List Your Available Space - Free Staff at Arlington Economic Development (AED) help businesses large and small find office and retail space using CoStar, a regional database of commercial properties for sale or lease. Now, Arlington businesses can have their available space listed in CoStar free of charge, by visiting Costar.com, or by calling AED to obtain an input form for a free listing. Once your available space is listed in CoStar, it will be included in AED’s regular space searches for its clients. For added coverage, fax a copy of your listing to AED’s Research Group at 703-228-0804.

Save the Date! Tech-e Awards Deadline Extended Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Chamber’s e-Council will host its third annual Tech-e awards on Thursday, November 4, 2004 at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, 7:30–9:30 a.m. The Tech-e’s highlight successful technology companies either located in Arlington, or those who are members of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Award categories include:

CACI Wins $126M Contract Arlington-based CACI International has been awarded a $126 million contract for work that will help to modernize the U.S. Navy's information systems. Under the five-year deal, CACI will support the U.S. Navy's Enterprise Maintenance Automated Information System, known as NEMAIS. Full story -->

United Defense Beefs up Body Armor Arlington-based United Defense Industries will help protect soldiers in harm's way with body armor it says offers a higher level of protection. United Defense subsidiary Cercom has won a $5.9 million contract from the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center for ceramic body armor inserts. The company says the small arms protective inserts with hard ceramic plates can provide more protection than traditional soft body armor. Full Story ->

Abdo Crosses Potomac with $30M Condo Project Abdo Development, which has made its mark by converting historic D.C. properties into luxury condominiums, will venture outside the city for the first time with redevelopment of a block in Rosslyn. Abdo has acquired six residential properties on Clarendon Boulevard between North Queen and North Pierce streets. The company plans to put up a four-level condominium complex with 54 loft-style units averaging 1,500 to 1,600 square feet, that emphasize horizontal space, rather than a vertical layout, says President and CEO Jim Abdo. The top two stories will have ceilings at least 16 feet high. The $30 million project will be finished sometime in the first half of 2006. Full Story ->

System Integration and Management Awarded Contract Arlington-based System Integration and Management was awarded a $65 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for business, operations and administrative support services at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Information Technology Center, New Orleans, La. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contractor. Full Story ->

Contrack International Inc. Awarded Contract Arlington-based Contrack International Inc. was awarded a $50 million contract for design and construction of the Afghan National Army Regional Brigade Facility. Work will be performed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Winchester, Va., is the contractor. Full Story ->

New Pan American Bakery Opens on the Pike Pan American Bakery, featuring home-baked breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins, scones and more joins the ranks of Columbia Pike’s extensive café and restaurant offerings at 4113 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204. Plans for a specialty catering shop are in the works by owner Jenny Defoor.

A Step-Up to Well Being Dale Roberts, owner of the Java Shack Coffeehouse, announced the opening of his new retail store, “A Step-Up to Well Being,” located at 2507 North Franklin Road directly above the Java Shack Coffeehouse. The store features unique products from China and Tibet including furniture, accent pieces, bamboo items and the area’s largest collection of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Plans are underway to provide massage therapy, Reiki, acupuncture and additional forms of alternative healing. The shop is opened Fridays & Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Call (571) 215-4587 for more information.

The Courthouse Plaza complex comprises 584,000 square feet of office space, 71,400 square feet of retail space and 396 residential apartments; the original 276 hotel rooms were not developed when the project was constructed in the mid-to-late 1980’s. Results of a study conducted by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) which examined the market feasibility of a Courthouse hotel indicated support for a smaller hotel than was originally proposed.

Formal staff reviews will begin in mid-September and it is anticipated that a recommendation will be made to the County Manager in six to eight weeks. For more information, contact AED Strategic Projects Coordinator, Rod Irwin at 703.228.0845.

Ellipse Building Acquired Miller Global Properties, LLC has acquired The Ellipse located at 4350 North Fairfax Drive for $58 million, approximately $295 per square foot, from New Boston Fund, Inc. The Ellipse is a 9-story, 196,242 square foot, Class A office building. The building is 77% leased.

DMJM Design Signs Lease in Arlington Architecture firm DMJM Design signed a 10-year lease for 38,453 square feet on the eighth and ninth floors at The Hartford Building. The 9-story, 251,514 square foot, Class A office building is located at 3101 North Wilson Boulevard.

Interstate Hotels and Resorts Announces Management Agreement Arlington based IHR, the nation's largest independent hotel management company, announced that it had signed an agreement to manage 54 hotels currently owned by affiliates of Sunstone Hotel Investors, LLC, a privately held hotel ownership group based in San Clemente, California. “Sunstone’s hotels match up well with our current portfolio,” said Steve Jorns, Interstate's chief executive officer. “Most of the hotels are located in the western half of the country in markets where we currently do not have a significant presence. This transaction will give us added economies of scale in those markets, as well as a highly experienced operating structure in place."

