Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
Encyclopedia
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) is an independent authority in Fairfax County, Virginia
, created under Virginia state law in 1964 and funded by Fairfax County government. The FCEDA exists to promote investment and business growth in Fairfax County in order to expand the commercial tax base. The FCEDA does this by managing marketing programs that encourage businesses to expand or relocate to the county. It is the largest non-state
economic development authority in the nation.
In addition to its marketing programs, the FCEDA provides assistance to existing and new Fairfax County businesses by locating office space, providing market information, linking entrepreneurs with potential investors, and providing liaison services between businesses and Fairfax County regulatory agencies.
The FCEDA also offers monthly workshops for entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding a business in Fairfax County. Other programs target foreign-owned and small, minority- and woman-owned businesses.
The FCEDA’s headquarters are in the Tysons Corner area of Fairfax County, with satellite offices located in Los Angeles
, Bangalore
, Munich
, London
, Seoul
and Tel Aviv
.
In 1956 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
formed an advisory group on economic development called the Industrial Development Commission. This group existed until 1964 when the Virginia General Assembly
acted to create the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Acting on concerns about population increases and funding of county services, the Board of Supervisors in the late 1970s tasked the FCEDA with its mission to create a business retention and attraction campaign that formed the basis of the EDA’s current programs and purpose.
In his book "Internet Alley: High Technology in Tysons Corner, 1945-2005," (The MIT Press, 2008), Paul E. Ceruzzi
summarizes two critical events in the history of Fairfax County economic development: the production of the "Noman Cole Report" and the first salvo in what would become an international advertising strategy executed by the Economic Development Authority.
Ceruzzi explains that in 1976 the newly elected chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Jack Herrity
, commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel for the purpose of examining the county’s existing ordinances and policies related to industrial development and growth. The panel, named for its chairman, Noman Cole, produced a report entitled the "Committee to Study the Means of Encouraging Industrial Development in Fairfax County."
The Board of Supervisors charged the Economic Development Authority with developing a business attraction and retention program. Earle Williams, one of the contributors to the report, joined the FCEDA Commission around this time and argued for a large increase in the authority’s marketing budget. As part of the marketing strategy, the authority bought a two-page ad in The Wall Street Journal
, the cost of which was beyond anything that group had ever done, as Ceruzzi notes,. These early forays into advertising were preludes to what would become a robust global advertising effort that would establish Fairfax County as a "brand" unto itself.
The combined impact of pro-growth policies and the attraction and retention campaign (led by the FCEDA advertising program) would prompt Time magazine columnist Justin Fox in 2007 to call Fairfax County "one of the great economic success stories of our time".
The FCEDA hosted the first National Conference on the Creative Economy, in Tysons Corner, Virginia
in October 2007. The conference program included keynote addresses from Richard Florida
, Thomas Friedman
and Alvin Toffler
.
In 2008 the Washington, D.C.
-based International Economic Development Council
(IEDC), the largest professional association of economic development practitioners in the world, recognized FCEDA with its 2008 Excellence in Economic Development Award for the FCEDA-produced “Power of Ideas” advertising campaign. The FCEDA received honorable mentions in two other IEDC awards categories in 2008: "Technology-Based Economic Development Program" category for localities with more than 200,000 residents and the "Special Event" category for localities with more than 200,000 residents, for the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy.
In February, 2009 Hilton Hotels
announced it would move its corporate headquarters from Beverly Hills to Fairfax County, Virginia. The Washington Post reported that Hilton Hotels "surprised the local hotel community...by announcing it was moving to the Washington region from Beverly Hills, [choosing] Fairfax after looking closely at a spot in Montgomery County near Marriott International." Hilton Hotels corporate headquarters are located in Tysons Corner.
On June 18, 2009, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) hosted “The New Urban Economic Model: The Transformation of Fairfax County" conference to examine growth in the county ,MarketWatch reports. The conference was held at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Fairfax County. As noted by Reuters keynote speakers included:
The event's Web site is at: http://www.transformingfairfax.org
In April 2010, FCEDA launched a new advertising campaign designed to promote the county’s rich quality of life.
