Biz Talk: AED — More than corporate attraction

This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Arlington has had an incredible year attracting new businesses to the community, with the notable announcements of Boeing and Raytheon Technologies both deciding to locate their global headquarters in Arlington.

Further, past announcements of Nestlé, Lidl, and Amazon HQ2  prove Arlington has become a magnet for large corporations looking to locate their operations amongst a talented workforce, top-notch infrastructure, proximity to Washington, D.C. and convenient access to other major markets in the country.

However, one of the most important functions in economic development is working with existing businesses to ensure they are successful, spawning more investment and hiring — business retention and expansion. Business retention and expansion projects make up a large percentage of companies with which Arlington Economic Development works, and they are equally, if not more, important than the classic business attraction projects we see in the news.

Two great expansion projects this past calendar year include Federated Wireless and Technomics.

Federated Wireless, a leading innovator of private wireless and shared spectrum services, announced in September 2022 its strategic partnership with JBG Smith, National Landing’s largest developer, to innovate and deploy 5G Private Wireless in National Landing. As part of this partnership, Federated Wireless announced it will move its corporate headquarters to National Landing, occupying approximately 36,000 square feet of office space in JBG SMITH’s 2121 Crystal Drive.

In November 2022, state and local officials gathered for the announcement of Technomics’ expansion in National Landing. Technomics is a cost engineering and data analytics company that has been based in Arlington since 2000. Governor Youngkin announced the company will receive $105,000 in VJIP funding for its 10,000 SF expansion, creating 150 net new jobs and investing $1.7 million over the next three years.

Expansion projects like Federated Wireless and Technomics are great examples of our department proactively working with existing companies to ensure their success and growth in our community. These companies become advocates for our community, promoting Arlington and the resources available to businesses looking to locate here.