The Business Voice | Spring 2020 by InsideNoVa

Special Feature: Local companies are going green in different ways Farm to Table: Founding Farmers practices â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;conscious capitalismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

KEYWORD: CONTINUITY Chamber, business leaders, lawmakers offer resources and advice for sustaining through the coronavirus pandemic

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We’re in this together.

OVID-19 has impacted our lives and communities in a profound way. And as a company strongly rooted in our community, we wanted to do something focused on helping our neighbors and encouraging people to strengthen their connections with friends, family, and their communities. We recently launched the 20 Acts of Connection campaign on social media to spread some joy and celebrate our 20th service anniversary in Northern Virginia. Will you join us? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtags #20ActsofConnection and #StayHome to share how you’re staying connected during this time. Remember, we’re in this together and we’ll get through this together.

Kathryn Falk

Vice President Northern Virginia Operations

/CoxVA /coxcommunications

Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business community is so strong, it lifts entire region.

In Fairfax County, our dynamic business community creates lots of leading-edge jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and it does so much more. It sustains and improves our outstanding school system. It supports cultural and recreational opportunities so people here can balance their careers with a fulfilling life away from work. And it fuels success for all of Northern Virginia. To find out what makes Fairfax County a great location for innovative companies and talented people, visit fairfaxcountyeda.org.

AGENDA

spring 2020

KEYWORD:

CONTINUITY

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Inside this issue Talking with Todd Outgoing Chair is committed to education, collaboration, and staying involved with the Chamber

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 Jennifer Williamson: 703.752.7529 jwilliamson@novachamber.org

Your Chamber in Action:

Business advocacy takes new turn after successes at General Assembly

Members Making News

Who’s on the hot list, who’s making big moves, and more about your fellow Chamber members.

Keyword: Continuity

Chamber, business leaders, lawmakers offer resources and advice for sustaining through the coronavirus pandemic

Special Report: Going Green

Local companies find a variety of ways to protect the environment

Spotlight on Education: Higher Ed Leads the Way George Mason and Virginia Tech commit to sustainability

Spotlight on Nonprofit: The Environment Fund Helping nonprofits advance green initiatives

Spotlight on Small Business: Founding Farmers

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Published by

From farm to table, it’s ‘conscious capitalism’

Signature Events

New Members

TO ADVERTISE

Contact Bruce Potter bpotter@insidenova.com 571.333.1538 EDITOR

Susan McCorkindale • ART DIRECTOR

Kara Thorpe • InsideNoVa.com 1360 Old Bridge Road Woodbridge VA 22192

Upcoming Events The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in cancellation or postponements of most April and May in-person Chamber events. However, the chamber is holding a number of virtual events weekly, so keep an eye on Chamber emails and visit the website for complete details: novachamber.org.

Your source for tickets to events throughout Northern Virginia

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TALKING WITH TODD Outgoing Chair is committed to education, collaboration, and staying involved with the Chamber Todd Rowley, market executive for the Capital Region at Old Dominion National Bank, will wrap up his year as Chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce in June. The Business Voice talked with Todd about his experience as Chair. THE BUSINESS VOICE: WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR TERM AS CHAIRMAN, YOU SAID THAT AS AN ORGANIZATION, THE CHAMBER’S GOALS WOULD BE TO “GROW OUR MEMBERSHIP AND REACH, ENHANCE OUR REGIONAL FOCUS, AND INJECT MORE DIVERSITY IN THE PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES THAT INFLUENCE OUR CHAMBER.” WHAT PROGRESS HAS THE CHAMBER MADE IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS? TR: I have seen the Chamber make great progress in each of these areas over the past year. New members are coming to the Chamber from all regions of Northern Virginia and beyond, and I think that the scale and diversity of the industry sectors they represent speak to how the Chamber has met this goal. In addition, our 2019 speaker lineup grew intentionally by gender and race: Speakers of color increased more than 10%, and 64% of our speakers were women. The leadership of the Chamber also reflects this effort. As I look at the members of the Chamber Board, Executive Committee, and the committee and council leadership, I have seen the advancement in this diversity effort and I know that it will continue under the direction of future officers. I can also see this reflected in our interactions with our elected 6

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leaders. The Chamber is respected for its regional voice in support of business interests, and that continues to serve us well during the General Assembly session and afterwards. TBV: YOU’VE MENTIONED A DESIRE TO SEE “A SEAMLESS, BORDERLESS ENVIRONMENT OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE REGION AS A WHOLE” DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS HAVE YOU SEEN MADE IN THIS DIRECTION IN THE PAST YEAR? TR: This region is coming together in a way that I have not previously seen, and the Chamber is a part of the central matrix of this change. We are working with members of the newly established Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance and supporting their efforts to be more coordinated and collaborative in representing this region to companies seeking to establish a presence here. Also, the Chamber lends its support to regional-based organizations like Northern Virginia Community College, GO Virginia, and LEAD Virginia to expand the conversation regionally, as well as across the Commonwealth. It is also important to note that the leaders of the various regional Chambers have begun to meet periodically, and this elevates a new

