Carola McGiffert, Owner, 30 Minute Hit Arlington

​In 2020, I worked for a global education company whose revenue and investment stemmed largely from China. So it wasn’t a big surprise when almost 90 percent of the corporate leadership was laid off in the first few months of COVID, including me. I was grateful for the generous severance, but I had no idea what my next professional step would be. I had spent more than 25 years in the US-China policy space and, given the political situation in 2020, I didn’t see a path forward in that field. More importantly, I finally admitted to myself that I didn’t want to continue in that field; it did not play to my strengths or interests.

Katie Marden, Owner/Founder, Flash Running Wild
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The average office environment has seen a lot of changes over the past two years, some objectively positive and others arguably negative. On the one hand, employees are being allowed to telework far more frequently, if not 100% of the time, with more flexible hours. On the other hand, this flexibility has come at a cost for many of us – that definitive line that used to exist between work hours and home/family/friends/life hours, that line has been blurred, if not completely erased. No longer do we feel justified in ignoring our email after 6:00 p.m., and squeezing in some work before dropping the kids off at school is completely normal now, if not expected. 

Elizabeth Addington, Operations Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce
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​Hello, fellow Arlingtonians! I am Elizabeth Addington, the new Operations Manager at the Chamber. Proudly born and raised in Alexandria and a current resident of Arlington, I’m delighted to support my community in this new role. I graduated from James Madison University in 2018 with a degree in Art History and Technical Theatre and earned a Master’s in Management from George Mason University in 2021. With my passion for mission-driven work, relationship building, and back-of-house operations, I am thrilled to serve as the Chamber’s first point of contact for our members and greater Arlington community. I am inspired by the Chamber's spirit and willingness to always lend a helping hand and its genuine investment in the growth and success of each and every individual, small business, and large organization in Arlington.

By Kara Simon, Owner/Operator, Loving Heart Holistic Wellness

The New York Times defines Civic Engagement as “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” In this blog, I want to highlight the importance of civic engagement and share why it matters as a business owner.

Steven Marku, Government Affairs Director, Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Eight years ago, when my now-wife and I were planning to move to the Washington area for her new job, we started looking around at where we should live. It didn’t take long to realize that Arlington was the place for us. A year after moving down here, I was hired as Chief of Staff to Delegate Mark Levine, representing Arlington’s interests in the General Assembly. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know so many people involved in this community through politics, government, philanthropy, and business.

By Liza Wilson Durant, PhD, Associate Provost, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement, and Professor and Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement, College of Engineering and Computing, George Mason University

Placemaking is critical to the development of innovation ecosystems. It is the diversity of perspectives that fuels innovation. How we bring people together to exchange ideas and collaborate is as important as the state-of the art facilities that enable the technology advances. The idea of convening has never been more important than it is today as we struggle to be less physically distant while safeguarding our wellbeing.

 By  Shaara Roman, Founder & CEO,  The Silverene Group

If we’ve learned anything from the past two years, it’s that agility is a necessity. When the only thing we can count on is uncertainty, and things constantly change on a dime, what more do we have than our ability to quickly adapt? Thinking on your toes has long been a necessity for all organizations, big and small, but has only recently become the absolute forefront of the business world. 

By Rachel Boehm, Yes You by Rachel Boehm
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“I was really stressed out between work, and the kids, and the house. I really didn’t think I had time but I just told myself, Ok Ashley (pseudonym) you can take 60-seconds to do this. You said you would. You bought the thing. So I did.”
 
“And?” I eagerly asked my client. 
 
“I can’t believe how much more energy I had just by giving my feet a quick scrub!”
 
Ashley went on to tell me how this one act, a 60-second after-work “self-investment” refilled her. She felt revitalized and valued, rather than depleted. That 60 seconds had an exponential ROI. She got everything done on her list, and went to bed feeling more confident and experiencing greater life satisfaction. This translated to a better night’s sleep, which translated to feeling more refreshed upon waking. 

Arlington is rapidly developing as a main center for technology and innovation on the East Coast. Many of our local tech businesses, most notably Amazon’s HQ2 grab the headlines, and the secret to their success here is the talent. The Greater Washington region ranked as the number three tech talent market in North America in 2021, according to CBRE, behind only the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, and ranking above other East Coast centers like New York and Boston. Business Facilities Magazine ranks the Commonwealth of Virginia as the number 1 state for tech talent pipeline and business climate, and SmartAsset ranked Arlington as the top U.S. city for women in tech.

AT&T and JBG SMITH are working on the nation’s first 5G Smart City at scale in National Landing. 5G, with local area compute edges, could make National Landing a prototype for smart cities of the future and create a unified consumer experience across asset types. The area could also enhance offerings in mobility and self-driving vehicles, immersive retail and entertainment, and building automation and environmental sustainability. The first network infrastructure deployments are planned for the first half of 2022 and will expand with development of the community.