Capital Business

Hillen to step down as Sotera CEO

Marjorie Censer — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:30:37 GMT

McLean-based Sotera Defense Solutions said Thursday that John Hillen will step down as the company’s chief executive and become vice chairman of the company’s advisory board.

The contractor’s board has begun searching for a new CEO, according to the announcement.

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Regal Cinemas, Harris Teeter agree to open at former Laurel Mall

Jonathan O'Connell — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:36:34 GMT

The developers who began tearing down Laurel Mall last summer announced Tuesday four prominent tenants for what will replace it, namely a Regal movie theater, Harris Teeter, Sports Authority and a new Burlington Coat Factory.

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Under Say on Pay, most shareholders approve executive pay packages

Abha Bhattarai — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:00:55 GMT

Shareholders of Gannett last week approved an $8.45 million pay package for the company’s chief executive.

The McLean-based media company, which owns USA Today, is one of the latest in a string of local firms to receive shareholder approval — in this case, 92.97 percent — for its compensation of top executives.

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National Cathedral, Mount Vernon win $100,000 through social media contest

Jonathan O'Connell — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:21:58 GMT

The Washington National Cathedral will receive $100,000 to fix damage remaining from the August 2011 earthquake after winning a social media contest put on by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Express Foundation.

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Foodem raises $600K from investors

Steven Overly — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Foodem has raised $600,000 from investors as the start-up continues to build a Web site where restaurants, hotels and other bulk food buyers can place their orders for fish, beef, vegetables and other items.

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The Download: Grotech Ventures closes $225M fund

Steven Overly — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

It’s hard out there for venture capital firms looking to raise money. Their primary financiers, called limited partners, are increasingly investing their dollars elsewhere after years of meager returns.

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Evolving Internet helps Clarabridge improve customer-feedback business

Abha Bhattarai — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:28:00 GMT

When Sid Banerjee began thinking up his latest venture in 2005, customers were more likely to pick up the phone to complain about a bad experience than to air grievances online.

But that’s changed. Web sites such as Yelp, Twitter and Facebook have transformed the nature of customer service, Banerjee says. And that’s meant big changes for his company, Clarabridge, too.

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Business Rx: Mindseye Solutions

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:36 GMT

In litigation, the involved parties are required to seek, gather, review and share all relevant documents. With the explosion of digital technology in the past decade, the discovery process has become enormously costly and risky. Teams of attorneys for litigants have to sift through electronic documents, e-mails, records and everything stored not just on computers, but now on tablets and smartphones, too. They could spend weeks reviewing documents — more than 95 percent of which likely prove irrelevant.

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The Scene: Week of May 13

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:30 GMT

A new “Star Trek” movie hits the theaters this week, and if form holds true, that means another burst in book sales for Dave Marinaccio, co-founder and chief creative officer for the LM&O advertising firm in Arlington.

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A vegan office: How one workplace has moved to get healthier together

Sarah Halzack — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:25 GMT

Carrie Clyne’s last job was in an office that feasted on a steady supply of junk food. Donuts in the mornings and cupcakes for staffers’ birthdays were the familiar routine.

But in January, when she took a position with nonprofit organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, she was pleasantly surprised by her new employer’s decidedly different attitude toward food.

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Hyatt employees enjoy perks when they travel

Sarah Halzack — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:19 GMT

Company: Hyatt Hotels.

Location: 12 properties in the Washington area.

Employees: 2,609 locally; 45,000 nationwide.

Last year, Gerard Taylor and his family spent a relaxing week at a resort in Lost Pines, Tex., enjoying a range of activities including horseback riding, golfing and hiking.

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Career Coach: Job search is a team sport

Jeffrey Kudisch — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:16 GMT

Although much of your job search is done alone, evidence suggests that the chore can be easier when you do it as part of a team. As in sports, surrounding yourself with great people can enhance your ability to win. Likewise, in sales, a lot of people say the best hunting is done in packs.

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Commentary: In defense of reorganizations

robert f. bruner — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:08 GMT

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.

A few days ago, Bill Utt (Darden MBA 1984), dropped by to teach a class. Bill is the chief executive of KBR, the Fortune 300 engineering, construction and military contracting firm. Appointed CEO in 2006 as KBR was spun off from Halliburton, he encountered three distinct challenges as he prepared the company for life as a stand-alone company.