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collective focus on being less concerned regarding borders and more aligned on our overall regional success. TBV: WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OR OPPORTUNITY FACING THE CHAMBER GOING FORWARD? TR: COVID-19 has presented our country and region with extraordinary challenges. The Chamber has stepped forward to ensure that our region has the resources and means to get our regional workforce back to work. We have advocated for resources for business through federal and local funding; we

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“In the past year, I have seen the Chamber make great progress in growing its membership and reach, enhancing its regional focus, and injecting more diversity in the people and businesses that influence our efforts, and I know that this will continue under the direction of future officers.”

are urging the governor to ensure that funds remain in place for investments in education and workforce. In this environment, it will be challenging to protect and expand what is needed, but the Chamber will keep pressing forward as we have a commitment to our members to advocate for their success. TBV: YOU EARNED YOUR IT DEGREE FROM NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE LAST YEAR. ANY PLANS FOR ANOTHER DEGREE, AND IF SO, IN WHAT FIELD? TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WHY YOU MAKE TIME FOR THAT IN YOUR BUSY LIFE. TR: In May 2019, I had the honor of completing an Associate of Science degree in Information Systems Technology, having completed courses in cyber and network security, coding languages, web design and information technology. Since then, I have been taking courses toward the completion of an Associate of Applied Science with a concentration degree in Cloud Computing Specialization, Infrastructure and Services, which I plan to complete by May 2021. Personally, I believe that continuing education is important, and that individuals should be lifelong learners. In my case, I have always had a passion for technology and NOVA permits me to follow this passion. It also keeps me well informed and relevant to the companies that I support, many of which have a focus on cybersecurity and cloud services. As for how I make time to take classes, I believe the answer lies in the question -- you make time. A person has to schedule it in and make it a valued part of their week. I take one class a semester, and that is enough given the other responsibilities I have in my life. 8

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TBV: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MOMENT OR ACHIEVEMENT FROM THE PAST YEAR OF WHICH YOU’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD? TR: In the fall, I was very pleased to extend my technology learning further when I successfully passed a Cloud Practitioner certification exam. What I hope this shows is that anyone who has an interest in areas like Cloud Computing or Cyber can achieve these skills, regardless of their current education background or demographics. We have a large number of regional IT positions that need to be filled, and we need individuals to focus on attaining these skills and certifications if we are to meet this need. TBV: BEING CHAIR OF THE CHAMBER REQUIRES A BIG TIME COMMITMENT. ONCE YOUR TERM IS OVER, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ALL THAT EXTRA TIME? TR: I am very fortunate to have had the pleasure of having tremendous friends and colleagues to serve with me as fellow officers of the Chamber, which certainly helps with the ability to share the work associated with being Chair. Julie Coons and the Chamber staff are exceptional professionals and they have helped me to keep informed on the matters to which they need my help,

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and to advise me on the meetings and events to which I can provide the most benefit. In particular, the current Vice Chair and Chair Elect, Kathryn Falk, has been a great partner, and I truly value her collaborative efforts this year. As for “extra time,” those who know me appreciate that I like staying involved in region activities, and will continue to serve on several when my term as Chair ends, and I will definitely stay active and involved with the Chamber. TBV: HOW HAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE AT THE CHAMBER BENEFITED YOU PERSONALLY AND/OR PROFESSIONALLY? TR: I have had the honor to serve alongside several prior Chairs, and I know that I have taken parts of each of their leadership styles with me along the way. Given the benefit of these past experiences, I know that I have become a better professional and a more effective regional advocate than I might have been otherwise. To that end, I have tried to be accessible to others eager to move up into positions of Chamber leadership to let them know how to get on that path. Overall, I am going to greatly enjoy my remaining term as Chair, and I am excited to work with the future Chamber leaders.

GOVERNMENT Business Advocacy Takes New Turn After Successes at General Assembly BY C L AY T O N M E D F O R D Vice President of Government Relations, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce

he health and economic crisis caused by the spread of coronavirus has forced leaders in Richmond to take a hard look at the priorities in which they invested during this year’s General Assembly session. The General Assembly adjourned its session on March 12 with an historic slate of legislation behind it, but as of this writing uncertainty looms as lawmakers prepare to meet on April 22 for their final official actions of this session. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Chamber has been heavily engaged with local and state leaders to ensure the needs of the business community are being addressed. To that end, we have hosted online meetings with Gov. Ralph Northam, Attorney General Mark Herring, Reps. Gerry Connolly, Jennifer Wexton and Don Beyer, Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Sen. Dick Saslaw, Del. David Reid, Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeff McKay and Fairfax County Executive

Bryan Hill. In Richmond, legislation with a direct cost to businesses needs to be weighed against the most pressing priority: getting people back to work. The Chamber has partnered with other chambers and regional bodies to form the Back to Work Coalition aimed at advocating for workforce training and education investments to help speed the economic recovery. Before this crisis, the Chamber was continuing its pro-business advocacy in Richmond. This year’s General Assembly was full of action. Many pieces of legislation were approved that cumulatively had the potential to reshape the Virginia economy even before the spread of coronavirus. The Chamber worked hard to change or defeat bills that threatened our economic growth. The repeal of right-to-work and the so-called “fair share” proposal were both defeated, as were numerous mandated leave bills and the Green

