As RRMM Architects, a full-service architecture firm, grew over the years, so did the need to remain connected between multiple offices, but they found that file sharing and the ability to collaborate were limited.
Workstreams were siloed and turn-around for client deliverables was slow. Their projects required creation, printing, mailing, marking up, return mail, editing, etc., and that tedious back-and-forth cycle continued until the project was complete. And with massive amounts of data in project files, at its height, RRMM Architects had 48 servers to manage on site.
“Our on-premises servers had high latency and storage issues were hindering our ability to best serve our clients,” explained Aaron Sturniolo, Director of IT, RRMM Architects. “Our ability to advance our business was hampered, and we needed a better solution for our technology needs.”
Turns out, the solution was in the cloud. By leveraging Cox Business Cloud Solutions, RRMM Architects was able to remove the distance barrier by seamlessly connecting their multiple locations as well as their team to their projects.
An unexpected benefit to the cloud came with the onset of the pandemic. Because RRMM Architects was already utilizing the service, they were able to transition to remote work from home with ease.
Flexible work conditions are an expectation in today’s workforce and cloud solutions ensured employees could maintain productivity and connectivity regardless of where they made their office for the day.
“What started out as a necessity at the outset of the pandemic to maintain workflow when everyone went home, soon became a competitive advantage offering flexibility to our current employees and potential employees as well,” shared Sturniolo.
But cloud solutions are not just about remote work productivity, it’s also about peace of mind. Sturniolo appreciates the automatic backups to the cloud, safeguards against cyber-attacks, and enterprise-level security provided by cloud services that ensures those risks are mitigated.
“My work week went from troubleshooting and break-fixing issues on our network to now being able to focus on what matters most -- our company growth, thanks to the security provided by Cox Business Cloud Solutions. And more importantly, I can rest easy knowing Cox Business has it covered,” added Sturniolo.
Aaron Sturniolo, Director of IT, RRMM Architectsa Hybrid
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Dates are subject to change. To stay apprised of the events featured here and all upcoming events, keep an eye on Chamber emails and visit the website for complete details and registration information: novachamber.org/upcoming-events
Keeping members informed and providing opportunities for peer-to-peer engagement are part of the Chamber’s ongoing mission. We accomplish this through a variety of activities that range from expert-led, topical events to focused group discussions. Following is the lineup of events for 2022 and 2023.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation together with our knowledge partner McKinsey & Company are proud to release the findings of the Capital Digital Talent research report. At this event, we will share key learnings from our research including strategies to build the digital talent pipeline for the region and specific actionable steps and best practices for employers to improve outcomes in the recruitment and retention of the human capital needed to accelerate and deliver on an organization’s digital capabilities and strategy.
The NOVA DEI Connects is an inclusive and collaborative community of members who seek to share, learn and implement best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion in their employee culture, talent development and employee recruiting and retention. NOVA DEI Connects welcomes all members interested in advancing their knowledge and understanding of successful DEI strategies to join us and each other in this opportunity. On the third Tuesday of each month, the network will meet via Zoom to speak with a leader who will share their DEI best practices and programs. This is a membersexclusive event.
Are you interested in finding innovative solutions to our region’s workforce challenges? Then please
join us for the next meeting of the NOVA Workforce Network. The NOVA Workforce Network is an inclusive and collaborative community of workforce professionals and others interested in workforce innovation. Monthly meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. All are welcome to attend.
The Greater Washington Apprentice Network (GWAN) brings together employers, academic institutions, public and private sectors. Employers gain access to best practices from organizational peers, sources of prospective apprentice candidates, support services, academic institutions and training resources. The GWAN meets on the first Tuesday of each month for an Employer Briefing. All are welcome to attend.
Presented by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Professional Services Council, the Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards™ is the premier celebratory event honoring the leadership, innovation and commitment to excellence of the people and businesses in the region’s government contracting community.
Learn about the opportunities for engagement across a wide array of
industries and subject areas. Hear how you can engage, about how the Chamber’s advocacy efforts and communications can support your business, and the best ways to connect with the Chamber’s base of innovative and influential member companies.
contact Jennifer Williamson
more information. jwilliamson@
As its name suggests, the primary objective of the Northern Virginia Chamber’s Membership Committee is to recruit and retain regional business and their leaders as active members of the Chamber. Collectively, our members have created a meaningful, powerful association that enriches our community and positively impacts our members’ businesses and their employees.
The Northern Virginia Chamber is the region’s largest
Chamber of Commerce, with over 500,000 employees, and is also the most influential. Through weekly events, targeted networking groups and full-time government advocacy, the Chamber offers members, no matter their size, a wealth of connection opportunities, access to government officials and business support designed to help promote and grow their unique businesses.
The diversity of our region is one of its greatest assets, offering opportunities to learn from one another and form personal connections that guide lasting business growth. The Chamber’s commitment to diversity and equality for all businesses has been a driving force in its approach to board leadership and in its programming. In conjunction with the Chamber’s strategic objective to be recognized as a champion of Diversity Equity & Inclusion, one of the primary focuses of the Membership Committee is to help the Chamber meet its objectives of increasing the diversity of its members by recruiting and retaining companies owned or led by Black, Indigenous or Persons of Color (BIPOC) individuals.
Since January 1, 37% of the new Chamber members are owned or led by women or BIPOC individuals. Of the new members, 23% are women-owned or -led and 26% are BIPOCowned or -led. (These are not mutually exclusive. A company can be owned or led by a BIPOC woman.) And while these numbers show the commitment the Chamber has made to meeting its objectives, there is still work to be done. Overall, 16% of the Chamber’s membership is owned or led by women or BIPOC individuals, with 7% women-owned or -led and 9% BIPOC-owned or -led.
