Peraton is moving its corporate headquarters from Worldgate Drive in Herndon to Reston Town Center.

The 19,000-employee company has around 5,000 workers in the D.C. area, and its new space at 1875 Explorer St. could be in use by September 2022, the company announced today in a news release.

According to the news release:

[T]he new headquarters will house Peraton’s Mission Capability Innovation Center, where Peraton employees will generate and apply cutting edge capabilities to develop mission solutions that address customers’ most unique and complex challenges. The Center will provide both physical and virtual working environments and access to the vast network of Peraton Labs’ Research and Innovation Centers.

“With the announcement of our new Reston headquarters, we are excited to remain in Northern Virginia, close to our customers as well as a robust and diverse talent pipeline and supported by world-class resources and infrastructure,” company chair, president and CEO Stu Shea said in a statement.

The company said it’s been “in the middle of a multi-year review of its office footprint. The selection of a new headquarters is the first major decision in that process.”

Photo via Google Maps

Park Authority Snags Honors — The Fairfax County Park Authority won three GIS excellence awards during the county’s annual Geographic Information System Day contest. The park authority was one of 19 government agencies competing. [Fairfax County Government]

Local Holiday Celebrations Begin in Reston Town Center — The annual Reston Holiday Parade returned in late November to Reston Town Center. The Connection provides an update on the festivities, including comments from one of the emcees, Angie Goff, a news anchor at FOX 5. [The Connection]

County Hypothermia Program Now Open — The county’s hypothermia prevention program is open through March 31. Shelters are available for individual adults and adults with children at several locations across the county. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by David Taube

(Updated. at 9:50 a.m.) The St. James has signed a lease at One Freedom Plaza for a 25,000-square-foot facility at 11951 Freedom Drive.

The company, the region’s largest athletic facility, plans to open a performance club in the spring that would offer athletic training, group fitness programming, and a special menu by Chef Spike Mendelsohn’s Vim & Victor concept. The news was first reported by Washington Business Journal.

“We are thrilled to bring The St. James experience to Reston Town Center,” said Craig Dixon, co-founder and CEO of The St. James. “Given the success of our Springfield flagship, we know our new Reston Performance Club will enhance our ability to serve the Washington metropolitan region in a new and exciting way.”

Here’s more from WBJ:

“In just over two years, The St. James has developed a community of high-performing athletes and active families that is unlike anything else in the country,” Kendrick Ashton, co-founder of The St. James, said in a statement. “Our new Performance Clubs are an extension of our vision to redefine the modern lifestyle by bringing physical performance, wellness and interactive family fun to the entire Washington region. We are excited to provide more people an opportunity to see what sets us apart.”

The company didn’t say whether additional satellite locations were in the works. Real estate developer Jair Lynch said earlier this year it had been in talks with the company for a similar location as a part of its plans for the redevelopment of Hill East’s Reservation 13. 

A tiered membership program is also planned. At the Reston facility, memberships will be start at $125, with a discounted rate of $75 through December.

The St. James has a central facility in Springfield, which features an Olympic-sized swimming pool, sports leagues and camps. That location is at 6805 Industrial Road. The facility offers programs for swimming, football, lacrosse, climbing, basketball, volleyball, hockey, ice skating, dance, gymnastic, and other sports.

The news comes as Boston Properties delivers the next phase of Reston Town Center, which is known as Reston Next. That project is 85 percent leased.

Photos via St. James

Reston Town Center is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its annual holiday parade.

The half-mile, one-hour parade along Market Street is set to take place on Nov. 26 at 11 a.m. Santa and Mrs. Clause will lead the parade in a carriage. They’re expected to return to light the tree at Fountain Square at 6 p.m. that day.

Horse-drawn carriage rides will continue from 6-10 p.m, the proceeds of which will benefit local charities.

While most of the parade returns to pre-pandemic norms, RTC will not distribute parade bell “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our parade visitors, participants and volunteers,” according to a statement.

“We hope to continue this popular tradition in the coming years when social distancing is not an issue,” the statement read.

Parking is free that Friday.

Once again, the parade has been nominated for USA Today’s annual national ranking of holiday parades. Voting for the ongoing ranging is open online.

