Herndon Company Scores Big Contract — Peraton, a Herndon-based company, won a 10-year, $2.69 billion contract from the Department of Homeland Security to help with data center and cloud optimization. [Virginia Business]
Restonians Share Local Acts of Kindness — Local residents shared ways in which strangers made their day better. The roundup was inspired by Random Acts of Kindness Day, which was established to make the world a kinder place. [Reston Patch]
Warrants Served in Officer-involved Shooting — A 34-year-old man remains hospitalized after he allegedly brandished a firearm at officers. An officer shot Michael Vaughn twice in the upper body. [Fairfax County Police Department]
(updated at 2:20 p.m. to correct the grand opening date) Sacred Roller Skate Supply, a small business that sells roller skate gear, is opening up shop in the Town of Herndon.
Katie McDonald, who grew up in the town, said launched the small business after learning that a lease at 681 Monroe Street — next to American Carpet and Floor — was open.
“It has been a dream of mine to open a small business in a town that values community involvement and development, where I can have a tangible, positive impact on the community, and I truly feel like Herndon is the perfect location for this,” McDonald wrote in a statement to Reston Now.
Here’s how she described the business:
Sacred Roller Skate Supply is woman and LGTBQAI+Â owned. In addition to providing the high quality, industry standards of roller skate gear and customized, individualized attention to the specific needs all levels of skaters, I strive to provide a safe, accepting, and judgement-free zone for members of the community. Come for the skates; stay for the comradery and good vibes! Â
McDonald says that Herndon was the best place to spend her childhood. She moved to Herndon when she was three years old in 1990. After moving around the country, she said she landed back in Fairfax County with her husband and two dogs.
Growing up, McDonald says she attended the Herndon Festival without missing a single year, took lessons at Herndon Community Center, and worked at a receptionist and assistant at Maude Hair Salon.
A grand opening day is set for Feb. 19 — National Skate Shop Day — what McDonald describes will be a “welcome home party.”
“I’m honored to give back to the town that helped shape me into the person I am today.”
Photo by Katie McDonald
A new boba spot is coming soon to the Town of Herndon.
Tapioca Express, a franchise that sells bubble tea, coffee, juices and snacks, will open at Junction Square in the Town of Herndon.
The first Tapioca Express opened in San Gabriel Valley in 1999. Since then, the business has opened locations across the country.
Items on the menu include boba, coffee, flavored milk, crispy chicken, waffles, spring rolls and chi chi fries.
The business has another location in Centreville.
The company did not respond to a request for comment from Reston Now.
Junction Square, located at the central intersection of Elden and Monroe streets, is a community of 20 townhomes with ground-floor retail.
Other tenants include a gallery for painter Trisha Adams and an international grocery store. Deli Italiano is also expected to open up shop there soon.
A new noodles spot is opening soon in Herndon Centre.
Yu Noodles, a Fairfax-based eatery, plans to open at 358 Elden Street in Herndon Centre.
The business did not immediately indicate when it plans to open. Signage posted on the building’s exterior states the business is coming soon.
The Fairfax menu features Chongqing noodles, which are served with different protein options.
Business representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.
Tenants are frequently changing hands in the plaza. Most recently, MrDr’s Pharmacy announced plans to move into a bigger space in the same plaza.
My Dr.’s Pharmacy is looking to move next year to a bigger space to house its existing setup involving two separate locations in the same plaza.
The business (412 Elden St.) features pharmacists and nutritionists and added a COVID-19 clinic nearby during the pandemic in Herndon Centre (the temporary clinic is at 388 Elden St.).
But it’s hoping to consolidate those two footprints and feature a wellness center under the JunoWellness brand by June, president and pharmacist Omar Shoheiber of the company said in an email.
“The new location will become a retail based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists, and physical therapist work together,” he wrote. “The focus will not only be on caring for the sick but also to help the healthy stay healthy.”
The business provides nutritional and herbal wellness consultation services, supplements and prescriptions. Its clinic has been delivering COVID-19 vaccines as well as testing, delivering results within two hours or the next day, depending on the type of test.
Shoheiber described the new location as a retail-based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists and a physical therapist work together. He likened it to a Home Depot for health care services.
The business is currently looking to get signage for the new location approved through the town. The existing locations will be vacated.
Photo via Google Maps
After stepping away from corporate life, a 35-year-old man who once owned a craft beer bar in Australia is looking to take his knowledge and industry contacts to a new level.