One initiative to enhance the Membership Committee’s efforts to increase DE&I membership is to partner with the Chamber’s DE&I Board of Advisors. This committee is a critical driver in fostering real organizational change and establishing a dedicated focus on diversity and inclusion priorities. Over the next several months, the two committees will work together to concentrate on BIPOC-owned or -led companies to strategically increase the membership of the Chamber in line with the representation of the community it serves. These efforts will include opportunities for prospective members to meet Chamber leadership and current members to learn about the significant advantages of joining the Chamber.
For a complete list of the Chamber’s DE&I Board of Advisors, please follow this link.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is not only the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Region’s largest Chamber, we’re also the most influential. Through our Workforce, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Government Advocacy events, programs, and work, the Chamber offers members, no matter their size, a wealth of connection opportunities, access to government officials, and business support designed to help promote and grow their unique businesses today and into the future. And now that we offer flat rate membership fees, it’s never been easier to contribute to the Voice of Business in Northern Virginia® .
Maria Tildon, vice president of state and local affairs at Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine, chairs the Chamber’s Policy Committee. The Business Voice spoke with her about her goals for the committee, the importance of the Chamber and a surprising job early in her career.
How has your background in government policy prepared you for this role?
Whether the work was in complex litigation, international trade policy or health insurance and health care, my experiences have prepared me to navigate the complex issues and myriad of stakeholders in the policy arena – from legislators and regulators to grassroots advocacy interests. I’ve been in the business of having to quickly assess issues and arrive at solutions throughout my career, which will no doubt serve me well in this role.
What are some of the goals you hope to achieve during your tenure as chair of the policy committee?
My goal on behalf of the Committee and Chamber is to advance the interest of the business community in a manner that supports and drives economic growth in Northern Virginia and across the region and facilitates a well-supported, well-prepared workforce by being an effective advocate with local, state and regional policymakers.
The Chamber is a connective tissue among and across all aspects of the business community with key stakeholders in local and state government, the not-for-profit community and grassroots leaders. While networking is an important part of the proposition, it is also a resource for data, information and trends emerging across multiple industry sectors that do and can better position businesses of any size for success.
I serve on a number of boards of local for-profit companies and nonprofits, including the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company, an all-girls public charter middle and high school and Health Care for the Homeless. I’m blessed with the opportunity to understand and advance issues that have a meaningful impact on people experiencing homelessness and on supporting the growth and education of young girls, while also advancing the strategic goals of a utility and insurance company key to this region’s economy.
I love to read, and I love to run. Both of these hobbies require no facilities and no equipment. It’s my own personal brand of therapy!
Early in my career I represented a client on death row in the commonwealth of Virginia at the appeal and clemency stage. It was a humbling experience that I will never forget.
“The Warmth of Other Suns” is one of the most impactful books I have read in a long time. Isabel Wilkerson chronicles the history of the great migration by layering historic data and research into beautiful prose about three individuals who migrated from the South. I finished smarter and forever connected to the history as well as these three people and the 6 million black folks they represented during this little-known but consequential period in our country’s history. It’s a masterpiece.
Capitol Concierge, a leading provider of concierge services for commercial office properties, corporations, and condominiums, has earned City Beat News’ highest service ratings and is the recipient of the 2022 Spectrum Award for Service Excellence. This is the fifth consecutive year Capitol Concierge has been honored with the award. “The Spectrum Awards are a testament to Capitol Concierge’s commitment to bestin-class service,” said Lynda Ellis, Capitol Concierge owner and CEO. “I am so proud of our global team and their dedication to providing services that make people’s lives more manageable, productive and fun.”
Please join us in congratulating our members named to the PEOPLE® Companies that Care 2022: Accenture LLP; Baird; Baker Tilly; Bank of America; Capital One; Crowe, LLP; Deloitte; Hilton McLean Tysons Corner; KPMG LLP; Pinnacle Financial Partners; RSM, and Veterans United Home Loans.
Please join us in congratulating our members who have been named to Virginia Business magazine’s 2022 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards list: Kathryn Falk, Cox Communications; Cecilia Hodges, M&T Bank; Jennifer Hunter, Altria Client Services, and Rebecca McHale, Peraton.
Please join us in congratulating our members who have been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies: Aeyon; Aptive Resources; Axiologic Solutions LLC; Brillient Corporation; Carahsoft Technology Corp; Kreative Technologies, LLC; PGLS (Piedmont Global Language Solutions), and Unanet.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce congratulates members Aptive Resources, Brillient Corporation, and Old Dominion National Bank, which have been included in the Washington Business Journal's Fastest Growing Companies of 2022.
CLA, one of the leading professional services firms in the United States, announced it has been ranked the number one construction accounting firm by Construction Executive for the fourth year in a row. Construction Executive magazine reaches more than 55,000 commercial, industrial and institutional contractors and constructionrelated business owners. Its annual award ranks the top 50 accounting firms with a dedicated construction practice. “We’re honored to be recognized again,” said Julian Xavier, managing principal of construction industry, CLA. “It’s a testament to the trust our clients place in us, the dedication of our professionals, and the focus our construction team members put on developing their industry specialization.”
Construction Executive magazine also recognized the following Chamber members: Aronson LLC, Baker Tilly, Citrin Cooperman, CohnReznick LP, Crowe LLP and Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP (now FORVIS).
Riverbed Technology announced recently that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named the following leaders to its Women of the Channel list for 2022: Meg Brennan, Vice President, Global Channels; Regina Maletick, Senior Director, US Public Sector Channel; Johanna Hauck, Director, Channel Programs Operations, and Eleanor Winship, Cloud Channel Development Manager. This esteemed list honors the incredible accomplishments of female leaders in the IT channel. In addition, Brennan was named to its 2022 Power 100 list, a subset of influential executive leaders chosen from the annual CRN Women of the Channel list.
In addition, Chamber members with the Most Powerful Women on the 2022 Channel List include: AT&T, Amazon Web Services, Cox Business, Deltek, ThunderCat Technology, RSM and Verizon.
