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Annual Report FY 22 economic Loudouns evolution July 1 2021 June 30 2022
A LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BUDDY RIZER Loudoun County has always been integral to the economic success of Virginia and beyond From our roots as the breadbasket of Washington D C trains delivered goods to the east and brought visitors west to provide recreation and respite from the bustle of city life With the arrival of Washington Dulles International Airport 60 years ago Loudoun grew as an attractive option for DC s workforce with great housing options and a first rate education As our business ecosystem and digital infrastructure grew so too did our housing options entertainment opportunities and cultural amenities making Loudoun a great place to live work learn and play Today with the arrival of Metro Loudoun enters a new phase of opportunity with thoughtful sustainable and walkable developments such as Rivana Waterside Silver District West Moorfield Station the Gramercy District and our home base Loudoun Station Additional opportunity exists across the county in places like One Loudoun Kincora Arcola and our thriving towns and villages From Sterling to Lovettsville South Riding to Algonkian and Purcellville to Leesburg to Ashburn there is no limit to what is LoudounPossible Loudoun s strength has always been its citizens Our community offers one of the most diverse and educated workforces in the world to provide our businesses with the talent needed to thrive in today s world Loudoun has attracted some of the top businesses in the world and provides great opportunities for new ventures to start scale and soar As we look forward Loudoun s prospects are bright as we continue to build on tradition and realize the next phase of our economic evolution I truly believe no community is as well positioned for the future as Loudoun County thanks to our diverse business base and thoughtful growth opportunities Of course none of this would be possible without a Board of Supervisors that is committed to creating a businessfriendly environment and proactively prioritizing a diverse housing stock for our most valuable asset our people I also want to thank our county administration led by the amazing Tim Hemstreet and all the other county employees who work incredibly hard to support this community Finally I share a heartfelt Thank You with the Loudoun Economic Development team Everything we accomplish is because of a group effort that requires complete dedication from each team member Our team is truly the best of the best and we all remain excited to continue serving a unique and diversified economy In the following pages I invite you to explore the narratives of where we were where we are and where we re going We look forward to working with your team and helping you become the next LoudounPossible success story Sincerely Buddy Rizer CEcD Executive Director An Economic Evolution in Loudoun
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Loudoun has a long history of train service beginning with the Washington and Old Dominion Railway which provided access to recreation opportunities and scenic vistas for the residents of Washington D C along with a steady source of dairy from the farms located throughout the county Today rails still connect Loudoun to the nation s Capital via the Washington D C Metro Silver Line and with stops at Dulles International and Reagan National Airports Loudoun County is directly connected to most cities in the world Along with major road arteries the Silver Line connects Loudoun s residents employers educational institutions and recreational opportunities with the rest of the state region and world LOUDOUN COUNTY HAS THE MOST GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY AT METRO STOPS WITHIN THE WASHINGTON D C REGION Ashburn Station Loudoun Gateway Dulles International Airport Next Stop Loudoun County 25 mil es to W ashing ton D C Click to Learn More
From the mid 1980s to the late 1990s Loudoun earned a string of economic development successes that made the County an international powerhouse in the internet services industry Names like Worldcom MCI AOL and UUNet put Loudoun County in headlines around the world during the dotcom era Later IT and telecommunications firms like Telos Verizon and Orbital Sciences were able to leverage that same digital infrastructure to build new enterprises in Loudoun Today Loudoun County harnesses the power of the Internet by funneling a majority of global web traffic through Data Center Alley on a daily basis The proximity to fast data and dark fiber continues to be a driver of growth for companies looking to tap into the growing infrastructure Loudoun based JK Land Holdings LLC teamed up with Yondr Group a global data center developer and service provider to break ground on its first data center project in Loudoun County The campus is Yondr s first data center in the Americas The two building campus will deliver 96MW of capacity with room for future expansion QUICK FACTS ABOUT DATA IN LOUDOUN COUNTY HIGHEST 28 MILLION 31 PERCENT concentration of fiber communications lines in the world square feet of data centers present in the county of the county s annual total tax revenue provided by data centers The World Surfs in Loudoun County Click to Learn More