So far, Reston’s parade is fifth on the leaderboard. The tradition began in 1991 and features antique cars, musicians, dancers, floats and other special guests.

Photo via Reston Town Center

Seven new businesses are coming to Reston Town Center, including a distillery and fitness center.

Owner and developer Boston Properties shared details about the changes on an Oct. 27 earnings call. Company president Doug Linde said a theater operator completed a 50,000-square-foot lease during the third quarter.

The company refused to provide further details, except for listing limited information on three businesses. In a statement to Reston Now, a public relations representative identified those new businesses as the following:

Open Road Distillery, a new distillery concept from Metropolitan Hospitality Group that will include a tasting room with tours, a dining room, indoor/outdoor bar & live music.

Hammer & Nails, a grooming shop for guys providing haircuts, shaves, and hand & foot care, and

Compass Real Estate, a real estate company known for pairing top agents with innovative technology making the searching and selling process seamless.

All seven businesses are slated to open in 2022, according to Boston Properties’ spokesperson.

Linde said the company is close to executing agreements with three more restaurants, and the fitness operator signed a lease in October for a 20,000-square-foot space.

The company declined to disclose any further information, including the addresses of the new restaurants.

Photo via Payton Chung/Flickr

(Updated at 12:35 p.m.) Reston-based company ScienceLogic is relocating its headquarters.

It’s looking to move into the 13th floor office space at 11955 Democracy Drive. That’s the corner building anchored by Fidelity Investments.

“We’re very excited about the new space,” said Kirk Winkler, senior vice president, Global Enterprise Systems & Operations for the company. “It’s a beautiful panoramic view around the area.”

It’s been located for over a decade by Hunter Mill Road at 10700 Parkridge Boulevard.

ScienceLogic has been transitioning since the start of Oct. 1 and plans to be fully ready for occupancy by Jan. 1, Winkler said. It has a three-year lease and an option to extend for another three years, he said.

“We’re going to be doing a hybrid work environment, and so we don’t expect as many people to come back full time, meaning five days a week, but we expect probably about 120 people to be in the office starting in the new year,” he said, noting that depends on what happens with COVID-19 and federal health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even before the pandemic, 50% of the company’s workforce was remote, and it was fully remote during the first six months of the pandemic, Winkler noted. Roughly 5% of its Reston headquarters employees who were there before the pandemic have been using the office regularly. That 50% telecommuting ratio is expected to return next year.

Real estate company Avison Young previously listed the Reston Town Center space as having over 27,000 square feet (about half the size of a football field). It noted it can accommodate 17 offices, 152 workstations, multiple conference rooms as well as other spaces and a kitchen/café.

ScienceLogic is an information technology operations management company that provides a range of services, including artificial intelligence for IT operations, and has employees around the world.

Winkler recently visited the office with the company’s executive team. He noted the open-space environments, almost entirely an open office, bring a lot of light into the space, allowing people to see downtown Bethesda, the National Cathedral, the Blue Ridge Mountains and more.

In addition to closed conference space, open conference areas and standing desks will help deliver a collaborative environment, he says.

Photo via Google Maps

The 10^th Washington West Film Festival is back in-person after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will feature 31 films being shown from Thursday through Monday and expand its locations to include Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center, ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons, Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner and CenterStage at the Reston Community Center.

The festival kicks off Thursday night with a single 7 p.m. showing of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” at ShowPlace Icon in the Boro Tysons.

Friday’s films will begin with two blocks of short films at Bow Tie Cinemas. The first block will feature six short films focused on family bonds and the second block will consist of seven shorts documenting the journeys of characters intentionally seeking something.

The remainder of Friday’s films will begin with a double feature block entitled “Making Your Mark,” with documentaries “Love Reaches Everywhere” and “The Shoulders of Giants.” A second double feature will follow about individuals pushing their physical and emotional boundaries with a showing of “Against the Current” and “Last Know Coordinates.”

Capping Friday’s films will be the narrative film “I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING)” with the short film “Are You Okay?” preceding it.

Saturday will mark the official closing night of the festival. It will begin with a 75^th anniversary screening of “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and will be followed by “Five Years North” and “A Crime on the Bayou.” The evening will be capped by the Washington, D.C., premiere of the documentary “Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times” and will be preceded by the short film “Alone Together.”

