted net sales of $55.2 million and contributed $8.1 million in operating profit for the 12 months ending Sept. 30. Said CEO Frank Guidone: "This is a major step for us in our transition to a pure-play sensor company. … We have enjoyed a 17-year history with our manufacturing partner, RDL, and believe they will continue to promote and advance ML's reputation as a leader in the consumer products industry." More. Measurement Specialties to Acquire Motorsport Sensor Specialist HAMPTON--Measurement Specialties, a designer and manufacturer of sensors and sensor-based systems, has agreed to acquire ATEX, a sensor company based outside of Paris, France, for 2.7 million euro. ATEX, which specializes in providing vibration sensors to the Formula One racing market, generated revenues of 1.5 million euro in 2005. Said CEO Frank Guidone: "Aside from being a profitable stand-alone business, ATEX provides us a solid conduit to the Motorsport market." More. Columbia Equity Pays $14.5 Million for Newport News Property NEWPORT NEWS-The Patrick Henry Corporate Center has been acquired by Washington, D.C.-based Columbia Equity Trust, Inc., for $14.5 million. The 99,000-square-foot, Class A office building is 92 percent leased. The acquisition is expected to generate a first-year net operating income-to-purchase price return of 8/2 percent. More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | Innovations | |||||||||
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A Pro-o-o-o-o-duct that Only Wo-o-o-o-o-men Could Love
Goats milk has been used for centuries as a na-a-a-a-a-tural moisturizer and skin rejuvenator - right back to Cleopatra and her baths of asses milk. Dionis was founded in 1982 by Kate Crosby as an outlet for surplus milk from the dairy goats on her fa-a-a-a-a-rm in Virginia. What began as a small, home-based soap-making operation on Kate's farm in Virginia has since grown into a national bath and body care company. More. (Note to reader: If you haven't seen Goat Boy on Saturday Night Live, you won't get it.) Corpora Launches Document Summary Tool RESTON--Knowledge management company Corpora Software has rolled out a desktop version of its 'language-savvy' document summary tool. Costing $49, the new desktop Summarize! targets home users and small businesses by creating an accurate summary of a text document with the click of a button. Said CEO Mark Thompson: "We live in a world that is increasingly rich with textual information. Many people like students and small business managers can succeed or fail depending on their ability to digest those documents in the quickest time possible. Summarize! has been greeted as a breakthrough tool by our corporate customers - we now believe that the time is right to make it available to private users and smaller companies who have less budget, but no less need." More. AMF to Develop New Concept Centers RICHMOND--AMF Bowling Centers, Inc., has announced a strategic initiative to convert several of its existing bowling centers to a new operating concept. Said CEO Fred Hipp: "This represents a significant step forward in the evolution of our bowling center business. We are in the final stages of remodeling and upgrading several 'new concept' centers that will operate under an enhanced facility, service and food and beverage model. Preliminary results are favorable, and we expect this model to serve as the blueprint for the four or five new centers on which we expect to start development and construction next year. This will be the foundation for future growth over the next several years." More. Afton Chemical Launches Lubricity Additive RICHMOND--Afton Chemical Corporation has introduced its newest product, HiTEC 4142 Lubricity Additive, for diesel fuel applications. The additive is designed to improve the lubricity of ultra low sulfur diesel fuels, helping customers meet environmental regulations. The additive's low sulfur content also helps fuel marketers and suppliers meet EPA regulations. More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | Collaborations | |||||||||
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MicroNeil, AppRiver Join to Promote Spam Detection Engine STERLING-MicroNeil Research Corporation has partnered with Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based AppRiver LLC, to develop and market MRC's Message Sniffer spam detection engine. Message Sniffer uses advanced pattern recognition technology and a regularly updated "rules" database to accurately identify spam. AppRiver, which has deployed the technology in its own business since 2002, will provide financial, technical and business resources "to drive the technology forward more rapidly." Unlike many anti-spam products that scan for content, Message Sniffer's searches for combinations of spam features including message sources, common obfuscation techniques, email and URL targets and fragments, and even coding styles - achieving more than 98 percent effectiveness in blocking unwanted e-mail messages. Said CEO Peter McNeil: "Message Sniffer was built on the premise that spammers will continue to develop more and more sophisticated delivery schemes to distribute their messages. Our new agreement with AppRiver will ensure the ability to maintain our edge in this battle by accelerating enhancements to the technology. More. NS Partners with KCS to Improve Rail Service NORFOLK-Norfolk Southern Corporation has partnered with Kansas City Southern to form a joint venture that will improve service on the Meridian Speedway between Meridian, Miss., and Shreveport, La. Increased capacity will enable both railroads to handle greater volumes and improve service for intermodal customers between Southeastern and Southwestern states. KCS will contribute the 320-mile rail line and retain 70 percent interest in