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byline: Sydney Lake

Herndon IT services company names data, analytics director

Herndon-based information technology services company B3 Group Inc. announced Tuesday that Laura Schweitzer has been hired as its director of data and analytics, effective July 22.

Schweitzer most recently led health care advanced analytics PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — the world’s largest professional services company with more than $35 billion in revenue. In her new role, she will connect and manage customized offerings through the company’s transformation services in the areas of artificial intelligence and analytics.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and her master’s degree in statistics from the University of South Carolina. 

Founded in 2008, B3 Group became a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business in 2011. This year, the company won the technology category of the Fantastic 50, which recognizes the state’s fastest-growing companies each year. Between 2015 and 2018, B3 Group reported more than a 3,000% growth rate.

 

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Construction investments shrank by roughly 30% last quarter

While the U.S. domestic gross product in the second quarter dropped to its lowest point since 1947, nonresidential and residential fixed investment contracted by 27% and 38.7%, respectively, the (ABC) reported Thursday.

“Despite ‘s status as an essential industry in most cities and states, the sector did not escape the wrath of during the worst economic quarter on record,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said in a statement. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday that the national GDP shrank by nearly 33% in the second quarter. ABC also reports that investment in nonresidential fixed structures contracted by 34.9%.

“ABC’s Construction Confidence Index indicates that a majority of contractors suffered some form of interruption to their activities during the second quarter, whether due to a lack of available inputs as global supply chains buckled, project postponements or cancellations, job-site workforce issues or state and local government mandates,” Basu said in a statement.

While retail and hospitality took a harder hit, construction activity also fell dramatically in the office, lodging and commercial sectors, the ABC reported.

“Many contractors in these segments maintain an ostensibly healthy level of backlog, according to ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, but the possibility of outright cancellation remains elevated as obtaining project financing becomes more challenging and vacant office and retail space accumulates,” Basu said. 

The ABC expects recovery to be erratic during the next several months, which will in turn delay construction’s rebound, including “segments that are likely to be significant contributors to construction spending growth in the future, such as data centers, fulfillment centers, healthcare and manufacturing,” Basu said. “With case counts spiking in parts of the nation, the U.S. economy has yet to begin a rapid economic recovery.”

 

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Sentara, Truist launch emergency meals program with state

As Feeding America projects that more than 1 million Virginians will face food insecurity this year, Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare, Optima Health and Truist Financial Corp., along with the state government, launched the “We Care” Virginia Emergency Fund Support Plan to provide free meals to families during the pandemic. 

The state committed $1.4 million of its federal Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to the initiative, and Sentara and Charlotte, North Carolina-based Truist each committed $500,000. 

“Sentara is committed to addressing health disparities in the communities we serve,” Sentara President and CEO Howard Kern said in a statement. “We are honored to partner with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, Truist and the commonwealth as we embark on this important plan to address the impacts of food insecurity on our fellow Virginians.”

Other businesses and organizations, including Humana, Northern Neck Virginia Insurance, CVS Health/Aetna, the Wawa Foundation and Tito’s Vodka, brought the total funding to $2.6 million.

” are hurting right now, and the commonwealth intends to be part of the solution to make sure people have access to the food the need,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. “In America, we take care of each other in tough times, and I’m grateful to the community partners who are stepping up.”

In total, the We Care initiative is anticipated to support the distribution of approximately 100,000 boxes of food. The 20-pound boxes are filled with a five-day food supply, which will be distributed by the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.

“We are pleased to witness such an outpouring of advocacy through the ‘We Care’ initiative, and as a result, look forward to distributing healthy, nutritious meals to our neighbors in need,” Ruth Jones Nichols, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, said in a statement. “This public-private partnership is truly demonstrative of our belief that, ‘together, we can solve hunger.’”

 

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Industrial building in Ashland sells for $2.7M

An industrial building in Ashland has sold for $2.756 million, Glen Allen-based commercial real estate company Commonwealth Commercial Partners LLC announced Wednesday.

Located at 11250 Hopson Road, the 52,500-square-foot building sits on more than 3.6 acres of land. TMC Properties LLC (doing business as Green Air Inc., The Duct Shop and Evolve Air Systems) purchased the property from Gloria Sydnor in a transaction that closed July 23. Colton Konvicka and Nate Krey of Commonwealth Commercial Partners represented the buyer and Kevin Cox of Porter Realty Co. Inc. represented the seller.

