Women Leaders Receive Awards
Virginia Business recognized 42 female executives across the state who “set the standard for leadership” at the second Women in Leadership Awards. Nominees must be based in Virginia and hold C-suite or equivalent positions at for-profit businesses, nonprofits or educational institutions. They represent large, middle and small workforce sizes and some awardees came from traditionally male-dominated industries to include engineering, construction and maritime. Local recipients include Jylinda Johnson, VP and GM for government operations, commerce and global citizen service, General Dynamics Information Technology; Kim Roy, CEO, HITT Contracting; and Jennifer Taylor, president and CEP, Northern Virginia Technology Council.
Nominations for the Best Workplace
Virginia Business Magazine is accepting nominations for the 2023 Best Places to Work in Virginia. This comes from Best Companies Group, a research-driven program that examines company’s practices, programs and benefits and also surveys employees for their perspective. Organizations must be publicly or privately held, can be a for-profit, not-for-profit or government entity, have a facility in Virginia, have a minimum of 15 full-time or part-time employees working in Virginia and be in business for a minimum of one year. The deadline for applications is August 26 and more information can be found at BestPlacestoWorkVA.com.
GDIT Supercomputers Support NOAA Forecast Models
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has begun processing forecast models from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with two identical supercomputers. The technology website TOP500 has ranked Dogwood and Cactus as the world’s 49th and 50th fastest supercomputers. Dogwood, the primary supercomputer, is maintained in a Virginia facility and Cactus is maintained as the backup at an Arizona facility, supporting future updates to National Weather Service models used to make weather forecasts and alerts. This advancement supports next generation forecasting models for use in agriculture, transportation, air quality monitoring and the management of emergency response, and energy. They will also aid space weather impacts on communications, electrical power grids and satellite operations.
Virginia Leisure and Hospitality Jobs Coming Back
The Virginia Employment Commission has reported that the leisure/hospitality sector, hit hardest by Covid and the government-mandated economic shutdowns, gained 64,000 jobs from May 2021 to May 2022 for a total of 405,300. This is more than half of the 125,000 net jobs gained in Virginia over the past year and an 18.8 percent boost. Private sector jobs increased 3.2 percent. and the public sector increased at 2 percent.
BAE Systems Robotic Success
BAE Systems’ Robotic Technology Demonstrator (RTD) successfully fired laser-guided rockets at multiple ground targets, with a human decision in the loop, during the U.S. Army’s tactical scenario at the EDGE 22 exercise at Dugway Proving Ground. This test marked the first time an APKWS laser-guided rocket has been fired from a robotic combat vehicle (RCV). The Army has been partnering with leading technology companies to build an autonomous vehicle with cutting-edge technology, payloads, and weapons systems to support multiple mission sets for advanced capability.
Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschcurchchamber.org.
