Tysons company Urgent.ly has sparked national attention after its recent partnerships with Uber, Volvo and Amazon.
Its partnerships with Uber, Volvo and Amazon were all formed within the last year, but the company is still focused on outward expansion Chris Spanos, the co-founder and CEO, told Tysons Reporter.
“I think it’s important for people to know we have the largest digitally connected network in the U.S.,” Spanos said.
Urgent.ly is a roadside assistance app that works on-demand with standardized pricing — no subscription needed.
Uber’s and Volvo’s partnerships allow their companies to receive rewards for roadside assistance including discounts, while growing Urgent.ly’s userbase and aligning them with well-known brands, according to the company’s website.
With Amazon, users can order Urgent.ly roadside assistance through Alexa.
The company was co-founded in 2013 by Spanos and five other colleagues. They used to gather at the McLean coffee shop Star Nut Gourmet for brainstorming sessions until they moved onto a permanent office, Spanos said.
Since Urgent.ly’s founding, the company has hired 250 employees, opened several offices throughout the U.S. and also began offering roadside service internationally. The company’s recent growth nabbed it the #12 spot on the 2019 Inc. 5000 national rankings as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.
“Our international strategy so far is to license our technology to players in those markets who operate a service directly,” Spanos said.
Though no subscription is needed to use the app, the company is offering a discounted $50 yearly membership that gives users access to discounts and free services like jumpstarts or lockout services.
Looking to the future, Spanos said he will watch for upcoming technology and may eventually offer roadside service for technology beyond traditional vehicles. “It’s fascinating to have a look into the future and how we may be receiving our packages.”
He said that he thinks drones and robots delivering packages may be a reality in the near future and that a company — like Urgent.ly — will need to fix them when they break on the job.
Though he couldn’t give specifics about future partnerships, he said that the company is looking to build alliances with early-stage companies exploring new technologies, like drone and robot deliveries.
“That’s where we see the next five years,” said Spanos.
Image courtesy Urgent.ly
Community leaders and city officials celebrated the start of an infrastructure project located in the heart of an upcoming mixed-use development in the City of Falls Church.
During a keynote address for the groundbreaking today (Monday) ceremony at George Mason High School, Councilmember David Snyder said that this $15.7 million dollar project will create a safer and more economically successful community around the West Falls Church Metro.
The new improvements, according to the City of Falls Church, include:
- synchronization of four new traffic signals
- a high-intensity, pedestrian-activated crosswalk on Haycock Road
- pedestrian access improvements, such as widening sidewalks
- bus stop enhancements
- bicycle access improvements, including near the newly installed Capital Bikeshare stations near the high school campus
- utility undergrounding and relocation
The money for the project was acquired through the Northern Virginia Department of Transporation.
Infrastructure issues that have been building up over many decades will finally be addressed with this project, Snyder said.
“Twenty years ago this project would not have occurred,” Snyder said. “This is a classic example of the system working.”
The project is still in the “beginning stages,” according to the City of Falls Church website, adding:
The timing of project design and construction will be coordinated with the new High School construction and future Little City Commons development. City staff expects that design, engineering, and environmental work would begin in Fiscal Year 2021, with construction beginning in Fiscal Year 2022.
Lindy Hockenberry, who taught at George Mason High School for 30 years, served for eight years on the Falls Church City Council and spent another 11 years on the city’s Planning Commission before retiring, attended the groundbreaking to show support for the project.
“Its been my life dream to replace George Mason,” she said adding that the school has serious infrastructure problems, like leaky ceilings.
The new high school campus is already under construction and is slated to be completed by early 2021.
Until then, the students will remain in the same building, which will eventually be demolished for a new commercial center, similar to the Mosaic District, Hockenberry said.
“This will be truly multi-modal,” Snyder said, adding that this these updates will allow people easier access to the Metro.
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (Aug. 27)
- Drink the Extinct — 6-8 p.m. at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (7861 Tysons Corner Center) — Beer lovers will have the opportunity to talk about the history of Chesapeake Dark Lager and try it for themselves. Tickets are $15.
Wednesday (Aug. 28)
- Yoga with Alyson — 10 a.m. at Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) — For $10, participants can take part in a yoga class. All experience levels are welcome and guests should bring their own mats.
- 7-Eleven Job Fair — 2-5 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (Level One) — The upcoming 7- Eleven is looking for employees for its new location. This open house invites anyone who may be interested to learn more.
Thursday (Aug. 29)
- “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” — 8 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — Peter Grosz, Negin Farsad and Faith Salie will compete in this NPR trivia show about current events. Tickets are $45.
Friday (Aug. 30)
- U.S. Open Party –5:30- 7:30 p.m. at the Mc Lean Swim and Tennis Association (1700 Margie Drive) — The McLean Tennis Association will open up their doors for a round-robin tennis tournament and party. Registration is free, and there will be prizes for winners. There will be kids and adult leagues.