While the festival will close Saturday, Sunday and Monday will also feature a handful of other films.

The ShowPlace Icon will host three blocks of films on Sunday. The blocks will begin with a student showcase of films from George Mason University’s FAVS (Film and Video Studies) student festival. The day will finish off with a reshowing of Friday’s film blocks about family bonds and followed by the documented journeys of characters intentionally seeking something.

The final film on Monday will be “The Blackest Battle,” written D.C. theatre artist Psalmayene 24.

Tickets are still available for purchase on the festival website.

All proceeds of the event will be donated to four charities: Evans Home for Children in Winchester, Baltimore non-profit Blueprint, foster program Virginia Kids Belong, and The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.

The full lineup of film blocks with their times and locations is below:

Thursday, Oct. 21

• 7 p.m. – “The French Dispatch,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons

Friday, Oct. 22

• 5:30 p.m. – “Shorts Program One: Family Bonds,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
• 6 p.m. – “Shorts Program Two: Seek and You Will Find,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
• 7 p.m. – “Making Your Mark,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
• 8 p.m. – “Beyond the Limits,” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center
• 9 p.m. – Short film “Are You Okay?” precedes “I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING),” at Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston Town Center

Saturday, Oct. 23

• 10:30 a.m. – “It’s A Wonderful Life,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
• 1:30 p.m. – “Five Years North,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
• 4:30 p.m. – “A Crime on the Bayou,” at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner
• 7:30 p.m. – Short film “Alone Together” precedes “Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times,” Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner

Sunday, Oct. 24

• 1 p.m. – Showcase of “best of” films from George Mason University’s FAVS (Film and Video Studies) student festival, at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
• 1:30 p.m. – “Shorts Program One: Family Bonds,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons
• 4 p.m. – “Shorts Program Two: Seek and You Will Find,” at ShowPlace Icon in The Boro Tysons

Monday, Oct. 25

• 7:30 p.m. – “The Blackest Battle,” at CenterStage in Reston Community Center

Dessert and smoothie shops in Reston Town Center are in need of workers, with one still keeping hours scaled back due to staffing needs.

One store remains operating at a reduced-hours schedule: Pitango, which makes gelato and sorbets, is open from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

“We would like to be open daily, from early morning for coffee customers to late evening for gelato,” owner Noah Dan said in an email. “We are actively seeking new employees but it has been very slow-going.”

The family-owned business looks to begin to open daily as soon as possible, it says on its website. A hiring sign and notices to customers are posted on its entrance.

The notices state that it will return to daily operations as soon as it hires and trains new employees, and they thank customers for supporting the business.

Other shops reported similar issues. Ice-cream customers may have noticed Ben and Jerry’s temporarily reduce its schedule, but a manager said a shift lead will bring its hours back to normal. It currently has around six employees, though, which was less than the dozen workers or so it had last year.

At Playa Bowls, store manager Isabella Heffel noted the location’s front door has a sign encouraging people to apply and specifically asks for those with daytime availability.

She said the store has connected with colleges but has found the hiring to be tough. The store has around 30 workers, though, allowing it to maintain a full schedule, Heffel said.

The unemployment rate for 16 and 17-year-olds, seasonally adjusted, had been improving since January, reaching as low as 8.9% as of May 1 before rising to 9.6%, 9.7% and 11.6% in coming months. It eventually landed on 11.4% as of Sept. 1, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Like the rest of the country and world, teen workers weren’t immune to reductions in the workforce during the pandemic, being especially hit last year starting in March as restaurants and retail stores closed due to state shutdowns.

But it’s still one of the best times in decades to be a teenage worker. Prior to this year, unemployment for the age group hasn’t been this low since 1957.

The restaurant industry has faced a labor shortage that has put pressure on an already strained segment of the economy — not just teenage workers.

A Goldman Sachs survey from last month found that 87% of small businesses are finding it difficult to recruit qualified candidates for open positions, and most say their workforce challenges have worsened since before the pandemic.

The survey, involving 1,145 participants from across the U.S., found Black-owned small businesses have also been slower to recover to pre-pandemic employment levels.

