Workplace affinity: Washingtonian is out with its list of "50 Great Places to Work" in the Washington, D.C., area and we are thrilled to report that 19 are in Fairfax County, including nine in Reston. More than 200 companies applied for consideration. TechSociety Research of California prepared the list using employee questionnaires that touched on categories such as work/life balance, flexibility of schedule, growth opportunities, pay and benefits.

Defensive strategy: Sotera Defense Solutions of Herndon will be acquired by KeyW Holding Corp. for about $235 million. James Bach of the Washington Business Journal writes that Sotera is expected to remain a subsidiary when the deal closes. Sotera also operates in Tysons Corner and Chantilly and is expected to generate $225 million this year.  KeyW, based in our neighbor to the north, has offices in the Falls Church area of the county.

IDing more investors: Tysons Corner-based identity-management outfit ID.me netted $19 million in a second round of funding, led by San Francisco-based FTV Capital. The Washington Business Journal's Andy Medici notes that the Center for Innovative Technology was an early investor as ID.me previously raised $20.5 million. Ford, Under Armour and Major League Baseball are among more than 200 organizations using ID.me technology.

More Intel:  Intelsat, with U.S. headquarters in Tysons Corner and fresh off announcing plans to merge with OneWeb, is investing heavily in Kymeta, a developer of software-enabled antennas and terminals for high-bandwidth satellite communications. Anna Forester of GovConWire reports the companies previously worked together in developing satellite services and antenna technology.

Howdy (possible) pardner: CSRA held the equivalent of a job fair for 40 contractors at its Falls Church-area offices this week, seeking innovative tech companies that could become partners. Some attendees were already active as government subcontractors. CSRA's stated goal: to be known as the "best large business partner." Washington Business Journal's James Bach went a'courtin' for this story. 

Run to Daylight: Leonardo, through U.S. subsidiary DRS, will acquire San Diego-based laser platforms maker Daylight Solutions for about $150 million. DRS, with global enterprise solutions offices in Herndon, hopes to capitalize on laser technology that has made inroads with U.S. military customers and with scientific instrumentation used in medical treatments and research. GovConWire's Jane Edwards was laser-focused on this news.
 
700 Club: Cross-platform measurement provider comScore of Reston reached a milestone when WSLS of Roanoke became its 700th television station to subscribe its local ratings services. According to citybizlist, comScore counts 17 of the top-20 station ownership groups as clients of its local ratings service.

Market watch: Michael Neibauer of the Washington Business Journal says the Wegmans supermarket now under construction in the Westfields area of Chantilly is "only the beginning" for the "Field at Commonwealth" development surrounded by major employers such as Northrop Grumman, Dyncorp, The Aerospace Corporation and Lockheed Martin. The 180,000-square-foot retail center is being developed by Regency Centers

All's Faire: Artists, engineers, scientists and crafters will convene in Reston on March 19 for Maker Faire, billing itself as the "Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth -- a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness." The event, organized by Nova Labs, intends to showcase projects from a wide range of techies, creative types and DIY fanatics.  The resourceful Ann Cameron Siegal produced this story for the  Washington Post .
 
Notable contract wins for firms in Fairfax County:     
  • Lockheed Martin's commercial engine solutions division received a potential $1 billion, nine-year contract to provide engine-overhaul and support services for Air Force KC-10 tanker aircraft. GovConWire 
  • Northrop Grumman won a $91 million contract modification to upgrade software and hardware for Growler aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Australia. GovConWire
  • Alion Science and Technology won a $53 million contract to provide watercraft engine replacement and maintenance after the Government Accountability Office rejected Raytheon's challenge. Law360.com
  • PEMDAS received a potential $49.5 million contract to help the Army develop an atmospheric sensing and prediction platform. ExecutiveBiz
  • Cubic's global defense business unit picked up a $41.6 million contract to bolster the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center with mission-support services. ExecutiveBiz
  • Harris has been selected to provide a voice-over-Internet communication system for Taiwan's air defense service. ExecutiveBiz
Upcoming Events
  • March 15: Women-owned Businesses -- Growing Your Business with Government Contracts. Part of the Procurement Academy workshop series presented by the FCEDA. Click here.
  • March 16: Business Roundtable Series: Legal Issues for Small Businesses -- Getting Started, Growing and Fixing Mistakes. Presented by Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation. Click here.
  • March 22: Legal DIY: What to Handle Yourself vs. Hiring a Lawyer. Presented by Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Click here.
  • March 23: Veterans in Business Conference: Presented by the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Community Business Partnership. Click here.
  • April 6: Economic Outlook Summit. Presented by Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation and Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce. Click here.
  • April 7: Redefining Government Contracting: Northern Virginia Technology Council Titans Breakfast with CSRA President Larry Prior. Click here.
  • April 12: Washington Business Journal Lead Generation Seminar. Presented by Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Click here
  • April 26: Social Media Trends 2017 for Your Business: Part of Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce Business Education Series. Click here.
FAIR
FACT
International air  traffic at Washington Dulles International Airport grew for the 13th consecutive year to a record 7.5 million passengers in 2016.

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The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) promotes Fairfax County, Virginia, as a business and technology center. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. 

Want to know more about the services of the FCEDA, or how economic development helps Fairfax County? Visit the FCEDA website or e-mail us at info@fceda.org.

Media Contact:
Alan Fogg

Vice President, Communications and Research, FCEDA
Office: 703-790-0600
Mobile: 571-213-5065
Offices worldwide:
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Fairfax County: "One of the great economic success stories of our time" -- Time magazine