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Washington Business Journal
Some ideas to fix Greater Washington's workforce woes
Greater Washington has a disconnect between its workforce education and workforce needs.<\p> It's one of the three major issues the Washington Business Journal identified this year as crucial to the region's success in the post-pandemic era. The others were public safety and housing affordability. <\p>
Arena Stage pays off mortgage after D.C. approves $6M grant
Washington Drama Society Inc., otherwise known as Arena Stage, has paid off the mortgage on its Southwest D.C. home.<\p> The theater nonprofit was awarded $6 million in the District's recently amended fiscal 2024 budget "to assist the organization in retiring its debt," per the legislative language. The council adopted the amended budget on June 12 and sent it to Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 25. The mayor is required to respond by July 10.<\p>
Big pitch for a big pitch: Pro cricket eyes stadium-anchored project
The D.C.-area's professional cricket team is actively looking for sites to build a stadium-anchored mixed-use project, putting Greater Washington at the forefront of U.S. regions that might capitalize on the growing demand of the world's second most popular sport to spur placemaking development.<\p> The Washington Freedom want to build a permanent stadium by the decade's end with surge capacity up to 35,000 surrounded by some mix of hotel/conference center, retail and residential.<\p>
Northern Virginia foundation launches new nonprofit arm to raise funds
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation is launching a nonprofit to raise money to expand its work addressing Virginia’s workforce shortages, particularly those in the health care arena.<\p> The new 501(c)3 nonprofit, Claude Moore Opportunities, will be led by CEO Dr. Bill Hazel Jr., a longtime local orthopedic surgeon and a former Virginia secretary of Health and Human Resources under both Govs. Bob McDonnell and Terry McAuliffe. <\p>
Peter Colasante doubles down on Georgetown's L'Enfant Gallery
In an unassuming gray-green Georgetown building at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and P Street NW lies a trove of history’s forgotten treasures — L’Enfant Gallery. <\p> The gallery celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and its owner, Peter Colasante has no shortage of stories from his decades in D.C. The New Jersey native, 75, can often be found rearranging and remixing the building’s numerous displays, shuffling around various paintings, statues and pieces of furniture. His favorite? A depiction of Pickett’s charge, painted live during the Battle of Gettysburg — asking $400,000.<\p>
Exclusive: Popular restaurant group opening $8M catering facility
Farmers Restaurant Group is launching a commercial kitchen in Prince George's County this fall to support its growing catering business.<\p> The Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events unit will be based out of a 17,300-square-foot building at 8100 Cryden Way in District Heights. The company bought the building in December for $3.4 million and is undertaking a $4.6 million renovation.<\p>
Hooters closes Northern Virginia location
Hooters has closed its location in Manassas and dozens more across the country. <\p> The Atlanta-based restaurant chain known for its wings and waitresses in low-cut tank tops has abruptly closed more than 40 poor-performing locations, according to reports. Its location at 8503 Rixlew Drive is among the closures. The restaurant shutdown last week, according to InsideNoVa.<\p>
Revenue, employee shifts at D.C. area's 100 largest public companies
Northern Virginia’s stockpile of public companies has long topped that of suburban Maryland and D.C. in most metrics, and the gap is widening, at least when tracking revenue. The net number of public companies held steady in Virginia at 54 between 2022 and 2023. But the revenue reported by Virginia-based companies in our top 100 soared by roughly $55 billion year-over-year, or 12%, while revenue for the 46 companies headquartered elsewhere in Greater Washington rose by less than 7%. Of course, it helps that the List accounts for the likes of Boeing and RTX, both of which now call Arlington home. <\p>
Uniqlo is coming to another Northern Virginia mall
Japanese casualwear retailer Uniqlo will open its sixth location in Greater Washington this summer at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.<\p> A date has not been set for Uniqlo's opening, a spokesperson for the Arlington mall, owned by Simon Properties, said. The spokesman declined to disclose the square footage of the Uniqlo space.<\p>
Exclusive: Angela Franco taking over another area chamber of commerce
D.C. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Angela Franco is departing the organization in August after leading its membership through four challenging years that included the pandemic and its blistering impact on businesses. <\p> After her term ends, Franco will take the reins of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Gigi Godwin, a spokesperson for the MCCC said Thursday.<\p>
Many managers are posting fake jobs. One reason may surprise you.
Employers are turning to fake job listings as a means of boosting staff morale in the current unsettled hiring market, but those ghost postings could have consequences. <\p> That’s according to a recent Resume Builder survey, which found 40% of 649 hiring managers surveyed have posted a fake job listing in the past year. Three in 10 responded they have an active fake-job posting. <\p>
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