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| Business Intelligence for Virginia's Entrepreneurial Economy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In This Issue... Expansions, Relocations and Launches, Who's Hot, Who's Winning Business, Deals & Partnerships, Innovations, Partnerships & Collaborations, Research & Intellectual Property, Trends, Commentary, Other, 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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In Brief... VIRGINIA BEACH-LeClair Ryan, a Richmond-based law firm, has opened an office in the Town Center area of Virginia Beach, supplementing its Norfolk office in the Hampton Roads region. More. MCLEAN--LegisDiscovery LLC, a provider of electronic discovery and digital forensic services, has opened an office in Chicago, Ill. More. FAIRFAX COUNTY--The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has opened an office in Palo Alto, Calif., to "educate California technology companies regarding the opportunities in the federal market and other benefits of establishing a presence in Fairfax County." More. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Hot... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VoIP Traffic at XO Grows 140 Percent Year-Over-Year RESTON--XO Communications, which offers a suite of commercial and wholesale VoIP solutions, carried 3.89 billion minutes of VoIP across its network in the second quarter of 2006, a 34 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 140 percent increase over the second quarter of 2005. Said CEO Carl Grivner: "Demand for our Voice over IP services continues to grow as businesses and service provider customers accelerate their migration of voice traffic to services based on IP." More. Approva Revenues to Double in 2006 RESTON--Approva Corporation, a developer of enterprise controls management software, expects strong growth to double its revenues in 2006. Said CEO Prashanth Boccasam: "As we round out the first half of the year it is clear that our vision for delivering an independent, enterprise-class solution which enables IT, audit and finance professionals to independently test and monitor their controls is well-aligned with the overall growth and direction of the compliance market." More. In Brief... McLEAN--Trust Digital, a provider of enterprise software solutions targeted at securing handhelds, PDAs, and smartphones, has reported its best quarter in corporate history, with second quarter revenues increasing over 700 percent over the same period in 2005. More. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Winning Business... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pepco to Supply Federal Buildings in D.C., Chicago ARLINGTON--Pepco Energy Services, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc., has been awarded two competitively priced contracts by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to supply 400 megawatts of electricity to more than 100 federal government buildings in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. The buildings include such national landmarks as the Smithsonian Institute and the Kennedy Center. Three percent of the electricity purchased will be generated from renewable resources. More. Synchronica Licenses Software to Norwegian Mobile Operator RESTON--Synchronica plc, a provider of mobile synchronization and device management solutions, has licensed its SyncML Gateway mobile synchronization software to Norwegian mobile operator NetCom ASA. The agreement allows NetCom, which has more than 1.4 million subscribers, to offer customers a robust back-up and restore facility for personal data stored on mobile devices. More. In Brief... FAIRFAX--General Dynamics Information Technology has been granted a contract, potentially worth $23 million over two years, to modernize communications and data network infrastructure at Ft. Hood, Tex. More. VIENNA-MSSI has won a contract award to provide medical personnel through the Chesapeake Registry Program to 20 hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Deal Makers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JER Buys Tandem Health Care for $620 Million MCLEAN-JER Partners, the private equity investment arm of J.E. Robert Companies, has purchased Tandem Health Care, Inc., from Behrman Capital for $620 million. Tandem, based Maitland, Fla., provides long-term care services in targeted regional markets. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Innovations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Smoke-Free, Spit-Free Tobacco Product? Where's the Fun in That? RICHMOND-Philip Morris USA has launched Taboka (tuh'-BOH-kuh), a smoke-free, spit-free tobacco pouch product for adult smokers in a test market in the Indianapolis area. Toboka Tobaccopaks, packaged in small pouches, come in two versions - one regular and one menthol. Philip Morris is conducting the test market to understand adult smoker acceptance of the new product. Said President John R. Nelson: "We hope those adult smokers who are interested in smokeless tobacco alternatives to smoking will switch to Taboka." More. Shades of CarMax! Cap One Launches Hassle-Free Auto Buying Online MCLEAN-Capital One Auto Finance, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation, has launched DriveOne, an automobile trading website in the Miami, Fla., market, to "meet the overwhelming consumer preference for a no-hassle auto-buying experience." The online program enables consumers to shop for their car of choice at a price guaranteed by a participating dealer