TO MARS AND BEYOND Herndon-based PERATON
Shoots for the Stars
BUSINESS RECOVERY Depends on Women Thriving at Work
SPRING 2021 | novachamber.org 1
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AGENDA
Inside this issue
spring 2021
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To Mars and Beyond On the Cover: An illustration of Perseverance touching down on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Message from the Chair
6
Your Chamber in Action
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Members Making News Accolades, distinctions, digital successes, and more about your fellow Chamber members.
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Business Recovery Depends on Women Thriving at Work
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Cover Story: To Mars and Beyond: Following successful NASA mission, Peraton adds new businesses
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Spotlight on Nonprofit: Educational and Charitable Foundation
20
Spotlight on Small Business: Voyint Voyint Offers Confidence through Intelligence
22
The Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network
24
New Members
25
Local News that Affects Your Business Join over 500,000 unique monthly visitors – subscribe for daily headlines delivered to your inbox
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Upcoming Chamber Events 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: novachamber.org. The Northern Virginia Chamber offers roundtable discussions and forums for members, in addition to its informational opportunities for the business community at large. Member engagement roundtables focus on topics of interest to a wide variety of businesses and are held monthly.* The Chamber also hosts forums for its government contracting, nonprofit and association management, women in business and veteran and military business councils. These are held quarterly and focus on topics specific to these interest groups. Following is the lineup of events for spring 2021:
*Topic submissions for member engagement roundtables may be sent to Carmen Sevilla, Senior Manager, Member Engagement, at csevilla@novachamber.org.
APRIL
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New Member Orientation 3 - 4 p.m.
15
Annual State of Healthcare 9 - 10:30 a.m.
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Veteran and Military Business Council Forum 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
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Young Professionals Forum 11 - Noon
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Member Engagement Roundtable with Monica Schmude, President, Cigna Mid-Atlantic 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
JUNE
7
MAY
4
Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network 2 - 3 p.m.
5
Member Engagement Roundtable: Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act: What You Need To Know 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
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Get Connected Speed Networking 3 - 4 p.m.
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce 7900 Westpark Drive, Suite A550, Tysons, VA 22102-3853 Phone: 703.749.0400 Fax: 703.749.9075 www.novachamber.org • To learn more about membership, please contact John Woodstock, 703.725.7526; jwoodstock@novachamber.org
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Member Engagement Roundtable with Telly Tucker, Director, Arlington Economic Development 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
20
GovCon Council Signature Event: Women at the Top of GovCon 9 - 10:30 a.m.
27
Young Professionals Forum 11 - Noon
NOVA Chamber Advocacy 101 10 - 11 a.m.
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New Member Orientation 3 - 4 p.m.
Published by
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Greater Washington Good Business Awards 8 - 9:30 a.m.
15
Member Engagement Roundtable 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
TO ADVERTISE
Contact Bruce Potter bpotter@insidenova.com 571.333.1538 EDITOR
Susan McCorkindale
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•
Women in Business Forum 10 - 11 a.m.
ART DIRECTOR
Young Professionals Forum 11 - Noon
InsideNoVa.com 1360 Old Bridge Road Woodbridge VA 22192
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Kara Thorpe •
©2021 Rappahannock Media LLC
To register and for more events visit : novachamber.org/events
Your source for tickets to events throughout Northern Virginia
InsideNoVaTix.com THE BUSINESS VOICE
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5
FROM THE CHAIR
Good News is Coming Fast!
T
he news keeps getting better every day. Spring has sprung, more vaccines are available, and we are starting to make plans to go back to work in our offices. But while you are still working at home, here are some tips to get the most out of your Internet connection. measured inside it. Following are the top seven factors that affect internet speed: THE PROVIDER The capabilities of local internet providers determine the maximum speeds available to a home. Their consistency in delivering them is measured by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC program, “Measuring Broadband America,” tests internet speeds of participating providers. The FCC’s most recent report showed two local providers, including Cox, delivered more than 100% of promised speeds around the clock. Of course the service provider can only control how fast data is transported across its network. A number of other variables affect the speed experience once the data reaches the router and devices inside the home. The remaining factors are under the control of the consumer and impact the actual maximum speeds at which devices in a home will run. BY DAVID KIDD
SEVEN FACTORS THAT DETERMINE HOW FAST DEVICES RUN Any speed above 10 Mbps opens the door to email and web browsing. But, if multiple people in a household are binging Netflix and online games, you’ll need more. Fortunately, most local residents now can access up to 1 gigabit of speed (that’s 1,000 Mbps!), but no matter how much speed comes to the home, other factors determine the speed 6
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TYPE OF DEVICES Some devices can’t keep up with today’s speeds. Like a car, different makes and models of devices are capable of different speeds. Age is also a factor. For example, an iPhone 7 is capable of a max wifi download speed of 221 Mbps, and a Dell Latitude E7470 is capable of a max wifi speed of 310 Mbps. Even if a consumer pays for gigabit delivery, those are the maximum speeds those devices can achieve under the best conditions. ETHERNET CABLES Old ethernet cables, which connect the computer to the modem, can slow speed.