The 30-second TV commercial, called “Statistics,” uses brightly animated statistical information on the county – presented through pie charts and other familiar visuals from business presentations – and morphs those shapes into real-life representations of various quality-of-life elements of Fairfax County. The yellow bar of a bar graph becomes a woman’s clutch, for example, and the blue wedge of a pie chart is transformed into a slice of pizza. The ad is posted at the FCEDA's video gallery. The TV commercial is the first produced by the FCEDA in a decade. It uses locations at George Mason University and a private home in the Fairfax County community of McLean. The spot, produced by Siddall of Richmond, Va., will run through the end of June on cable outlets in four markets – Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. – primarily on news and business channels. The “Statistics” campaign also includes print, online and mobile advertising.
The ad can also be viewed on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHL1hfslUVQ
In July 2010, Northrop Grumman announced that it would relocate its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles to a site in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County.
In August 2010, the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC, http://www.sedc.org) announced that Fairfax County won a 2010 Community Economic Development Award in recognition of its success in business attraction.
In December 2010, FCEDA Gordon was named 2010 Virginia Business Person of the Year by Virginia Business magazine, which cited his role in helping attract major business headquarters to Fairfax, County as a key factor in their decision. Also in December, the FCEDA was cited as the top economic development project in the state when the Virginia Chamber of Commerce awarded the authority its Virginia Torchbearer award.
, Ph.D.
Gordon is the author of 10 books, his most recent is The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America, published by CRC Press
(2009). The book is part of CRC's American Society for Public Administration
series designed to increase national and international interest for topics in public administration. The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America draws on Dr. Gordon's 25 years of experience as president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, and his involvement in assisting communities around the world. Dr. Alan Merten, president of George Mason University
in Fairfax, Virginia
, called the book "a comprehensive analytic, and clear look at the importance and complexity of economic growth...an important read for both the expert and the student."
According to the FCEDA website, the authority conducts research and stages conferences under the moniker Work/Life to “better understand broad workplace trends that impact businesses in Fairfax County and across the country.”
In September 2007, FCEDA commissioned Ipsos
, an independent research firm, to undertake a national poll on creativity in the workplace. The poll found that that, while an overwhelming majority of American workers believe they are instinctively creative, fewer than two in three think they are tapping their creative capacities on the job. The results of the national survey were reported on by such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor and Washington Post. The poll results were published in advance of the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy, a conference presented by the FCEDA.
In October 2008, the FCEDA commissioned a new survey through Ipsos that examined American workers' opinions of technology in the workplace. The survey found that an overwhelming majority of U.S. workers place a high value on technology in the workplace, so much so that almost 40 percent of employees across the labor force would consider changing jobs to work for an organization that is more committed to providing access to and training in the latest technology. Results of the survey were covered by the Associated Press
, the Washington Post and the Fox Business Network
.
In May 2009, the FCEDA partnered with Ipsos once again. This time, FCEDA chose to examine issues facing communities that, like Fairfax County, after a long period of suburbanization and increased density, are in transition to a more urban environment. The survey revealed that "living or working in the suburbs might not be all that it’s cracked up to be." Of the one in three (32%) Americans who reportedly live in a suburban environment, a majority (51%) wishes their community had more of a wide variety of offerings. The results of survey were released ahead of the FCEDA conference: “The New Urban Economic Model: The Transformation of Fairfax County" and was picked up by the Washington Business Journal, WTOP and WMAL radio. The conference featured keynote addresses by Urban Land Institute
Senior Resident Fellow (and former Indianapolis
mayor) William Hudnut and Brookings Institution
urban policy scholar Anthony Downs
.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, created under Virginia state law in 1964 and funded by Fairfax County government. The FCEDA exists to promote investment and business growth in Fairfax County in order to expand the commercial tax base. The FCEDA does this by managing marketing programs that encourage businesses to expand or relocate to the county. It is the largest non-state
State governments of the United States
State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...
economic development authority in the nation.
In addition to its marketing programs, the FCEDA provides assistance to existing and new Fairfax County businesses by locating office space, providing market information, linking entrepreneurs with potential investors, and providing liaison services between businesses and Fairfax County regulatory agencies.
The FCEDA also offers monthly workshops for entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding a business in Fairfax County. Other programs target foreign-owned and small, minority- and woman-owned businesses.
The FCEDA’s headquarters are in the Tysons Corner area of Fairfax County, with satellite offices located in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Early history
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sometimes abbreviated as FCBS, is the governing body of Fairfax County; a county of over a million in Northern Virginia. The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always occupied by the Chair...
formed an advisory group on economic development called the Industrial Development Commission. This group existed until 1964 when the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
acted to create the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Acting on concerns about population increases and funding of county services, the Board of Supervisors in the late 1970s tasked the FCEDA with its mission to create a business retention and attraction campaign that formed the basis of the EDA’s current programs and purpose.
