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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 Not, Who's Winning Business, Deal Makers, Innovations, Partnerships & Collaborations, Research & Development, 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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Altec Expands in Botetourt County GREENFIELD--Altec Industries, Inc., a Birmingham, Ala., manufacturer of aerial devices, digger derricks, and truck-mounted mobile equipment, will expand its manufacturing and final assembly facility in Botetourt County. The company plans to acquire an additional 14 acres of property adjacent to the existing facility while investing $3 million and adding 100 new jobs. Said Jeff Emry, director of operations: "Our facility is in a centralized location along the East Coast with an excellent transportation system and a dedicated work force possessing a solid work ethic." Sonoco Consolidates Pre-Press Operations to Richmond RICHMOND-Sonoco, a global packaging company, will consolidate its Keating Rotogravure cylinder manufacturing facility in Toronto, Ont., and its pre-press graphics operation in Richmond into a state-of-the-art pre-press graphics and cylinder manufacturing facility in Richmond. The new facility will double the pre-press graphics and cylinder manufacturing capacity of the existing operations. More In Brief... ARLINGTON-Hexago, a Montreal-based provider of IPv6 deployment solutions, has opened an office in Arlington to provide customer service and support to the company's growing federal customer base. More. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Hot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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IntelliMat Closes $5 Million Series A Investment ROANOKE--IntelliMat, Inc., a developer of digital floor displays, has closed a $5 million Series A round of venture funding. The capital will provide IntelliMat funds for working capital and the launch of a significant marketing initiative. Said CEO Jim Currie: "IntelliMat is unique because it owns the only patented digital media technology for use on the floor." Added Julian Kirk, managing director of funding source Third Security: "We believe that IntelliMat will achieve broad adoption in the expanding digital signage industry, particularly with regard to dynamic point-of-sale advertising." More. In Brief... NORFOLK-Commonwealth Bankshares, Inc., has raised $27.5 million in additional capital, completing a private placement of more than one million shares at $26 per share. More. HERNDON-Global Cell Solutions, LLC, a biotechnology company focused on the application of novel cell culture technologies to human therapy, has received $50,000 in funding from the Center for Innovative Technology through its Growth Acceleration Program. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Not | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alpha Reports Productivity Problems in Deep Mines ABINGDON-Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., a leading Appalachian coal producer, has revised its 2006 outlook to reflect production curtailments and decreased productivity. The company expects to produce between 12 million and 13 million tons this year, about one million tons less than previously expected. The company cited "productivity challenges due to geology issues and the unavailability of experienced labor in certain locations." More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Who's Winning Business... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAIC Sacks $250 Million GRIDS Contract MCLEAN-Science Applications International Corporation has won a contract potentially worth $250 million over five years, to provide engineering services and geospatial support for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. The Geospatial Research, Integration, Development and Support (GRIDS) contract, says executive Jurgen Gobien, will "deliver transformational capabilities to troops in combat. ... We will develop, demonstrate and deploy innovative products to empower the warfighter at all levels through timely information and knowledge management." More CACI Wins $91.7 Million Task Order ARLINGTON--CACI International Inc. has won a contract worth $91.7 million over four years to provide logistics support services to the U.S. Army Project Manager, Tactical Radio Communications Systems. Providing the "last mile" in the globalconnectivity grid, the proects connects warfighters and first responders to each other and to military and government decision-makers. The PM TRCS fields more than 150 such systems across 54 U.S. states and territories. More In Brief... ARLINGTON--CACI International Inc. has won approximately $230 million in previously unannounced contracts with federal government clients in the national security and intelligence communities. More. ARLINGTON--Stanley, Inc., has won a contract worth $164 million over 10 years, to provide passport book personalization services for the U.S State Department. More. ALEXANDRIA--A Fluor-Transurban consortium has entered into an interim agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation, allowing the HOT lane project for I-95/395 to move to the next phase of development. More. FAIRFAX-General Dynamics Information Technology has won contracts potentially worth $90 million over five years to provide acquisition logistics support to the Naval Air Systems Command. More. VIENNA--AT&T Government Solutions has been awarded a $64.1 million five-year contract from the U.S. Department of the Army to support the Army Materiel Command's Enterprise Integration Directorate. More. ARLINGTON--CACI International Inc has been awarded a task order potentially worth $38 million over three years to provide technical and logistical business support services to the Readiness, Force Modernization Division of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command. More. MCLEAN--Apogen Technologies has been awarded three contracts worth $11.3 million to provide