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In fact, there is only one type of ethernet cable today capable of delivering gigabit speed: the newest Cat5e/Cat6 cable. WIRED VS. WIRELESS ACCESS It’s never been easier to enjoy internet access anywhere, but the trade-off for mobility is decreased speed. THE VOLUME OF USAGE Having too many programs and apps open on a device drains the power available to achieve maximum speed. And, the more devices sharing the bandwidth, the more the speed decreases for each device. DEVICE SECURITY A slow connection could indicate a virus or other security breach. Using anti-virus software is crucial to overall internet performance. Unfortunately, security measures may also slow speeds. THE BROWSER AND OPERATING SYSTEM Newer is better. When it comes to operating systems, Windows 10 or Mac OSX 10.8 (or newer) will deliver the best speeds. Also, speeds can vary significantly by browser. I hope this helps you get the most out of your connections. Sincerely,
KATHRYN FALK
2020-2021 Chair, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Vice President Northern Virginia, Cox Communications
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GOVERNMENT
General Assembly Advocacy Produces Wins; All Eyes on 2021 Campaign BY C L AY T O N M E D F O R D Vice President of Government Relations, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
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his year is off to an exciting start in terms of Virginia politics and policy. At the General Assembly, the Chamber’s advocacy efforts and work on behalf of our members resulted in some great wins and a strong defense against many challenges. As we enter the 2021 campaign season for several highprofile offices, the Northern Virginia Chamber will continue to be one of the most influential pro-business voices engaged in politics and policy in the state. The General Assembly, meeting for its third and fourth virtual sessions since the pandemic began, approved several important budget and legislative priorities for the business community. The Chamber successfully advocated for greater deductibility of Paycheck Protection 8
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Program loans and Rebuild Virginia grant expenses, saving Virginia businesses millions in potential tax bills. But the issue is not over, as the bill only applies to 2020. We will need to remain vigilant in our demand that this same treatment apply for 2021 PPP loans. After some funding was frozen last year due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, the Chamber once again successfully made the case for investment in education. We were pleased to again support funding the creation of Gov. Ralph Northam’s G3 Program: Get a Skill, Get a Job, Give Back. G3 provides tuition-free community college to low- and middleincome students who pursue jobs in high-demand fields. This is a critical tool for workforce development in Virginia. The budget also provided funding for SPRING 2021
affordability at Chambermember George Mason University and greaterthan-expected funding for Northern Virginia’s K-12 schools. We must and will continue to work to ensure that education is a top priority for our elected leaders. As I mentioned above, this is an election year in Virginia for the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all members of the House of Delegates. While you may have just begun seeing ads or receiving campaign mail, the Chamber’s political action committee, NOVABizPAC, has been busy since last year meeting with the candidates for statewide office. Before its formal candidate interview and endorsement process begins this summer, the PAC will have met with more than 20 candidates. Now is the perfect time for your organization, big or small, to join the NOVABizPAC. Only members can directly influence the Chamber’s biggest and most important political decisions. You can also have your voice heard in our advocacy efforts by joining the Policy
Committee. This summer we will be working with state leaders on significant changes to Virginia tax policy. We will also be formulating new positions designed to maintain the state’s pro-business legal environment. These two initiatives are unique to 2021; joining the Policy Committee now means you can influence these decisions and participate in the development of the Chamber’s 2022 Legislative Agenda. If you would like to learn more about how the NOVABizPAC and the Policy Committee work, consider attending an upcoming Advocacy 101 session. We had a great kickoff last month and will be scheduling the next session soon. (Keep an eye on Chamber emails for information.) The meeting is only an hour and covers everything the Chamber does – on the local, state and federal levels – on behalf of our members. Now is the right time for you to roll up your sleeves and get engaged in business advocacy, and the Chamber is the organization where you can make a big impact.
