(Updated at 2 p.m.) The Virginia Chamber of Commerce unveiled its list recognizing 50 small, fast-growing companies — and 10 businesses in Tysons and McLean are included.
Now in its 25th year, the “Fantastic 50” list highlights private Virginia companies that received high marks on their four-year revenue history, according to a press release from the chamber.
Eligible companies must have revenues between $200,000 and $200 million and demonstrate positive revenue growth and net income from last fiscal year to the most recent one, the press release said.
“Small business is the heart of our economy and we are pleased to honor the entrepreneurial spirit and hard work of Virginia’s fifty fastest growing businesses,” Barry DuVal, the president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said in the press release.
Tysons-area businesses that are 2020 Virginia Fantastic 50 winners:
- Alpha Omega Integration, LLC, Tysons
- The Author Incubator, McLean
- Spatial Front Inc., Tysons
- Criterion Systems Inc., Tysons
- Artemis Consulting Inc., Tysons
- MicroHealth, LLC, Tysons
- DayBlink Consulting, Tysons
- ValidaTek, Inc., Tysons
- E3/Sentinel, Tysons
- M2 Strategy, Tysons
Additionally, Alpha Omega Integration, LLC in Vienna received the 2020 Virginia Vanguard Service Award.
“Although we are unable to honor these business leaders and their dedicated teams in-person, due to COVID-19, we applaud each of these companies who continue to set the bar higher every year and want to ensure they receive the recognition they deserve for their contributions to the commonwealth,” DuVal said.
The full list is available online.
Takeout and Delivery List for Tysons Area — Washingtonina has compiled an alphabetical list of eateries in Tysons, Vienna and McLean offering takeout and delivery. [Washingtonian]
Locals Helping to Save McLean Restaurant — Chris Mylonas, who help start Mylo’s Grill at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center says that locals have been helping the restaurant stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. [Connection Newspapers]
McLean Student Teaching Knitting Classes — “McLean High School Senior Amanda Mullet is working hard to bring both stress relief and a new hobby to her neighbors and friends through her Girl Scout Gold Award Project… She set about teaching her friends and peers how to knit.” [Connection Newspapers]
Little City Turns to Public to Support Grants — The City of Falls Church is asking residents and businesses to submit comments on the West Falls Church Connection to W&OD Trail and the Downtown Falls Church Multimodal Improvements projects to help the city get grants from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. [City of Falls Church]
Tysons-Based Appian Hiring — “The Tysons software firm is now hiring for more than 60 positions in sales, engineering, professional services, marketing and an array of corporate roles, from finance to recruiting to C-level roles. Appian, now with more than 1,000 employees, is supporting some of the country’s largest health care and financial organizations through the COVID-19 crisis, according to founder and CEO Matt Calkins.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Senior Home COVID-19 Patient Dies– “A resident who tested positive for the new coronavirus at McLean’s Vinson Hall Retirement Community died Friday, the facility announced. The resident lived at Arleigh Burke Pavilion, where 15 other residents tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 illness.” [Patch]
Eden Center Hit Hard by Pandemic — Storefront after storefront at the L-shaped enclave of roughly 120 shops, eateries, salons and grocers had closure signs prominently taped up… The pandemic that is shuttering restaurants across the country is draining the life out the Eden Center… Xenophobia lingers as yet another threat to business. And an immigrant community that’s been here for nearly half a century is watching a beacon of its vitality grow dim.” [DCist]
McLean Dentist 3-D Printing Masks — Dr. Phil Cai, a dentist in McLean, has been 3-D printing masks to give to health care workers. [WUSA9, Wall Street Journal]
Vienna MAC Woes — “Nearly six years after the Vienna Town Council approved the controversial Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zoning ordinance, the Council on April 27 has set a June 1 public hearing to discuss whether the ordinance should be suspended another two years or scrapped altogether.” [Inside NoVa]
Fairfax County Now Offers COVID-19 Text Messages in Spanish https://t.co/llE8yDGU8P pic.twitter.com/XKSrok30b0
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) April 28, 2020
Budget Public Hearings Start Today — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors starts its public hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget today. [Fairfax County]
How Vienna Candidates Campaign in COVID-19 Crisis — “Candidates told the Sun Gazette they miss door-to-door campaigning, but are reaching out to voters through social media. The election’s date, which had remained a moving target until late last week, complicated matters further, they said.” [Inside NoVa]
Gov. Northam Says Child Vaccines Declining — “Due to COVID-19, the state is starting to see a decline in immunizations, Northam said, as parents decide not to take their children to the pediatrician for their vaccines.” [Inside NoVa]
Virginia Scores Poorly for Social Distancing — “Virginia has scored a D- while the City of Falls Church has received an overall social distancing grade of C+ based on community activity using metrics comparing current mobility data to that before the Covid-19 outbreak. The assessments come from data company Unacast.” [Falls Church News-Press]
APRIL 27: COVID-19 Update for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Personnel. Information is up-to-date as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. More: https://t.co/J5tdoSU2g4 #FCFRD #FFXCOVID pic.twitter.com/JMBpJ7r4OJ
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 27, 2020
Drivers and pedestrians who traverse the Cedar Lane Bridge over I-66 between Vienna and Merrifield will soon have to use a detour.
The bridge is set to close around May 15 for demolition and construction on a new bridge, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
“The bridge will be rebuilt to accommodate the widening of I-66 and will include a shared-use path and wider sidewalk,” VDOT said in an email update.
More from VDOT:
Closing the bridge for this planned six-month period will reduce the duration and impacts of construction activities on travelers and surrounding neighborhoods. Other options were considered, including partial closure approaches that would have taken more than two years to complete. The full bridge closure also maximizes construction activity over Metrorail tracks during the planned Metro Orange Line shutdown between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.