Peraton has been ranked as the world’s 25th-largest national security company in the 2022 Defense News Top 100, the annual ranking of the largest global defense and national security companies shaping militaries around the world. Peraton vaulted from #96 to #25 in the rankings in just one year. “We are honored to be recognized by Defense News for the third year in a row,” said Matt McQueen, chief communications and engagement officer. “One of our key organizational priorities for 2022 and beyond is to remain laser-focused on organic business growth, driven in large part by the successful integration of the acquisitions we made last year. So far in 2022, Peraton has already won seven notable contract awards worth up to $7.5 billion in future revenue, on top of dozens of other smaller, strategic wins across our portfolio.”
Chamber members also on the 2022 Defense News Top 100 list are: Bechtel, Leidos, ManTech, MITRE and SAIC.
Inova Health System has been recognized as the region’s top health system by U.S. News & World Report. Inova Fairfax Hospital was named the #1 Best Hospital in both Virginia and the Washington area for the second year in a row. Additionally, Inova Fairfax Medical Center’s Obstetrics and Gynecology department ranked #10 in the country. These rankings are a result of U.S. News evaluating more than 4,750 medical centers across the country. “World-class healthcare is a team sport and I am proud to lead the Inova team which steps up every day, year after year, to deliver the safest and highest quality care to those we are privileged to serve,” said J. Stephen Jones, MD, FACS,
U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings Recognizes Inova’s Excellence, Including #1 Hospital in Virginia and Greater Washington For Second Consecutive YearJ. STEPHEN JONES
President and CEO, Inova. “To be named the number one hospital in the state and the region for the second consecutive year during a transformative period in healthcare illustrates our exceptional team and their ongoing commitment to putting our patients and communities at the center of everything we do.”
Chamber members Virginia Hospital Center ranked #12 in Virginia and #7 in the Washington area, and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center ranked “High Performing” in Virginia.
Brillient Corp. announced recently that the Internal Revenue Service Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office has awarded them a phase 1 contract for its Pilot IRS Submission Processing Modernization initiative.
Recognized as one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the Washington area, Amyx has been awarded the Defense Logistics Agency Automated Material Handling Equipment Technical and Life Cycle Program Support task order. The contract award expands Amyx’s presence in DLA Distribution Centers for the second time in two years and increases support from eight to 12 sites. William Schaefer, Amyx’s CEO and President, said, “This effort continues our longstanding commitment to enhancing warfighter readiness. Amyx has a long history of helping DLA rapidly innovate at the necessary speed and scale to solve the most complex IT and logistics challenges. It is a privilege to support these ever-important priorities for DLA and I know our team is eager to see the results from the implementation of these new technologies.”
ManTech International Corp., a leading provider of innovative technologies and solutions for mission-critical national security programs, recently announced the completion of its sale to funds managed by global investment firm Carlyle in an all-cash transaction representing a total enterprise value of approximately $4.2 billion. “ManTech is at the forefront of its industry, delivering leading and innovative solutions for mission-critical national security programs,” said Dayne Baird, a Managing Director on Carlyle’s Aerospace & Government Services team. “We are pleased to complete the transaction and look forward to partnering with ManTech to advance the mission of its customers across the federal government. We believe our deep sector expertise, network and resources will help accelerate ManTech’s growth and drive greater value for its customers and employees.”
Unissant Inc., an industry leader in data and advanced analytics solutions for health and national security, has appointed Venkat Kodumudi as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer. Venkat will be providing strategic, technical and business direction to leverage and enhance Unissant’s strengths in technology for organizational growth, working closely with businessdevelopment and technical teams to identify, qualify and pursue new business opportunities. “We are delighted to bring Venkat on board!” said Unissant Chairman and CEO Manish Malhotra. “His deep technology experience, particularly his innovations with blockchain and other emerging technologies, makes him a perfect fit for our company as we scale our technology offerings.”
positions, increasing their potential talent pool by 1.3 million people, many of whom are from groups underrepresented in technology,” the study said.
It also said that worker retention was 34% higher for those without a fouryear degree than for degree-holders –and that skills-based hiring provides a path for existing non-digital employees to move into open digital roles.
BY JONATHAN HUNLEYWhat can be done about filling the open digital positions across our region?
According to the recent Capital Digital Talent study by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and McKinsey & Company, businesses can use strategies such as prioritizing skills over academic degrees, emphasizing their mission and moving beyond traditional career paths to build the Washington region’s digital talent pipeline and hire and retain employees for hard-to-fill technology jobs.
The study was born out of a strategic planning process initiated by the chamber, said Jennifer Williamson, the organization’s vice president for workforce and member engagement, and completed with consulting firm McKinsey & Company. It aimed to examine the difficulty in filling open digital positions
(such as data scientists, software programmers and cybersecurity professionals), a problem that’s wellestablished and constant.
“It’s not a ‘sometimes’ thing,” said one of the study’s co-authors, Brooke Weddle, a partner in McKinsey’s Washington office.
Indeed, about 60% of the region’s tech and tech adjacent positions will be unfilled by 2025, the study said, with “tech adjacent” occupations defined as those that use technology extensively (such as statisticians, computer operators, logisticians and sales engineers).
Businesses would be wise to lead with their mission when trying to woo potential workers, as well. The study found that the top reason digital talent decides to join an organization is that organization’s mission or vision. That’s ahead of other factors, including pay and benefits.
BROOKE WEDDLE Partner, Washington, D.C., office McKinsey & Company
Digital employees care a lot about a company’s mission, Williamson said. People want to have meaning in their work.
Put another way:
“There is excitement to belong to something bigger,” said a digital talent leader who was interviewed as part of the chamber study.
To try to turn that trend around, companies can begin to look more closely at job candidates’ skills instead of insisting that they have a bachelor’s degree, the study suggested. That can boost the diversity of staff and help to retain employees.