How can we help you and your business transform in 2021?
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Chamber Members Named to 2021 List of World’s Most Ethical Companies In 2021, 135 companies were recognized for their unwavering commitment to business integrity. The honorees span 22 countries and 47 industries. Congratulations to the following Chamber members for being awarded this impressive accolade: Accenture AT&T Booz Allen Hamilton
CareFirst Gallagher JLL
Kaiser Permanente Leidos Noblis
American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region Hosts Third Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit Late last month, the American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region held its Third Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit. This all-virtual event gave attendees the opportunity to hear from Red Cross leadership on how the pandemic has forced the organization to change how it delivers its mission, as well as industry leaders from a variety of fields and local leaders in higher education and government who shared the adjustments they have made and the lessons they have learned.
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The Washingtonian Group is proud to support THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Howard S. Rothman Vice President 202.916.3145 howard.rothman@jpmorgan.com jpmorgan.com/wg 875 15th Street NW, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20005
INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS: • NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE © 2021 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.
PROMOTE YOUR LIVE AND VIRTUAL EVENTS VISIT INSIDENOVA.COM/CALENDAR FOR DETAILS AND A CURRENT LISTING OF EVENTS ACROSS NORTHERN VIRGINIA
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Cox Business Executive Discussion Series Hosts ‘The Impact of Covid on Women in Business’ Recently, the Cox Business Executive Discussion Series hosted “The Impact of Covid on Women in Business.” The session was moderated by Cathy Lewis and featured a panel of experts, including Dr. Barbara Blake Gonzalez, Chief Administration Officer, Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, Old Dominion University; Abby Verdillo Hamilton, President and CEO, United Way of Roanoke Valley; Kathy Albarado, CEO, Helios HR; and Jane Dittman, Deputy Chief Workforce Advisor to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. The event examined the impact of unequal female representation in and on the modern workplace – along with ways to right the scales going forward.
George Mason University’s ‘Leading to Well-Being’ Programs Offer Strategies for Success George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being’s “Leading to Well-Being” programs offer a distinctive well-being approach to leadership training that gets powerful results. The programs combine the knowledge of GMU faculty with the expertise of global business leaders and thought leaders from fields such as coaching, organizational development, and well-being. Leaders who emerge from these programs become agents of positive change that can transform entire organizations by inspiring confidence, building high-performing teams, and enhancing employee engagement. All programs are conducted in a live virtual format, and enrollment is open now for three upcoming training opportunities. For information, visit https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/lead.
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WE’VE BEEN HERE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE HERE FOR YOU For over 180 years, United Bank has served as an unwavering partner to businesses in our community. Our commitment to excellence in service enabled us to provide thousands of small businesses with critical funding when they needed it most. During times of uncertainty, the one thing our customers can always rely on is responsive and dependable service from bankers you know and trust.
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Celebrating the good life, page by page.
Read and subscribe at piedmontvirginian.com For advertising information, contact Jim Kelly at 434.987.3542 • jim@piedmontpub.com THE BUSINESS VOICE
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THE ROAD AHEAD
Business Recovery Depends on Women Thriving at Work BY K AT H RY N FA L K
Have you heard about the ‘She-cession’? It is real and business leaders must act to stem the impact, or their businesses will suffer.
