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byline: Joan Tupponce

Waiting for commitments

Darryl Gosnell, president and CEO of Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, promotes Hampton Roads around the world, representing 10 cities and five counties. This past year was a good year for Hampton Roads in terms of interest shown in the region by companies located outside Virginia but not a great year for new capital investment, he says. “People weren’t making commitments, but we think 2013 will be great because of the strong activity in 2012.”

The region targets a variety of industries, including aerospace and aviation, maritime and logistics, advanced manufacturing, corporate and professional operations, and modeling and simulation. “About 50 percent of all the activity we see in Hampton Roads comes from international companies,” Gosnell says, adding that the area is a major center for international business because of the Port of Virginia. “We serve world markets with 20 steamship lines offering weekly service to Europe and Asia.”

The Alliance also has consultants in London, Berlin and Seoul, South Korea, who focus on marketing the area. “The Port has offices in a number of locations around the world as well as the Virginia Economic Development Partnership,” Gosnell says. “Wherever we can partner and leverage with other offices, we do so.”

Charles Rigney, Norfolk’s interim director of development, says the city saw a good deal of job creation last year. “We did great in 2012.”

Amerigroup Corp., a WellPoint subsidiary based in Virginia Beach, expanded into Norfolk’s Lake Wright Executive Center with an investment that exceeds $20 million. Norfolk also snagged the regional headquarters of AECOM, a global provider of professional technical and management support services, a move that represented an investment of $520,000, and an Urban Outfitters location for Granby Street in the downtown area. “That is a great addition to the street,” Rigney says of the popular retailer.

Germany-based Bauer Compressors plans to build a new facility on the site of its North American headquarters in the Norfolk Industrial Park. The $15 million investment will add approximately 130 jobs. “The challenge was to find a way to expand on the property they already owned,” says Rigney. “We had to compete with … locations in Suffolk and Chesapeake that they could have purchased as well as the rest of the world.” Norfolk edged out its competitors because of its proximity to the Port of Virginia and the Norfolk International Airport.

Another boost to the area: the revitalization by The Cordish Cos. of Waterside, an aging festival marketplace. The potential $38 million private-sector investment, which will create an entertainment district along the riverfront, is expected to bring about $93 million in revenue to the city during the next 30 years.

“As many as 1,000 people could be employed through this investment,” Rigney says, noting that Cordish has developed areas in Baltimore, Philadelphia and St. Louis. “We want to make the riverfront one of the nicest in the country. This attraction will complement the $8 million upgrades to Town Point Park as well as the Norfolk Tides and the USS Wisconsin.”

Virginia Beach also saw gains in 2012. The city added 18 new business locations and helped to create 1,700 jobs in the market. “We had $258 million of new capital investment, which includes new facilities, furniture and equipment,” says Warren Harris, director of economic development for Virginia Beach. “We also had 31 existing industries expand their operations.”

New companies moving into the city included Medical Facilities of America with a $30 million investment. The new medical-care facility, currently under construction, will create 120 jobs. The city also saw major expansions such as German-based IMS:Gear, which is building a new 112,000-square-foot facility, and AMSEC, a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries, which owns Newport News Shipbuilding. The company invested $3 million and moved its corporate headquarters into a new 65,000-square-foot space on Cleveland Street.

One of the biggest highlights of 2012 was the announcement of the next phase for Town Center of Virginia Beach. In November the Virginia Beach City Council approved Phase V, a $90 million investment that would include a new high-rise office building and additional residential and retail development. Clark Nexsen, a large architectural and engineering firm in Norfolk, is designing the 14-story office tower and will be an anchor tenant, occupying 80,000 square feet,  when the building is ready by July 2014.

To help draw in companies, Virginia Beach revised its Economic Development Investment Program “to assist small businesses as well as office prospects without a high capital investment to add new jobs in target industries,” Harris says. “We also made adjustments to business license taxes for new companies coming into Virginia Beach. They are capped at $50 per year for the first two years.”

Harris’ office is close to hiring an international consultant that will represent Virginia Beach in Europe. “Primarily Germany,” he says. “We are only the second city in Virginia that has an office overseas. We have had such great results coming out of Germany that we felt it was necessary to place a regular presence there.”