Saturday (Aug. 31)
- Middle Eastern Food Festival — 11 a.m.-11 p.m. at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church (8501 Lewinsville Road) — This free event gives attendees the chance to try a variety of Middle Eastern Food and engage in cultural activities, including dance lessons and a petting zoo.
Photo via Wolf Trap
After two bench thefts, the Vienna Arts Society is determined to keep the remaining 40 benches painted by local artists available for public enjoyment.
When the first bench disappeared, Ken Britz, a Vienna Arts Society spokesperson, said that the art group was disappointed, but knew theft was a possibility.
When the second bench was snatched, though, the Vienna Arts Society decided it was time to work with local law enforcement to institute security measures.
The remaining benches will now be either padlocked or chained down. “It won’t stand in the way of a determined thief, but it will be a deterrent,” Britz said.
On top of the locks, Deputy Chief of Police Dan Janickey said at the Vienna Town Council meeting last week that law enforcement officers will keep a closer eye on the remaining benches.
The Vienna Police Department is still looking for a culprit and doesn’t have any leads yet, Janickey said.
The art group said keeping the benches aesthetically appealing for visitors is their main concern when it comes to adding security measures.
“We don’t wanna make it unsightly or emphasize the thefts,” he said.
Joann Meginley is the owner of Grass Roots Fitness in Vienna and the sponsor of the first missing bench. In coordination with the studio and the arts society, the artist of the bench agreed to recommission a new bench for the location.
Meginley said that it should be completed by Labor Day and will be placed in the missing bench’s original location, outside Meginley’s fitness studio.
The second stolen bench will not be recommissioned, because the artist is on vacation and will not have time when they return, Britz said.
The benches are available for public viewing throughout the town until they go to auction on Nov. 2.
Photos in the last image via Susan Scanlon and the Vienna Arts Society/Facebook
As fall approaches, the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons announced a new line of spa treatments.
The company added four new items to their list of services, including a new CBD facial, a velvet massage and an apple manicure.
“As autumn approaches, days get shorter and the weather gets cooler — it’s time to talk skin. Chill temperatures make for dry, stale air and even drier skin,” Corryn Hurrington, a Ritz-Carlton spokesperson, said.
Each treatment is meant to relax and rejuvenate guests, according to the website.
Among the new treatments, the Seaberry Orange CBD Hemp Hydration Facial works to counteract several signs of skin damage and aging, according to the press release.
These seasonal treatments will be available from Sept. 15-Nov. 30. All treatments can be booked online or by calling (703) 744-3924.
Prices range from $55-205.
The spa operates on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Image courtesy Ritz-Carlton
The Town of Vienna is now recognized as one of the nation’s most bee-friendly places.
Bee City USA identifies cities and towns taking steps to protect natural pollinators. Vienna is one of three places in Virginia with the “Bee City” title, including Lynchburg and Scottsville.
The town’s Conservation and Sustainability Commission applied for the certification a while back, Mayor Laurie DiRocco said. The town eventually received an email from Phyllis Stiles, the organization’s founder, confirming the town’s acceptance.
“Vienna is institutionalizing our commitment to pollinator conservation by planting natives, reducing conventional pesticide use and educating the community on the benefits of planting pollinator habitats,” a town spokesperson said.
Each year, the city is required to pay a $200 fee and send in a report on updates in order to maintain its listing. In return, Bee City USA will support the city by providing educational materials and outreach ideas, the town spokesperson said.
DiRocco said that the bee-friendly certification means the city is “setting a standard of what we would like to do within our community when it comes to native plants and pollinators,” adding that she hopes other neighboring communities follow suit.
A long-awaited project to lessen congestion at an intersection near the American Legion Bridge in McLean is nearing completion.
The Virginia Department of Transportation expanded the intersection by 550 feet to include a left turn and right turn lane, as well as an option for traffic to go straight into the nearby neighborhood. The renovations also include an area where law enforcement can safely pull over traffic.
Crews worked on the three-month-long project at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road over the summer. Politicians gathered Thursday morning (Aug. 22) to survey the scene and celebrate the project.
Allison Richter, a VDOT liaison for Fairfax County, attended the event and said that people in the nearby neighborhood struggled to get home when others were trying to turn onto American Legion Bridge or onto the freeway. The addition of turn lanes is expected to ease traffic around rush hour, she said.
Richter said that this was part of a $500,000 project to improve traffic flow in the area, which should be completed in the next couple days. She also said that roughly $250,000 of the funds came from Fairfax County while the remaining $250,000 came from an operations safety budget.
“This is one of the rare occasions we meet at this intersection on a happy note,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust told the gathering. “This has been a challenge to deal with the intersection and try to meditate the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods from the American Legion Bridge and back up on the ramp.”
Road crews had to redirect some attention from the work on Balls Hill Road to roads impacted by severe flooding in early July, Foust said.
Crews are still working to repair Kirby Road, which is still closed due to flooding damage, he said, adding that the floods completely rerouted the river, which now flows underneath the road.