engineering, technical, acquisition and logistics-support services to the Marine Corps Systems Command. More. FALLS CHURCH-DynCorp International LLC has won a contract potentially worth $8.3 million over three years to help clear land mines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia and to destroy light weapons in Honduras. More. RESTON--High Performance Technologies, Inc., has won a $7.6M contract to continue its work providing Infrastructure Program Support at the Department of Justice. More. RESTON-ConceptSolutions has won a two-year contract worth $6 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to continue its upgrade of FAA's Military Operations Systems, a real-time information management. More. ALEXANDRIA--AirPlus International, a provider of global business travel payment solutions, has partnered with Singapore Airlines to offer companies in Singapore a complete payment and cost analysis solution. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Deal Makers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mercator Partners Form VNO MCLEAN--Having acquired all outstanding shares in European Telecommunications & Technology Ltd and Global Internetworking, Inc., Mercator Partners Acquisition Corp. has changed its name to Global Telecom & Technology, Inc. GTT is a Virtual Network Operator, a telecommunications service provider that does not own its infrastructure. VNOs design solutions around traditional telecommunications carriers' assets, then procure, integrate and manage the system on their customers' behalf. More. Precision Auto Car Buys Manassas Auto Care Center LEESBURG--Precision Auto Care, a franchisor of auto repair centers, has purchased an existing Precision Tune Auto Care center in Manassas. Said CEO Robert Falconi: "With the experience of running a company-owned store, we will be able to better serve our franchisees as we can use this center as a testing ground for new marketing and operational ideas to enhance revenue and profit." More. In Brief... SPRINGFIELD--Intrepid Technical Services, Inc., a provider of repair services and onsite support, has acquired United Service Network, Inc., a Massachusetts-based IT service provider. More. FAIRFAX--AIMS Worldwide, Inc., a vertically integrated marketing communications consultancy, has acquired StreetFighter Marketing, of Columbus, Ohio, which specializes in training businesses how to market, promote and increase sales on a shoestring budget. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Innovations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Convera to Build Search Engine for Gaming Enthusiasts VIENNA--Convera Corporation, a provider of search technologies for professional workers, has signed an agreement with ProGames Network to develop a Web-search solution for online gamers. Convera will customize its technology to build a professional-grade search capability for gaming enthusiasts, some of whom spend up to 30 hours per week online searching for content that lies beyond the reach of most search engines. The two companies will share advertising revenues. More. SkyBitz Unveils Smart Sensor Tracking STERLING--SkyBitz, developer of global locating systems, has introduced Smart Sensor Tracking, a system that tracks trailer arrivals and departures for more effective utilization. The system also features SkyFencing, a virtual fence around customer locations, depots or yards, which sends e-mail alerts once a trailer has arrived or departed. More. In Brief... MCLEAN-Beyond Security has introduced the Automated Vulnerability Detection System, which assesses enterprise-wide vulnerability to hackers and malicious attacks, adding a measure of security beyond anti-virus software and firewalls. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Partnerships and Collaborations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In Brief... DULLES--AOL and Brightcove, a Cambridge, Mass-based open Internet TV service, have launched a distribution service that enables video publishers to sell high-quality video downloads through the AOL Video portal and receive up to 70 percent of the revenue generated from their sales. More. VIENNA--SunRocket, an Internet phone service provider, has formed a marketing alliance with Broadband National, a comparative shopping service for broadband and VoIP services, which will make it easy for prospective SunRocket customers to choose and purchase broadband service from national providers. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | R&D / Intellectual Property | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VCU Profs Probe Allergic Reactions RICHMOND--A research team at the Virginia Commonwealth University has identified an enzyme responsible for triggering a chain of events that results in allergic reaction. The research at VCU and the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York sets the stage for development of new strategies and target therapies that control allergic disease such as asthma and hay fever - the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States. More. In Brief... CHARLOTTESVILLE--Adenosine Therapeutics, LLC, has been awarded four new grants totaling nearly $1.9 million to evaluate new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of asthma, sepsis, and arthritis. More. BLACKSBURG--Virginia Tech has received $1.65 mllion in new equipment, including a Gemini Diffractometer and a PX Protein Scanner, that utilizes state-of-the-art x-ray and diffraction technology to probe new drugs for treating cancer, Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases. More. FAIRFAX--George Mason University has partnered with Inova Fairfax Hospital to conduct three clinical trials to better understand the physical and psychological affects of liver disease. