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byline: Richard Foster

The Omni Homestead Resort gets new managing director

A longtime luxury resort executive, Mark Spadoni, has been hired as managing director for The Omni Homestead Resort, the hotel announced Monday.

For the past 20 years, Spadoni has served as the general manager for the AAA Four-Diamond, 403-room Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa and Club at Savannah Harbor in Georgia.

During Spadoni’s time in Savannah, he established the nonprofit Savannah Harbor Foundation, which sponsors family-friendly events and support children’s charities. He also co-founded the Savannah VOICE Festival, a nonprofit that supports opera and classical music performances and education. He has served on the board of directors for the Savannah Convention Center, Savannah Tourism Council, Visit Savannah and the Savannah Chamber of Commerce.

In March 2020, Spadoni received the Savannah Tourism Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I am incredibly honored to be joining the Omni family and to take the helm of such an iconic resort. The Homestead’s reputation as one of the grand dames of American resorts is well known in the industry, and I’m looking forward to continuing and building on that legacy,” Spadoni said in a statement. “As an avid golfer, I’m very excited to reacclimate myself with The Cascades and Old Course.”

Before his time in Savannah, Spadoni was a general manager for Westin properties in Hilton Head, South Carolina; Stamford, Connecticut; New York; New Orleans; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark into our Omni family,” said Peter Strebel, president at Omni Hotels & Resorts. “Mark is a highly regarded hospitality executive known for creating innovative guest experiences and building strong partnerships within the community. His experience leading his teams through economic downturns and extensive renovations will be invaluable as The Omni Homestead Resort emerges into a post-COVID world.”

 

 

The Breeden Co. names CFO for Breeden Construction

Virginia Beach-based real estate development firm The Breeden Co. has promoted Angie Loew to vice president and chief financial officer of its Richmond-based Breeden Construction division.

Loew joined Breeden in 2004 as a commercial accountant and served most recently as divisional controller of the company’s general contracting division.

Loew will be responsible for all financial oversight and regulatory compliance duties for Breeden Construction, as well as overseeing audit and review functions and assisting the executive management team in establishing long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies.

“With her combination of experience and leadership skills, as well as her thorough knowledge of Breeden Construction’s financial operations, Angie was the obvious choice as our new division CFO. She is a great addition to the executive team and has the full confidence of me, our executive leadership and the entire Breeden organization,” said The Breeden Co. Chief Operating Officer Tim Faulkner in a statement.

 

 

CACI promotes exec to CTO

Arlington-based federal technology contractor CACI International Inc. has promoted executive Glenn Kurowski as chief technology officer

“Glenn’s knowledge and experience in guiding differentiated technologies from idea to the field makes him the perfect individual to ensure our customers can best execute their missions, as well as drive long-term value for our shareholders,” CACI President and CEO John Mengucci said in a statement issued Monday.

Kurowski, who joined CACI six years ago, is also a senior vice president. He previously worked as a vice president for nearly 30 years for Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp. As CACI’s CTO, he will “lead corporate technology outreach and help realize CACI’s technical vision, its investments for growth in national security technology, as well as to continue building the company’s scientific, engineering, and technical talent,” the company said in a news release.

Founded in 1962, CACI specializes in enterprise and mission technology. The company has approximately 23,000 employees and is on the Fortune 1000 list.

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Telecom company SES building $17M facility in Prince William

Luxembourg-based telecommunications company SES will invest $17 million in a new U.S. hub facility in Prince William County facility where it will merge its satellite and network operations, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The facility is expected to create up to 200 net jobs by 2026.

“In consolidating our local SES satellite and network operations and selecting a U.S. hub to house them all, we needed to consider our employees’ commutes, locale of our existing satellite infrastructure investments, and access to a broader engineering talent pool,” SES CEO Steve Collar said in a statement. “We are pleased that we have landed on the ideal location of Prince William County, as this new hub provides SES with the space to continue providing seamless services and aligns with our goal to deliver future-proof and innovative solutions for customers while adapting how we will work in a post-pandemic world. With more people demanding more connectivity and data services, we will also be looking at engaging top talent across Virginia to grow our technology and global services teams in the coming months and would welcome candidates’ applications from the area.”

