🎥: Meet Paige Critchley, farmer and owner of Paige's Pit Stop - Farm Store & Produce 👩🌾 Located off of Rt. 9 in Waterford, Paige’s Pit Stop provides a necessary outlet for fresh, local food, servicing residents, commuters and visitors in Western Loudoun. Because of her creativity and innovation, Paige has twice expanded her business, providing a market for other Loudoun Farms and small businesses. Keep up the good work! 🥗 🥚 🍎🍓🍠🥩🥓🥛
🎥 Meet Jaideep Ganguli of Fusion Applied in Sterling. Jaideep hails from India and has been in Northern Virginia for 22 years. Fusion Applied located in Loudoun because of the cross-section of tech talent, quality of life, top education, and a bright future:
🎥: Meet Eddie Mason, who came to Loudoun as a linebacker for the 1999 Redskins. After retirement, he started MASE Training, focused on physical and mental strength: “It’s been a blessing to be here since retiring from the Washington Redskins...the future is bright in Loudoun County.”
🎥: Meet Suzanne Eblen, owner of The Old Lucketts Store, coming off of another successful Spring Market. In 1996, Suzanne restored a dilapidated general store from 1879, turning it into a regional center of antique and vintage finds. Here’s why:
🎥: Meet Mike Huber, the founder and CEO of Loudoun’s Belfort Furniture. When he opened for business in 1987, Belfort was the 40,000th furniture store in the country. Today, following huge expansion of his business, following the tremendous growth of Loudoun County, Belfort is in the top-100 furniture stores in the US:
🎥: Meet Tony Passos of @teampassosbjj in Sterling. Passos moved from his hometown of Recife 🇧🇷 to the 🇺🇸 in 2004 where he began teaching Jiu Jitsu. Since then, he has made a name for himself in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community both locally and internationally. Prof. Tony is a third degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who is gifted at coaching and teaching. He personally teaches the academy’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes six days per week. When he is not teaching locally, Prof. Tony conducts seminars and coaches at prominent competitions nationally and internationally throughout the year.
🎥: Meet Khurram Shafique, President of Novateur Research Solutions, who uses Loudoun’s superior quality of life as a workforce attraction tool: “To attract that workforce, it’s important that we live in a place where there’s good education; we have the best schools in the country. It’s also one of the best places to live, according to many rankings, and that is something that we pitch to our talent.”
Small Business Week Visit to 880 Harrison Street
🎥 Leesburg is in the limelight today, as we visit small businesses in preparation for Loudoun Small Business Week 2019! We asked our friends Torge Dennen and Trevor Dearman, co-owners of Leesburg's 880 Harrison coworking space, why they chose to open their doors in Loudoun County:
Loudoun United FC Breaks Ground in Leesburg
Loudoun United FC has broken ground on a new stadium in Leesburg, bringing the county's first professional soccer team one step closer to reality ⚽🥅🏆 Construction begins on 40,000 square feet of office space, four full-sized soccer fields, a 5,000-seat stadium that will be owned by the county, and the creation of 50 new jobs.
Learn more: http://bit.ly/2Dykpoh
Loudoun's Newest Co-Working Space Opens at 880 Harrison St.
We’re so excited to welcome 880 Harrison to Loudoun County! State-of-the-art technology meets comfortable and collaborative co-working space all in the heart of Loudoun County and Leesburg’s HUBZone.
🎦🚜 Opening remarks from Vanessa Wagner, our interim agricultural development officer, to kick off the regional Forum for Sustaining Agriculture! WATCH:
🤝☕️ Every week for more than six years, the 1 Million Cups-Loudoun program has given local entrepreneurs a forum to present their startups to a diverse audience of mentors, advisors, and entrepreneurs. The question from the audience to the presenter is, “how can we help you?”
This is the first stop for many of Loudoun’s successful startups and continues to be an important entry point for many of today’s great business ideas.
Join as every Wednesday at the Mason Enterprise Center - Leesburg/Loudoun:
Loudoun Leads Virginia in Business Growth Again
Rapid business growth is driven by top-notch assets and robust opportunities. We have both in Loudoun: http://bit.ly/2FX19oD
2019 Loudoun Farmer Trading Cards
Farmer Trading Cards are back for 2019, and we're so excited to open nominations up to the public! Nominate your favorite Loudoun farmer before Jan. 25 for consideration in this year's deck: https://biz.loudoun.gov/farmer-cards/
"Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown" Newborn Baby Onesies
Check out the baby onesies given to 100 of Loudoun's newest residents. 2019 babies born in Loudoun have a lot to look forward to, from great employment prospects to farm-fresh food. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2VrphF7
Scott Harris on how Catoctin Creek makes award-winning whiskey
It’s #TBT! Here’s a Throwback Thursday video clip from 2011 -- two years after Scott and Becky Harris founded Catoctin Creek. They’ve since come to produce the most award-winning whiskey in Virginia. People love it, and Catoctin Creek is now sold in 25 states, plus Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Singapore.
This week, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reported that Virginia had record sales in ABC stores and restaurants for the 20th year in a row. Virginia ABC attributes the record-breaking sales in part to opening five new stores across the state, including a superstore at Washington Dulles International Airport. Catoctin Creek is yet another Loudoun business improving the local and state economy. Congrats to Scott and Becky as they head into their 10th anniversary year in 2019!