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020 was an incredibly challenging year for everyone, but new data show that women were far more negatively affected than men – and that’s bad for business. Examples include a higher percentage of job losses, reduced hours, and departures from the workforce among women. In fact, according to analysts led by Joyce Chang, global research chair at JP Morgan Chase, over the past year, women’s participation in the labor market has dropped to a 33-year low. “This is a critical moment for corporate America,” states McKinsey’s recently released “Women in the Workplace” study. “Companies risk losing women in leadership – and future women leaders – and unwinding years of painstaking progress toward gender diversity.” According to a study by the St. Louis Federal Reserve, the unemployment rate for men and women was similar from January 2020 through March, before spiking for women at rates that remain elevated. Why? Because women held more jobs in particularly hardhit industries like hospitality, retail, education, daycare and tourism. The numbers are devastating. The Center for American Progress (CAP), a Washington-based economic think tank, reported recently that women have lost a 14
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net 5.4 million jobs over the course of the pandemic-induced recession – nearly 1 million more than men. The job losses in December 2020 were particularly bleak. That month, though men gained about 16,000 jobs, 156,000 women lost theirs. The CAP report estimates that losing even 1% of working mothers means a loss of $8.7 billion in wages, but the real cost could be far higher: as much as $64.5 billion in lost income due to an overall reduction in the maternal labor force. The McKinsey study, meantime, notes that “working mothers have always faced a double shift – a full day of work followed by hours spent caring for children and household labor.” With school and childcare support gone, the responsibilities of working mothers grew substantially as they added childcare, teaching, and elder care for aging family members confined to the house to their list of duties. While the immediate crisis of losing paychecks was somewhat blunted by state unemployment insurance and federal programs, the longer-term impact is significant. Women were not at work to earn promotions, gain experience, accrue retirement and other benefits – while at the same time being forced to deplete their savings. These impacts have been particularly severe on minorities, especially Black
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and Latino women, says the St. Louis Fed. Also hit hard: women with college degrees and the women from “Generation Z” (born between the midto late 1990s and early 2010s). Simply put, the longer a woman is out of the labor market, the harder it is to go back. We cannot afford to lose a generation of women from the workforce. As we begin to envision a return to work, we must address these impacts on women head on with focused support. Fortunately, a crisis is also an opportunity. As McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace study states, “If companies make significant investments in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace (and there are signs that this is starting to happen), they can retain the employees most impacted by today’s crisis and create more opportunities for women to succeed in the long term.” Companies should look at this as a chance to add best practices to become an employer of choice for women. I am fortunate to work for Cox Communications, where many such practices have been in place for some time.
Become an Employer of Choice for Women H E R E ’ S H O W :
FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS –
Flexibility allows a better balance of responsibilities inside and outside of work. As the McKinsey study says, we need to reset expectations around flexibility and the need to be “always on.” Companies should look for ways to establish new worklife boundaries. ROBUST EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS should
be part of your benefits package to support employees through major life events and bumps in the road with services like counseling and referrals to support services. EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS
can provide support, career development and networking at work.
Provide MENTORS AND MENTORING PROGRAMS. Provide ROBUST HEALTH CARE for women and their families.
Have a FOCUSED PROGRAM OF CAREER PATH DISCUSSIONS and education to help women understand how to grow their career within your company. Take steps to
ELIMINATE GENDER BIAS. Do you always
look for new hires from one source? Expand your pools and actively reach out to women to become candidates.
Create a CULTURE OF EMPATHY.
Lead by example in demonstrating compassion, understanding, and asking how your employees are doing, not just what your employees are doing.
PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND DEVELOP; offer
training and leadership development programs.
Consider CHILDCARE CREDITS OR COUPONS for employees with children and perhaps tutoring support for children of employees.
ENCOURAGE MEN TO HELP. Women do
a disproportionate amount of unpaid work at home. Encourage men to do more by giving them tools like parental leave, employee resource groups for dads and more.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Cox Communications Field Network Technician Brandon Callen and Kathryn Falk, Vice President Northern Virginia Field Operations. “Brandon was out on a complex job, so I went to meet him to say thank you for his hard work.” ABOVE: Kathryn at the November 2019 Cox Communications Smart Home at the Adaire luxury apts in Tysons.
So, what’s in it for business and why should you make this a priority? Last year, Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), a 40-yearold leadership development organization that commissions original gender research, launched #LeadWithMore. This effort and its research revealed several important benefits businesses realize when a more gender diverse team is in place. These include increased innovation, profitability, recruitment and employee retention. In addition, according to a second study by McKinsey entitled Diversity Matters, research shows that company profits and share performance can be close to 50% higher when women are well represented at the top. And of course, women are your best customers and potential customers. According to both the Harvard Business Review and Forbes magazine, women control or influence 85% of all consumer purchases in the United States. Globally, they control $31.8 trillion. Supporting women in the workforce and your company is good for business and your bottom line.