The facility will be located at 8050 Piney Branch Lane in the Piney Industrial Park in Prince William’s Bristow area.

SES is a global terrestrial and satellite telecommunications network provider. Its satellites include the medium Earth orbit O3b internet satellite constellation, as well as the European Astra television satellites, which reach more than 360 million households. The company has roughly 2,100 employees worldwide.

Virginia competed with Maryland and Washington, D.C., for the project. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Prince William County to secure the project for Virginia. Northam approved a $500,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Prince William County with the project. SES is eligible to receive benefits from the Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created. Funding and services to support SES employee recruitment and training activities will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“The growing presence of SES in Prince William County is an indication that the region and the commonwealth have the infrastructure, workforce, and strategic access to help technology businesses thrive,” Northam said in a statement. “Northern Virginia is renowned for its world-class technology talent pipeline, which will pay significant dividends for SES as the company continues to grow and execute its business plan.”

Leesburg anti-phishing tech company Cofense buys Israeli firm

Leesburg-based tech firm Cofense, which specializes in phishing detecting and response solutions, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Israel-based Cyberfish, a company that provides artificial intelligence-based technology to battle phishing emails and websites.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. According to a news release, Cofense plans to use the data it has gathered on phishing “to train and evolve Cyberfish’s machine-learning algorithms to block malicious emails in real time.”

“Together, Cofense and Cyberfish will offer a one-stop shop for an organization’s email security needs, eliminating the need for many expensive and slow-to-deploy legacy solutions,” said Cofense CEO and co-founder Rohyt Belani in a statement. “With organizations increasingly working to consolidate technology vendors, we are laying the groundwork to support our customers in this endeavor and maintain the high quality they expect in whatever solutions they adopt. This includes our ongoing commitment to the MSP ecosystem Cyberfish has developed. Disrupting the email security market is in Cofense’s DNA, and we look forward to advancing phishing detection and response capabilities for more organizations and MSPs in 2021.”

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N.C. air purifier manufacturer will build $5.6M plant in Radford

Oransi, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based manufacturer of air purifiers, will invest $5.6 million to establish a manufacturing facility in Radford, creating 101 jobs, according to an announcement Wednesday from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

“Oransi is very pleased to establish its first manufacturing facility in the city of Radford to develop and manufacture our best-in-class air purifiers,” Oransi founder and CEO Peter Mann said in a statement. “We selected the location because of the exceptional local engineering talent pool that will support our continued growth, while inspiring innovation, creativity and collaboration. We hope to provide one of the best employee experiences in the New River Valley.”

Founded in 2009, Oransi makes air purifiers for consumers, businesses and health care professionals. Located at 113 Corporate Drive in the Plymouth Building, Oransi’s Radford facility will be its first manufacturing plant. Virginia competed with North Carolina for the facility.

“Our focus on developing a well-trained, reliable workforce continues to yield new jobs and investment as innovative companies like Oransi choose to grow their companies in Virginia,” Northam said in a statement. “The New River Valley boasts higher education institutions and training programs that will ensure a steady talent pipeline for Oransi now and into the future. We are thrilled to welcome this veteran-owned company to our commonwealth and remain confident that we have the infrastructure and business environment to support their success here.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Radford and Onward New River Valley to secure the project for Virginia. Northam approved a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Radford with the project. Oransi is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee recruitment and training activities will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

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Caliburn International will separate into two companies

Calling it a “natural progression,” Reston-based professional services company Caliburn International announced Wednesday that it will split into two companies to focus on different capabilities.

The federal contractor, which has about 8,500 employees, says it expects to complete the separation by Sept. 30. It also announced shifts in leadership to oversee the new companies, Acuity International and Valiance Humanitarian.

Acuity will take on three of Caliburn’s business units: engineering and technology, advanced medical and global mission. Robert “Bob” Stalick, president of Caliburn’s engineering and technology unit, will serve as Acuity’s CEO. Stalick, who joined Caliburn in November, will continue to serve as president and CEO of Maryland-based Owl Cyber Defense, which will collaborate with Acuity. Stalick said Acuity plans to go to market with two software products in the second quarter, CostPro and MLINK.