In his book "Internet Alley: High Technology in Tysons Corner, 1945-2005," (The MIT Press, 2008), Paul E. Ceruzzi
Paul E. Ceruzzi
Paul E. Ceruzzi is curator of Aerospace Electronics and Computing at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.-Life:...
summarizes two critical events in the history of Fairfax County economic development: the production of the "Noman Cole Report" and the first salvo in what would become an international advertising strategy executed by the Economic Development Authority.
Ceruzzi explains that in 1976 the newly elected chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Jack Herrity
Jack Herrity
John F. "Jack" Herrity was a politician from Fairfax County, Virginia. He served as the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to his defeat for reelection by Democrat Audrey Moore. He has previously served as a member of the board, representing the Springfield district, from...
, commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel for the purpose of examining the county’s existing ordinances and policies related to industrial development and growth. The panel, named for its chairman, Noman Cole, produced a report entitled the "Committee to Study the Means of Encouraging Industrial Development in Fairfax County."
The Board of Supervisors charged the Economic Development Authority with developing a business attraction and retention program. Earle Williams, one of the contributors to the report, joined the FCEDA Commission around this time and argued for a large increase in the authority’s marketing budget. As part of the marketing strategy, the authority bought a two-page ad in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, the cost of which was beyond anything that group had ever done, as Ceruzzi notes,. These early forays into advertising were preludes to what would become a robust global advertising effort that would establish Fairfax County as a "brand" unto itself.
The combined impact of pro-growth policies and the attraction and retention campaign (led by the FCEDA advertising program) would prompt Time magazine columnist Justin Fox in 2007 to call Fairfax County "one of the great economic success stories of our time".
Recent history
In 2005 Site Selection Magazine named the FCEDA to its list of top economic development groups for the EDA's successful efforts to expand the number of defense contractors and research organizations in the county.The FCEDA hosted the first National Conference on the Creative Economy, in Tysons Corner, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in October 2007. The conference program included keynote addresses from Richard Florida
Richard Florida
Richard Florida is an American urban studies theorist.Richard Florida's focus is on social and economic theory. He is currently a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto. He also heads a private consulting firm, the...
, Thomas Friedman
Thomas Friedman
Thomas Lauren Friedman is an American journalist, columnist and author. He writes a twice-weekly column for The New York Times. He has written extensively on foreign affairs including global trade, the Middle East, and environmental issues and has won the Pulitzer Prize three times.-Personal...
and Alvin Toffler
Alvin Toffler
Alvin Toffler is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communication revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity....
.
In 2008 the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based International Economic Development Council
International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council, also known as the IEDC, is an organization for Economic developers. It has more than 4,000 members in North America and around the world, and is the largest organization of its kind in existence...
(IEDC), the largest professional association of economic development practitioners in the world, recognized FCEDA with its 2008 Excellence in Economic Development Award for the FCEDA-produced “Power of Ideas” advertising campaign. The FCEDA received honorable mentions in two other IEDC awards categories in 2008: "Technology-Based Economic Development Program" category for localities with more than 200,000 residents and the "Special Event" category for localities with more than 200,000 residents, for the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy.
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
announced it would move its corporate headquarters from Beverly Hills to Fairfax County, Virginia. The Washington Post reported that Hilton Hotels "surprised the local hotel community...by announcing it was moving to the Washington region from Beverly Hills, [choosing] Fairfax after looking closely at a spot in Montgomery County near Marriott International." Hilton Hotels corporate headquarters are located in Tysons Corner.
On June 18, 2009, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) hosted “The New Urban Economic Model: The Transformation of Fairfax County" conference to examine growth in the county ,MarketWatch reports. The conference was held at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Fairfax County. As noted by Reuters keynote speakers included:
- Urban Land Institute Senior Resident Fellow (and former Indianapolis Mayor) William Hudnut III
- Brookings Institution urban policy scholar Anthony Downs
- Matthew T. Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, Inc., the Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
region's principal business and civic organization
The event's Web site is at: http://www.transformingfairfax.org
In April 2010, FCEDA launched a new advertising campaign designed to promote the county’s rich quality of life.