Companies also can help to build the digital talent pipeline by moving beyond traditional management career paths. Not everyone wants a promotion if that means overseeing other employees. Seventy percent of tech talent isn’t interested in advancing through this kind of path, the study said.
JENNIFER WILLIAMSON President, & Member“Maryland eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements from hundreds of government
“Individual contributor and expert paths that provide recognition and rewards without requiring digital talent to be people managers are possible avenues to achieving this goal,” it said.
The study includes more than 15 interviews with senior executives in the
Virginia Chamber of
Treating talent attraction as a “team sport.” Area organizations can collectively entice talent here through branding campaigns.
Bringing rigor to diversity and inclusion. The area’s digital employees are not representative of the overall workforce. Forty percent of workers in all occupations are Black or Hispanic, while the figure for tech jobs is only 27%.
One tactic for this strategy is to initiate collaborative accountability among a business’ chief human resources officer, chief diversity officer and chief digital or technology officer.
“The group should create goals for racial and gender representation in each step of the hiring process [application, assessment, interview], assess progress and be held accountable for success,” the study said.
Treating prospective employees like customers.
“We must meet the candidates where they are – on their cell phones,” a regional executive said.
And, said a talent executive: “We don’t only get digital talent to the door. We walk them inside. We ask questions to match them to jobs.”
Diversifying incentives. Organizations are increasing flexibility and autonomy to land and retain digital talent.
“We are attracting talent to the organization by allowing for more remote work,” a human resources leader said. “Our latest hires have all been 100% remote.”
Improving retention by investing in upskilling. Businesses can reallocate resources toward developing current employees.
More than 60% of workers believe learning and development are very important when deciding to join or stay at a job, the study found.
GEORGIOS ATHANASAKOPOULOS Expert Associate Partner McKinsey & Company
region and more than 50 survey responses from digital technology and human resources leaders. Most of those contacted were from chamber member businesses, and the companies responding hailed from different economic sectors, not just the tech industry.
“Everybody’s competing for this talent,” said Georgios Athanasakopoulos, one of the study’s coauthors and an expert associate partner with McKinsey.
More than 30 publications on digital talent and broader employee trends also were consulted, and there was a remarkable amount of consistency between what was said in study responses and what McKinsey found in prior analysis, Weddle said.
“They’ve been a terrific partner for us in this research,” Williamson said of McKinsey.
To read the study in its entirety, click here.
Whether it’s for a technical certification, a doctorate in a given field or a degree somewhere in between, Northern Virginia boasts a wealth of opportunities for residents to become educated about the digital world.
Area institutions, including Virginia Tech and Northern Virginia Community College, offer a host of classes and educational programs to help students prepare to land one of the region’s myriad technology jobs.
The local jewel in Virginia Tech’s technical crown is still under construction. That’s the university’s Innovation Campus, part of the state’s successful effort to attract Amazon’s HQ2. The $1 billion, 1 million-squarefoot campus in Alexandria will offer graduate education in computer science and computer engineering, and Tech officials hope it will lead to the creation of an East Coast version of California’s Silicon Valley, said Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the campus.
The Innovation Campus will offer advanced degrees in computer science and computer engineering, including master’s of engineering, master’s of science and doctorate degrees in each subject. At build-out, it will have about 750 master’s of engineering and 200 doctoral students and award 550 master’s degrees and 50 doctorates annually.
“We’re not talking about a boutique operation here,” Collins said.
The Innovation Campus isn’t scheduled to open until 2024, but some students are already taking courses at the university’s Falls Church location. Tech chose the educational programs for the campus that it did because they produce the degrees for which there is the biggest need, Collins said.
The master’s of engineering degree programs are centered around projects sponsored by an external organization, such as a business, government agency or nonprofit, which will provide learning
opportunities for both technical and professional skills. This setup will create the environment that students would see in their careers while providing them coaching from real-world workers. Some of the projects likely will morph into new companies, Collins said.
“Working in a project world, it just brings out the best in everybody, including the students,” Collins said.
Twelve Virginia Tech faculty members in computer science and computer engineering have already transferred to the Innovation Campus, and more educators are on the way. At build-out in 2028-29, the faculty should total 50 members.
“We really want the campus to be a robust place,” Collins said. And Tech officials have the goal of fostering the most diverse graduate technology program in the nation.
The mission of shepherding such a
campus into existence is one Collins has accomplished before. He joined Virginia Tech in 2020 from Cornell University, where he was the dean of engineering for a decade and part of a team that successfully bid to partner with New York City to build Cornell Tech, which opened its Roosevelt Island campus in Manhattan in 2017.
As with the Innovation Campus, Northern Virginia Community College tries to make sure it’s offering the courses that businesses want prospective employees to complete, said Steve Partridge, the college’s vice president of strategy, research and workforce innovation. It does this by examining labor market data and targeting the subjects that will
prepare students to qualify for not just a few open jobs but for thousands of openings.
The college also provides career advising and many other resources through a Business Engagement Center that helps students find out where the jobs are, what they pay and what future positions they lead to. To accomplish this, NOVA engages industry leaders and uses labor market intelligence data. For example, Partridge said the college is hearing a lot lately about data analytics, and that businesses are hiring not just for data center employees but for data center managers. Software development is still a growing field, as well, he said.
If a business or businesses are looking for job candidates with a specific technical certification, the college can mobilize quickly to offer short-term credentialing programs to fulfill that need. NOVA is one of the top
community-college grantors of technical credentials in the country, Partridge said.
Credential programs can be launched more quickly than degree programs, he said. Those types of programs primarily aid two types of students: working adults who want to add another skill or workers who are switching careers. The college can decide whether a credential program is appropriate by asking a given business: What do you actually want this person to do? Is a degree really necessary?
Even with these efforts, some jobs continue to go unfilled, prompting Partridge to say that “knowing IT” is right up there with the necessary skills of “writing, reading and arithmetic” in the old axiom. The educator also pointed out that employees tend to be more loyal to companies that invest in them and to work longer for those businesses.