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COVER STORY
An illustration of Perseverance touching down on Mars
TO MARS AND BEYOND Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
H e r n d o n - b a s e d PERATON Shoots for the Stars BY K A R I P U G H
A
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company with the attitude of a $100 million company and the ambition of a $10 billion company.” Before the expansion it will undergo this year, Peraton functioned mainly as a national security IT firm specializing in the realm of space – contracting with NASA, the National Oceanic and Aviation Administration and the U.S. Space Force. Part of its mission support includes orbital analysis and protecting satellites. They also run all NASA space communications. TO MARS NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars in Jezero Crater about two months ago, on Feb. 18 at 3:55 p.m., with Peraton crews in the control room. The company’s radar transparent thermal protection material, Acusil, protected
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L. Roger Mason, president of Peraton’s newly formed space, intelligence, and cyber sector.
Stu Shea, chairman, president and CEO of Peraton.
the parachute closeout cone and the spacecraft during the entry, descent and landing phase. And Peraton supports the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Deep Space Network, a long-distance communication provider between spacecraft and Earth.
Credit: Peraton
t the end of last year, Herndonbased Peraton was a modestsized business, with 3,600 employees and $1 billion in revenue. By spring, coming off a successful mission to help NASA land the Perseverance on Mars and having acquired two big-name companies – a section of Northrup Grumman and Perspecta – Peraton will soon employ 24,000 people and bring in $7 billion in revenue. But how? “We don’t want to be a giant bureaucracy,” said Brian Wagner, Peraton’s communications director. “No matter how big we get, our desire is to remain as agile and nimble as possible. It’s animating our entire company culture to think creatively and think independently. We are the $1 billion
Credit: Peraton
“I had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief at touchdown, but then my team was back to work, receiving and interpreting Perseverance’s signals,” Peraton’s Deep Space Network (DSN) program manager, Sonny Giroux, said in a statement. “The DSN’s ability to bring data and imagery down to earth is the first step to making any new discoveries.” Peraton is running the equipment the Perseverance has on Mars: several cameras, two microphones to record the Martian soundscape, a drill in its robotic arm to collect samples, a laser in its mast to study rock chemistry and an antenna to transmit data to the DSN. Along with searching for water or other indications that life once existed or might still exist on Mars, Perseverance also monitors the weather and conducts
experiments to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere. “I am so proud of the Peraton DSN team for consistently enabling NASA’s mission to understand the climate and geology of Mars as it relates to Earth,” Giroux said. “I embrace exploration to achieve a greater understanding of our own uniqueness and fragility.” MISSION SUPPORT With Peraton’s rapid expansion here on Earth, the company will soon play a role in just about anything you can think of, from monitoring Medicare waste and abuse to building bomb disposal robots. Company chairman, president and CEO Stu Shea will continue to lead the combined businesses. In December 2020, Peraton's investment firm, Veritas Capital, acquired
Top: Members of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission cheered on Feb. 18, 2021, after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars. Bottom left: Mallory Lefland, a member of the team, watches with anticipation. Both photos: NASA/ JPL-Caltech. Bottom right: Peraton headquarters in Herndon.
the federal IT and mission support services business of Northrop Grumman, another Northern Virginia-based firm. Adding Northrup Grumman’s business puts Peraton into the world of advanced technology solutions, including cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud, mission-critical application development and advanced engineering to defense, intelligence, space, civil and health customers. The business expects to
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Left: NASA’s Deep Space Network, run by Peraton, is able to send and receive signals from the farthest reaches of the cosmos. Below: An illustration of NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter flying on Mars.
Credit: NASA.
BUILT TO GROW As part of the expansion, Peraton is dividing the many facets of the company into four sectors: Space and Intelligence: This sector incorporates several new marquee programs that will dramatically expand Peraton’s footprint in space and intelligence, including continued mission work with NASA. It will be led by Roger Mason, previously president, Space, Intelligence and Cyber at Peraton. Cyber Mission: This sector delivers advanced cyber programs, information operations, and technical solutions that support intelligence, defense and civil markets, everything from protecting the nation’s IT systems to helping with artificial intelligence, Wagner said. It will be led by Tom Afferton, previously vice president, Defense & Intelligence at Northrop Grumman. Global Defense and Security: This sector incorporates several new 18
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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
generate $2.3 billion in revenue this year. In January, Peraton bought Perspecta, a government services provider, in an all-cash transaction valued at $7.1 billion. Perspecta delivers IT and mission support to a diverse array of U.S. government customers. “As a long-time investor in Perspecta and its predecessor companies for over a decade, we have always recognized Perspecta for its market differentiation, leading-edge IP, and focused execution in the government technology space,” said Ramzi Musallam, CEO and Managing Partner of Veritas.