If Harris had to note one missed opportunity, he says it would be last year’s proposal to build an 18,500-seat arena across from the Convention Center. The project, whose partners includes Comcast-Spectacor, the owner of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and producer/promoter Live Nation, is on hold at the moment. Virginia Beach wanted the state to put up $150 million for the project, but the city wasn’t able to strike a deal with an NBA or NHL team before the General Assembly convened.

“It was a lesson learned,” says Harris, adding that Virginia Beach is one of the largest markets in the U.S. without a major arena. “We would like to still engage the public and find their sense of interest in pursuing or developing an arena without a team initially.”

The city is not only losing out on a sports team and the revenue it would bring, but also concerts and entertainment options that are passing its market. Harris believes that once an arena is built, the city would be in a “much better position to be attractive to a team.”

Last year also ended up being a good year for the Newport News Economic Development Authority. “We saw growth in new development,” says Florence Kingston, the authority’s director of development. “We have a diverse economy. When one area is not hitting on all cylinders, we have something else that is growing.”

The city has created tourism zones and is building an entertainment district at City Center at Oyster Point, a 52-acre mixed-use development in the downtown area. Two restaurants have opened in the new entertainment district — the 17,000-square-foot Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and Tucanos Brazilian Grill. A movie theater and destination microbrewery restaurant are under construction.

The authority also sealed the deal to build The Apprentice School with Huntington Ingalls Industries, owner of the Newport News Shipyard and the largest private employer in the state. The project includes a $70 million campus and school.

Also on the education front, the city saw the opening of The University of Virginia Eastern Regional Center at Newport News. The regional center will also house Virginia Tech classes. “That complements Christopher Newport University, which has continued to grow physically and in popularity and prestige,” says Kingston.

The city’s three enterprise zones also help the city’s appeal to prospective businesses. “We have the second most enterprise zones behind the Richmond area in terms of overall activity,” says Sam Workman, assistant director of development. “We have expanded one of our enterprise zones to include Air Commerce Park at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport to help attract aviation-related companies.” 

Major employers by number of jobs

Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News, 21,000 jobs

Sentara Healthcare, Norfolk, 17,000 jobs

Virginia Beach City , Public Schools, 10,000 jobs

Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, 9,000 jobs

Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, 7,427 jobs

Riverside Health System, Newport News, 7,050 jobs

Norfolk City Public Schools, 6,527 jobs

Chesapeake City Public Schools, 6,000 jobs

City of Virginia Beach, 6,000 jobs

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 5,400 jobs

Source: Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance

Eastern Virginia’s recent deals

Xerox, Chesapeake, 300 jobs

American Airlines, Norfolk, 300 jobs

LoanCare, Virginia Beach, 178 jobs

AECOM, Norfolk, 155 jobs

Bauer Compressors Inc., Norfolk, 130 jobs

Shenzhen Superwatt Power Technology Co., Suffolk, 100 jobs

Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America, Chesapeake, 96 jobs

Amerigroup Corp., Virginia Beach, 88 jobs

IMS Gear, Virginia Beach, 80 jobs

Labels Unlimited, Virginia Beach, 71 jobs

Source:  Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance

 

Diversified targets

The Northern Virginia region fared well in its economic development efforts in 2012 despite the uncertainty in the economy.

Its proximity to Washington, D.C., gives the region an edge in attracting high-tech, aerospace, aviation and military-based industries. Newer industries being targeted include telecommunications, cyber security, medicine and science, and women- and minority-owned businesses as well as education and health-care information technology.

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is setting its sights on “personalized medicine as a primary market in the next few years,” says Gerald L. Gordon, FCEDA’s president and CEO.

Other area economic development offices are diversifying as well. Loudoun County is putting an additional focus on bioinformatics, while Prince William will make a push for life sciences and forensics research. Arlington County is targeting clean/green technology and big data companies that manage and analyze the growth and use of information. “For more than a decade we have worked to support the diversification of industry sectors,” says Jennifer Ives, director of business investment for Arlington Economic Development. “We want to make sure we have as balanced an economy as possible.”

A hotbed for entrepreneurs and startups, Northern Virginia also targets and attracts many international companies looking for a location for a U.S. headquarters. Fairfax County alone boasts more than 200 European companies.

Fairfax is witnessing a transformation of Tysons Corner, which will add up to 20 million square feet of space in the next 10 years. As part of an expansion of Metrorail to Washington Dulles International Airport, four Metro stops are being built in Tysons as well as one in Reston. These new stops are expected to generate high-density development and residential growth. “That will change the face of Tysons Corner and generate more growth in Fairfax County,” says Gordon.