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | People | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ADMMicro Engages Former Roanoke Electric Steel CEO ROANOKE-Donald G. Smith, former CEO of Roanoke Electric Steel, will take "an active role" in ADMMicro, a privately held energy management company, and will be involved in "moving the company to the next level." ADMMicro employs 34 people in its headquarters offices in Roanoke, with plans to increase staff by 30 percent over the next 12 months. More. Horne Promotes Mahan to COO FAIRFAX-Horne international, a government services company, has elevated Charles S. Mahan, Jr., to the position of COO as part of a growth-oriented restructuring of the company's executive team. CEO Darryl K. Horne will concentrate on strategic planning and business development efforts. More. Cuisine Solutions CEO Launches Blog ALEXANDRIA--Cuisine Solutions, a publicly traded company that prepares gourmet frozen foods, has added a CEO's blog to the roster of tools it uses to communicate with investors, clients and other stakeholders. "We are building a cult-like following for our premium, fully-cooked frozen food," writes Thomas L. Gregg. "I want the people who are interested in our non-comparable food to have the opportunity to learn about the more human side of a public company that believes in creating exceptional and memorable products." More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Trends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Chmura Economics & Analytics |
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 Automobile registrations. After reaching a one year high in August, auto sales retreated in September. The six-month moving average for auto sales declined to 37,778 in September, an 8.6 percent decrease from a year ago. Despite falling in September, the auto sales average has risen 8.4 percent from its recent trough in February. Auto sales are a key indicator of consumer spending and comprise roughly 25 percent of total retail sales for any given period. 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. One of Four Virginians is Obese RICHMOND-Nearly one quarter of Virginians are obese, and 60 percent of adult Virginians are classified as overweight, according to a report from the Commonwealth's Healthy Approach and Mobilization Plan for Inactivity, Obesity and Nutrition, or CHAMPION. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It increases the risk of many chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and several types of cancer. More. In Brief... RICHMOND-HMOs are doing a better job of treating patients with diabetes and asthma, but have fallen behind in screening patients for breast cancer and colorectal cancer, the Virginia Health Information Foundation reveals in its latest report on HMO quality, satisfaction and performance. More. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Other News | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VCU Health System Adopts PatientKeeper IT System RICHMOND-Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has deployed PatientKeeper as its physician information system. The initiative was spearheaded and funded by MCV Physicians, a 600-physician, faculty group practice. PatientKeeper's mobile technology allows physicians to access their patients' electronic records, write prescriptions, enter charges for services, document patient encounters, and securely send messages to other caregivers. More. Tredegar Revamps Retirement Program RICHMOND--Tredegar Corporation, a manufacturer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions, has changed its pension and savings plans covering salaried and other employees. Next year the pension plan will be closed to new employees, and pay for active employees used to compute benefits will be frozen. The company will make matching contributions to the savings plan of $1 for every $1 of employee contribution, up to 6 percent of base pay for 2007 and 2008 and 5 percent of base pay thereafter. Said CEO John D. Gottwald: "We have been working to develop retirement programs which are designed to better meet the needs of today's mobile workforce, permit more individual involvement in retirement planning and be more affordable, predictable and controllable in terms of cost." More. VaBIO Receives Nearly $1.5 Million Federal Grant RICHMOND-A consortium of Virginia organizations - including the Virginia Biotechnology Association, the Virginia Manufacturers Association, and the Training & Development Corporation, has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for advanced manufacturing job training and economic development. The project will create an employer-validated certification system and an employer-designed training program for advanced manufacturing technicians. More. In Brief... RICHMOND-LeClair Ryan has hired Maguire Consulting, a legal search and consulting firm, to assist in the recruitment of lateral partners and merger candidates in New York and other markets in the Northeast U.S. More. RESTON--STG, Inc., an IT service provider, has realigned its organization around two distinct, customer-focused organizations -- the Civil Agencies Sector and the Defense Sector. More. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back To Top | Commentary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 New Ideas, New Leaders Transportation, education and the environment... We can solve these problems without throwing money at them. It just takes fresh ideas and bold leaders willing to implement them. More. |
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The Devolution Solution Any meaningful transportation reform would make fast-growth counties responsible for their secondary roads. The trick is coaxing them into going along. On July 1, the City of Suffolk took over from the Virginia Department of Transportation the job of maintaining more than 1,490 lane-miles of roadway and 50 traffic signals. With VDOT reimbursing about $16 million per year, Suffolk now is filling the potholes, repaving the roads, plowing the snow, maintaining the drainage ditches and making sure the grass gets cut. Only the Interstate highways remain under VDOT control. 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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