programs supporting the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security, including running blimps along the southern border of the U.S. to survey threats. It will be led by John Coleman, previously president, Defense & Homeland Security at Peraton. Civil and Health: This sector delivers advanced, mission-specific technology solutions, including Medicare and Social Security Administration monitoring. It will be led by Tarik Reyes, previously vice president, Civil & Health at Northrop Grumman. Peraton’s work now includes everything from managing the systems that collect testing and vaccines for COVID-19 to running unmanned spacecraft to managing the phone systems at the White House. “Clients may have big problems and want one solution,” Wagner said. “Now we can bring together all these companies and experience into one.” Peraton itself isn’t an old company.
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It was originally an IT business called Harris Corp., which was sold to Veritas Capital in 2017. The new company’s leaders made it a mission to build a company that would grow. “Our IT system was designed to be scalable. When the pandemic hit we were ready for people to work from home,” Wagner said. Using that same scalability enabled Peraton to take on two businesses much larger than the original. “Our differentiated, complementary solutions and deep relationships with our respective customer bases give us the scale and resources to continue to address the evolving needs of government customers,” Shea said. “We are confident in our growth trajectory as we leverage Veritas’ industry expertise and serve as the preeminent partner to the government.” Kari Pugh is digital editor of InsideNoVa. com. She can be reached at karipugh@ insidenova.com.
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SPOTLIGHT on non-profit
Where education, service and philanthropy equal empowerment
New ECF president Robyn Jones at last the January’s 2020 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service “Snack Pack” event, at which more than 1,800 packs were assembled. (Photo taken at event held pre-pandemic)
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BY S U E B A L DA N I
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t awards six scholarships each year, brings the community together to sew kerchiefs and caps for children and adults undergoing treatment for cancer (and then delivers them to hospitals all over Northern Virginia), and hosts an enrichment program to introduce girls to STEM, money management, etiquette, social skills, and much more. What is it? It’s the Educational and Charitable Foundation of Merrifield. Founded in 2001, the foundation partners with local organizations to give back to Fairfax County and communities in Northern Virginia. It also provides grants to organizations that share its vision and mission: to empower its community for a brighter tomorrow through education, service and philanthropy. The foundation provides academic achievement programs and scholarships, advances culture and civic engagement, enhances economic empowerment, and promotes health, wellness, and social welfare through global partnerships and strategic alliances. Robyn Jones became the foundation’s president in January of this year and has focused on expanding the foundation’s impact and presence. “I was inspired to become president because I want to grow the foundation; I want us to have a more prevalent footprint in the Northern Virginia community,” Jones said. Some ways in which she plans to do this are by increasing donor registries and donor engagements, as well as building relationships and networking throughout the area. “By joining the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce,” Jones added, “the foundation is in a better position to meet these objectives.”
RIGHT: Kozy Kerchief and Kozy Kaps events encourage people of all ages to come together to make kerchiefs and caps for children and adults undergoing cancer treatment. Here volunteers Laverne Buchanan, Renee Harrison and Keely Buchanan are clearly having a good time for a good cause. FAR RGHT: Volunteer Deborah Parks donates her time and sewing skills at one of the Educational and Charitable Foundation’s Kozy Kerchief and Kozy Kaps events. (Photos taken at events held pre-pandemic)
Reaching goals is not an issue for Jones, whose “day job” is director of customer engagement at Carium. She has worked in the healthcare IT industry for more than two decades and holds three degrees: a bachelor’s in mathematics and master’s degrees in information technology and in health informatics. Jones became involved with the foundation through her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and its Lambda Kappa Omega chapter, which was instrumental in establishing the foundation. This is her fourth year on the board, which is made up of 14 members, all of whom are volunteers. The organization doesn’t have any paid staff. Two of the organizations the foundation regularly partners with are Food for Others and Volunteer Fairfax. The foundation’s “Snack Pack” program is a joint effort of the three organizations to provide snacks, food and beverages to underprivileged students in Fairfax elementary schools. “This [program] is focused on food insecurities so that no child goes hungry,” Jones said. “Needs have grown significantly this past year and one of our goals now is to increase our giving around food insecurity, not only for children, but for adults as well. We want to be able to impact the community in a broader way.