NOVA also is a national leader in granting associate degrees in technical fields, offering programs in computer science, cloud computing, cyber security, information technology and engineering technology, said Chad Knights, vice president of information and engineering technologies and college computing.
“These workforce-based programs match the needs of our business
community,” said Knights, who oversees all technology degree programs.
As with credentials, he said the college analyzes what the regional business needs are and aims to make sure its degrees match them. For instance, the college has worked with Amazon Web Services and the Marine Corps on topics leading to degree offerings. In this way, he said, the college is responsive to both student needs and the needs of the business community.
Some faculty hail from the industry, as well, so they know about the latest trends among businesses.
To propel innovation, in November 2021, NOVA and the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business celebrated the newly-formed Business Information Technology-Cybersecurity Management and Analytics (BIT-Cyber) program. The partnership provides a pathway for students to earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology with the option to focus on Cybersecurity Management and Analytics (BIT-Cyber). This is the first Virginia Tech bachelor’s degree available to students outside of its Blacksburg campus.
BY BRETT JOSEPHSON
It’s 9 am. Do you know where your team members are?
Before COVID, the answer was simple: They were – or were expected to be – in the office. The pandemic erased that certainty and accelerated the pace toward workplace flexibility. As we move forward in our post-COVID work environment, employees are strongly
indicating their preference for flexibility and self-determination regarding where they will work. A portion of the workforce will want to stay at home with high flexibility, whereas others will return to the office by choice.
In my role as Associate Dean of Executive Development at George Mason University, I’m constantly talking to business leaders about their leadership and workforce struggles, concerns, as well as wins. Since COVID, a central theme of those discussions has been
the complexity of managing hybrid teams. Fortunately, as we’ve all grown accustomed to the new normal, more and more managers are discovering that hybridity offers at least as many opportunities as challenges.
In my interactions with managers,
I’ve seen that successful adaptation to the new normal requires managers to be intentional, purposeful, and transparent in their actions. Here are two areas managers need to consider as they continue to lead a hybrid workforce.
With hybrid, it is easy for managers to feel cut off from the day-to-day activities of their teams. When everyone was in the office, they could easily see what employees were working on. But the activity of remote workers is beyond such moment-to-moment oversight.
To recapture a sense of control, some companies have resorted to surveillance tools that use webcams, keystroke trackers and the like to closely monitor employee activity. Like any other kind of micromanagement, though, these technologies send a discouraging signal to employees that their organization does not trust them. In some individual cases, that mistrust may be justified, but it shouldn’t be assumed for all employees.
Instead, managers need to experiment with a range of techniques to ensure not only that productivity remains high, but also that employees have the support they need to work effectively. The ideal solution will vary from team to team but could involve a mixture of interactive online tools (such as Slack, Teams or Google Docs), regular Zoom checkins and one-on-one virtual meetings, even some in-person engagements and activities. It may take some time to get the recipe right – but once you do, the result will probably be maximized transparency and trust. That’s a win-win for managers and employees alike.
“Presentism” – the idea that leadership potential can be measured by the length of time one spends in the office – is still alive and well. Before the pandemic, employees who worked late also were more likely to receive personal attention from higher-ups who kept similar work habits, further increasing their opportunities for advancement. By the same token, it could be that employees who return to the office will enjoy an automatic political advantage over their remote-working colleagues.
The above-mentioned monitoring solutions would partly address this problem as well. Managers need a reliable way to measure performance that doesn’t depend upon physical proximity. Beyond that, organizations should devise and implement proactive strategies for virtual mentoring, so that high potentials do not feel they have to choose between their career prospects and the flexibility of hybrid working. To be sure, any form of mentoring is time-consuming. But so is a preoccupation with office politics – a pre-pandemic obligation that could be lessened by virtual career development.
The politics of hybrid working can go in a different direction when all hands are urged to return to the office. Those with enough power may pull rank and refuse, creating an obvious hierarchical split –frontline staff commuting like it’s 2019 and higher-ups stubbornly staying at home. The perceived double standard could end up being a serious drain on morale. That’s yet another reason to embrace the new normal, rather than trying to force employees back to the office.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BRETT JOSEPHSON is the associate dean for Executive Development and an associate professor within the marketing area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
“Managers need to experiment with a range of techniques to ensure not only that productivity remains high, but also that employees have the support they need to work effectively”
Just as technology changes over time, so has Britepaths’ work. The Fairfax County-based nonprofit still lends a helping hand to Northern Virginia residents, just as it has for almost four decades. But last year the organization added a component: offering training for some of the region’s many digital jobs.
Britepaths began in 1984 as a homeless shelter that rotated among several Fairfax faith communities, and when the county opened a shelter, the organization started a soup kitchen for the homeless. In 1986, the operation took on the name “Our Daily Bread,” and used that until rebranding as “Britepaths” in 2016 to better reflect its mission.
“As the cost of housing in Fairfax County rose sharply through the 1990s and 2000s, we shifted our focus to helping working individuals and families who had homes but were struggling to pay for all their necessities,” according to the nonprofit’s website. “In response, we offered emergency food, financial assistance and seasonal assistance and eventually launched a financial literacy program.”
Being financially literate is important, but Britepaths tries to give people the tools to be resilient and self-sufficient in the long term, Executive Director Lisa Whetzel said recently. So it became obvious over time that clients also
needed training in the skills required to obtain and hold employment that pays a living wage.
“Ultimately, people need a betterpaying job,” she said.
And in choosing what types of positions to prepare clients for, Britepaths wanted to focus on the jobs businesses have a hard time filling, such as those in information technology. So the organization has collaborated with
Britepaths’ Financial Mentoring classAmazon Web Services and Google to offer free training for professional certifications. The AWS re/Start program culminates in the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification, and Google courses end with the Google IT Support Professional and CompTIA A+ certifications.