Green Air Inc., an air conditioning contractor, will move from its current office at 105 Sylvia Road in Ashland to occupy approximately 28,000 square feet of the Hopson Road property. This will double the company’s existing space to accommodate business growth, according to Commonwealth Commercial Partners. Green Air plans to renovate the space while maintaining the long-term lease of the existing single tenant of the remaining space.

The sale was an owner occupant/investment, reverse 1031 exchange for the buyer, which allows real estate investors to purchase a second investment property before selling their relinquished property.

 

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General Dynamics subsidiary lands $201M VA contract

The U.S. Department of (VA) awarded Falls Church-based General Dynamics Information Technology Inc. a potential three-year, $201 million contract to provide software development and information technology services (DevOps) to improve the department applications, according to reports. GDIT is a subsidiary of Fortune 100 aerospace and defense contractor

GDIT will use DevOps to develop, customize and improve applications using Microsoft Dynamics 365 software. GDIT will also provide services including product and delivery management, software development, systems architecture, user research, information architecture and integration services, as well as perform data analytics to update existing VA applications.

The VA had received five bids for the task order and awarded it through the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation contract. In September 2019, GDIT was among other federal contracting giants (Accenture Federal Services, GovernmentCIO, Deloitte, Leidos and IBM) to be awarded a $900 million contract to provide mail management services through the VA Veterans Intake, Conversion and Communication Services IDIQ.

For the past 25 years, GDIT has provided support to the federal government’s priority telecommunications services program to ensure that hundreds of thousands of registered users, including the White House, are able to communicate when communications systems are congested with traffic or are damaged. In December 2019, General Dynamics won the largest Navy contract ever awarded, a $22.2 billion multiyear order for nine (or potentially 10) nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarines capable of launching Tomahawk missiles.

 

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Navy awards SAIC $63.5M contract

The awarded a $63.5 million contract to Science Applications International Corp. () to provide mission engineering and integration services, the -based defense contractor announced Thursday.

Under the SeaPort-NxG Multiple Award Contract, SAIC will provide services to the Global Deterrence and Defense Department (Code GX) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NWSC) in Crane, Indiana. Code GX provides systems engineering and strategic programs for the Department of Defense. SAIC will deliver facilities, equipment and administration support for advanced hypersonic technologies (aerodynamic systems) supported by Code GX. 

“SAIC looks forward to the opportunity to support NSWC Crane with our proven ability to fill gaps, handle project surges, and use the inherent knowledge we have accumulated over the past 30 years to solve complex technical challenges,” Jim Scanlon, SAIC executive vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems Group, said in a statement. “We are proud to earn the confidence of NSWC Crane, and to support their mission by providing engineering and technical support for Navy sensors, electronics, electronic warfare and special warfare weapons.”

The contract has a one-year base period and four one-year options which could include research and development, engineering, cybersecurity, modeling, simulation and system safety.

SAIC employs more than 25,000 and has pro forma annual revenues of $7.1 billion.

 

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Dewberry to provide QA for $3.8B Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel project

Fairfax-based engineering consulting firm announced Friday it will provide quality assurance services for the entire $3.8 billion (HRBT) project — the largest project in Virginia and the Virginia Department of ‘s (VDOT) history. 

A contract amount was not disclosed.

The Interstate 64 HRBT is currently 3.5 miles long and has two-lane tunnels which connect artificial islands with trestle bridges to shore. The expansion is expected to take five years and will include twin two-lane bored tunnels, which will increase capacity for traffic. Tunnel boring machines are being used for only the fourth time in the nation to complete the project. 

“This design-build project requires a robust quality program and our team, working in collaboration with the tunnel contractor and VDOT, will help deliver a successful construction project,” Dave Mahoney, Dewberry executive vice president, said in a statement. “The two new tunnels and bridge/roadway improvements will have a huge impact on traffic safety and ease the congestion in such a populated area of Virginia.”  