New Deal. The incremental increase in the minimum wage was slowed down, and a study on its effects, including the potential for a regional minimum wage system, was included in the final legislation. The Chamber was able to place limitations on new local taxing authority for counties and helped defeat a bill that would have allowed localities to include labor protections in zoning ordinances. A continuing focus for the Northern Virginia Chamber, during and beyond the 2020 session, is creating, maintaining and attracting the workforce of today and tomorrow. In Richmond this year, we supported major investments in higher education in the 2021-22 budget, as well as several pieces of legislation that will help grow the workforce in Virginia. One key program is the Governor’s G3 – Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back – which provides tuitionfree community college to low- and middle-income students who pursue jobs in high-demand fields. Chamber member Northern Virginia Community College is at the forefront of addressing our workforce development challenge and already produces the most IT graduates of any community

college in the country. The G3 program will provide access to NOVA for thousands of potential students. The budget also includes $22 million in new base operating support for George Mason University over two years. Mason is Virginia’s largest, fastest-growing and most diverse public university, but for too long Mason students have not received the same support from the commonwealth as other doctoral institutions. This new assistance goes a long way toward creating funding parity with Mason’s peers. The largest category of new education investment in the budget is in Pre-K and K-12 with more than $1 billion in increased funding over two years for teacher raises, higher direct aid to localities, and major expansions of the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Another big victory for the Chamber is the partial restoration of funding for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). The Chamber will continue to advocate for full restoration in future General Assembly sessions. For more details, check out the full 2020 General Assembly session recap on our website, www. novachamber.org.

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Ones to Watch Lance R. Collins joins Virginia Tech

Lance R. Collins, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University, has been selected as the inaugural vice president and executive director of Virginia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Innovation Campus in Alexandria. He will begin his tenure Aug. 1.

Robert Grey returns to IntelliDyne

IntelliDyne founder Robert Grey has returned to the company as CEO. Grey founded the company in 1999 and served as CEO through a decade of awardwinning exponential growth that put IntelliDyne on the top of the Deloitte Fast 500 for North America in 2005 followed by the Deloitte Fast 50 for the Washington Metropolitan Area in 2006 and 2007.

Dewberry announces new hires, promotions

Travis Hardy

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, announced that Rick Schoenthaler, PE, has joined the firm as a vice president and program manager in the Mid-Atlantic water group. Schoenthaler brings more than 40 years of experience in the water/wastewater industry. In addition, geospatial industry expert Travis Hardy has joined the firm as an associate vice president and senior program manager in its geospatial group. Dewberry also announced the promotion of nine staff members in its Fairfax office. They include Joseph Wells, senior principal; Joseph Goetz, associate vice president; Meg Bower, associate principal; Mark Brewer, senior associate; Mark Kuczynski, senior associate; Andrew Peters, senior associate; April Vacca, senior associate; Brian Pak, associate; and Coulter Toatley, associate.

On the Move M&T Bank opens new location

M&T Bank celebrated the grand opening of its newest branch in Reston with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in January. The branch, at 1886 Metro Center Drive, includes more business bankers to meet the needs of local smallbusiness customers and features a new design intended to improve the customer experience by removing barriers between customers and bank employees. 10â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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C2S Consulting Group becomes an official Google Cloud Partner C2S Consulting Group (C2SCG), a leader in providing cloud computing and migration services, announced recently that it is now an official Google Cloud Partner. This partnership will further strengthen C2SCG’s position as “Leading the Way in Cloud” for government agencies and commercial companies.

Awards & Events Virginia Tech awarded nuclear engineering grants

The nuclear engineering program in Virginia Tech's Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded two grants from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission totaling $850,000 for faculty development and graduate student fellowships. The nuclear engineering program is a multi-campus operation, training students in both Blacksburg and Northern Virginia.

Virginia Tech assistant professor of mechanical engineering Juliana P. Duarte, center, and members of her laboratory. Duarte will benefit from a faculty development grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Photo Rosaire Bushey for Virginia Tech.

It’s CyCon 3.0 for Northern Virginia Community College

On February 15, Northern Virginia Community College hosted its 3rd Annual CyCon event. The conference included a full lineup of cybersecurity experts, speakers, and federal contractors, all of whom presented on cutting-edge topics endemic to the cybersecurity industry.

American Red Cross National Capital Region hosts second annual Preparedness Summit

On January 28, the American Red Cross hosted its Second Annual Preparedness Summit. Presented in partnership with the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Summit featured key industry experts who discussed and assessed our readiness for potential disasters in the National Capital Region. THE BUSINESS VOICE

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COVER STORY

KEYWORD: CONTINUITY Chamber, business leaders, lawmakers offer resources and advice for sustaining through the coronavirus pandemic BY K A R I P U G H

