IDB Procurement & Projects Workshop: How to Do Business with the IDB Sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank Office of External Relations, this valuable conference will provide an in-depth look at procurement and consulting procedures, information on how to bid on IDB-financed contracts for goods, equipment, works and consulting services; tips from firms that have participated in IDB procurement and case studies which review the process of taking projects from early development through final execution stages and explaining how firms can stay informed at each stage. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with project team leaders. The workshop will take place at the Andres Bello Auditorium, 1300 New York Avenue, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C., Thursday and Friday, April 15 and 16, 2004. For more information, or to register, click here.

ITAA's Miller on Outsourcing's Impact on Tech Sector Harris Miller, who heads the influential Information Technology Association of America trade group, was online to take questions about the impact of outsourcing on the nation's technology sector. Miller, whose organization represents a number of major technology players, takes issue with the mainstream press presenting a doom-and-gloom, distorted picture of the outsourcing trend. A new ITAA report predicts that the trend will ultimately lower inflation, create jobs and boost productivity in the United States. For more information, click here.

Arlington Real Estate Bus Tour 2004 Join Arlington’s most knowledgeable brokers on a bus tour of Arlington’s development sites on Friday, April 23, 2004 - a great opportunity to get up to date on Arlington real estate. Learn details about the redevelopment of Shirlington, Crystal City and Columbia Pike. And, get the latest gossip on who may be relocating, expanding or building in Arlington in the future! The tour begins at the Ballston Common Mall and runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon. There is an $100 charge; continental breakfast included. For more information, contact AED at 703-228-0808.

Three Lodging Segments Lead Performance Improvement for U.S. Lodging Industry After three years of industry-wide contraction, PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts lodging demand will increase 4.5% in 2004, and lodging industry supply will grow 1.4 percent in 2004. As a result, lodging occupancy will advance by 0.9 percentage points to 61.2 percent, and RevPar for the industry will increase by 5.3 percent. Three of the five lodging segments are experiencing the most robust performance improvements: Upper Upscale, Upscale and Midscale without Food & Beverage (F&B). For more information, click here.

First Thursdays to Support Arlington’s Independent Retailers Five of Arlington’s Independent retail shops celebrated the first, “First Thursday Arlington” on April 1, 2004. Clarendon retailers in the 2600 block of Wilson Blvd., including Nora’s Gift & Garden, a.k.a. spot, Ispirato, Shoefly and The Java Shack helped kick-off the spring shopping season with an open house, late-night hours and other specials. First Thursday events will be held throughout the spring and summer, on the first Thursday of each month, from April through September. Shops will remain open until 10:00 p.m., and will offer specials and other incentives to shoppers. The First Thursday event is the first event held by an alliance of independent/locally owned and operated shops, restaurants and small businesses in Arlington, to help protect and support Arlington’s unique small businesses. Participation of other small businesses and independent retailers is expected to continue throughout the summer. For more information on the First Thursday event and others, contact Dale Roberts at 703-527-0698.

Blue Raster Wins Department of Energy Deal Arlington-based Blue Raster, a provider of technology consulting services, announced that it has won a $175,000 deal from the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Under the deal, the company will provide technical information technology and web geographic information system services to the department's environmental program.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Expands Westward The Arlington-based hotel management company has signed a long-term contract to manage the 309-room Ontario Airport Hilton in Ontario, Calif. The property is 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California's "Inland Empire" and convenient to the area's key attractions, including the Ontario Mills outlet mall, and the Ontario Convention Center. Owned by McLean-based JER Partners, the hotel is scheduled to undergo a $5 million renovation. Interstate Hotels & Resorts operates approximately 300 hotels in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Russia and Portugal.

Buck & Associates Spins Off Commercial Division Arlington Buck & Associates announced the separation of its commercial real estate division from the rest of the company. Buck Commercial will be headed by Timothy Reese, who has been with Arlington-based Buck & Associates since 1987. Buck Commercial will share offices with Buck & Associates and will work in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Crystal City corridors, and in Falls Church, Alexandria and D.C. For more information, click here.

CACI Snags $31M Langley Job Arlington-based CACI International will help the Air Force develop new ways to do surveillance and intelligence work, part of a six-year contract worth up to $31 million. CACI will support the Air Force Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center Intelligence Directorate at Langley Air Force base. Specifically, it will help the Air Force use surveillance data and images gathered from around the world and process and distribute that information. For more information, click here.

Space Adventures to Send Tourist into Orbit Arlington-based Space Adventures, which has helped arrange trips into space for two previous tourists, is laying the groundwork for another. Greg Olsen will pay $20 million for a trip to the International Space Station. Olsen runs Sensors Unlimited, a New Jersey company that makes night-vision technology used by the military, and will begin cosmonaut training in Russia next week. Upon successful completion, Olsen is scheduled for a launch in April 2005. Olsen, who is paying for the trip with his own money, will conduct experiments involving his company's night-vision technology while in space. For more information, click here.

First Form Based Code Project Filed with County McLean-based, Georgelas Group has filed the first Columbia Pike Form Based Code (CPFBC) application with Arlington County since the CPFBC was adopted in February 2003. The project, The Lofts at Columbia Station, consists of a 1.64 acre, seven-parcel consolidation in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive. The proposed development will incorporate the historic façade of the Arlington Hardware store into the new building, and will include 257 residential condominium units, 34,100 square feet of first-floor retail space, 8,775 square feet for use by the Arlington Free Clinic and 459 structured parking spaces. For more information, click here.