Caliburn International and Owl Cyber Defense are owned by Alexandria-based private equity investment firm DC Capital Partners.

Caliburn’s migrant detention-related contracts, primarily for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, will fall under Valiance Humanitarian, with headquarters in Los Fresnos, Texas. Melissa Aguilar has been named as Valiance’s CEO.

Caliburn CEO Jim Van Dusen will serve on the board of Acuity and advise both companies.

“Caliburn has reached a pivotal moment in its evolution and growth, Caliburn board chairman Thomas J. Campbell said in a statement, “and this decision to split the company into two separate entities will allow each company to have the strategic focus to better satisfy its respective customers’ missions.”

Caliburn International was formed in 2018 as a conglomerate of federal contracting businesses owned by DC Capital Partners. Caliburn’s wholly owned subsidiaries include the controversial Comprehensive Health Services, which has been described as the nation’s only for-profit operator of federally funded detention shelters for unaccompanied migrant children.

Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly joined Caliburn’s board of directors in 2019; he had served on DC Capital Partners’ board prior to joining the Trump administration in 2017.

In early 2019, one out of six of the 12,500 migrant children in U.S. custody were housed at Homestead, a Florida detention center run by Comprehensive Services that was shut down by federal authorities in August amid heavy protests from human rights and immigrants groups. National Public Radio categorized Homestead as “the largest and most controversial shelter for migrant children in the U.S.,” noting that critics described it as a “makeshift prison camp.” Caliburn’s contract to operate the Homestead center ended in November 2019 and was not renewed by the Trump administration.

In February, the Miami Herald reported that the Biden administration was looking at reopening the Homestead center, which has changed names. Caliburn has been reported to be among the companies bidding for the contract to operate the facility.

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McLean-based DISYS to acquire Florida staffing company

McLean-based global managed services and staffing firm Digital Intelligence Systems LLC (DISYS) has signed an agreement to acquire Signature Consultants LLC, an IT staffing, consulting and managed solutions company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, DISYS announced Wednesday.

Exact financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, but the deal creates a company with 8,500 employees and combined annual revenues of $860 million. DISYS says the transaction makes it one of the nation’s 10 largest IT staffing companies, as well as the second-largest minority-owned staffing company in the country, according to a company news release. Wells Fargo & Co. and Washington, D.C.-based The Carlyle Group will provide debt financing for the transaction.

DISYS CEO and co-founder Mahfuz Ahmed will serve as CEO for the combined organization. Both companies will retain their respective branding and Signature founder and former CEO Jay Cohen will remain with the new company, overseeing day-to-day operations at the Signature subsidiary, as well as its cultural integration with DISYS.

“We think we’re going to build a powerhouse,” Ahmed said in an interview, noting that the two companies are closely matched in size and had only 10 overlapping clients. “This deal was not just about getting bigger; it was about truly getting better. That’s what we’re really excited about.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ahmed said, “Combining forces with Signature is a great strategic fit for both of our organizations. This brings expanded opportunities as we continue to diversify our account portfolio and puts us within striking distance of becoming a $1 billion firm. DISYS and Signature share attributes that create a synergistic whole and we believe our complementary service offering will enable us to reach new levels of growth. We are stronger together and look ahead to a bright future as we continue to set the standard for the staffing and solutions industry.”

Founded in 1994 out of a co-founder’s basement, DISYS reported $437 million in revenues in 2020 and the company employs about 4,800 people, including 800 subcontractors. Signature LLC reported about $445 million in revenue for 2020 and was established in 1997. The combined company will have more than 40 offices and four delivery centers located in the U.S. and eight other nations.

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Genworth kills long-delayed $2.7B acquisition

Henrico County-based Fortune 500 insurer Genworth Financial Inc. announced Tuesday that it has formally terminated its long-delayed $2.7 billion acquisition by China-based Oceanwide Holdings Group Co. Ltd.