County Tries to Vaccinate Unhoused Residents — Fairfax county officials have launched an effort to encourage the county’s roughly 1,200 unhoused residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Public health workers have a mighty task ahead as the county is large and people experience homelessness in different capacities, including in shelters, deep in the woods and in encampments. [DCist]

Child-sized Mask Donations Needed — The county is in need of 10,000 masks for children. The largest need is small masks for toddlers and you-size masks for school-aged kids. County officials say they’ve received requests from nonprofit partners for masks but can’t fill them because they do not have enough masks. [Fairfax County Government]

Anti-theft bike racks available in Reston Town Center — Boston Properties recently worked with Bikeep, a San Fransisco-based micromobility enabler, to install several app-activated bike racks in Reston Town Center. The stations were installed at the end of the spring. [Bikeep]

LGBTQ+ Group Decries Efforts to Remove Books — A group that represents more than 425 LGBTQIA students told the Fairfax County School Board that it should reject an effort by some parents to remove two books from school libraries. [Reston Patch]

A delivery-only chicken wing spot from the owners of Ted’s Bulletin and Federalist Pig has opened at Reston Town Center.

FedWings opened the outpost last month, smoking and frying chicken wings out of Ted’s Bulletin kitchen at 11948 Market Street.

The wings were being served at their barbecue restaurant Federalist Pig (with locations in D.C. and Maryland) prior, but it became clear to the owners that there was a big appetite for this easy-to-eat-at-home, finger food.

“When the pandemic happened, a lot of people wanted more wings,” co-owner Nick Salis tells Reston Now. “And we were trying to figure out how to keep our kitchen staff employed and keep people working… so we launched this wings brand.”

Their first so-called “ghost kitchen” was out of Kramer’s Bookstore in D.C.(which they also own) and have since expanded to eight locations, including Reston as well as ones in Merrifield and Arlington.

Salis says what makes their wings unique is that they smoke them, quickly deep fry them, and, then, toss them in a proprietary rub.

“These wings are not the easiest wings to make,” he says. “We smoke them for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the wood. Smoking is a little bit of an art.”

Since they started smoking and frying in mid-September, Reston’s FedWings has been doing crisp business, Salis notes.

While the pandemic continues to change and debilitate the restaurant industry, Salis says that the Ted Bulletin’s location at Reston Town Center has been hurting ever since Boston Properties infamously instituted paid parking back in 2016.

“There was a drop in sales of 30% overnight,” he says. “It was like your worst nightmare. It leaves a scar.”

Salis is hopeful though, since sales are climbing back, creeping closer to what it was when the restaurant opened there in 2014.

The hope is that FedWings will help continue that trend. The response has been “awesome” so far and the company is evaluating what the next steps could be, whether that means opening more ghost kitchens or establishing dedicated brick and mortars for FedWings.

“As of right now,” Salis says, “We’re just enjoying serving these wings to the community of Reston.”

Monday, October 4

• “Judy” (10 a.m.) — Reston Community Center Hunters Woods’ CenterStage gives a free showing of the 2019 biographical drama about “The Wizard of Oz” star Judy Garland.

Tuesday, October 5

• Aspen Trees at Sunrise (6:30-8:30 p.m.) — Check out a Pinot’s Palette wine-and-painting class. Cost is $39.

Wednesday, October 6

• Reston Farmers Market (3-7 p.m.) — Stop by for some fresh produce at the parking lot of St. John Neumann Catholic Church.

Thursday, October 7

• Herndon Farmers Market (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) –Local vendors sell a variety of fresh produce.
• Lunchtime with the Arts at Mason (12:30-1:30 p.m. — Jazz vocalist Darden Purcell and George Mason University faculty and students perform at Reston Town Square Park.

Friday, October 8

• “A Familiar Melody” (8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday as well as 2 p.m. on Sunday) — A NextStop Theatre Company show brings together a selection of Broadway hits. Tickets are $30.