For the year, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership says the region had 99 announcements for a total investment of more than $1 billion that will create more than 5,200 jobs.

Intelsat headquarters
One of Fairfax’s biggest coups in 2012 involved Intelsat, a leading provider of satellite services. It plans to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to a new office tower under construction at Tysons Corner. The relocation, in mid-2014, will move more than 400 employees to Virginia. “That brought a U.S. corporate headquarters designation and 450 jobs,” Gordon says. The FCEDA’s marketing efforts include its seven global offices in Boston, Los Angeles, London, Munich, Tel Aviv, Bangalore, India and Seoul, Korea.

The Fort Belvoir corridor also is generating growth for the county, thanks to an additional 16,500 personnel assigned to the base as a result of the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) decisions. “Contractors want to be or have to be in proximity of the main gate,” Gordon says. “We anticipate growth of 8 to 10 million square feet of new office space in the vicinity of the base.”

The BRAC rollout, however, was not as kind to Arlington. “We lost 17,000 federal employees in Arlington [primarily in Rosslyn and Crystal City], and that was much larger than some bases that closed,” says Ives. On a brighter note, Arlington has up to 4,000 startup companies and small businesses specializing in areas ranging from cyber security to big data. “We are very good at what we do when it comes to assisting entrepreneurs and startups,” Ives says.

Last year’s accomplishments also included capturing the regional headquarters of Accenture, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company with 4,000 area employees as well as the international headquarters of DRS Technologies, which supplies products and support to the military, intelligence agencies and prime contractors. Other noteworthy wins include CNA’s Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research and development center, and the new UberOffices, which provide co-working space for more than 40 fast-growth technology companies. There also have been a number of expansions such as an additional 300,000-square-foot space for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).

Ives credits her department’s success to the use of lean methodologies that help business owners take ideas to the market quickly. “Being nimble and creative is something Arlington is good at,” she says.

Big wins in Loudoun
The Loudoun County Economic Development office also scored big last year bringing in 27 new companies and seeing 18 business expansions. In addition, the county will see 3 million square feet of data center space built during the next few years. “We had a number of data-center big wins,” says Tom Flynn, the county’s director of economic development.

New companies include Seattle-based Sabey Corp. (commercial real estate) with a $200 million investment and 50 jobs, iGate Corp. (information technology) with a $1 million investment and 250 jobs and Easterns Automotive Group with a $1 million investment and 100 jobs. Expansion deals include a $5 million investment from RagingWire (data center co-location), which adds 45 jobs, and a $2 million investment from Metron Aviation, adding 350 jobs.

Helping the county attract business is its ability to provide faster permitting. “That is a very useful tool,” Flynn says. “We can go to a company and say tell us what your deadlines are for construction or outfit, and we promise we will make those. We have made 100 percent.”

The economic development office also has hired a lead-generation firm to arrange meetings with companies at conferences and expos such as BIO-I.T. in Boston and the Farnborough International Air Show, an aerospace exhibition in London.

Even though economic development is on the upswing, Flynn says his office is often hampered in its efforts by a clogged, outdated road system that he tries to avoid when showing business prospects the area. He would like to see the commonwealth finally address the issue of improving highway infrastructure. “Highway 606 along Dulles, which is now a two-lane road, needs to be a four-lane road. It’s an issue of access to Dulles from both the cargo and passenger standpoint,” he says. “We have to time our visits around that to avoid showing congestion.”

Science accelerator opens
The Prince William County Department of Economic Development ended 2012 with 20 deals totaling $400 million in announced capital investment. “Prince William rose to the seventh wealthiest county in the nation by median household income,” says Brent Heavner, marketing and research manager for the county’s Department of Economic Development.

One of the county’s most significant developments was the opening of the new Prince William Science Accelerator. “This is a facility we launched through a public/private partnership to deliver much-needed wet lab space here in Northern Virginia,” Heavner says. “It’s an exciting project that we expect to spur a great deal of additional activity during 2013.”

The lack of availability of wet lab space for lease has been a challenge for the county. “Our new Science Accelerator is a great example of a public/private response to market demand that will make us more competitive,” Heavner says. “It is part of a new toolbox we are developing to enhance our ability to serve smaller entrepreneurial firms and startups.”