I live in one of the most vibrant counties, but we have to remember that there are still people who are struggling and still need help with food.” At last year’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteers with the foundation and Volunteer Fairfax assembled more than 1,800 “Snack Packs.” “We work with Volunteer Fairfax quite often,” Jones said, “and they’ve supported us by providing volunteers for our signature program, Kozy Kerchief and Kozy Kaps.” The Kozy Kerchief and Kozy Kaps program, while on hold for the time being, encourages local people to sew kerchiefs and make caps for adults and children undergoing cancer treatments. These are then distributed to local cancer centers throughout Northern Virginia, such as the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, as well as to centers across the country. Another program the foundation offered before the pandemic (and which it hopes to restart soon), is geared specifically to young girls and called the “Little Miss AKA Youth Enrichment Program.” AKA stands for Alpha Kappa Alpha. “The program introduces participants to a number of things, such as STEM and STEM careers,” Jones said. “We also take
them into D.C. to tour the embassies.” During the six-month program, participants are also taught everyday skills such as the importance of saving money and how to do so. Other highlights include etiquette and social graces, managing peer pressure, and health, wellness, and fitness education. “Our focus on helping the health and wellness of women and children in the area has been very effective,” Jones said. “We have had a huge impact on the lives of children with our youth enrichment programs, as well as with our health efforts.” To assist teens with their educational goals, ECF gives about 20 scholarships a year, totaling from $20,000 to $45,000 depending on the year and fundraising results. In 2020, the foundation awarded $27,000 in scholarships. “The one closest to my heart,” Jones said, “is the Kozy Kerchief and Kozy Kaps Scholarship, which is awarded to a student in need of financial assistance as a result of having a parent who has been affected by cancer.”
HOW TO HELP Like most nonprofits, the Educational and Charitable Foundation always needs funding, volunteers and community partners. For more information or to direct a teen to the scholarships section of the ECF website, visit www.ec-foundation.org.
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SPOTLIGHT
on small business
Voyint Offers Confidence through Intelligence BY A N A L I E S E K R E U T Z E R
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oyint founder Jay Conolly signed his company’s first big contract at the end of 2019 and was excited to grow the company in 2020. While a lot of businesses struggled or shut down after the pandemic hit, the Ashburn-based firm was able to keep moving forward. Today Voyint has seven employees, revenue of just under $1 million, and a client list comprised of Fortune 100 companies and small businesses for which it provides intelligence-driven background checks and investigative services. “We do a lot of pre-employment background checks, and turnover is still happening in businesses. New positions are opening up and people are still getting hired, so we have been able to keep providing those services,” Conolly said. “The pandemic put things on hold for a little while, but we continued to transact work for clients on a daily basis.” Conolly started his career as a U.S. Navy officer, joining the service after 9/11. He spent seven years on active duty, mostly overseas, on work related to antiterrorism and force protection operations. That experience gave him an awareness of compliance, why policies are created and how they are enacted. After he left the Navy, he put his business degree to work in sales and consulting and then wound up at a defense contractor that provided intelligence services. “When I started to understand the intelligence role and how analysts in the intelligence community do their work, I began to put together how that work paired with compliance requirements and could actually be a value-add service,” he said. That realization, coupled with his 22
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entrepreneurial spirit, led him to found Voyint to bridge the gap between technology and human analysis. “I wanted to create a company that was built on providing intelligence-based research and analysis tradecraft,” Conolly said. The bulk of Voyint’s work is new hire pre-employment checks and management and executive background checks to help clients meet compliance requirements. But Voyint also protects businesses from risk by providing legal partner background checks, special credentialing and verification services, and contractor and subcontractor vetting. “Companies are required by law to conduct background checks on their employees. How much they do varies depending on the level of risk,” Conolly said. There are two types of services. Quick turnaround searches are largely automated and are only as good as what is available in public databases. “Those types of background checks have a place. They are good for very low-level, low-risk background requirements.” Where those services stop is where Voyint starts, Conolly added. “Our whole premise is human-in-the-loop. We leverage tools to find information, but then we sort through that information and fill in any gaps. A lot of people think that those more in-depth services are done by private investigators and cost a lot of money, but that’s not true. You can get that second-level review for a fraction more than what you’d pay for the instant checks.” Voyint’s analysts are trained to gather, organize, and assess complex data from millions of local, regional, and international sources. The company uses a combination of resources, including databases, state and county records,