Seventy percent of those who take the classes complete them successfully and on time, Whetzel said, and more
than two-thirds of graduates receive certification within weeks.
A total of 35 students took the courses in the past year. In the AWS re/ Start program, the average age was 43, with the youngest being 21. Some are bilingual, and several have additional certifications. Most of them have work experience, and others immigrated to the United States after completing a bachelor’s degree in their home country.
The number of Northern Virginia households served
The number of individuals impacted
In the Google classes, the youngest was 21 and the oldest 50. Some of them also are bilingual, and they have experience in fields as diverse as accounting and the fire/water damage business.
“A lot of people come with no experience in computers at all,” Whetzel said.
Many times, C-suite executives are comfortable hiring workers who are switching careers from the
service industry, she said, but middle managers resist adding employees with nontraditional backgrounds.
“There’s just bias in hiring,” Whetzel said.
If they can land the jobs, however, the newly empowered workers will earn more money than in service industry positions, she said, with entry-level pay at $20 per hour or more. But another stumbling block Britepaths clients often face is a lack of social capital. With many job connections being based on networking, the search for employment can be difficult, as they don’t have, say, parents who secured internships or their first jobs for them in the past.
“Just getting hired is the tricky part,” Whetzel said.
But that’s why Britepaths is there for assistance. Overall, in its fiscal year that ended June 30, the nonprofit served 8,993 Northern Virginia households through all its programs, affecting the lives of 12,425 individuals.
Lisa Whetzel Executive Director, BritepathsBritepaths’ IT class via Zoom
of those who take the classes complete them successfully and on time
within
ZeroMils is a new company, having just incorporated in March and launched its brand in June. But its leaders are certainly not new to their work. In fact, it’s as if they’ve been preparing for their roles for most of their lives.
The Alexandria-based consulting firm specializes in corporate social responsibility, military veteran hiring and retention, and nonprofit growth and development strategies. Its principals work for both nonprofits and the businesses that give to those charities. They sit in the middle, so companies can “do well” financially, which allows them to “do more good” in the world. And the connections made in the relationships have a special benefit: They help the military and veteran community.
ZeroMils’ management comes to that mission with a wealth of military experience. CEO Kevin M. Schmiegel and President and COO Paul D. Cucinotta were both colonels in the Marine Corps. Schmiegel served for 20 years and retired in 2009. Cucinotta served for 27 years and retired in 2019.
Both have a father who was a Marine, and each has a son who’s a Marine.
Schmiegel and Cucinotta also both have worked in the nonprofit sector. They’ve known each other for 25 years, and before founding ZeroMils, they led Operation Gratitude, an organization that provides opportunities for Americans to volunteer in support of the military, veterans and first responders. Schmiegel was CEO; Cucinotta, COO and CFO.
The duo went their separate ways last year, leaving Operation Gratitude and working independently as consultants. But they stayed in touch, asking each other for help and advice. Then they partnered on a job for a client and decided to work together again full-time. Now they help organizations align their missions, visions and values with causes and outcomes.
The name of their company also has to do with alignment. ZeroMils comes from a designation Schmiegel and Cucinotta first used as Marine artillerymen. They describe it as a term of both science and art, used in the military to describe a state
of perfection that accounts for accuracy and effectiveness.
“Once attained, ZeroMils will allow you to achieve maximum impact on a target,” is how they put it in company materials, and they aim for their clients to achieve maximum impact, “precisely on their stated goals and objectives.” They chose the name figuring that people would ask about it.
“We did it on purpose,” Cucinotta said.
ZeroMils brings clients strategies for three distinct areas: hiring and retaining military and veteran workers, social impact, and marketing and communication. Other consultants may be good at any one of these matters, but Schmiegel said his firm is different: “We’d like to think we’re good at all three.”
Helping companies recruit and retain military and veteran employees also helps those businesses create a talent pipeline. That’s important in the Washington region, which boasts military installations and many military and veteran residents. This focus also can aid clients with diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
Service members, veterans and their families benefit as well, not just through employment but also through the work of nonprofits ZeroMils supports. The company has forged partnerships with military and veteran organizations such as America’s Warrior Partnership, Blue Star Families, Hope For The Warriors, and Oscar Mike. It also has partnered with firms including Sport Clips and International Franchise Association member businesses.
Right now, ZeroMils consists of just Schmiegel, Cucinotta and two part-time workers, but the pair of leaders foresees expanding the staff next year.
“We’re pretty confident that people are going to want to come serve alongside us,” Cucinotta said.
They have in the past. Over 3½ years leading Operation Gratitude, Schmiegel grew its team from 13 to 37 employees, doubled revenue from $10 million to $20 million, and affected more than 1.3 million service members and their families.
“When someone asks what ZeroMils does well – and what differentiates us from typical, run-of-the-mill consulting firms – we talk about enduring relationships, ‘connecting dots,’ and our relentless commitment to making
meaningful connections between the giving community and the causes we believe in,” Schmiegel wrote in a company newsletter. “We visualize each of those relationships like a dot on the map, and we are starting to see those dots multiply and spread across the country.”
Kevin M. Schmiegel, Chief Executive Officer, ZeroMils
Just one of ZeroMils’ many happy clients: The International Franchise Association
For the International Franchise Association, ZeroMils is connecting the organization and its foundation with a host of military and veteran nonprofits. The partnerships are driving outcomes for IFA and its members which include more than 1,100 national franchisors and 700 diverse suppliers.
“Kevin and Paul are visionary leaders with a track record for delivering results. They helped strategically align the mission, vision, and values of the IFA Foundation with several bestin-class national nonprofits and forged new relationships that have the potential to become enduring partnerships. Within weeks of joining our team, they identified gaps, filled them, and created outputs that drove outcomes for our organization and our 1,100 members representing tens of thousands of franchises nationwide.”
“When someone asks what ZeroMils does well – and what differentiates us from typical, run-ofthe-mill consulting firms – we talk about enduring relationships, ‘connecting dots,’ and our relentless commitment to making meaningful connections between the giving community and the causes we believe in.”