the venture. Norfolk Southern will invest $300 million in cash to upgrade capacity over four years. The improvements will include signal systems, extended sidings and stretches of double track. More. Focus to Commercialize Stratagene Testing Products HERNDON--Focus Diagnostics, a developer of testing services for complex diagnostics, is partnering with Stratagene Corporation, of La Jolla, Calif., to commercialize Strategene's infectious disease molecular products for the clinical in vitro diagnostic market worldwide. Using nucleic acid-based diagnostics for the detection of DNA or RNA, clinical laboratories can detect smaller traces of microorganisms and deliver results faster. More. CBI Strikes Alliance with English Firm RICHMOND--Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc., has crafted a joint marketing agreement with Intertek ASG, a Manchester, England-based provider of laboratory services. Said COO Richard Freer: "Each company stands to benefit enormously from the added technology offerings and extended global reach. In the past, CBI has made forays into the global market, especially the European markets, with only limited success. The major barrier has always been lack of a physical presence or a bona fide partnering arrangement. By partnering with Intertek ASG, that barrier will be removed." More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | R&D / Intellectual Property | |||||||||
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Virginia Snags Federal Funding for Homeland Security Programs RICHMOND-Virginia's Institute for Defense and Homeland Security has forged a $2.1 million partnership agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop three security-related programs, including: (1) an Environmental Bioterrorism Detection network that will use wildlife as biosensors; (2) Red Cell, which utilizes cell phone technology to develop a comprehensive alert system to help first responders; and (3) Remote Presence, which will phase sophisticated, low-cost remote presence technology into emergency response strategies. More. In Brief... VIENNA--CEL-SCI CORPORATION has signed a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to test CEL-SCI's patented anti-infective drug CEL-1000 against the avian (bird) flu virus H5N1 in animal models. More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | People | |||||||||
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In Brief... RICHMOND--William McDonnell will join AMF Bowling as CFO at the end of the year. He comes from Rent-Way, Inc., one of the nation's largest operators of rental-purchase stores, where he also serves as CFO. More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | Trends | |||||||||
 Chmura Economics & Analytics |
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 Employment in Virginia increased 1.2 percent for the twelve months ending with October 2005 compared with a 1.4 percent gain in U.S. employment. Over the last year, Winchester (+5.1 percent), Roanoke (+3.6 percent), Northern Virginia (+3.3 percent), and Richmond (+2.8 percent) showed the strongest employment growth among the state's metropolitan areas. Only Danville (-4.8 percent) and Blacksburg (-0.5 percent) contracted over this period. The monthly periodicity of employment data makes it the most timely and encompassing measure of regional economic growth. For details and forecasts of economic conditions across Virginia, as well as a list of Chmura Economics & Analytics (CEA) products and services, click here or call (804) 649-1107. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Other News | |||||||||
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Comcast Introduces IP Phone Service in Richmond Market RICHMOND--Comcast has launched Comcast Digital Voice throughout its Metro Richmond Systems. The IP-enabled voice service offers customers digital-quality phone service with unlimited direct-dial local and domestic long-distance calling, Web access to voicemail, E911 service, and 12 of the most popular calling features. Unlike traditional Voice over Internet Protocol offerings, which run on the public Internet, the Comcast calls originate and travel over Comcast's advanced, proprietary managed network. More. Norfolk Southern to Deploy New Train Technology NORFOLK--Norfolk Southern will deploy a locomotive computer system supplied by New York Air Brake Corporation that will improve the fuel efficiency and safe handling of trains in long-haul operations. The on-board computer calculates and displays the optimum speed at which to operate the train, depending on the topography and curvature of the track to be encountered, the train's length and weight and other operating conditions. NS tested the system in a 2003 pilot project involving 15 locomotives running coal trains between Roanoke and Winston-Salem, N.C. More. | |||||||||
| Back To Top | Commentary | |||||||||
 Leadership Vacuum Some commentators pin the GOP's setbacks in November's election on conservative activists. In actuality, ineffective leadership of the House Republican caucus is the root of the problem. More. |
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This New House With up to 17 newcomers, the House of Delegates will be very different in January. Most of the rookies have had careers in government, and few have any real business experience. There will be sixteen and possibly seventeen new faces in the House of Delegates next month - a surprising upheaval in an election that comes halfway through the redistricting cycle. A change like that can have unexpected effects. Like what? Well, then they wouldn't be unexpected. But I think a big step toward the center is indicated. More. | ||||||||
| Back To Top | Events | |||||||||
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