Johnson & Wales Honors Robert Morse, COO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts Robert Morse, head of Arlington-based Interstate Hotel & Resorts, was honored by the Hospitality College of Johnson & Wales University as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. Johnson & Wales boasts the largest enrollment nationally of students preparing for careers in international hotel and tourism management, hotel management, food and beverage management, sports/entertainment/event management and travel-tourism management. For more information, click here.

Runners…About Face! Marine Corps Marathon Announces 2004 Course Changes For the first time in its 29-year history, the Marine Corps Marathon will fire the Howitzer and send runners north on Route 110 into Rosslyn, as opposed to south towards the Pentagon. The 18,000 MCM participants will assemble in a straight line down Route 110, stretching into a pack nearly three-quarters of a mile in length. “The number of participants in the MCM has drastically increased over the last ten years, creating an overflow in the start area,” said Rick Nealis, Race Director. “These changes will allow runners to clear the start line in a more organized formation.” For more information, click here.

Memorial Day Weekend Filling Fast Friends and relatives planning a visit to the Washington, D.C. area over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday may find no room at the inn. The dedication of the World War II Memorial, along with Memorial Day’s annual Rolling Thunder event is expected to significantly swell the numbers of visitors. 123,000 ticketed spaces have been reserved on the mall and at MCI Center for the dedication event with a waiting list of 50,000. The weekend will also kick-off a summer-long, Washington, D.C. area celebration, America Celebrates the Greatest Generation. At venues in Arlington, Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, contributions of the WWII generation will be celebrated through music, art and other entertainment. For a complete list of activities and events, click here.

Washington, D.C. is Top Spring Break Travel Preference Daytona, Panama City Beach, Cancun and…Washington, D.C.? It’s true: while many are heading for the beach, historical destinations are still a high priority for spring travelers. A recent review of actual hotel bookings on travelweb.com for spring reveals Washington, D.C. as the number two destination for travelers preferring historical destinations. For complete poll information click here.

2004 National IT Workforce Convocation: The IT Workforce and the Global Economy AED and the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) will welcome hundreds of leaders from industry, education, and government for the seventh annual National IT Workforce Convocation on May 3, 2004 at the Hyatt Arlington Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Convocation will feature keynote addresses from executives from Northrop Grumman, EDS, Veritas Software, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, ITT Educational Services, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Conference tracks will focus on the Education Pipeline, IT Policy & Practice, and Human Capital Development. In addition, ITAA will release the findings of its 2004 research survey on the IT workforce. Don’t miss your opportunity to network with top executives and gain valuable information on labor trends in the IT industry. For more information or to register, click here.

Arlington e-Council to Hold TechConnect Event Save the date! The Arlington e-Council, in conjunction with Arlington Economic Development, will host its next TechConnect networking event on Tuesday, May 4th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the NRECA Conference Center in Ballston. For more information, click here, or call (703) 525-2400.

Understanding the Association Real Estate Matrix On May 20, 2004, Arlington Economic Development and Transwestern Commercial Services will present a morning seminar for the region’s association community, “Understanding the Association Real Estate Matrix”. Highlights will include a summary of a recent study by Delta Associates focusing on the impact of the area’s associations on the real estate market, and on understanding the real estate needs of the association community. The seminar will be held at the Arlington Business Center, from 8:00-11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 20. For more information, contact David Dantzler at 703-228-0861 or e-mail ddantzler@arlingtonvirginiausa.com

BizLaunch Events
The following events are sponsored by BizLaunch, Arlington’s Small Business Assistance Network, in March. Events are free, unless otherwise noted. For more information on these events and others, visit BizLaunch.

The U.S. Small Business Administration: Finance Overview
April 12, 2004, 6:00 pm – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Arlington County Public Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22201. For more information, (703) 228-0853 or trmiles@arlingtonvirginiausa.com

The Principles of Government Contracting: A Hands-On Experience
April 22, 2004, 7:30 a.m. –10:00 a.m.
Location: Arlington Business Center, 1100 N. Glebe Road, Ste 1500, Arlington, VA 22201. For more information, (703) 228-0853 or trmiles@arlingtonvirginiausa.com

2nd Annual Small Business Trade Fair
June 26, 2004, 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Arlington Career Center, 816 South Walter Reed Drive, Arlington, VA 22204. For more information, (703) 228-0853 or trmiles@arlingtonvirginiausa.com

Integrating Life and Wealth Goals into Your Business Plans
Sponsored by the Work Place Initiative, April 16, 2004, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: The Work Place, 2009 N. 14th Street, Ste 706, Arlington, VA 22201 (free parking is available.) Fee: $10/members; $50/non-members who register in advance, add $10 to register at the door. For more information: info@wpinitiative.us or call (703) 524-3547.

Intellectual Property Protection
Sponsored by the Work Place Initiative, April 21, 2004, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Location: The Work Place, 2009 N. 14th Street, Ste 706, Arlington, VA 22201 (free parking is available.) Fee: $10/members; $50/non-members who register in advance, add $10 to register at the door. For more information: info@wpinitiative.us or call (703) 524-3547.