BY KATHRYN FALK
Talent attraction is the hottest and toughest game in town. With the unemployment rates back to prepandemic levels of around 2.5% in the region, how do you up your game to secure the most talented team members? The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which I chair, is intensely focused on workforce issues and dedicated to providing businesses in the region access to the latest information and tools that will help them achieve their goals.
On that note, allow me to share eight great tips on how to win the talent attraction game.
Before you spend money on recruiting and onboarding new talent, which is expensive and time-consuming, make sure you are doing your best to reduce turnover. Build a culture of trust and support, deploy employee opinion surveys, benchmark and share results. Every leader should be responsible for the results in their groups and follow up on feedback and verbatim comments. Also, grow your own leaders through development opportunities and mentoring, which is key to supporting employees in understanding the unwritten rules of your organization. Finally, grow your own talent through apprenticeship and internship programs. The Northern Virginia Chamber’s Greater Washington Apprentice Network can help you create one.
PACKAGE. Make sure your benefits are tracking best in class or at least equal to your competition. Innovative offerings include unlimited Paid Time Off, a flexible 401(k), pet insurance, higher education, fertility treatment support and adoption assistance, to name just a few offered by Cox Communications. Also, allow flexible schedules that accommodate personal schedules, start times and location preferences.
3 REWARDS AND RECOGNITION. Employees will stay if they feel that their work is valuable and recognized. Online recognition programs allowing employees to be recognized in front of everyone are appreciated and are key, but don’t forget the handwritten note of thanks as well.
RESOURCE GROUPS.
These provide opportunities for development and fellowship. Employees who have solid relationships and friendships with coworkers are less likely to leave. This also allows employees to bring their identity to work and align with supportive peers in the groups they feel connected to, whether it’s via their race, gender, age or professional group.
CAREER PATH DISCUSSIONS. These are crucial to help team members understand their opportunities for growth and a path to achieve their dreams. Without a clear path forward, you may lose employees to external roles they feel are promotions.
Team members want to feel good about coming to work and the company they are working for. Enrolling your employees in doing good helps deepen relationships among employees and between leaders and employees. Be clear about your organization’s goals in support of philanthropy, volunteerism, the environment and inclusion, diversity and equity. It’s not enough to just claim it, you must also demonstrate it.
Create a great recruiting process. Make it simple, easy, and fast. Gone are the days of candidates waiting around for weeks to hear from you. Follow up and make decisions in a timely manner or lose the best candidates. Interview recent hires about why they chose your company and use this to target your recruiting. Your employees are your best recruiters; offer them bonuses to recruit their friends. Also, use digital advertising with expert targeting of your specific demographic, such as gamers and sports leagues.
CEILING. Does your role truly need a bachelor’s degree or is that automatically eliminating potential candidates? Skills, mindset and a culture may be more important matches. Drop the requirement and increase your talent pool.
KATHRYN FALK
is the Market Vice President, Cox Communications Northern Virginia and Chairman of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation
On Thursday, August 25, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and co-hosts Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Prince William Chamber of Commerce and Northern Virginia Regional Commission, hosted the 7th Annual Regional Elected Leaders Forum at George Mason University’s VanMetre Hall.
MODERATOR:
Jummy Olabanji, Anchor, NBC Washington's News4 Today
SPEAKERS:
The Honorable Katie Cristol - Chair, Arlington County Board
The Honorable Margaret Franklin - Vice Chair, Prince William County Board of Supervisors
The Honorable Jeff McKay - Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
The Honorable Phyllis Randall - Chair, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
The Honorable Justin Wilson - Mayor, City of Alexandria
Complete coverage of this event can be found here.
On September 1, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2022 State of Transportation. The panel of futurefocused business leaders discussed current transportation issues and what they have planned as our region forges new paths into the technology-driven world of mobility.
Paula Dowell, AVP, National Consultant, Integrated Planning, HNTB
Jennifer Foote, Executive Director, BEEP
Renee Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, TRIP II, Dulles Greenway
Cathy McGhee, Chief Deputy Commissioner, VDOT
Arya Rohani, Vice President / National Intelligent Transportation & Emerging Mobility Practice Leader, HNTB
Complete coverage of this event can be found here
On September 13, the Chamber hosted the 2022 Distinguished Service Awards. The Distinguished Service Awards are dedicated to honoring successful veteran-owned businesses in the Greater Washington business community that have demonstrated strong business performance and who have made meaningful contributions to help veterans succeed. The awards are presented to individuals, companies and nonprofit organizations in recognition of community stewardship and business leadership.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Craig Crenshaw, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT:
Glenn Yarborough, President and Chief Executive Officer, WGY & Associates LLC
VETERAN EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
Winner: John Quackenbush, JHNA Winner: Tyler Sweatt, SecondFront
OTHER FINALISTS:
Steven Slay, PingWind, Inc. Stacey Tyson, B3 Solutions LLC Ed Weinberg, Optum Serve
VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
ESTABLISHED:
Winner: Prescient Edge Corporation
OTHER FINALISTS: CATHEXIS
David T Scott & Associates LLC (DTS) Government Tactical Solutions
HigherEchelon, Inc. Intelligent Waves
MATURING:
Winner: PingWind, Inc.
OTHER FINALISTS:
Commander's Concepts Commissioning LLC Encompass Supply IronArch Technology Qmulos
EMERGING:
Winner: Coforma
OTHER FINALISTS: Phalanx
The Critical Mass LLC Virginia Technical Academy Xenith Solutions ZeroMils
VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATION
OF THE YEAR
Winner: Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund
OTHER FINALISTS:
Boulder Crest Foundation National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) George Washington Chapter AUSA NOVA Veterans Veterans Moving Forward, Inc.