no higher than Kelley Blue Book's New Car Blue Book Value; locate a participating dealer; and arrange financing. Said CEO Dave Lawson: "Consumers get a simplified auto-buying process, with the convenience of online shopping and the elimination of frustrations associated with haggling over price. Dealers get an incremental sales base to build their business and expand their offering." More. MyBizOffice Launches Connection Center for Consultants HERNDON--MyBizOffice, Inc., a provider of business management solutions for self-employed professionals, has launched the "Connection Center": a skills inventory and networking system for independent consultants and the organizations that engage them. The Connection Center technology helps organizations create a customized private pool of highly skilled contract talent more efficiently than ever before. Managers can search a growing database of qualified consultants that their organization has engaged through MyBizOffice -- including retirees who choose to make consulting their next career. More. Crutchfield Guides Consumers through GPS Navigation Options CHARLOTTESVILLE-Crutchfield, an integrated marketer of consumer electronics, has launched an interactive online demo to help consumers shop for GPS navigation systems. The company is partnering with Tele Atlas, a provider of geographic content, to supply digital maps and content relating to leading navigation system makers, including TomTom, Pioneer, and Navman. Sales of mobile navigation devices across the industry are up 162 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year. More.
i3 Introduces Live-Scan Fingerprinting System BLACKSBURG--Identification International, Inc. (i3), a developer of biometric technology, has developed a live-scan fingerprinting system for the banking industry to submit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Banks, which are required to conduct criminal background checks of prospective employees, frequently check fingerprint records. In the past, the use of inked and printed cards was tedious, messy, and typically took weeks for results. Digitized fingerprinting and electronic submission can reduce the task to a few days. More. BAE Systems Completes Testing of F-15E Decoy NEWPORT NEWS-- BAE Systems and the U.S. Air Force have completed development and testing of a deployment and retrieval mechanism for a fiber-optic towed decoy for use with the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. The testing was performed at the Naval Research Laboratory at facilities in Newport News under an Air Force prototype risk reduction program. More. They'd Get More Visitors If They Named It MyEyesGlazeOver.com RICHMOND-LandAmerica Financial Group has rolled out a new website, KnowYourClosing.com to help homebuyers perplexed by the closing process in buying a house. The website includes a glossary -- just what is a "closing," or "escrow," or "title insurance," or a "survey"? - clear explanations of the closing process, and links to resources. More. Athena Releases Micro Navigation Devices WARRENTON--Athena Technologies has released two "micro" size navigation solutions, each the size of a small cell phone, for manned and unmanned air vehicles. The Micro INS and the Micro GuideStar include an Inertial Navigation System, Global Positioning System and air data sensor system. They can be used to navigate drones, missiles, target UAVs, hand-launched UAVs, ground robots - and they can even function as personal navigation and tracking devices for land warriors. More. In Brief... VIENNA--Softek Storage Solutions has introduced enhanced functionality and scalability for its distance data migration software that enables faster and more convenient migrations over TCP/IP within Unix and Linux environments. More. HERNDON-Deltek has released Deltek MissionFirst, the first complete financial software system created specially for federal grant recipients. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Partnerships & Collaborations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Circuit City Adds Mitsubishi to HDTV Line-up RICHMOND--Circuit City Stores, a national retailer of consumer electronics, will sell select high-definition television products from Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. Both companies are focused on 1080p HDTV, the maximum high-definition display resolution, which is matched to the latest HD sources, including Blu-ray and HD video games. Said Doug Moore, chief merchandising officer: "The addition of these products plays a role in our innovative home entertainment enhancements, which we plan to rollout in 500-plus stores by the end of this year." More. Condortech to Sell Sindhara Technology to Feds ANNANDALE--Condortech Services, Inc., a provider of electronic security systems to federal government clients, is partnering with Sindhara, of Redmond, Wash., to offer Sindhara's next-generation wireless video surveillance technology for homeland-security, defense-surveillance and related initiatives. The collaboration will combine Sindhara's wireless video technology with Condortech's expertise in build, design, system integration and support services. More. CBI Bonds with Aussie Biotech Services Company RICHMOND--Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. has signed a strategic alliance with PharmAust, Ltd., an Australian based biotech services company, to co-market services to the life sciences industry. The agreement will provide customers with ready access to the complementary capabilities of the two organizations, and enable solutions to be developed on the demanding time scales required by clients in the life sciences Industry. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | R&D / Intellectual Property | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CHS Sponsors Research on Workforce Health Risks VIENNA--Comprehensive Health Services, an occupational health and wellness services company, is sponsoring research at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University to quantify workforce health risks, their consequences and costs. The research will benefit companies nationwide in selecting cost-effective strategies to reduce long-term health risks and workforce health costs. More. In Brief... MANASSAS--Lockheed Martin has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Air Force's Electronic Systems Center to develop advanced tactical and airborne network communications capabilities. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | People | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TechBooks Appoints Ghosh to Lead Expansion into New Markets FALLS CHURCH--Techbooks, a provider of integrated content transformation solutions, has appointed Devashish Ghosh as executive vice president of global operations to lead its growth across all worldwide locations. Techbooks, which has worked primarily with publishers, is expanding into new market segments, including litigation support and the pharmaceutical, petroleum, and automotive industries. Said CEO Ranjit Singh: "As our company continues to serve the growing need for content transformation services in the publishing arena, we are well positioned to offer these services to the corporate world as well." More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Trends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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IT Employment Up 4.4 Percent Over Past 12 Months ALEXANDRIA--Employment of IT workers continued to grow last month despite an overall jobs report that many experts characterize as weak. In June 2006, employment of IT workers increased 2,400 nationally from the previous month to 3,657,600, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 4.4 percent. For the past 12 months, employment of information technology (IT) workers increased by more than 152,000, according to the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Other News | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Canon Virginia Cuts Return-Processing Times by 40 Percent NEWPORT NEWS-Canon Virginia Inc., a custom manufacturer of office products components, has achieved a 40 percent reduction in the work required to complete return shipments, thanks to implementation of the Kewill Flagship enterprise shipping management software. Canon Virginia prides itself for distributing products globally on time, every time. The company's delivery service includes product returns: If a replacement product is available in inventory, it will be shipped within an hour of a customer request. Kewill Flagship replaces a more cumbersome proprietary system. More. Alcoa Revamps Reynolds Kitchen Website RICHMOND--Alcoa Consumer Products has revamped its Reynolds Kitchen website to reflect Reynolds Products' new branding. The restaged website, which updates navigation and search tools, includes recipes, tips and timesavers, and product information. Said President Eric Beringause: "We want this site to reflect the Reynolds brand personality. Consumers tell us cooking is more fun when using Reynolds brand products. Our goal was to bring that personality to the website." More. Auction Action : the Mariner Motel in Chincoteague CHINCOTEAGUE-The two-story, 92-room Mariner Motel on Chincoteague Island, the island's largest motel, is up for auction. Set in "rustic" surroundings on 4.7 acres, the motel offers a variety of housing, an outdoor pool, conference room, sun deck, children's play area and a screened pavilion. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Commentary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Connecting the Crescent The Northern Virginia economic engine isn't powering growth only in metro Washington, it's creating jobs in Hampton Roads and Richmond, too. Politicians need to get with the program. More. |
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CDAs, TIFs and TDMs Lawmakers are overlooking a huge source of revenue to underwrite new transportation projects -- the increase in property values made possible by the transportation improvements themselves. For clues to the future of transportation funding in the Commonwealth, pay heed to two new real estate developments in Northern Virginia. In one little-noted project, KSI Inc., a Fairfax County developer, has received permission from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to build a mixed-use project at the intersection of Waples Mill Road and Lee Highway. On an 18-acre property originally zoned industrial, the Ridgewood project will consist of 152,400 square feet of offices, 32,100 square feet of retail and 500 residential units. More. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Events | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VA Newswire is a free, email-based weekly newsletter that covers news and events from around the state. If you have any news, events, job openings, or office space availability that you would like to include in next week's newswire, email jabacon@baconsrebellion.com. Click here for a free subscription. Click here to unsubscribe. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