In February 2019, Hampton Roads Connector Partners, a joint venture led by New York-based Dragados USA, won the design-build contract for the project. This spring and early summer, workers relocated utilities on South Island and shifted lanes on the south-approach trestle, with North Island expansion set to start in October. To keep thousands of royal terns and other nesting seabirds out of the way of construction on South Island, a pack of 20 trained border collies are patrolling the island redirecting seabirds to a new, safe nesting ground at Fort Wool, an island off the coast of Norfolk. 

The Willoughby Bridge is scheduled for widening starting in January 2021, followed by replacement of the north and south trestles in February, as well as the widening of the Oastes Creek Bridge. Next March and April the Mason Creek Bridge is set to be widened, and the Mallory Street Bridge will be replaced. 

Land and tunnel work will happen simultaneously, with land work beginning this year and tunneling beginning in 2022. Underwater drilling will happen 24 hours per day, two years into the project. The Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission is the primary funding agent for this project, using local revenue from sales and gasoline taxes in the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund.

Founded in 1956, Dewberry offers engineering, geospatial, survey, mapping, environmental and construction services to government and commercial clients. The company employs a total of 2,000 across more than 50 locations. Last year, it reported $470.8 million in revenue.

 

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Bechtel Corp. names new president, COO

-based company Bechtel Corp. announced Thursday that Craig Albert has been promoted to president and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 8. Albert will succeed Jack Futcher, who will retire at the end of the year after a 40-year career but continue to serve as a director on the company’s board. 

“Jack’s relentless commitment to our customers and excellence in project execution has helped Bechtel reach new heights delivering critical projects for governments and industries worldwide,” Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel said in a statement. 

Craig Albert. Photo courtesy Bechtel Corp.
Craig Albert. Photo courtesy Bechtel Corp.

In his new role, Albert will oversee the company’s four global business units as well as business strategy and development, diversity and inclusion, regions and corporate affairs. Based in Reston, he also will chair Bechtel’s operating committee and report to Brendan Bechtel.

“Craig is ideally suited to lead our operations in an era when customers are looking to us for partnership, innovation and sustainable solutions to help meet the defining challenges of the 21st century,” Brendan Bechtel said in a statement. “With his strong track record as president of two of our global business units, Craig has proven himself as a visionary and customer-focused leader.”

Albert joined the company in 1998 as a senior member of the business development team and moved up the ranks, eventually overseeing the merger of Bechtel’s commercial nuclear power business with its defense and national security unit. He was named president of the infrastructure business unit in 2016. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Shaun Kenny will succeed Albert as president of the infrastructure business unit and be based in London, the company also announced Thursday. He was named as a senior vice president in 2012 and earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Liverpool Polytechnic University.

Founded in 1898, Bechtel provides engineering, construction and project management services. The company has completed projects in more than 160 countries.

 

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McLean tech company names COO

McLean-based information technology company announced Thursday that André Hentz has been named its chief operating officer, effective July 20.

Hentz is the former acting deputy undersecretary for science and technology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He had also served as the chief scientist at the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate as well as a senior leader and senior adviser to the undersecretary. 

During his time with the S&T, he developed research investments including package screening and inspecting at international mail facilities, on-scene solutions for first responders and data analytics. Before S&T, Hentz was the director of mission support at the Department of Defense’s Intelligence Systems Support office. 

Hentz earned his bachelor’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland and his master’s degree in management from the University of Maryland Global College.

Founded in 1999, NuWave Solutions offers data management, analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud technology services to government and business clients. The company in 2017 was named by Virginia Business as one of the best places to work in the state.

 

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Snagajob hires chief technology officer

Glen Allen-based hourly online staffing platform announced Thursday it has named Alec Wilkins as chief technology officer. In his new role, he will lead technology and engineering for the company’s online job marketplace.

Wilkins was most recently the head of product and engineering at Backcountry.com. He has also been the CEO of tZERO Group, the CTO at Overstock.com and spent 10 years working in research and development with American Express and Mastercard.

“Both Snagajob’s and products support the mission of reinventing the hiring process for hourly work,” Wilkins said in a statement. “The pandemic has accelerated the need to reimagine the experience and eliminate friction for both workers and employers. Snagajob is leading the way by redefining what the future of hourly work looks like, and I’m thrilled to join the team at such a critical time.”

Founded in 1999, the Snagajob site connects more than 47 million hourly job seekers to jobs at 470,000 U.S. employer locations.

 

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