On September 15, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia launched the Northern Virginia Champions for Accountability. The Champions event was an unveiling of the program’s research findings and included a moderated discussion of the Chief Diversity Officers who served on the task force who helped lead the
project. The groundbreaking research identified a number of DEI-related tools and strategies businesses can employ to improve their workforce.
One of the program’s ongoing initiatives is a badge program that identifies Champions for DEI in the business community. 53 Northern Virginia businesses were among the first to receive their badges.
Companies are encouraged to opt-in and share their data with the research team to earn the badge and be recognized as a Champion for Accountability.
For more information including to download the full report or apply to become a Champion, click here. Complete coverage of this event can be found here.
Eileen Ellsworth, President and CEO, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia CHAMPIONS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
TASK FORCE:
Nathan Carter, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer, Northern Virginia Community College
Laila Salguero, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Peraton
Stephanie Turner, Vice President, Inclusion, Diversity & Social Innovation, Mitre
AHC, Inc.
Alexandria Tutoring Consortium, Inc. Arts on the Horizon Blake Willson Group CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Carpenter’s Shelter Cigna
CLA
Communities In Schools of NOVA, Inc.
Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Community Lodgings Cooley Reston Office Criterion Systems, Inc. Dewberry, Inc.
Dominion Energy Evans Consulting Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates
Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia Healwell
Human Capital Strategic Consulting Human Resource Certification Institute, Inc.
Insight Memory Care Center IntelliDyne LLC
Just Neighbors Ministry
Langley Residential Support Services Leadership Prince William Loudoun Free Clinic
Loudoun Literacy Council ManTech MITRE
Music to Free ND Point Strategies
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Northern Virginia Community College
OAR Nova
OAR of Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church
Our Minds Matter
Peraton
Real Food for Kids
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC
Saint Gabriel’s Episcopal Church
Senior Services of Alexandria
The Arc of Loudoun
The Arc of Northern Virginia
The Compass Group, Inc.
The Sequoia Project
The Women’s Center
Trimner Beckham
Wesley Housing
Western Fairfax Christian Ministries
Willing Warriors
withum.com
Withum is a forward-thinking, technology-driven advisory and accounting firm committed to helping clients be more profitable, efficient and productive in today’s complex business environment.
Live Oak Bank liveoakbank.com/governmentcontracting-loans/ Live Oak will support you with customized loan products focused on your success. Our experts embrace a creative approach to solving problems and surpassing goals. We understand the nuances of your business model and will help you avoid costly mistakes. Let’s craft a loan solution that will help you thrive.
Elevated Coaching & Consulting, LLC elevatedconsulting.net
Elevated Coaching & Consulting is a boutique consulting, recruitment
& coaching firm, created with a purpose, for a purpose. Elevated Coaching & Consulting was founded out of a passion to support businesses and individuals reach their full potential.
The Burtin Group LLC theburtingroupllc.com
The Burtin Group strengthens notfor-profits with proven consulting solutions that are tailored to the unique challenges of each client. We provide the support and tools necessary to achieve operational goals to assist in transformational growth, as well as a wide range of consulting services.
zeromils.com
ZeroMils is singularly focused on making a greater impact for service members, veterans and their families by helping purpose-driven organizations differentiate themselves through military talent pipeline, social impact and marketing strategies.
360 Painting of Fairfax 360painting.com/fairfax
360 Painting of Fairfax provides residential, commercial, interior, exterior painting services.
College of William & Mary wm.edu
William & Mary is a premier public research university, widely recognized for its outstanding academic reputation, beautiful campus and vibrant community. We produce experienced, engaged and successful graduates who lead lives of impact.
Genesys Works genesysworks.org
Our mission is to provide pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences and impactful relationships. Genesys Works creates career pathways and opportunities for these youth while helping employers fill critical talent gaps within their companies.
Baseball and softball entertainment and training facility with full-service restaurant and bar. We also offer corporate events and youth and adult birthday parties.
IntelliBridge connects the government to solutions that overcome the biggest challenges. Whether driving change through next-generation modernization, spearheading digital transformation, deploying cloud environments, or producing actionable intelligence, we deliver mission-oriented solutions and expertise to meet your critical objectives.
NIS is a technology and management consulting firm that is SDVOSB and 8(a) certified. Our core values revolve around adding value with integrity. Our key differentiator is our focus on human factors in technology while guiding our customers to leverage technology to gain efficiencies and deliver services to the taxpayers.
AFH is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that aims to educate, encourage, and assist athletes in their efforts to engage with community and charitable causes, to increase public awareness of and support for
those efforts, and to inspire others to do the same. AFH empowers professional, Olympic, Paralympic and collegiate athletes to channel their energy for a common goal: to make the world a better place.
Capitalareafoodbank.org
The Capital Area Food Bank leads our region’s efforts to provide equitable access to food and opportunity to people struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Each year, we source and distribute food for over 45 million meals.
The YMCA is one of the largest social service agencies serving Washington D.C., suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. Every year, we provide opportunities in wellness, aquatics, youth sports, summer camp, childcare and more for over 250,000 people through our 16 branches and program centers.
capitolconcierge.com
Capitol Concierge is a family owned, woman run business since 1987. We provide personalized concierge services to millions of people around the world. We help corporations retain and attract top talent, increase productivity, and elevate job satisfaction.
The Restaurant Association
Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is the regional trade association representing restaurants and the food service industry in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Established in 1920, RAMW is an advocate, resource, and community for its members. The Association works to promote and sustain the growth and development of the industry while providing its members legislative and regulatory representation, marketing and small business support, programming, and events. RAMW serves its members with professionalism and integrity, and provides them the training, education, and support they need to grow a successful business.
ruthschris.com
From our humble beginnings on Broad Street in New Orleans to our current position as the world's largest fine dining company, Ruth's Chris Steak House has come quite a long way in its first four decades. In 2020, we celebrated our 55th anniversary, and we consider it a celebration of the life of a woman who broke the mold - our founder, Ruth Fertel.