The news follows a Jan. 5 announcement by Genworth that it was putting a hold on the deal, first announced in 2016. At the same time, the company said it would be exploring a contingency plan that included a potential partial initial public offering (IPO) of the company’s mortgage insurance business. That would help the business meet its $1 billion in debt obligations due this year. During a special shareholders meeting in early January, Genworth President and CEO Tom McInerney said that the company is planning the IPO for the first half of 2021.

“Genworth’s Board of Directors has concluded that Oceanwide will be unable to close the proposed transaction within a reasonable time frame and that greater clarity about Genworth’s future is needed now in order for the  company to execute its plans to maximize shareholder value. Thus, the Board decided to terminate the Oceanwide merger agreement,” said James Riepe, non-executive chairman of the Genworth Board of Directors, said in a statement. “Although disappointed after more than four years of efforts, I want to especially thank our shareholders, regulators, policyholders, customers and employees, for their patience and support as we all persevered through an especially long and arduous cross-border approval process.”

“We are grateful for Oceanwide’s commitment to our planned transaction over the years,” McInerney said in a statement. “While we believe it is necessary and appropriate at this stage to terminate the transaction, Genworth continues to share [Oceanwide] Chairman Lu’s vision of bringing long-term care solutions to the aging population in China. Both parties believe there are significant, compelling opportunities to address critical societal needs outside of the U.S.”

In late November 2020, the two companies announced that Oceanwide’s acquisition of Genworth had been reapproved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission, and the acquisition, which has been frequently postponed since 2016, was previously delayed until Dec. 31, 2020.

According to company statements, financing, COVID-19-related restrictions and regulatory hurdbles have been to blame for the acquisition’s continued delays.

Genworth employs approximately 3,500 people, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings made in 2018. In 2019, the company reported $343 million in net income.

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Va. restaurant, hospitality industry seeks $270M+ in relief funding

Hard hit by the pandemic, Virginia’s restaurant and hospitality industry is asking the General Assembly to dedicate more than $270 million from the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan dollars to assist hotels, restaurants and other hospitality-related industries.

In a letter sent Tuesday to members of the state legislature’s money committees, the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association requested that the General Assembly allocate $273.35 million from the Virginia state government’s $3.76 billion share of the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

Eric Terry

“Supporting these organizations with additional funding will ensure that more businesses survive, that workers stay employed, and that tourism across the commonwealth rebounds more quickly,” VRLTA President Eric Terry said in the April 6 letter addressed to House Appropriations Committee Chair Del. Luke Torian and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Janet Howell.

Signed into law by Biden on March 11, the federal plan stipulates that 25% of American Rescue Plan funding should be allocated to assist states and communities “that have suffered economic injury as a result of job and gross domestic product losses in the travel, tourism, or outdoor recreation sectors.”

Virginia and its localities are receiving about $6.9 billion from the American Rescue Plan, which includes extending expanded unemployment benefits through Labor Day, $1,400 relief checks to individuals, and grants for small businesses.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Virginia and its localities to alleviate the economic losses sustained through the pandemic in the hospitality and tourism industries,” reads a statement from the association.

Tourism accounts for $27 billion in annual revenue in the commonwealth. Restaurants brought in more than $18 billion in revenue for 2018 and lodging accounted for roughly $6 billion in the state in 2019. The state association estimates that collectively the industries lost $14.8 billion in 2020 due to the pandemic, with tourism alone losing $10 billion.

In the April 6 letter, the association is requesting the following relief funding:

  • $184.7 million for hotels and other lodging establishments
  • $36.7 million for restaurants
  • $20 million for the Virginia Tourism Corp.
  • $10 million for tourist attractions
  • $12.25 million for tourism entities
  • $2 million for campgrounds
  • $4.7 million for wedding venues
  • $1.5 million for convention centers
  • $1.5 million for job training for restaurant and lodging employees seeking jobs or improve skills

“You got a $27 billion industry that needs help, and we would do that for any other industry, I think,” Terry said in an interview with Virginia Business.

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