We’re thrilled to be in Sterling today with Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring for the announcement of an AFID Grant for Loudoun’s Little Austria:
🎦 “I’ve never had to work one day in my life in a job I wasn’t passionate about.” Our Executive Director Buddy Rizer’s remarks at the Loudoun Rural Summit, introducing our agricultural business development specialists and outlining our goals in the ag sector:
🎦 “We are constantly looking to partner with people like you...to make sure that we continue to grow.” Successful businesses. Good jobs. A better quality of life. Loudoun Economic Development’s Assistant Director Colleen Kardasz offers welcoming remarks at today’s Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Commercial Real Estate Outlook event:
Manufacturing Day 2018 in Loudoun County, Va.
"Bring all of those companies together, find out what their pain points are, where this industry is and where it's going." Manufacturing Day 2018 was a success in Loudoun and part of a much bigger strategy moving forward. Here's what our specialized manufacturing expert Swanka Burnette had to say:
We’re excited with the opening of Burapa Asian Bistro in the Town of Lovettsville! 🎀✂️ The ribbon cutting includes owner Prathumwal (Prat) Uthes, Mayor Nate Fontaine, Town Councilman Chris Hornbaker, Matt Jorgenson, Town Council Business Committee Vice Chair and our own Rick Morris:
🎥👀 In celebration of "National Senior Citizen Day," we talked with Justin Roberts, the executive director at Waltonwood Ashburn. Justin worked his way up from the lowest rungs of the industry after a family emergency introduced him to the world of senior living.
“Today, we are less dependent on the federal government than any jurisdiction in the Washington area and we are going to continue to build on that.”
Buddy Rizer discusses how Loudoun’s diverse economy has boomed by reimagining what’s #LoudounPossible!
Hear how she’s using her platform as Mrs. Leesburg to promote her business and message for the Loudoun community.
Mariam has dreams of being a nurse practitioner, but is enjoying the benefits of working for a company that will employ her while helping to pay for school.
Virginia Ranks 4th in CNBC's Best State for Business List
Fourth place! A top educated workforce and a business-friendly environment are two reasons why Virginia is on the rise for best states to do business in 2018, according to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/2JdhNyh
Meet Kate Ritchie, the Life Enrichment Manager for Memory Care at Waltonwood Ashburn senior living community, AKA the Director of Fun. Learn more about her on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/loudounbiz/
Communities That Think Small and Win Big: Vanessa Wagner
WATCH: Small business and startup guru Vanessa Wagner cast the spotlight on Loudoun's entrepreneurial ecosystem in her testimony on Capitol Hill: bit.ly/2MK8Hft
Loudoun is in the house — literally! We’re here in the Rayburn House Building where Vanessa Wagner will provide expert testimony. You can watch live at SmallBusiness.House.gov.
Loudoun's Vanessa Wagner at TechBUZZ 20
🎥👀 Another exciting TechBUZZ is in the books, and we're thrilled to have hosted the mid-Atlantic's premier pitch event at Loudoun's Oath facilities, in the heart of the Internet. Our own Vanessa Wagner explains why our partnership with Mid-Atlantic Venture Association / MAVA makes sense:
“Loudoun County is the epicenter of smart people. We look to you to see how this technology can be used to save lives.”
Retired Col. James Clark knows firsthand the immense potential for unmanned technology. He sees Loudoun County as a breeding ground for the next wave of UAV technology:
“Control what you can control. Don’t let the rest of it keep you up at night.” Very practical advice from Loudoun CEO Eric Major from K2M, Inc.
This is his story and best advice:
🎥 WATCH: Small business is fundamental to Loudoun County’s incredible growth and success, but Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis J. Randall knows first-hand what it feels like to make the leap into entrepreneurship. Hear her story has we kick off Loudoun Small Business Week:
It’s National Economic Development Week, and we’re celebrating with Small Business Supervisor Visits! We kicked things off at iQuasar with Sup. Suzanne Volpe , who helped connect the team with resources for continued growth:
The NAIOP Bus Tour of Northern Virginia rolls through Ashburn’s One Loudoun, looking at the commercial investment opportunities here:
🏛📡 Are you a contractor looking to do business with government and defense clients? Join us for a high-level discussion on innovation in the warfighter and intelligence communities on May 17, co-hosted by Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce as part of Loudoun Small Business Week: http://bit.ly/2vP45jW
Our Executive Director Buddy Rizer is on an all-star panel for this morning’s John Marshall Bank Economic Summit at The National Conference Center:
Behind the Scenes at Cuisine Solutions on 'Sous Vide Lane'
"Cuisine Solutions has grown drastically for us in the last few years and Loudoun County has been a big help." The story of why sous vide cuisine experts invested $70 million in Loudoun: http://bit.ly/2Jh6TJe
Thanks to the 60 Loudoun employers and hundreds of job seekers who braved the elements to join us at Hire Loudoun 2.0!
Job creation is an important economic metric and we’re proud of the success we’ve had in connecting growing companies with some of the region’s top talent. That’s #LoudounPossible!
Smart Location. Smart People. Economic development & site selection. ICT, aerospace, defense & government contracting & we love small biz!