Anton Sagan has taken over Aslin Beer Co.’s old space in Herndon’s Sunset Business Park at 257 Sunset Park Drive and plans to open in December for takeaways and a taproom, creating small batches of fruit-based craft beers with four 132-gallon fermentation vessels, which can create 300 crowlers (32-ounce cans) at a time.
Juicy Brewing Co.’s drinks will range from fruity sours to hazy India Pale Ales.
The space currently features ingredients he’s importing from around the world: malts from Germany, an in-demand product called Phantasm that uses Sauvignon blanc grapes from New Zealand and more.
“We’re already playing with our recipes here,” he said. “Being so niche with hops with the other business, … but having that background … gave us that additional knowledge base with the recipes we want to create now.”
He brewed the first batch for the public last month for private events and a pandemic-induced craft beer called FML Festival at a Hampton brewery last month, and he said he’s looking to have a handful of flavors that rotate each month, starting off with flavors such as peach-banana-vanilla (vanilla from Madagascar, Sagan notes) and Siberian berry.
Sagan, who attended grade school in Cherry Creek in western New York state and went to university in Australia, has lived abroad, including Moscow, but he and his wife and two kids relocated during the pandemic to Herndon this year.
Living for 15 years in Australia by way of Melbourne and Sydney, he got connected with farmers and sold hops through the craft beer-focused distributor Hops Engine, which eventually began selling to Aslin Beer Co. Sagan also got connected with former Tired Hands and Foreign Objects brewer Steven di Eva, who’s serving as his brewer.
“As we grow into it, we’ve got 10 taps we want to be running at any one time,” he said.
He thinks the taproom will allow for 30-40 people, even though the space can accommodate more on paper.
“Having that intimacy is important to us,” he said. “We want to stay small and local and humble.”
He’s looking to work with local shops and farms and is already providing spent hops to a family farm for animals free of charge.
County Considers Expanding Tax Relief Program — The county is considering a real estate tax relief program for seniors and people with disabilities. The tweaks are the first in 16 years and would expand eligibility for people with higher incomes and net worth. If approved, the changes would be phased out over two years. A public hearing is set for Dec. 7. [Fairfax County Government]
Herndon Company Ranks High in ‘Best for Vets’ –ManTech International, a Herndon-based company, came in at number two for Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Employers” list. The company topped the ranking in the state and also in the defense and aerospace company category. [Fairfax County Economic Development Authority]
Bob Simon’s Widow Cited for Assault — A former Lake Anne condominium association president has accused Cheryl Terio Simon, the widow of Reston’s founder, of assault. The incident happened on Oct. 27 outside Reston Community Center at Lake Anne, according to police records. [Patch]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Metro Restores More Service — After the Oct. 12 derailment of a 7000-series train in Virginia, Metro is increasing service on the red and yellow lines. Blue, Orange, and Silver lines will continue to run every 30 minutes while the Green line runs every 20 minutes. [Reston Patch]
Tennis Courts Closed for Repairs — The tennis courts at Lake Newport will be closed today. The closure impacts courts three to six and not courts one and two. [Reston Association]
Herndon Company Raises $145 Million — HawkEye 360 raised $145 million in series d round funding. The last round was led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners and Seraphim Space Investment Trust. [PR Newswire]
Cloudpermit Chooses Reston — The Finnish software company has made Reston its North American headquarters. The business employs 10 people and already has a small office in Reston. It hopes to double that headcount by the end of the year. [Washington Business Journal]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Construction crews have turned a wooded area into a building site for a new 6,525-square-foot chain restaurant.
The Outback Steakhouse at 365 Elden St. will be less than half a mile from another restaurant with the chain that’s already in Herndon (150 Elden St. #100).
A project manager with Belisle Construction said it’s slated to be done and open around February.
Officials with the parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, refused to answer questions, such as its plans for relocating staff with the opening of the new restaurant.
Since early September, the company has posted 11 part-time positions for the existing restaurant, ranging from line cooks to servers, as well as a full-time manager.
It previously had a listing for a bartender on May 10, 2020, which is still on its jobs website.
The new location takes over a 1.46-acre site, having businesses on both sides of it: a Residence Inn by Marriott and a four-story office building at 381 Elden St.
The new restaurant is slated to have an 82-space parking lot, an outdoor seating patio and signage noting its takeout service that the town’s Architectural Review Board approved in August.
It’s still working its way through permitting and received a permit with the county for an underground fire service line on Oct. 1.
A new cosmetics and personal services business is coming to the Town of Herndon.Â
Fancy Lashes and Beyond hopes to open a location in the Herndon Park Condominium office building, which is located at 299 Herndon Parkway.