Other wins included Eco-Energy’s expansion of an existing ethanol distribution facility and the addition of the global firm LeaseWebb, which located both its U.S. headquarters and first U.S. data center facility in Prince William.

The competition for companies is fierce, Heavner says. “It is a dogfight for every deal out there, whether it is to retain an existing company or attract a new one.” 

Major employers by number of jobs

Booz, Allen Hamilton, Fairfax County, 7,000 -10,000+ jobs

Inova Health System, Fairfax County, 7,000 -10,000+ jobs

Federal Loan Home Mortgage Corp., Fairfax County, 4,000-6,999 jobs

Lockheed Martin, Fairfax County, 4,000-6,999 jobs

Northrop Grumman, Fairfax County, 4,000-6,999 jobs

SAIC, Fairfax County, 4,000-6,999 jobs

Deloitte, Arlington County, 5,100 jobs

Accenture, Arlington County, 4,000 jobs

AOL Inc, Loudoun County, 1,001-5,000 jobs

M.C. Dean Inc.,  Loudoun County 1,001-5,000 jobs

Source:  Economic development offices

Northern Virginia’s recent deals
TASC Inc., Fairfax County, 494 jobs

Intelsat, Fairfax County, 430 jobs

INTEGRITYOne Partners Inc., Fairfax County, 352 jobs

Metron Aviation, Loudoun County, 350 jobs

OMNIPLEX World Services Corp., Fairfax County, 325 jobs

iGate Corp., Loudoun County, 250 jobs

CACI International, Fairfax County, 221 jobs

Kaiser Permanente, Fairfax County, 146 jobs

Volkswagen of America Inc., Fairfax County, 130 jobs

DRS Technologies, Arlington County, 125 jobs

Source:  Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Seizing opportunities

Florence Kingston, director of development for the Newport News Economic Development Authority, is looking forward to the opening of The Apprentice School this December. The 6-acre, $70 million mixed-use redevelopment project includes an 80,000-square-foot apprentice school that will train workers for Newport News Shipbuilding, which builds nuclear subs and aircraft carriers. The project also is expected to revitalize the city’s downtown area by adding approximately 197 work-force housing units and retail opportunities.  “It will bring more people living downtown and support more service and retail,” says Kingston.

The project began in 2010 when shipyard owner Huntington Ingalls Industries talked to the city about building a new school. “We started to explore the site opportunity jointly,” says Sam Workman, the authority’s assistant director of development. “We were trying to satisfy the needs of all of the entities involved.”

One of the shipyard’s goals was elevating the stature of the apprenticeship program, which started in 1919 as a trade school. The shipyard spends approximately $30 million annually in training and certifications. The school has fully accredited business and engineering degree tracks with college credits that can be transferred. 

When Huntington Ingalls told the city it was thinking of moving the school outside the gate of the shipyard, the city saw it as an opportunity to re-energize the area by bringing more housing and retail opportunities downtown. “We needed to look at this as an opportunity for mutual goals,” Kingston says.

The Economic Development Authority worked in collaboration with the city, the Industrial Development Authority, the commonwealth of Virginia, Huntington Ingalls and Armada Hoffler Development Co. to meet everyone’s goal. “It was a highly complex project,” says Workman. “Much of the complexity was designing a project that would be visually appealing but also meet the function needs of all entities.”

The deal, which included $25 million funding from the Commonwealth’s Advanced Shipbuilding Training Grant, was finalized in the latter half of 2011. The project was a lesson in collaboration and creativity. “If you are creative and attuned to thinking about how to garner benefits for multiple parties, you end up with something bigger and better that is more sustainable and impactful,” Kingston says.

The project will be transformational for the city and shipyard, Workman believes. “It’s one of the most important development projects that Newport News has undertaken in its rich history of development.”

The Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development took advantage of a similar development. In April 2011, the department official learned during a trade show in Germany that IMS Gear planned to expand its U.S. operations. “We talked with local representatives of IMS Gear, and they informed us they were doing an early analysis, looking at Gainesville, Ga., where their U.S. headquarters is located, and Virginia Beach,” says Warren Harris, director of the economic development department. 

IMS Gear Virginia Inc., which has had a 40,000-square-foot operation in Virginia Beach since 2000, is a subsidiary of German-based IMS Gear GmbH, one of the leading manufacturers of automotive gear assemblies for the North American market.

