Fairfax County EDA Head Tells MPs of Development Strategy
Fairfax County EDA president outlines economic development strategy with members of Parliament in London meeting A group of senior MPs have heard that consistency and an aggressive approach to bringing in new business were behind the development of Fairfax County, Virginia, as one of the world’s best business centres.
The British-American Parliamentary Group invited Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) President Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., to discuss the county’s economic development strategy and whether he had advice he could offer for areas within Britain, especially those areas that have faced long-term economic decline. Four members of the House of Commons and one member of the House of Lords attended the session.
The FCEDA is a member of Cambridge Wireless and has worked with several companies around the area in recent years to help them expand into the US.
Gordon is the author of “Reinventing Local and Regional Economies” (CRC Press, 2011), which examines how more than two dozen American communities are remaking their local economies in the wake of long-term economic decline and more recent global economic trends. He is the author of 11 other books on economic development and strategic planning, and has consulted around the world on economic development issues. Gordon told the MPs, meeting at Westminster, that Fairfax County had once been viewed as a “government town” but that the FCEDA has worked diligently to diversify the economic base by attracting and retaining companies with business lines unrelated to the federal government.
He cited recent headquarters moves to Fairfax by companies not directly related to federal spending, including Volkswagen of America and Hilton Worldwide, and the November 7 announcement that Bechtel Corporation will relocate its Global Operations headquarters from Maryland to Fairfax County. This diversity had brought big rewards in terms of job creation and economic stability. “Every time there is a recession, we ride it out more evenly,” he said.
Fairfax County unemployment topped out at 5.6 percent last year and is now at 4.6 percent. Gordon said a consistent approach over the last 35 years had paid off, along with an aggressive campaign to market the county across the U.S. and in important international markets. He said companies that come to Fairfax County often speak of the pro-business policies of the county and state governments as an important feature. Gordon told the Members of Parliament that Fairfax County was strong in a number of business areas – aerospace and aviation, software and telecommunications in addition to defence. He pointed to recent efforts to target personalised medicine and genetics as another industry sector for the county.
The group members questioned Gordon extensively on development approaches in some English and Scottish regions that had been dependent upon one or two large industries historically. Gordon said every region had something to offer, but sometimes regions do not promote their real strengths. “I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to meet with these members of Parliament and share experiences regarding how communities can recover from economic decline,” Gordon said. Time magazine called Fairfax County, just outside Washington, D.C., “one of the great economic success stories of our time.” Business growth helps Fairfax County fund the nation’s top-rated school system and library, park, public safety and human services that contribute to the quality of life of residents. Fairfax County offers businesses a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure, access to global markets through Washington Dulles International Airport and a well-educated workforce.
The award-winning Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as one of the world’s best business centres. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County’s largest business district, the FCEDA maintains marketing offices in six important global business centres: Bangalore, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Seoul and Tel Aviv.