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Lobbying registrations for April return to numbers not seen since 2011

Catherine Ho — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:26:03 GMT

April marked a spike in activity on K Street, with corporations, trade groups and other entities tapping outside lobbyists at a rate not seen since mid-2011.

Last month saw 686 new lobbying registrations — reports that lobbyists must file with the Senate when they contact members of Congress on behalf of a new client. The last time the volume of new lobbying registrations even came close to that number was in April 2011, when lobbying firms registered 685 new clients.

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D.C. area appointments for May 13

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:57 GMT

Aptiv Solutions of Reston appointed Bernard Sweeney senior vice president of medical devices and Erdmann Zippel senior director.

B3 Solutions of Alexandria appointed Harold Jordon chief strategy officer.

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Behind the career: Mike O’Neill

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:51 GMT

Position: Chief executive of District-based health care information technology company MedicaSoft.

Mike O’Neill was 13 when his father bought him a kit to build his own microprocessor. That sparked a strong interest in technology. He started out designing microchips for IBM and then moved to a start-up where he learned about the world of marketing and sales. He eventually spent five years with a venture capital firm before realizing he was too removed from the day-to-day operations of building a tech business. A mentor asked him to come to the Department of Veterans Affairs to help develop health care technology, which put him on a path to his current job running MedicaSoft.

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D.C.’s Punk Rock Bride to expand to West coast

Abha Bhattarai — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:46 GMT

Punk Rock Bride, the District-grown bridal company founded five years ago, is setting its sights on the West Coast.

The wedding gown collection, which caters to brides who are looking for off-beat designs and more modern cuts, was started by Stephanie Ward in her Georgetown apartment in 2008.

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Washington area business diary for week of May 13

Shawn Selby — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:40 GMT

San Jose, Calif.-based Haystax Technology said it has acquired Reston-based cloud software company FlexPoint Technology. Terms were not disclosed.

McLean-based network integrator Global Telecom & Technology said it has acquired the data services business of Chicago-based Intelliquent for $54.5 million.

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AU grad finds niche in local soap business

Abha Bhattarai — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:34 GMT

Three years ago, David Simnick sat down at his computer and searched for “how to make soap.”

Then he bought some lye, a 20-gallon steel drum and a portable oven, and made his first batch of soap in the basement of his shared house in Friendship Heights.

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Grayling establishes cybersecurity group

Marjorie Censer — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:29 GMT

Government affairs and public relations firm Grayling has partnered with a former Department of Homeland Security official to offer a new set of cybersecurity services.

Grayling announced last week that it has teamed with Nexusist, a management consulting company run by Michael Locatis, former assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at DHS.

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Digital agency Huge sees big opportunity in Washington

Catherine Ho — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:23 GMT

No khakis allowed.

That’s the rule in the Adams Morgan office of Huge, the Brooklyn-based digital strategy and branding agency that is growing faster in Washington than any of its other seven offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

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Washington area federal contract awards for May 13

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:18 GMT

3 Phoenix of Chantilly won a contract worth up to $8.8 million from the Navy for engineering services to support software development, procurement of commercial off-the-shelf products and hardware/software integration required to provide improved technology for the Navy’s open architecture and network-centric operations, and warfare systems in support of Virginia-class submarines and other submarine and surface ship systems.

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Contractors can survive sequester by watching finances

Lindley Ashline — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:12 GMT

Sequestration is in full swing, creating business woes for contractors. The problem is magnified by the fact that some agencies spent half of the fiscal year spending at a pre-sequestration rate, worsening the cuts for the rest of fiscal 2013.

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SAIC moves forward in company split

Marjorie Censer — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:07 GMT

McLean-based Science Applications International Corp. took two more key steps in its split last week, agreeing to sell its Tysons Corner headquarters and hiring a former General Dynamics executive to lead the national security sector within the larger of its two future companies.

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Venga on path to growth after two years of change

Steven Overly — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:25:01 GMT

Several desks in Venga’s single-suite headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue NW have yet to be filled. If the company’s current trajectory holds, they may serve as a sign of growth to come.

Co-founder Winston Bao Lord said the nine-person company is looking to bulk up its sales staff — adding as many as one or two employees a month — to its office in D.C. and other cities around the country where Venga is selling software that allows restaurants to track patrons’ dining habits.

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