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nlike past downturns, the Washington region isn’t immune to the pandemic recession grinding the nation’s economy to a halt, but there is plenty of help available to weather the storm -- and even position the region’s business community for future growth. First, though, the reality. At the end of March, initial claims for unemployment benefits had jumped to nearly 113,000 statewide, compared with about 2,000 in the same week of 2019, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. Over 40,000 Northern Virginia residents applied for unemployment during the last two weeks of March. Typically, “the federal government is a stabilizer for the region by being a consistent, or growing, source of income for a significant share of local business and households,” Dr. Stephen Fuller of the Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason University wrote on his website. But in the coronavirus pandemic, spending slowed to a crawl even in households where income remained steady because all but essential businesses closed and people remained home to help stop the spread of the disease. Area tourism, too, took a major hit, with no annual influx of visitors to the region for the Tidal Basin’s famed cherry blossoms. Hotels, restaurants and retail will probably suffer losses greater than they did immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when hotel revenues in the Washington area decreased by 13.6 percent, according to the institute. Hotel losses for the 12-month period following the pandemic are projected to be about $600 million. “The decreased spending from travelers, plus the indirect and induced effects of the lost earnings, would result in an additional $600 million of lost economic activity, for a total decrease of $1.2 billion,” Fuller wrote. What Northern Virginia does have going for it right now is a high percentage of tech-savvy employees who are able to work at home, meaning productivity losses here won’t be as great as those in the rest of the nation. But Fuller predicts the economy won't rebound until the first quarter of 2021 when “households and businesses resume normal spending patterns and partially compensate for the lost expenditures in the past year.”

RISING TO MEET A NEW FUTURE The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce has compiled a wealth of online and remote resources focusing on business continuity during the pandemic. The chamber is hosting several webinars each week on topics ranging from federal and state aid to managing

“PART OF THE GREATEST PAIN THAT WE ALL FEEL RIGHT NOW IS UNCERTAINTY. BUT IT’S NOT OVER. YOU CAN RISE TO MEET A NEW FUTURE.” J I M C O LT H A R P, F O U N D E R , KEEPRESSINGON PROJECT

remote workforces. U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have talked to chamber members about available federal aid and what may be coming in the near future. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring have both talked about state efforts to help keep the economy moving. Other topics have included supply chain interruption, workers compensation considerations, employee health considerations and contingency plans. One webinar with former Comcast executive Jim Coltharp challenged business leaders to build a platform of trust and teamwork now to face the road ahead. “Many of the habits we’re developing will be part of our new world,” said Coltharp, founder of the KeePressingOn Project, a business consulting and executive coaching firm. “Part of the greatest pain that we all feel right now is uncertainty. But it’s not over. You can rise to meet a new future.” He advised executives to start, or continue, building trust and emotional energy within their teams. That trust will help ease the uncertainty of today’s realities and position companies for a stronger future, he said. “The last thing [your employees] need is another list of things to do,” he said. “What they need is genuine compassion and care. This period is going to be defined by measuring your risk. Companies are either going to get better or they’re going to fall back.” Another key to survival for businesses will be the ability to be agile and adapt quickly, Coltharp said, relating an anecdote about the time he suffered a severe foot fracture during a 13-inch snowstorm. Rather than call an ambulance, he called a nearby Walgreen’s and asked if they had any crutches in stock. Finding out they did, indeed, he drove over and pulled up to the pharmacy’s drive-through window, where he asked for the crutches.

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“We only do prescriptions at the window,” he was told. “Well, today you do crutches,” he said and handed over his credit card.

RAPIDLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT One industry perhaps hardest hit by the pandemic has been restaurants, which were forced to close in-house dining under orders from Gov. Ralph Northam. But many owners found a way to keep revenue coming in by offering contactless pickup and free deliveries. “While this is a crisis, I’ve got to hand it to our small businesses, especially our restaurants and their ability to pivot in this situation,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said during another chamber webinar. “As hard as it is to protect ourselves when we go out, I’m heartened to see so many residents trying to support our local businesses.” Fairfax County leaders are working on ways to ease tax burdens on local business owners. The county is also working hard to keep essential county offices open. “This changes it seems like every minute of every day,” McKay said. “We know that there’s a lot of pain out there, in our business community in particular, especially in the hospitality and service industries. But in Fairfax County, we have the assets and opportunities to weather this storm hopefully better than other places.”

FEDERAL HELP AND SOME ADVICE Much of the chamber's focus in early April turned to helping business leaders navigate aid available through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The measure established a $349 billion paycheck protection program aimed at helping small businesses keep their workers employed. The CARES Act also provides tax credits for businesses of all sizes to help keep or bring back furloughed employees. In discussing federal efforts to keep businesses afloat, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said lawmakers are focusing on putting dollars where they are most needed. But he also had some advice on how business leaders can help themselves. “An economic challenge relies on some basic fundamentals, but it’s a psychological thing that can feed on itself, a psyche that's hard to get out of,” Kaine said. Employees working from home can feel isolated and disconnected. Their bosses, he said, should try to foster a positive attitude and talk one-on-one with team members when they can. “For leaders in the business community it’s never wrong to over-communicate, but it’s an especially good thing to do now.”

The Washingtonian Group is proud to support

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defy expectations.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Going Green Local companies find a variety of ways to protect the environment BY S T E P H E N I E OV E R M A N

an you imagine finishing a meal by eating the very same utensils you used to consume it? How about the ability to choose between plain, sweet, and savory flavored edible utensils? If the folks at The Mather have their way, plastic utensils will soon be a thing of the past and the planet will be better for it. And it’s not just The Mather that’s committed to the health of the environment. Lots of companies in Northern Virginia, including Washington Gas and BOWA, are finding ways large and small to support sustainability and to incorporate “green” practices into their businesses and the community.