The economic development department pulled together a team with local and state representatives and narrowed possible locations for a new facility. “We needed to create a site,” says Harris, noting that the Virginia Department of Transportation stepped in with funds from its Industrial Road Access program. “They have got a grant that helps with costs from extending the road infrastructure. They awarded the funding to help defray costs.”
The department worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to help close the deal. “It made good sense at the point we felt we had a good solid deal in the works,” Harris says of the state’s involvement.
As part of the deal, Gov. Bob McDonnell approved a $200,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist the city of Virginia Beach as well as a $300,000 performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program and a $450,000 Economic Development Investment Program Grant from the city. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance also is providing funding and services to support the company’s recruitment and training activities through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The company will invest $35.5 million for the new 112,000-square-foot facility, which will create 80 new jobs.

Negotiations for the project flowed smoothly. “It helps having a good relationship with an existing business,” says Harris, noting that the company was familiar with the city’s proximity to the Port of Virginia and the area’s well-trained labor force. Timing was crucial, he adds. “We had to demonstrate that we could do the project in a defined time period because machinery had to be delivered that they would be using to manufacture the products.”

Construction of the project began last year in late summer. “I know that IMS Gear is very pleased with the outcome,” Harris says, adding that it wasn’t any one factor that cinched the deal. “It was all the elements that won the project for Virginia Beach.” 

Putting the pieces together

Gerald L. Gordon touts the pro-business environment in Fairfax County and the commonwealth whenever he talks to prospective companies. “You can’t underestimate that. It’s huge,” says the president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. “It’s an enormous asset for us.”

At a time when government contracting and some other industry segments have slowed, Gordon was delighted the FCEDA snagged Intelsat, a major provider of satellite services, in 2012. The deal was another step in diversifying Fairfax County’s economy.

Intelsat will relocate its U.S. headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Fairfax County in 2014, moving at least 430 employees to Virginia. It will lease approximately 188,000 square feet of space in Tysons Tower, a 20-story office building under construction in Tysons Corner Center. The new tower and the nearby Silver Line Metro stop fit Intelsat’s requirements, which included a modern, collaborative workspace and a first-class transportation system along with a highly skilled work force.

Incentives for the deal included a $1.3 million grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund plus funding and services through the Virginia Department of Business Assistance’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program to support the company’s recruitment, training and retraining activities.

“It was a smooth process,” says Gordon. “Our role was showing them the options that were available for buildings to satisfy their needs and working to put together an incentive package with the state and VEDP.”
FCEDA provided Intelsat with a wide range of information, including market data that would help the company make a decision. It was a relatively short process, only four months in the making. “We started in late summer last year,” Gordon says, noting that the official announcement was made in December.

The economic development authority learned from several sources that Intelsat was considering a move. “One was a contact that we have worked with,” Gordon says. “People in the real estate community made some connections for us.”

The decision to move to Fairfax did not depend on just one or two factors, Gordon says. A variety of concerns made the difference, including location, office space, proximity to contractors and sub-contractors, a qualified work force, ease of access, safety and the quality of the local education system. “We have one of the lowest crime rates in America of any jurisdiction over 100,000,” says Gordon. “We are safe, we have many jobs and we have a highly educated, diverse population. What’s not to like?”

In nearby Arlington County, the economic development office looks for technology-related business prospects in marketing the county, specifically targeting educational information technology companies.
The county had a recent big win when Hobsons, the education unit of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc in London, located its regional headquarters in Arlington. The company provides services to more than 7,500 schools and colleges around the world.

“We love the company and the technology,” says Jennifer Ives, the economic development department’s director of business investment. “The company has grown rapidly in the U.S.”
Hobsons was looking at Washington, D.C., as a possible location for its regional headquarters when the economic development department heard about the opportunity. The department began working with the company in September 2009. At the time, Arlington was competing with other Northern Virginia locations along with Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, the company’s U.S. headquarters location. “They wanted access to D.C. but didn’t want to be in D.C.,” Ives says. “They wanted to be in Virginia.”

The company had acquired D.C.-based Naviance and Fairfax-based AY Recruiting Solutions in 2007, so it was familiar with the area. It was looking for a “vibrant location” as well as an area with a highly trained work force. “The company needs to be sure they had that and could attract a work force,” Ives says. “Arlington has that hand-over-fist. It became the logical choice.”