The business would occupy just under 1,000 square feet of space in the multi-unit building. The building is mostly occupied by commercial offices.
The Town of Herndon’s Planning Commission is set to review the application at an Oct. 18 meeting. In order for the plan to move forward, owners Tommy Nguyen and his wife Phuong Le Tran need to secure a special exception to allow a cosmetic services business to open in the building, which is zoned for commercial office use.
“After I had recently made my trip to 777 Lynn Street and witnessed a very tight-knit community, it became an inspiration for both my wife, Phuong Le Tran, and I to become a part of this community in Herndon. As small business owners, we also would like to play our part inside the community and make future contributions to rebuilding this community during this challenging time,’ the owners wrote in an Aug. 17 letter to the town.
The owners said they discovered that the business was not zoned for personal and cosmetic services after they reached an agreement with the property owner on the price of the property.
Planned services include eyelash extensions, lashes lifts, brow lamination, waxing, facials, and makeup. The business currently operates out of Cascades Marketplace in Sterling.
A business acting as a trading post for outdoor gear is ramping up for a big unveil in Herndon.
The newly formed Good Wolf Gear looks to buy and sell camping goods, pet products and other items at Herndon’s Sunset Business Park (287 Sunset Park Drive);
The business is focused on backpacking, camping and hiking gear and features brands such as Arcade Belts, Cotopaxi, Gregory, National Geographic Maps and Rumpl.
It’s been operating by appointment only but will have its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16. Once open, it will have store hours fr0m that same timespan Tuesdays through Saturdays.
“When people ask why we decided to open Good Wolf Gear, the truth is that we were inspired by our friends: they helped set up our first tent; they shared their scary stories around the campfire; and they let us dig into their Dutch Oven breakfasts while we struggled to get our contacts in,” owners Margaret Kim and Tana Sarntinoranont say on the Good Wolf Gear website.
The owners say  they created Good Wolf Gear for those friends and anyone else willing to share those experiences while helping people become better stewards of nature. That’s why they prefer reselling items — to keep them from landfills.
“I hope we can inspire people to connect with a part of nature they never even knew existed,” store manager Spencer Horn says in a news release. “Ultimately, we’re storytellers, and we want to inspire others to become storytellers as well.”
Resellers can get 25% of the resale price in cash or 50% of the resale price in store credit.
“Good Wolf Gear’s goal is to build community through sustainability,” the company says. “Has your toddler outgrown her kid carrier? Trade it in for credit towards her first pair of hiking boots, and tell us about the adventures you’ve shared. Has your family pup learned to stay on the trail? Stop by for a local trail map and get advice on favorite hikes from other dog owners.”
Photos via instagram.com/goodwolfgear
While the COVID-19 pandemic has made wedding planning an especially turbulent affair in recent months, couples in Herndon at least have a new option for getting outfitted for their walk down the aisle.
The bridal and event planning shop Lulu’s Bridal and Global Events is holding its grand opening today (Friday) with an official ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. The store is located in Suite 202 at 731 Elden Street, right across from Herndon’s Old Town Hall.
Founder and owner Luzette “Lulu” Njweipi has dreamed about dresses she’s wanted to design her whole life.
“Since about the age of 16 I have always wanted my outfits to be unique and standout,” Njweipi says on her website.
She started designing and making wedding dresses officially in 2019, but she was designing dresses before then.
“I have a love for love, and weddings and everything dresses,” Njeweipi. “So I’ve always wanted to have my own bridal shop.”
Lulu’s Bridal and Global Events doesn’t just make dresses, though. They also help plan events, put together accessories and decor, and do make-up.
While there are some dresses that can be bought off the rack, Njeweipi specializes in making unique gowns that fit the vision of each individual customer.
“If you have a unique style that you want, we are able to kind of work with you to bring it to life,” she said.
Information on booking consultations and images of some of the looks Lulu’s Bridal has can be found on their website. Custom pieces and designs need to be ordered with plenty of advanced notice so the designers have time to make the items.
Lulu’s will be doing a bridal show in September to showcase some of its designs. More information will posted to the store’s Instagram and Facebook pages when it becomes available.
“We’re excited about the grand opening and we hope we will be able to serve the community as a whole,” Njeweipi said.