National Museum of the American Indian The long-awaited National Museum of the American Indian will open on September 31st with a six-day festival of American Indian Culture. The Museum occupies what had been the last major piece of unoccupied land on the National Mall, a 4.25 acre site between the Capitol and the National Air and Space Museum. The Museum will be free, but entry will be available through timed passes to manage the crush of visitors expected in the first several months. More Information ->

Army Ten-Miler Approaches Traditionally the kick-off of the Arlington-based Association of the United States Army (AUSA) convention held in October in Washington, D.C., the race has grown from 1,379 finishers in 1985 to 13,198 last year. This year’s special 20th anniversary edition will be run on October 24, 2004. More details on this event including the Spirit of America and Twilight Tattoo ->

More GoFares Announced Arlington-based US Airways has announced a major expansion at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, beginning in February 2005, which more than triples its daily flights and connects 10 Caribbean and Latin American destinations with key cities in the Northeast and Florida. Combined with existing US Airways nonstop service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a total of 13 points in the U.S. will be conveniently connected to the Caribbean and Latin America via Fort Lauderdale Hollywood. More Information ->

New Orbitz Survey Indicates Travel Preferences According to a recent Harris Interactive poll, travelers prefer to book with online agencies versus comparison shopping across multiple hotel brands to access lowest rates. The majority of respondents (91%) comparison shop, and nearly half of consumers (49%) believed Web sites like Orbitz offered lower hotel rates than those found by calling hotels directly (25%) or using hotel Web sites (22%). Full Story -->.

ITANV Outsourcing Event The International Trade Association of Northern Virginia (ITANV) and the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce will sponsor an event on “Outsourcing: Realities and Myths” on Thursday, September 9 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 pm at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner. To register -->

OMG Hosts First Annual Model-Integrated Computing Workshop in Arlington The Object Management Group (OMG) announced the program for its first annual workshop on Model-Integrated Computing (MIC) on October 12-15, 2004 in Arlington. Open to all, the workshop will include a half-day of tutorials on relevant technologies and three and a half days of presentations, panels and discussions with technology exhibits and demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday. To register -->

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

Starting a Business in Arlington County (in Spanish)
September 20, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Arlington County Public Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Auditorium, Arlington, VA 22201
Learn how to get a business license, certificate of occupancy, and state registration. Obtain free tools for your Web site which can help you write a business plan, develop a marketing strategy and get financing options. Also, find out which organizations can help you map out your entrepreneurial plans for free. This workshop is Spanish; for more information, contact Isabel Guisantes or call (703) 228-0802.

Winning in Teaming Relationships
September 23, 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Arlington Business Center, 1100 N. Glebe Road, Ste 1500, Arlington, VA 22201
Most people approach potential opportunities to team with fear and trepidation. Why not learn approaches and tools to get to a win-win relationship? This workshop will present strategies and methodologies to promote high-value differentiation in business products and solutions. Seating is limited, so RSVP early to Tara Miles or call (703) 228-0853.

Technology Solutions for Your Small Business
September 29, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Conference (NRECA), 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
Sponsored by the Arlington e-Council & BizLaunch, this interactive panel discussion will present the latest on small business technology opportunities. Topics include Web business integration, search engine optimization, free software for business and much more. Get the latest information on what you can be doing to fulfill your small business technology needs. Registration is $25 for Arlington Chamber Members or $35 for non-members. To register, contact Cate Murray.

Starting a Business in Arlington County
October 5, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Arlington County Public Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Auditorium, Arlington, VA 228-0853
Learn how to get a business license, certificate of occupancy, and state registration. Obtain free tools for your Web site which can help you write a business plan, develop a marketing strategy and get financing options. Also, find out which organizations can help you map out your entrepreneurial plans for free. To register, contact Tara Miles or call (703) 228-0853.

Save the dates!
March 30-31, 2005 BizLaunch’s Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs (English)
April 22-23, 2005 BizLaunch’s Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs (Spanish)

Virginia’s 10th Annual SBIR Conference
October 13, 2:00 – 8:00 p.m.; October 14, 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sheraton Crystal City, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202
In 2002, Virginia firms won 375 SBIR/STTR and ATP awards totaling $105 million. This annual conference, now in its tenth year, draws previous award winners and promising new applicants to learn about current mission requirements from federal agency program managers and to gain insight for preparing successful award applications. Sponsored by Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, the cost to register is $125 before September 20, 2004. To register -->

Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo

October 25, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.; October 26, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
George Mason University, George W. Johnson Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
An annual two-day conference for business women, business owners, friends, supporters and budding entrepreneurs, the conference will include a networking reception, interactive workshops, motivational luncheon and all-day trade fair. Sponsored by the Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia, registration is $75 and available by contacting (703) 778-9922.