The bridge will be closed for roughly six months. People who normally use the bridge will have marked detours to use Gallows Road to cross the interstate, according VDOT.
The bridge work is a part of VDOT’s multi-year Transform 66 project. The new bridge is expected to open in late November of this year, followed by the I-66 Express Lanes in December 2022, according to the project’s webpage.
Image via Virginia Department of Transportation
(Updated 5/11/2020) The Town of Vienna’s upcoming election is now set to take place on May 19.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday (April 24) a two-week delay for local elections, including Vienna’s.
Because of the altered date, absentee ballot applications are now due May 12, according to a tweet from town officials. Fairfax County officials are strongly urging absentee voting to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Due to #coronavirus, the Virginia Dept of Elections "strongly encourages" absentee voting in the May elections. Use reason "2A My illness or disability." Absentee vote by mail: https://t.co/xRsj4c4jP7#COVID19 #socialdistancing #FlattenTheCurve #VoteAbsentee #Vote @vaELECT pic.twitter.com/kDfRDDlRQU
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) March 18, 2020
Three councilmembers are vying for Mayor Laurie DiRocco’s seat, while seven candidates running for council seats.
Due to the coronavirus, in-person debates were canceled and replaced with virtual debates — one for the mayoral candidates and the other for councilmember candidates — hosted by the North East Vienna Citizens Association and Vienna Business Association.
Tysons Reporter offered the candidates the opportunity to respond to a Q&A with topics ranging from climate change to height limitations for commercial development along Maple Avenue.
Here are the published Q&As, listed in alphabetical order by first name, that have been published so far:
Mayoral candidate Q&As:
Councilmember candidate Q&As:
Inside NoVa also published several candidate profiles.
Photo by Element5 Digital/Unsplash
Nightlife is zilch in Tysons at the moment due to the pandemic. After a brief hiatus, the “Tysons After Dark” series is back to highlight different online activities from local organizations that keep people busy once the sun goes down.
Animal parents can now commemorate their household companions with painted pottery.
Kiln & Co (138 Church Street NW) is offering take-home paint sets for customers to recreate a likeness of their furry friend on a piece of pottery.
Though the classes used to be in person at Kiln’s studios around Vienna, Falls Church and Reston, the business decided to allow customers to bring the experience home so they have something to do while in self-isolation, according to the Dmitry Shakhov, the manger of the Vienna studio.
The multi-step process begins when the customer sends in a picture of their pet, which Shakhov will sketch onto the pottery and return to the customer with directions and supplies.
“It’s almost like paint by number,” Shakhov said. “First you start with your lighter tones and then you go darker.”
Orders can be placed over the phone at 703-255-7155, online or using the website’s chatbox, according to Shakhov, who added that people can pick up their sets at the shop.
Though the pieces’ price tags vary, a large platter runs around $30, which includes the supplies, glazing at the studio and the sketch of the animal. If a customer wants to add specialized coloring or details, Shakhov said they can do that without an extra charge.
A spokesperson for the pottery shop also said that Shakhov is in the process of arranging other at-home workshops at well.
Photo courtesy Kiln & Co
The annual Viva! Vienna! festival won’t take place during Memorial Day weekend.
“While our event will not take place, our contests are still open!,” according to the event’s website. “Students, please continue to submit your entries here on our website.”
People can expect the festival to return in 2021.
Viva! Vienna! is now part of a growing list of canceled events, including Taste of Vienna, Falls Church’s Memorial Day Festival and Parade and McLean Day.
Photo via Facebook
People reported 10 vehicular crimes in Vienna throughout the week, according to police.
Four grand larcenies, four petit larcenies and two tampering incidents involving vehicles were reported between April 17-24, according to police reports.
Vehicular Issues on Elm Street
The 100 block of Elm Street SW, which is near the police station, had the most reported incidents.
One resident claimed that gift cards and sunglasses were stolen from their vehicle some time between April 17-18.
In a separate incident, a person said that their two unlocked vehicles were rummaged through early in the morning on Saturday (April 18) and that paper prescriptions were missing from one of them.
In a third report, a person said an unknown person had “rummaged through” the vehicle and had taken U.S. money some time between April 17-18.
Other Car Crimes
At School of Rock (111 Center Street S.), an employee said that he “saw his vehicle was moving in the rear parking lot” around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday (April 18), police said.
“The employee ran out to the lot and confronted a man who was in his vehicle,” police said. “The man got out of the vehicle and fled on foot southbound on Center Street.”
Here are the rest of the recent vehicle crimes:
- vehicle stolen from 1100 block of Lakewood Drive SW
- vehicle stolen from 700 block of Hillcrest Drive SW
- vehicle “rummaged through” in 100 block of Hickory Circle SW
- gift cards stolen from vehicle in 900 block of Moorefield Hill Grove SW
- U.S. currency stolen from vehicle in 200 block of Elm Street SW
- U.S. currency stolen from vehicle in 200 block of Tapawingo Road SE
Photo via Facebook
The Vienna Town Council is looking to delay the soon-approaching deadline to revise the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.
The moratorium was first put in place in the fall of 2018 so that town staff could redesign the town’s guidelines. Since then, it has been extended several times, drawing criticism from some residents and town officials.
Back in November, Vienna officials voted to push the moratorium to June 30.
But now as the town faces challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty about whether its election that is less than two weeks away will get delayed, town officials want to extend the moratorium again.
At the meeting on Monday (April 27), the council will consider pushing the moratorium until June 30, 2022.
If the council OKs a public hearing on the proposal, the matter will also go before the Planning Commission. The public hearing would be held June 1.