PLUGGING LEAKS As part of its commitment to going green, Washington Gas has invested more than $760 million to replace and modernize its distribution pipelines. “Climate change is a very major issue for all of us. We do this because we as a company have a responsibility,” said John O’Brien, executive vice president of 16

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BOTTOM: Washington Gas has 289 natural gas vehicles and is adding dedicated Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and bi-fuel CNG vehicles to its fleet in a continual effort to reduce its per vehicle emissions. LEFT: The company’s Springfield facility is LEED Gold certified.

strategy and public affairs for WGL Holdings Inc. and Washington Gas, now owned by AltaGas Ltd. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) approved the company's initial application under the Steps to Advance Virginia’s Energy (SAVE) Act in 2011. The act allows natural gas utilities to implement a SAVE plan encompassing eligible infrastructure replacement projects. The company began a five-year, $116 million program in 2012 to replace 109 miles of main lines and 27,000 customer service lines. The following year, the SCC approved Washington Gas’ request to increase the scope of its SAVE Plan, adding $191.4 million over five years to replace an additional 162 miles of main lines and 24,755 customer service lines. “A pipe over time becomes somewhat leaky,” O’Brien said. New state-of-the-art polyethylene plastic is less expensive to maintain, more durable and “lasts up to a hundred years.” This plan to modernize the pipeline system has been so successful, according to O’Brien, that the company is on target to be well below the greenhouse-gasemissions-mitigation limit set by the United Nations’ Paris Agreement to combat climate change. Since the program’s inception, Washington Gas estimates

greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 44,011 tons, the equivalent of taking 9,266 cars off the road. Washington Gas has been making changes above ground, too. “We’re looking at our own use of greenhouse gas. We’ve taken carbon out of our fleet,” O’Brien said. Washington Gas now has 289 natural gas vehicles in its fleet. By adding dedicated Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and bi-fuel CNG vehicles to the fleet, and by taking active measures to manage fleet emissions, he said the company has significantly reduced the annual per vehicle emissions. Last fall the company received a Fleet Leadership Award for its natural gas vehicles from the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition. The company’s Springfield facility is LEED Gold certified. In addition, the company arms its employees with information to help customers reduce emissions from all sources. “Employees are on the front line of describing good clean energy processes,” O’Brien said. In addition, on the company’s annual Day of Weatherization, employees get hands-on and help to improve energy efficiency for homeowners who may have trouble paying their bills. THE BUSINESS VOICE

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FROM THE GROUND UP In Tysons, plans are underway to build a green community from the ground up at The Mather. The Mather will have 300 apartments designed for people 62 years old and older who want to age in place. The land purchase was finalized late last year, and sitework is expected to begin this summer. The first phase of The Mather is projected to open in 2023. The Mather already has received pre-certification as a LEED Gold building, said Mary Leary, CEO and president. Gold is the second-highest certification level given by the U.S. Green Building Council to promote standards for green building and renovations. Leary said a project can receive pre-certification during the development process by submitting a plan for review, which determines if a building is likely to achieve LEED status if it implements the plan. LEED certification is confirmed once a building is complete, after a physical inspection to ensure the plan was fully implemented.

ABOVE: Plans for The Mather at Tysons call for 300 apartments for those 62 and older with energyefficient lights and lots of smart-home technology. Its three restaurants will buy fresh food from local sources and use energyreducing appliances. RIGHT: Opened in 2012, The Mather in Evanston was the nation’s only life plan community to achieve Gold [LEED] standard when it was built.

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Plans at The Mather call for smart-home technology to control temperature and energy-efficient lights, as well as a home automation hub that can be integrated with smartphones, tablets and computer systems. Leary said the location, just blocks from the Tysons Corner Metro stop, fits into the green design. “It’s close to transportation. It’s a very walkable, urban area.” The senior living community will have a low traffic impact, she added. “We estimate there will be 90 percent fewer trips than if it were a family or office building.” The Tysons site is the most recent “life plan community” project of Mather LifeWays, a nearly 80-year-old not-for-profit organization based in Evanston, Ill. In addition to Virginia, Mather has senior living communities in Illinois and Arizona, a research institute, and cafés and neighborhood programs. The Mather in Evanston was “the only life plan community in the nation that had achieved Gold [LEED] standard” when it was built in 2012, Leary said. Mather’s Tucson, Ariz., community, called Splendido, uses gray water reclamation, which means wastewater from washing machines, baths, showers and wash basins is used on its lawns. Mather has planted more than a thousand trees that are native to Tucson, according to Leary. The organization plans to concentrate on native plants for its landscaping in Virginia as well. The Mather at Tysons will operate three restaurants that will purchase fresh food from local sources and use energy-reducing appliances, she said. The Virginia restaurants will benefit from Mather’s experience operating sustainability conscious cafes in other locations. “We use lots of green business practices,” Leary said. “We use insulated coffee cups that don’t require sleeves. We’ve eliminated 40,00 single-use bags. We use to-go containers and utensils that break down or are made of recycled materials. We’re even researching ways to make edible utensils in plain, sweet and savory flavors.”