The 30-second TV commercial, called “Statistics,” uses brightly animated statistical information on the county – presented through pie charts and other familiar visuals from business presentations – and morphs those shapes into real-life representations of various quality-of-life elements of Fairfax County. The yellow bar of a bar graph becomes a woman’s clutch, for example, and the blue wedge of a pie chart is transformed into a slice of pizza. The ad is posted at the FCEDA's video gallery. The TV commercial is the first produced by the FCEDA in a decade. It uses locations at George Mason University and a private home in the Fairfax County community of McLean. The spot, produced by Siddall of Richmond, Va., will run through the end of June on cable outlets in four markets – Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. – primarily on news and business channels. The “Statistics” campaign also includes print, online and mobile advertising.
The ad can also be viewed on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHL1hfslUVQ
In July 2010, Northrop Grumman announced that it would relocate its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles to a site in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County.
In August 2010, the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC, http://www.sedc.org) announced that Fairfax County won a 2010 Community Economic Development Award in recognition of its success in business attraction.
In December 2010, FCEDA Gordon was named 2010 Virginia Business Person of the Year by Virginia Business magazine, which cited his role in helping attract major business headquarters to Fairfax, County as a key factor in their decision. Also in December, the FCEDA was cited as the top economic development project in the state when the Virginia Chamber of Commerce awarded the authority its Virginia Torchbearer award.
Governance
The FCEDA operates under the direction of seven commissioners, who are local business people appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The commissioners govern and oversee the FCEDA’s policies and programs. Commissioners serve for four-year terms and hire the FCEDA president, who since 1987 has been Gerald L. GordonGerald L. Gordon
Gerald L. Gordon is the president and chief executive officer of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in Fairfax County, Virginia, a position he has held since late 1983....
, Ph.D.
Gordon is the author of 10 books, his most recent is The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America, published by CRC Press
CRC Press
The CRC Press, LLC is a publishing group which specializes in producing technical books. While many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics, their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information technology...
(2009). The book is part of CRC's American Society for Public Administration
American Society for Public Administration
The American Society for Public Administration is a membership association in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of government policy, public administration, and, to a lesser degree, programs of civil society...
series designed to increase national and international interest for topics in public administration. The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America draws on Dr. Gordon's 25 years of experience as president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, and his involvement in assisting communities around the world. Dr. Alan Merten, president of George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
in Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, called the book "a comprehensive analytic, and clear look at the importance and complexity of economic growth...an important read for both the expert and the student."
Research and Conferences
According to the FCEDA website, the authority conducts research and stages conferences under the moniker Work/Life to “better understand broad workplace trends that impact businesses in Fairfax County and across the country.”
In September 2007, FCEDA commissioned Ipsos
Ipsos
Ipsos S.A. is a global market research company headquartered in Paris, France. The Company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1 July 1999...
, an independent research firm, to undertake a national poll on creativity in the workplace. The poll found that that, while an overwhelming majority of American workers believe they are instinctively creative, fewer than two in three think they are tapping their creative capacities on the job. The results of the national survey were reported on by such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor and Washington Post. The poll results were published in advance of the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy, a conference presented by the FCEDA.
In October 2008, the FCEDA commissioned a new survey through Ipsos that examined American workers' opinions of technology in the workplace. The survey found that an overwhelming majority of U.S. workers place a high value on technology in the workplace, so much so that almost 40 percent of employees across the labor force would consider changing jobs to work for an organization that is more committed to providing access to and training in the latest technology. Results of the survey were covered by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, the Washington Post and the Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network is an American cable news and satellite news television channel that began broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
.
In May 2009, the FCEDA partnered with Ipsos once again. This time, FCEDA chose to examine issues facing communities that, like Fairfax County, after a long period of suburbanization and increased density, are in transition to a more urban environment. The survey revealed that "living or working in the suburbs might not be all that it’s cracked up to be." Of the one in three (32%) Americans who reportedly live in a suburban environment, a majority (51%) wishes their community had more of a wide variety of offerings. The results of survey were released ahead of the FCEDA conference: “The New Urban Economic Model: The Transformation of Fairfax County" and was picked up by the Washington Business Journal, WTOP and WMAL radio. The conference featured keynote addresses by Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...
Senior Resident Fellow (and former Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
mayor) William Hudnut and Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
urban policy scholar Anthony Downs
Anthony Downs
Anthony Downs is a scholar in public policy and public administration, and since 1977 is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C..-Education:...
.