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and watchlists to verify that what the applicant has provided is accurate and to look for any areas of concern. “We pair intelligence tradecraft with the latest commercial databases and search tools to creatively research individuals that require more than an instant search,” Conolly said. For executive-level positions, Voyint may get more involved by examining a candidate’s digital footprint, looking at things that are publicly available but not in public databases. That may include things such as social media activity. For background checks of any level, Voyint gathers the information, removes any inaccuracies – such as information that came up on someone with the same name but is not the candidate – and puts together a short, concise report that allows the company to make an informed decision. Moving forward, Conolly wants to leverage Voyint’s commercial experience for government and public sector clients. He is actively pursuing opportunities with federal organizations as well as state and local opportunities. He sees many applications for Voyint’s investigative services, such as fraud, waste and abuse. “There are a lot of compliance requirements for pandemic relief funds,” Conolly said. “For the Department of Veterans Affairs, an investigative requirement is providing medical credentialing verifications for VA and non-VA medical staff.” While these verifications have different compliance requirements than new hire background checks, the capability to provide enhanced investigative research and analysis are the same. Voyint’s ability to combine technology with subject matter expertise ensures its clients are in good hands. One of Voyint’s clients is BP Capital Management. George Renaldi, director of the firm, says Voyint’s work is exceptional. “While competitively priced, we have found Voyint's reports to be more thorough and of a higher quality than other providers,” he added. “They have never missed a deadline and have always conducted their business in a professional and transparent manner.”
“We leverage tools to find information, but then we sort through that information and fill in any gaps. A lot of people think that those more in-depth services are done by private investigators and cost a lot of money, but that’s not true.”
Founder and President Jay Conolly. Photo by Molly Cassidy.
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CREATING LEADERS
Train your workers your way The Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network is Your Chance to Do That and More
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pprenticeships offer an opportunity to “earn and learn,” meaning that employees receive needed on-the-job training while still earning a living. While some skills are well suited to being developed within an educational environment, other skills, such as team building and leadership, can best be developed within the workplace. Through apprenticeship programs, employers can impart key skills and train workers in their own methods and techniques, the cost of which can be recovered through employee loyalty and retention, providing the kind of workplace the 21st century workforce expects: diverse, inclusive, collaborative and innovative. The Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network, created last fall by leaders at Accenture, Aon and the Northern Virginia Chamber, is designed to help employers in our region explore and develop an apprenticeshipbased model of recruitment and training. The network brings together
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“Through apprenticeship programs, employers can impart key skills and train workers in their own methods and techniques, the cost of which can be recovered through employee loyalty and retention.”
employers, academic institutions, and the public and private sectors. Participating employers gain access to best practices from organizational peers, sources of prospective apprentice candidates, support services, academic institutions and training resources. For additional information about the network or to join us at the next employer briefing and begin connecting with other employers, as well as with apprenticeship resources available in our region, please contact Jennifer Williamson at jwilliamson@novachamber.org.
NEW MEMBERS Let’s give ’em a warm welcome ATTORNEYS/LEGAL SERVICES » PilieroMazza PLLC PilieroMazza.com CHILDCARE » Candy’s Care, LLC CandysCare.vistaprintdigital.com CONSULTING » Daniel M. Gade Consulting, LLC EDUCATION » Shenandoah University School of Business SU.edu/business FITNESS » Capital City Sports Academy CapitalCityAthletes.com GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING (OTHER) » American Fashion Network AmericanFashionNetwork.com » Brillient Corporation Brillient.net GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING (IT/TECHNOLOGY) » Intrepid Solutions and Services, Inc. IntrepidSolutions.com HEALTH/HEALTH CARE SERVICES » Novo Nordisk INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY » Amazon Web Services Amazon.com MANUFACTURING » Nestle Nestle.com MEDIA OUTLETS/BROADCASTING/ PUBLICATIONS » GovBrew GovBrew.co NONPROFIT/ASSOCIATION/CHAMBER » The Chris Atwood Foundation TheCAF.org » Washington Airports Task Force WashingtonAirports.com REAL ESTATE » Avison Young AvisonYoung.us/web/washington » CapCenter, LLC CapCenter.com THE BUSINESS VOICE
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