Saturday, October 9

• Community Yard Sale (8:30 a.m. to noon) — Eighty families are again filling the Reston Association headquarters’ parking lot.
• Reston Baby Expo (9 a.m. to noon) — Find out about local organizations and resources focused on babies at this Reston Community Center Hunters Woods event that features workshops, educational sessions and more.
• Miles for Migraine (9 a.m.) — Help support this nonprofit working to address this neurological condition, advance research and end stigma. Virtual venue as well as an in-person event at Lake Fairfax Park.

Sunday, October 10

• Bird Walks (7:30-10:30 a.m.) — Beginner birders will gather to spot winged friends at Bright Pond.

Tech company Cloudpermit has set up its North American headquarters in Reston.

The Finland-based electronic permitting company that works with local governments to simplify their building permit process has set up shop at 11911 Freedom Drive in Reston Town Center.

“[Reston] is a very good atmosphere for high tech companies,” Cloudpermit’s Chief Executive Officer Jan Pawli tells Reston Now. He also cited Reston’s location near D.C, Arlington, and points west as a huge selling point for the move here. “There’s easy access to a lot of modern facilities.”

In the press release, he also notes that “Virginia has the highest concentration of tech talent in the U.S. and thousands of tech companies have made Fairfax County home.”

Cloudpermit takes the often-complicated building permit process and digitizes it, putting all the paperwork, payment, and scheduling of inspections online. They currently count nearly 500 local governments across Europe and North America as clients, according to the release.

“Earlier, it could take six months to get a building permit because you need to shake so many hands,” says Pawli. “Today, you can do it overnight.”

Pawli notes that the company made the decision to relocate here without first visiting. This was due, in large part, to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and a delegation meeting with them in Germany this past spring. T

his went a long way, he says, in convincing them to move to the Commonwealth since it provided a personal connection, good discussion, and a shared frustration in how long the building permit process can take.

While only about twenty employees will be working out of their Reston office by the end of year, the impact of the move goes beyond the number of employees.

“A company like Cloudpermit has many options for a North American base,” wrote Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, in the press release. “Choosing Fairfax County is an important vote of confidence in our business climate, our assets for company success and the kind of talent it can find here – whether the company is from the U.S. or another country.”

In a follow-up statement to Reston Now, Hoskins added that “the company’s decision to expand its European-based operations here during the ongoing pandemic reflects well not only on the optimism for the post-COVID return to working at offices, but also for the robust business climate in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia.”

The company also has offices in Helsinki, Vancouver, Toronto, San Diego, and Chicago.

Cloudpermit isn’t the only tech company in recent months to move to Reston. Government defense and intelligence contractor CACI debuted their new international headquarters across the street from the (hopefully) soon-to-be-opened Reston Town Center Metro station in June.

Pawli only moved to Northern Virginia in mid-August, but is already enjoying himself. He says, compared to Finland, the weather is much milder and has found the people here very friendly so far.

“I think we made a very good decision on this,” Pawli says on moving Cloudpermit to Reston. “We’re very happy to be here.”

A local employee was selected as employee of the year during this year’s RAMMYS.

The awards, which are organized by Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Fully vaccinated guests attended the in-person ceremony over the weekend at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Ruben Avila of PassionFish in Reston Town Center was named employee of the year by a panel of judges. But more than half to the awards were based on public votes.

The awards honor the accomplishments of organizations and individuals integral to the local foodservice and restaurant community.

A complete list of the winner is available online. Silver Diner, which has a location in Reston, was recognized for being a technology trailblazer.

Senior Movie Day Returns — Reston Association’s senior movie day returns to Bow Tie Cinema in Reston Town Center today. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. and the movie — Queen Bees — begins at 10 a.m. The event began in 1994 and was paused roughly 18 months ago due to the pandemic. [Reston Today]

Police Chief Issues Alert After Overdoses — The Fairfax County Police Department’s police chief alerted the community yesterday after six people overdosed in one morning in Falls Church. All six adults ranged from 23 to 35 years of age. [Fairfax County Police Department]

County Community Transmission Still High — COVID-19 transmission in the county is still high, although more than 62 percent of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. The county’s health department offered an update to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week. [Fairfax County Government]

An Update on Early Voting — So far, more than 2,600 people have voted in person so far during the first three days of early voting. Three voting sites are open during weekdays in the county. [Fairfax County Government]