TOP: This custom home was designed from the ground up to work with nature. It features: overhangs designed to allow direct sun to warm the house in winter but shade the spaces in summer, solar electric and water heating, geothermal HVAC, advanced smart home controls that turn off energy using devices during periods of low occupancy, and landscaping that manages rain water as nature would, soaking it up and infiltrating it rather than letting it overflow local streams. RIGHT: This traditional entryway opens onto one of the most efficient homes in the DC area, featuring superinsulation, exemplary air tightness, high-performance windows, and geothermal HVAC with fresh air systems all of which go well above code.

BUILDING AND RENOVATING IN GREEN BOWA Builders, a firm that specializes in upscale additions, renovations and custom homes, is committed to what CEO Larry Weinberg called pushing “the green-building envelope.” A major force behind BOWA’s commitment is Vice President of Best Practices Doug Horgan, recognized as one of the area’s authorities on green remodeling and construction quality. Horgan has been with the McLeanbased company since 1989 and said he’s been interested in green buildings “since I was growing up in the ’70s.” Perhaps the biggest trend in green building construction and renovation in recent years is one that isn’t visible, according to Horgan. Materials have been designed and constructed to form barriers that control airflow between a conditioned space and an unconditioned space. “Good air tightness, that’s probably the best thing you can do for the environment,” he said. Plus, “it’s a much more comfortable building.”

Also, in the past few years, according to Horgan, “a lot of people are talking about switching over to all-electric houses. The electric grid is getting greener every year.” BOWA has been working “for quite a while” with clients who want to use renewable solar energy. “The price has dropped by a factor of a thousand in the last 30 years,” he said. “A lot of people are using solar as an investment vehicle.” A green house doesn’t have to be a new house, according to Horgan, and much of BOWA’s work is in renovations. “You can do air sealing on an existing house. You can use environmentally preferable products such as low-emitting cabinets that use better glues. You can use certified lumber that has been harvested sustainably.” Horgan was the first person in the Washington area to achieve the National Association of Home Builders’ Certified Green Professional designation and is an NAHB Certified Graduate Remodeler. He is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional with the Homes specialty.

THE BUSINESS VOICE

SPRING 2020

SPOTLIGHT on education

George Mason University’s new Institute for Digital InnovAtion will be built at the school’s Arlington Campus near Amazon’s National Landing headquarters. Photo courtesy George Mason University

Higher Ed D Goes Green George Mason and Virginia Tech commit to sustainability

BY K A R I P U G H

THE BUSINESS VOICE

SPRING 2020

id you know that both George Mason University and Virginia Tech are internationally recognized leaders in “going green”? Both have long track records of spearheading global sustainability research projects and investing in innovative programs to narrow carbon footprints, and now both are in the early stages of planning new campuses in Arlington and Alexandria as part of Amazon’s National Landing headquarters.

What’s at the center of both schools' plans for those projects? Sustainability, of course.

At George Mason, the goal is LEED Gold or Platinum Certification and net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 George Mason University is requesting bids for the transformation of its Arlington campus, seeking a development partner to design, construct and operate its Institute for Digital InnovAtion. The $250 million project will include approximately 400,000 square feet of new building space in Arlington’s Virginia Square, incorporating “advanced cyber infrastructure and green technologies” to support a mix of tech-based research programs, innovation labs

and co-working space, according to the school’s request for proposals. “The Institute for Digital InnovAtion will anchor the Rosslyn-Ballston innovation corridor and serve as an engine of research, economic growth, job creation and new tax revenue,” George Mason University interim President Anne Holton said last year. “Private, nonprofit and public sector partners will be embedded in the innovation district with hundreds of faculty innovators, and thousands of graduate students in tech programs. This confluence of expertise and perspectives will propel the region’s innovation economy in the coming decades.” One of the main factors in selecting a design firm will be building innovation, according to the school’s request for proposals. George Mason wants to see experience in net-zero emissions or LEED Gold or Platinum certifications for buildings similar in scope. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, assigns ratings for site and construction impact, water efficiency, energy use and impact on the atmosphere, building materials and indoor environmental quality.

Silver certified, the third highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. One of the more innovative features at the first campus building will be photovoltaic skin, a building façade of moveable solar panels. The 1 million-square-foot graduate campus will be part of a 65-acre mixeduse district planned and developed by real estate firm Lionstone and real estate investment trust JBG Smith.

At Virginia Tech, the goal is LEED Silver certification and a building façade of moveable solar panels

So, what else are these two globally renowned, green-focused dynamos up to?