Another plus: Arlington’s public school system. “Our schools are some of the best in the country,” Ives says. “Other localities can’t claim that. Good schools make a difference.”

Based on its headcount, Hobsons qualified for several incentive programs, including the commonwealth’s Job Investment Program and Major Business Facility Tax Credit.

The company was attracted to the fast-growing Clarendon area of the county because of its mix of apartments, condominiums and single-family homes. It signed a lease in December 2010. “It fit the bill. The company’s wish list described Arlington County to the ‘T.’ They fell in love with it,” Ives says, adding that all the amenities combined that helped seal the deal. “It’s not just one slice. It’s the entire pie.” 

Keeping the door open

Bob Eisiminger, the president and CEO of Knight Point Systems LLC, is passionate about creating a culture “that has a small-company feel; a company that feels like family.”

That family feel has helped the Reston-based IT services company retain its position as the top small employer in the Best Places to Work in Virginia for two years in a row. (It probably won’t be eligible for that category next year. The company work force, which stood at 98 when it underwent Best Places surveys last fall, now stands at 100.)

The business provides a wide range of offerings, from cloud services to cyber security, that help federal government agencies and corporations consolidate and optimize their data centers.

One feature that makes Knight Point stand out is the accessibility of its executive team, Eisiminger says. “People are not afraid to talk to leadership even if it’s the CEO. Everyone is approachable.”

The company also has team spirit. Employees share in developing solutions to clients’ needs. “If you ask people to bring solutions, they are going to bring you something that is pretty good,” Eisiminger says. “They become more proficient in what they do.”

In addition to its Reston headquarters, the company has locations in Stennis, Miss.; Ogden, Utah; Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.

In 2012, Knight Point ranked No. 2,674 on the Inc. 5000. From 2008 to 2011, revenues grew 88 percent, jumping from $11.1 million to $20.8 million.

The company’s growth in 2012 was the result of it establishing a cyber-security service and winning five new contracts. One of those new contracts, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, involves providing information assurance and incident response work for the agency’s headquarters.

“We are leveraging the latest security tools to keep customers and agency information safe,” says Eisiminger. “We are providing subject matter expertise that assesses and defends against emerging threats to protect critical assets.”

Eisiminger wants to see the company grow 10 times its current size — in revenue and employees — in the next 10 years. It has 30 subcontractors in addition to its 100 employees. “We would like to get to 1,000 employees,” he says.

But, he vows, rapid growth won’t erode the company core values — candor, competence, confidence and commitment. It also plans to continue emphasizing training and certifications. The company is constantly creating new coursework for employees. “We try to switch out our training every year,” Eisiminger says. “If we have training or a certification that employees would like to take as it relates to their job, we try and set it up. In the future we will offer cross-functional training.”

Knight Point promotes from within, giving employees the chance to take leadership roles. “We have pulled people off of contracts and promoted them into lines of business leads,” Eisiminger says. “We are increasing the layers of leadership as we continue to grow and also providing opportunities for promotion.”

In 2011, Knight Point implemented an Emerging Leaders Program that graduated its first class of eight in 2012. The program, conducted by the company’s executive management team, was revamped before its 2013 yearlong sessions.
As part of the program, employees traveled with executives to Gettysburg, Pa., in May for a full day of leadership training based on the Civil War battle that took place there in 1863. “A lot of business leadership lessons come from the commanders at Gettysburg,” Eisiminger says.

Two retired Army Special Forces officers talked about strategy as they walked the battlefield with Knight Point personnel. “We had discussions from a business perspective,” Eisiminger says.

Knight Point’s benefits include annual profit sharing. “Employees have to earn the [profit sharing] through additional training and certification as well as mandatory training that we have folks go through,” Eisiminger says.

The company also wants its employees to have fun. It took 14 of its Ogden, Utah, employees and their families to The Lagoon, an amusement park near Ogden and also held a large picnic for employees in the Washington, D.C.-area. 
Knight Point also recognizes two employees of the year. Last February, the company sent those employees and two former employees of the year and their spouses to Cancun, Mexico. 

Eisiminger, a disabled veteran and a West Point graduate, says he is committed to organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project. “Giving back to the troops is so important. We do a lot of activities with soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and in Bethesda,” he says.

Knight Point employees also donate their time to various causes. The company will sponsor employees “if they are committed to a cause and they ask us for help financially,” Eisiminger says. “If they are willing to do some activity for the cause, we are always generous.”