Reston Man Among Suspects in Maryland Murder — Reston resident William Rivera-Martinez, 20, is among five people who have been arrested and face charges in the April murder of a 15-year-old Nelson Ramos. As of Thursday morning (June 24), Rivera-Martinez was in Fairfax County custody and awaiting extradition to Prince George’s County. [The Washington Post]
Threat of Mass Evictions Looms with Moratorium Set to End — Fairfax County officials say there’s “plenty of emergency rental assistance” to help residents at risk of eviction, but with Virginia expected to let its eviction moratorium expire when the COVID-19 state of emergency ends on June 30, they worry it will take too long to get the money to landlords to stave off evictions. [Inside NoVA]
Herndon Startup Chosen for Amazon Program — The data analytics company HawkEye 360 has been chosen by Amazon Web Services for a four-week business accelerator focused on the space industry. The 10 companies selected for the program will get business advice and support in their efforts to collect data from satellites for cloud computing. [Axios]
Reston Trucking Software Company Acquired — “Trucker Tools LLC, a Reston outfit that offers a digital freight management platform, has been acquired by ASG, a California company backed by private equity firm Alpine Investors that specializes in purchasing and building software-as-a-service companies.” [Washington Business Journal]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
General Assembly to Hold Special Session in August — “Governor Ralph Northam today [Wednesday] issued a proclamation calling the members of the General Assembly into special session on Monday, August 2. A special session is necessary to fill judicial vacancies and allocate more than $4.3 billion in federal relief funding.” [Office of the Governor]
TJ Admissions Changes Result in Increased Diversity — The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Class of 2025 will include more Black and Hispanic students, more girls, and more economically disadvantaged students than past years, according to Fairfax County Public Schools data. This is the first cohort to be admitted under a new admissions system that ditched the magnet school’s usual admissions test and $100 application fee. [The Washington Post]
Herndon Office Building Sold — The investment company Boyd Watterson Asset Management has purchased a 160,000 square-foot office building at 13651 McLearen Road for $48 million. The McLearen Center is in the same complex as the Transportation Security Administration’s Freedom Center and Nysmith School, and it counts Boeing as a long-term tenant, though the lease is set to expire in May 2022. [Washington Business Journal]
Reston Contractor Reports Medicaid Data Breach — Maximus Corp., a government health data services provider based in Reston, says a data breach that occurred between May 17 and 19 exposed the personal information of more than 334,000 Medicaid healthcare providers nationwide. The incident did not affect information about patients or Medicaid beneficiaries, according to the company. [Information Security Media Group]
Irish Rock Band Joins Arrowbrook Concert Lineup — The D.C.-based Irish rock band Scythian will perform at Arrowbrooke Centre Park in Herndon on July 17 as part of Fairfax County’s Music at Arrowbrook Centre concert series, one of several free summer concert series organized by the county park authority. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Reston newcomer CACI International is one of several companies in Reston and Herndon that were named among the best places to work in the D.C. area by The Washington Post’s eighth annual Top Workplaces survey.
Recognized in a virtual awards ceremony on June 17 and publicly announced on Friday (June 18), the list features the 200 highest-ranked companies in the region based on employee surveys conducted by the third-party engagement firm Energage LLC.
According to the Post, more than 3,500 area companies were invited to participate in the contest, and more than 65,500 employees filled out the questionnaire, which considered factors ranging from pay and benefits to retention and confidence in the organization’s leadership.
While the Post still identifies CACI as an Arlington-based company, the information technology contractor cut the ribbon on its new headquarters building near the future Reston Town Center Metro station at the end of May.
Ranked ninth in the “largest companies” category, which includes organizations with at least 1,000 workers in the D.C. area, CACI employs 7,743 people locally and recorded $5.7 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2020, putting it on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in the U.S. for the first time since its founding in 1962.
Here are the other Reston and Herndon companies that found a spot on the Top Workplaces list:
Large (500-1,000 employees)
- Deltek (#12)
- Noblis (#14): This is the Reston contractor’s eighth consecutive year on the Post’s list, according to a news release
- GAP Solutions (#19)
- Northwest Federal Credit Union (#27)
Mid-Size (150-500 employees)
- Acclaim Technical Services (#5)
- Procentrix (#6)
- B3 Group (#12)
- Ventera Corp. (#19)
- Dev Technology Group (#24)
- Amyx (#56)
- ATCS (#61)
- Brightspot (#73)
Small (50-150 employees)
- ThunderCat Technology (#9)
- Navitas Business Consulting (#19)
- Expedition Technology (#21)
- Northstrat (#23)
- Northramp (#28)
- Intact Technology (#40)
- Actualize Consulting (#49)
- Assured Consulting Solutions (#53)
- Electrosoft Services (#58)
- SeKON Enterprises (#68)
- HawkEye 360 (#69)
