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| Business Intelligence for Virginia's Entrepreneurial Economy | ||||||||||||||||||
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In This Issue... Expansions & Relocations, Who's Hot, Who's Not, Who's Winning Business, Deals & Partnerships, Innovations, Partnerships & 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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Equinix to Invest $50 Million in Data Center Expansion ASHBURN--Equinix, Inc., a provider of network-neutral data centers, will invest $50 million to build out a new center in Northern Virginia to expand its Internet Business Exchange. The campus totals 462,000 square feet and houses over 120 networks, making it one of the richest IP network interconnection points in the U.S. More. TIMCOR Exchange Opens Richmond Office RICHMOND-The TIMCOR Exchange Corporation, a subsidiary of Commercial Capital Bancorp, has opened a regional office in Richmond. TIMCOR is a "qualified intermediary," which facilitates tax-deferred exchanges pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The company, which is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., operates three other regional offices. More. In Brief... FARMVILLE--Marshall Management, a Salisbury, Md.-based hotel management company, has opened the 72-unit Hampton Inn-Farmville, the first new hotel to open in the city in more than 15 years. More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Hot... | |||||||||||||||||
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Partners:  The Boomer Project 
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Alpha Planning $150 Million in Capital Expenditures ABINGDON--Alpha Natural Resources, a major Appalachian coal producer, has reported a 55 percent year-over-year increase in revenues from coal sales, triggered by a 22 percent growth in coal production and a 25 percent increase in the company's realized price per ton. The company is planning capital expenditures of $150 million in 2006, including $50 million for new mine expansion and the purchase of capital equipment. More. Red Cliff Expands, Takes New Name ALEXANDRIA--Red Cliff Consulting LLC, an information security firm, has renamed itself MANDIANT, reflecting a major evolution in the company's mission over the past year - a year that saw 150 percent revenue growth, the development of free software tools, and the rapid expansion of advanced security services and customized education programs. Along with the new name comes 7,000 square feet of new office space to accommodate a workforce that has doubled in the past six months. More. CEL-SCI Raises $1.0 Million in Equity VIENNA--CEL-SCI CORPORATION, a late stage developer of therapies for cancer and infectious diseases, has received commitments from an investor to buy 2.5 million shares of common stock for $1 million, plus five-year warrants to purchase 750,000 more shares. With shares trading at just above $.50 per share, the market value of the company is roughly $40 million. More. In Brief... ROANOKE--Luna Innovations Incorporated, which develops and commercializes technologies in molecular biology and sensor solutions, has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell stock to the public; the number and price have yet to be determined. More. WAYNESBORO--NTELOS Holdings Corp., an integrated communications company, has sold 14,375,000 shares of common stock for $12 a share; current market capitalization is about $144 million. More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Not... | |||||||||||||||||
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GTSI "Realigns," Cuts Workforce CHANTILLY--GTSI Corp., an IT solutions provider to the government market, has announced a "business realignment" that will reduce its workforce by 10 percent. In accordance with its strategic plan to move into the solutions marketplace, the company is withdrawing from activities that have failed to yield adequate profitability. More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Winning Business... | |||||||||||||||||
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RxEOB Signs up Physicians Plus RICHMOND-RxEOB, a developer of consumer-directed pharmacy benefit software for health plans, has signed up Physicians Plus, a Wisconsin HMO with nearly 100,000 clients. RxEOB's Web-based service allows health plan members access their personal pharmacy claims histories. For each prescribed medication, RxEOB displays therapeutic alternatives as well as the member's out-of-pocket expense for each. The goal is to reduce utilization of the most costly drugs. RxEOB now provides its service to four million health care members nationally More. Sigaba Tests Secure Email Technology in Sea Trials RESTON--Sigaba, a provider of private information sharing solutions has provided secure messaging software during the execution of Trident Warrior '05, an annual sea trial exercise. Sigaba's secure email technology, deployed on all participating vessels, is being evaluated for potential use as a tactical messaging solution in the Allied-Coalition environment. More. In Brief... DULLES--Orbital Sciences Corporation has received a production order from the U.S. Navy, worth more than $20 million, for 19 "Coyote" Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target missiles. More. RICHMOND--Cadmus Communications Corporation has won a multi-year contract to supply printing services to The Deal, LLC, a diversified media company that tracks financial transactions. More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Deals & Partnerships | |||||||||||||||||