The city needs to get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to fix the damage.
“There is only so much we can expedite,” Foust said, adding that he believes that the residents have been patient with the process.
As for the road crews, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen VDOT so focused,” Foust said.
Just in time for #backtoschooll! VDOT crews completed improvements incl a dedicated left-turn lane to help ease congestion at Balls Hill Rd & Georgetown Pike in McLean. Take a look! Thanks to our partners @fairfaxcounty @FairfaxCountyPD @johnfoustva @kmurphyva @BarbaraFavola! pic.twitter.com/es74W6OVfJ
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 22, 2019
Self-proclaimed naturalists in the City of Falls Church may soon have a new volunteer opportunity.
The city’s Tree Commission wants to create a volunteer program where people can assist in counting, categorizing and measuring over 10,000 trees within the city limits. Though the program is still in the works, commissioners said at a meeting Wednesday (Aug. 21) that they want the it to be inclusive of all age groups and time availabilities.
“We are hoping this will be a popular program because you can choose your own hours. You don’t have to come to an event, and you can do it when you find it convenient,” Kate Reich, the staff liaison and city arborist, said.
The commission currently contracts with a pruning company that charges based on tree size, and is hoping to sort tree circumferences into categories, so that the commission can get a more reliable cost estimate for tree care.
While they are still standardizing training and finding a user-friendly way to collect data, Reich said the program should begin in September. The volunteers will be given special measuring tapes that show circumference size so they won’t need to do any extra math.
Amy Crumpton, who is certified by the Arlington Master Naturalist program, will lead the volunteer group.
“The USDA Forest Service has programs they call i-Tree, where they can assess environmental benefits of an urban forest when you plug in great wads of data,” Reich said.
The commission said the new program will work to fill in this database and help the city government calculate the cost of tree care.
Though the database is live now with information gathered from a few years ago, the commission is working to fix some bugs.
Each volunteer will have a login to the system so organizers can keep track of hours and ensure that the user’s data is accurate. Users will also be able to report areas that could use some extra greenery, the commissioners said.
“It would be nice if we could expand it, to say the Boy Scouts or something,” Reich said, adding that this would be a great service opportunity for them.
When the program is finalized, Crumpton will create a SignUpGenius for volunteers. Though they will limit the number of volunteers for beta testing, they hope to eventually expand the network.
Falls Church city officials say now that the city’s housing guidelines have been updated, the real work begins.
On Aug. 12, the City Council unanimously voted in favor of new affordable housing and demographics chapters as the city staff works to update its Comprehensive Plan.
“Revisiting the city’s zoning ordinances is an appropriate thing to do to make sure the rules of the game support the goals the city is trying to work toward,” Paul Stoddard, the city’s planning director, said. “Housing doesn’t operate in a free market. It is heavily constrained by local regulation.”
These approved changes come after months of work and revisions from committees, including the Housing Commission and Planning Commission. Now, city leaders are calling on the public to speak up — to ensure that the plan is implemented.
Housing Commissioner Pete Davis, who acted as an ally for the plan throughout its development, said he emphasized the importance of affordable hosing amendments that will address Falls Church’s “crisis.”
He asked the Planning Commission to “keep affordable housing in the forefront of [its] mind” during an address on Aug, 5.
At the same meeting, commissioners noted changes to the proposal since the group last met, with key adaptions including the addition of religious organizations as a partner to ease housing burdens, a revised definition of median income, the inclusion of accessory dwellings as a solution and acknowledgment that it will take the entire community to solve the issue.
Davis said that the next steps require community members to speak up about affordable housing and continue to put pressure on the Falls Church City Council.
Within increasing pressure from Amazon’s HQ2 coming into the area, Davis said that city officials and community members can no longer remain passive and wait to see how the market reacts — they must act now and push for more affordable housing units.
“We cannot take a hands-off approach anymore,” Davis said.
The new Bad Axe Throwing location is offering free throwing lessons to celebrate their grand opening in Merrifield — but only for one weekend.
The new location at 2985 District Avenue, Suite 195 began accepting reservations on last Monday (Aug. 12) and offers an opportunity for participants to try their hand at the sport. The weekend after Labor Day (Sept. 6-8), the location will wave its normal $27 per person fee.
Though patrons cannot reserve dates for the free weekend, they are invited to come for a drop-in session from 5-11 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 6), 12 -11 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 7) and 2-9 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 8).
“Our mission is to bring the thrill of a traditional Canadian backyard pastime to urban communities,” the company’s website said.
Anyone curious about the facilities that cannot make it on a free-day, can visit by booking an hour-long session online.
The website suggests that participants wear comfortable athletic clothes. While anyone can come, the company said that people should be strong enough “to throw a soccer ball over their head.”
The company originated in Ontario, Canada where it was founded by CEO Mario Zelaya in 2014. Today, the business has over 40 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to the website.
Photo via Facebook/Bad Axe Throwing