In February, Virginia Tech announced the selection of the architectural firm SmithGroup to design the first building at the Innovation Campus in North Potomac Yard. Architectural drawings of the building were due to the City of Alexandria early this month, but some of the design details have already been floated through the community. Virginia Tech's vision for the campus is "a bold new urban identity for the Virginia Tech experience that’s shaped by science, technology, and engineering around sustainability, resiliency, and flexibility, while providing spaces that foster collaboration and engagement," the school said in a statement. Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect, said, “We’re at an exciting juncture because we can start to visually communicate Virginia Tech’s architectural and placemaking vision for the campus.” The first campus building, opening in 2024 at 300,000 square feet, will be LEED

Last year, George Mason launched the Institute for a Sustainable Earth to connect the school with communities, policy makers, businesses and organizations to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The school also aspires to be climate neutral, meaning net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, by 2050. GMU’s latest environmental research project is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess the threat of rising sea levels and flooding to Maryland’s coastal communities. Celso Ferreira, an associate professor of water resources engineering at Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering, is the lead principal investigator on a team that also includes the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy. The project aims to find the best way to preserve Maryland's 7,000 miles of shoreline. At Virginia Tech, the school has

Decorated barrels for Operation Rain Barrel displayed at the Arlington campus. The project was a partnership with Arlington Public Schools to engage students in learning about environmental sustainability as part of Mason’s Community Earth Week Fair. Photo by Alexis Glenn/Creative Services/George Mason University

realized more than $6 million in energy cost savings in recent years through audits, retrofitting and infrastructure projects, and projects to change energy consumption behaviors. The school also offers a Green Request for Proposals Program, providing university funds to student-generated sustainability projects. Since 2010, 65 student proposals have been approved and awarded more than $650,000. In February, Virginia Tech received a $2.3 million award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to develop an intelligent wearable analyzer for vapor exposure, called iWAVE, that can be used to measure hazardous air pollutants in real-time in transportationrelated and other workplaces. The device would help truck drivers and others who suffer a higher risk of lung cancer due to diesel exhaust exposure. To learn more about George Mason University’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth, see ise.gmu.edu. For more information about Virginia Tech’s commitment to sustainability, see facilities.vt.edu/sustainability.html.

THE BUSINESS VOICE

SPRING 2020

SPOTLIGHT

on non-profit

The Environment Fund: Helping nonprofits advance green initiatives BY A N A L I E S E K R E U T Z E R

an one person make a difference? The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia thinks so. Thanks to an anonymous donor’s $500,000 endowment, the Community Foundation established the Environment Fund, which has given grants to the Foundation of the Fairfax County Public Schools for its Get2Green program and to the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The Environment Fund is part of the Community Foundation’s Permanent Fund, launched in 2018 in conjunction with the Foundation’s 40th anniversary. “The goal of the Permanent Fund is to be an endowment that will be here for the community forever,” said Tara Nadel, vice president of marketing and events at the Community Foundation. “There’s a lot of variety in how people can support the Permanent Fund and leave a lasting legacy that is meaningful to them. One way is a field of interest fund like the Environment Fund and our Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts.” While the principal from the Environment Fund’s endowment remains intact, the investment income it generates provides the funding for the grants, about $25,000 annually. The grants are intended to encourage collaboration, raise public awareness, provide education, and promote citizen engagement, in keeping with the Environment Fund’s mission to protect, restore and improve the natural environment of Northern Virginia. In 2018, the Fairfax school system’s Get2Green program became the first recipient of an Environment Fund grant. Get2Green teaches environmental stewardship and integrates its principles into the curriculum at all grade levels. “The board really liked the idea of the expanse of the FCPS grant because it wasn’t a single school or a single program,” Nadel said. “FCPS was looking at a variety of ways to encourage schools to participate in the program or build 22

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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CREATES COVID-19 GRANT FUND

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has created a response fund for nonprofit organizations and other programs in the region responding to COVID-19 and its impacts. The fund’s focus will be to help communities that are disproportionately impacted by the virus and its economic consequences. Through early April, the foundation had awarded over $780,000 in grants to 60 different organizations.

opportunities for different programs the schools could use to participate. It was a program that had a number of different choices along the lines of getting green, not just nutrition or energy efficiency.” The grant helped fund projects at a variety of grade levels, from elementary school through high school, said Donna Volkmann, educational specialist for Get2Green program. “Get2Green has already supported 30 schools in implementing a variety of student-led actions, such as creating native schoolyard habitats, vegetable gardens, and weather stations and by providing tools and professional development opportunities for teachers to learn best practices for engaging their students in outdoor learning,” Volkmann added. “It’s so meaningful and rewarding to meet with schools and be able to offer the resources and funding to help with turning student and teacher sustainability visions into action.” In 2019, the Community Foundation awarded its second Environment Fund grant to the Coalition for Smarter Growth. In Northern Virginia, the coalition has been instrumental in advocating for smarter growth, balanced development and conservation. As one of its signature community engagement events, the coalition offers walking tours to educate people about what makes a successful walkable, livable neighborhood. The tours illustrate the interconnection of land use, transportation, and housing with environmental sustainability and social equity.

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The grant from the Environment Fund—combined with a seed grant from the Prince Charitable Trusts and funding from a second anonymous donor and friend of the Community Foundation— enabled the coalition to hire its first Northern Virginia advocacy manager, Sonya Breehey. Adding that position increased the coalition’s ability to build coalitions, offer public education and engagement, and shape policies that will ensure Northern Virginia grows more sustainably and equitably. Breehey has “strengthened the coordination among conservation nonprofits and their partnerships with advocates for affordable housing, social equity, transit, and safer streets for biking and walking,” said the coalition’s Executive Director, Stewart Schwartz. “The goals CSG promotes will result in a cleaner environment, along with improved health, social equity, quality of life, and economic competitiveness.” For the first three years of the Environment Fund, the Community Foundation chose the grant recipients by inviting a select group of nonprofits to submit focused letters of intent, which were reviewed by a panel of volunteers who made recommendations to the Community Foundation’s board. However, starting next year, the process will be open to a full competitive grant cycle, Nadel said. “Each year will have an area of focus that will be determined and described in advance.” For more information visit CFNOVA.org.