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Alion Acquires Norfolk Modeling & Simulation Firm MCLEAN--Alion Science and Technology, a technology solutions company, has acquired BMH Associates, Inc., a Norfolk-based firm that specializes in distributed interactive simulations for military training and experimentation. Said Alion CEO Bahman Atefi: "In addition to organic growth, we seek out companies that can complement our core competencies. BMH's expertise in modeling and simulation (M&S) can enhance our already extensive capabilities." More. First Potomac Purchases Crossways I CHESAPEAKE--First Potomac Realty Trust, of Bethesda, Md., has acquired Crossways I, a 143,000-square-foot flex/office property, for $15.5 million in cash. The property is expected to generate a first-year unleveraged return on the purchase price of approximately 6.8 percent on a cash basis. Said Nicholas R. Smith, chief investment officer: "The Greenbrier/Crossways submarket is one of the strongest markets in the greater Norfolk area and benefits from very low vacancy as well as a growing demand for space." More. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Innovations | |||||||||||||||||
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RESTON-Pics, Inc., a company that uses computer technology to assess and improve health behaviors, has introduced SleepKey, a handheld device that analyzes users' sleep patterns in order to treat insomnia. SleepKey produces a low tone or vibration periodically throughout the night, and determines whether the user is asleep based on a response to these prompts. After assessing the user's sleep pattern for seven days, SleepKey schedules a bedtime each night based on a sleep restriction algorithm used by sleep clinicians. As the percentage of time asleep improves, the time to bed is gradually adjusted until the user is getting a full night's sleep. An estimated 30 million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia. Development of the device was funded in part with grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. More. Time Life Knows When to Hold 'Em FAIRFAX-Time Life, a direct marketer of audio and video products, has teamed with entertainer Kenny Rogers to promote the release of his made-for-TV "The Gambler" movies. The 3-DVD set includes specially designed playing cards, cast photos from the films and a deluxe digipack design. The campaign will be capped off by an online poker championship tournament. When broadcast in 1980, "Kenny Rogers as The Gambler" became the highest rated mini series on television that year and prompted four sequels. More. Cell Phones for Safety LEESBURG--Omnilert LLC, makers of the e2Campus notification system, has won an endorsement of Security on Campus, Inc., a national campus safety organization. Omnilert enables college administrations to deliver safety-related messages to student cell phones and pages, 24 hours per day. Says Catherine Bath, executive director of Security on Campus: "It is the most effective way to reach a broad base of students when a crime occurs that can involve additional victims." More. It's One World, Baby DULLES--AOL has launched the first beta version of its new Chinese language AOL.com Web portal tailored to serve the needs of the Chinese-American and Chinese-speaking community in the United States. Created in both simplified and traditional Chinese characters, this site at http://aol.com/chinese brings together Web search, blogs, video content and e-mail features with news from North America, Europe and Asia. More. Washingtonpost.com Doing the Stupefyingly Obvious ARLINGTON--washingtonpost.com will include e-mail hyperlinks to writer bylines on its popular news site. The feature, launched February 8, is designed to expand the opportunities for user communication with writers and editors. Said Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com: "The dialogue between writers, editors and readers is mutually beneficial. Not just for conversation, but for perspective, source material and story ideas." More. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Partnerships & Collaborations | |||||||||||||||||
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BearingPoint Partners With Google on Corporate Search Solutions MCLEAN--BearingPoint, Inc., a management and technology consulting company, will partner with Google to deliver corporate search solutions to major enterprise customers. BearingPoint will extend Google's search capabilities by offering companies deep industry-specific knowledge in industries such as pharmaceuticals, banking, brokerage, high-tech and aerospace, as well as proprietary plug-ins, custom search software and integration services. More. Apollo Partners with Dmetrix in Pathology Imaging Solution FALLS CHURCH-Apollo Telemedicine, Inc., a developer of digital pathology software solutions, is partnering with Tucson, Ariz.-based DMetrix Inc., to incorporate Dmetrix's microscope-slide scanner into Apollo's digital pathology solution suite. Pathologists will be able to obtain ultra-rapid whole-slide images in a comprehensive pathology imaging. More. GE Healthcare to Sell CareFusion Handset MCLEAN--Care Fusion, a developer of bar-code solutions for the health care industry, has signed a reseller agreement in which GE Healthcare will offer Care Fusion's wCareAssist solution to hospitals nationwide. wCareassist runs on a handheld device, allowing clinicians to download patient vital signs from GE Healthcare monitors into an Electronic Medical Record. More. In Brief... MCLEAN--immixTechnology, Inc., a government technology reseller, has partnered with WebEx Communications, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., to help federal, state and local governments embrace the productivity gains, cost saving, and information sharing benefits of web collaboration. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | R&D / Intellectual Property | |||||||||||||||||