Students from Beech Tree Elementary School search for Monarch butterfly eggs in their pollinator garden’s milkweed plants.

In 2018, Fairfax County Public Schools’ Get2Green program became the first recipient of an Environment Fund grant. Here, Providence Elementary School students get up close with earthworms from their new vermicompost bins.

Coalition for Smarter Growth leads a walking tour illustrating compact, walkable, transit-oriented development. Mountain View High School students plant garden beds with native pollinator species thanks to the Community Foundation’s Environment Fund grant. THE BUSINESS VOICE

| SPRING 2020

SPOTLIGHT

on small business

From farm to table, it’s ‘conscious capitalism’ SERVING CUSTOMERS DURING PANDEMIC

BY K R I S T I N E M E L D R U M D E N H O L M

t’s no secret restaurants struggle with turnover, customer retention, high operating costs and labor woes, and reportedly 90% of restaurant start-ups fail. But Farmers Restaurant Group — with restaurants in Reston and Tysons, as well as in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania — has bucked the conventional wisdom, sprouting and sustaining success for over a decade. Founded in 2008, the upscale casual restaurant group ranks in the top 50 of highest-grossing independents, according to Restaurant Business Magazine; its annual sales sizzle at $18.2 million. The Open Table app even named Founding Farmers’ Pennsylvania Avenue location as its most booked reservation—in the country. How has Founding Farmers grown so popular with hungry diners, aside from a tasty beer can chicken, or a hearty good ol’-fashioned Yankee pot roast? For starters, the company knows its unique identity: fresh food from U.S. family farmers and natural food made from scratch, avoiding chemicals. Founding Farmers knows where it comes from: They grind the meat, and they made the bun fewer than 12 hours ago. Farmers Restaurant Group was founded 24

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and is co-owned by the 47,533 family farmers of the North Dakota Farmers Union, led by Mark Watne, a fourthgeneration farmer. Watne and the farmers wanted to do more than grow and produce, cultivating deeper into the supply chain, putting family farm food directly before a restaurant customer, but how? Enter Dan Simons and Michael Vucurevich of the restaurant consultancy Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group of Kensington, Maryland, to build the brand. “They connected with me and my partner Michael,” Simons said, “and their vision and ideas combined with our vision of hospitality. They were busy farming the product. What we saw was people intensely committed to their communities…land, environment, quality of product. There’s a huge difference between independent family farmers and corporate producers.” Simons calls farming the “bedrock of America,” part of national security, and believes U.S. farmers should supply our food. Centered around sustainability in the supply chain — for example, bacon is trucked from an owner in North Dakota — Founding Farmers on Pennsylvania Ave was born in 2008. The company has expanded since, with six more locations: Potomac, Md., Georgetown Harbour, Tysons, Chinatown, King of Prussia, Penn., and Reston. Simons says it’s not a chain - the restaurants are siblings sharing the same DNA. What sets Founding Farmers apart is the commitment to the environment and its footprint, Simons added. “We don’t say that as a lofty ideal. What are the tangible things we can do? Buy food products, study them, ensure chemicals aren’t added. We

| SPRING 2020

Even though its restaurants are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Founding Farmers is continuing to serve its customers with delivery and pickup at its locations in Tysons and Potomac, MD. In addition to offering many of its regular menu items, groceries and household staples are also available through Founding Farmers Market & Grocery.

look at the direct supply chain, that less fossil fuel is consumed in distribution.” Each restaurant is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)certified or pursuing it, counseled by the U.S. Green Building Council on earth-friendly ways to create restaurants, and certified by the Green Restaurant Association for efforts to preserve the planet. Whether it’s reducing waste or energy, separating recycling, or using less water, these goals flow into operations. Founding Farmers has a system of “robust composting” for solid food waste. (One restaurant bought a biodigester machine called the “pig,” a stainless steel mechanism to liquefy food waste.) The restaurants also donate to local nonprofits such as Last Call for Food and DC Central Kitchen. Simons is adamant about reducing the plastic population. He created Our Last Straw, a coalition of restaurants, bars and cafes in the region to reduce single-use straws. “We started with plastic straws and hope it evolves into containers and utensils,” he said. “There’s no reason to use a plastic fork for eight minutes for a salad, because it lasts for hundreds of years in the landfill.” Servers bring a glass bottle of water to guests; they keep millions of plastic

â&#x20AC;&#x192; THE BUSINESS VOICE

| SPRING 2020

Dishing it out Tysons and Reston locations serve 15,000 GUESTS per week MOST POPULAR DISH: Chicken & waffles FAVORITE ON VEGETARIAN MENU:

Cauliflower steak

The Business Voice | Spring 2020

Articles inside

Signature Events

Keyword: Continuity

Your Chamber in Action

Special Report: Going Green

Spotlight on Small Business: Founding Farmers

Talking with Todd

Spotlight on Education: Higher Ed Leads the Way

Members Making News

Spotlight on Nonprofit: The Environment Fund