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The Latest Health Food: Chocolate MCLEAN-Mars, Inc., the secretive candy manufacturing giant, has underwritten scientific research suggesting that the cocoa plant used in making chocolate contains flavanols that exercise a powerful effect in combating cancer and cardiovascular disease. Harvard medical professor Norman Hollenberg studied two populations of Kuna Indians in Panama: one that drank large quantities of homemade flavanol-rich cocoa daily, and one that did not. The flavanol-rich Indians experienced 1/13th the incidence of death from heart disease and 1/6th six the death from cancer. Additional Mars-sponsored research with Chinese academics has demonstrated that certain cocoa flavanols have the potential to inhibit biochemical pathways that can cause inflammation. Mars has been committed to cocoa science investments for more than 15 years, and this investment has resulted in world-leading innovations such as a proprietary method of processing cocoa, which retains naturally occurring flavanols. More. First Viagara, Now Levitra RICHMOND-The good news: The widely used erectile dysfunction drug Levitra, like Viagara, has been shown to protect the heart against tissue damage following acute heart attack, according to a new study by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. The bad news: The heart attack usually occurs as a result of having excessive sex with Levitra! No, just kidding. The drug contains a substance that dilates arteries in the body and protects heart cells from damage. More. In Brief... BLACKSBURG--The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech will work with Orion Integrated Biosciences Inc. on developing new methods to diagnose encephalic and hemorrhagic viruses. More. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | People | |||||||||||||||||
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First Avenue Expands Management Team MCLEAN--First Avenue Networks, a wholesaler of fixed wireless services, has expanded its senior management team in support of its growth strategy. New appointments include a vice president of corporate development and product marketing; a senior vice president of operations, and a chief financial officer. Said CEO Mike Gallagher: "We've brought together a team of proven executive managers to scale our company as we build networks and add services across the U.S." More. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Trends | |||||||||||||||||
 Chmura Economics & Analytics |
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 Virginia housing prices. Activity in the housing market has picked up over recent years, causing house prices to soar. House prices in Virginia moved at a similar pace to the nation until 2004, when state prices jumped. For the year ending with the third quarter of 2005, house prices in Virginia expanded by 18.7 percent, compared to 12.0 percent year-over-year growth in the nation. On the regional level, Winchester MSA exhibited the fastest house price growth of any state area, increasing by 24.1 percent from a year earlier. The Hampton Roads (+22.2 percent) and Washington, DC (+21.3 percent) metro areas also experienced significant house appreciation over that period. For details on regional economic conditions across Virginia, including Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads, as well as a list of Chmura Economics & Analytics (CEA) products and services, click here, or call (804) 649-1107. Fairfax Still Sizzling! FAIRFAX COUNTY--Businesses added 22,000 jobs to the Fairfax County economy during 2005, bringing the total job count to about 622,000 and contributing 27 percent of the metro area's job creation, according to Professor Stephen Fuller at the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis. Nine companies relocated headquarters operations to Fairfax County in 2005: More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Other News | |||||||||||||||||
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PETERSBURG-"College Hill," billed as TV's "most addictive black reality show," will premier its third season March 2. Appearing on BET (Black Entertainment Network), the show explores the themes of the black college experience and relationships at Virginia State University. Six of the eight students living under one roof are native Virginians. From the network promotion: "From the camaraderie of Homecoming celebrations and sexy hot tub scenes, to break-ups and an emotional visit to Rosa Parks' funeral … network's cameras are there 24/7 to catch all of the action." More. HamptonRoads.tv Adds Broadband Advertising Capability NORFOLK-HamptonRoads.tv, the nation's first local video portal, launched in December 2005, will deploy an advertising management solution provided by Lightningcast, of Washington, D.C. The television website is operated by Virginian-Pilot Interactive Media, a unit of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, which also publishes HamptonRoads.com, the region's most visited regional guide, and PilotOnline.com. Said Chris Kouba, director of content and strategic development: "Lightningcast gives us the solution we need to effectively manage and deliver broadband video advertising." More. | |||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Commentary | |||||||||||||||||
 Another Legislative Impasse? The usual suspects are pushing hard for another tax increase this year, but their position is weaker than it was two years ago. More. |
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Breakthrough Newspapers treated Friday's House transportation plan as a routine story about spending and taxes. It was so much more: House leaders are shifting the debate to land use and privatization. The transportation debate, one would judge from reading the newspapers, is all about money. How many more dollars does Virginia need to raise in taxes or divert from the General Fund to pay for transportation improvements? A billion dollars a year, as Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is asking for? Or a mere $400 million that the House of Delegates is proposing? That's the capital press corps' story, by Gawd, and every last reporter is sticking to it. More. | ||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Events | |||||||||||||||||
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