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For more than two centuries agriculture was the dominant way of life in Loudoun County supplying corn dairy and other commodities to the region Today the rich tradition continues with over 1 200 active farms owned and operated by a diverse group of farmers From generational farmers to firsttimers who want to go back to their roots Loudoun s farm industry continues to be a vital aspect of the region s economy providing food education and recreation for county residents One of the healthiest foods around Microgreens use technology to produce abundant food in small spaces Going vertical means less land is required to grow larger yields per acre and up to 90 less water is used because of the system s recirculating design Food is produced by harnessing natural processes so no pesticides are required and no chemical fertilizers are used Farmer Jens Peter is pioneering microgreens and aquaculture in Loudoun County Sprouting Roots Farm is a family s dream to go back to their roots and grow seasonal Indian ethnic vegetables greens and herbs that are difficult to find in their freshest form Sprouting Roots focuses on rebuilding healthy and living soil by making the best use of nature s resources with a goal to inspire more people to take a step towards reclaiming the soil and creating more small regenerative farms Cultivating Innovation in Loudoun
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Flight in Loudoun County began before World War Two with several small airfields both sanctioned and unsanctioned by the state of Virginia With the addition of Dulles International Airport in 1962 Loudoun County was introduced to the world via a modern and innovative facility that sees 60 000 passengers each day traveling to and from over 125 worldwide destinations Loudoun continues to be a leader in flight as a hub for Uncrewed Air Systems research development and testing Access to land logistics and government decision makers gives Loudoun a unique winning combination for innovation in the industy Xelevate offers a safe secure and reliable location to advance unmanned systems capabilities and demonstrate those capabilities to end users and operators In October of 2021 Xelevate in conjunction with Roots 657 performed the first ever proof of concept drone delivery of food in Northern Virginia 4 2022 MARKS DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT S 60TH ANNIVERSARY Rising to New Heights in Loudoun
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From humble beginnings of one room school buildings to current world class research facilities Loudoun has focused on developing a highly educated workforce since 1870 when the Loudoun County Public School system was founded Loudoun County s public schools consistently rank among the best in the state in testing and graduation rate metrics Northern Virginia Community College serves Loudoun and is the largest educational institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia George Washington University s Science and Technology campus and Shenandoah University also have a strong presence while Janelia Research Campus is making a transformative impact in driving science forward from Loudoun to the world Worm Works LLC developed from a high school group focused on making their community cleaner and greener The team grew from a fun school project to a fully formed company that won both the AgriTech and People s Choice Award categories at the 2022 Innovation Challenge competition The prize winnings are being used to quickly expand capacity on their way to a successful LoudounPossible story The Academies of Loudoun provides students the opportunity to deeply engage in science engineering mathematics technology and career and technical education under one roof The Academies empower students to explore research collaborate innovate and make meaningful contributions to the world upon graduation Creating a Workforce for the Future
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Loudoun County was once known for its abundance of mills facilities that manufactured a raw material such as grain wood or fiber into a product such as flour lumber or fabric utilizing water from the many streams and rivers to turn gears within the building Manufacturing is alive and well in both traditional and next generation capacities within Loudoun County A diverse mix of companies such as Loudoun Stairs Northrup Grumman and Stryker are developing and building innovative products that are used by consumers and businesses worldwide Northrop Grumman is pioneering across every sector of space helping government civil and commercial customers tackle some of their biggest challenges A pioneering spirit is backed by a legacy of expertise that began at the dawn of the space age From defending freedom to advancing human discovery Northrop Grumman is defining what is possible in space every day To the right is a solar array deployment testing for a spacecraft at Northrop Grumman s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Dulles VA 8 Loudoun Stairs a 35 year old company located in Purcellville manufactures stairs and rails for some of the top residential and commercial builders locally and nationwide The materials used for their stairs and rails are sourced locally and from nearby states and the byproducts of sawdust and scrap wood are recycled into Loudoun farms and homes for firewood stall dressings and reclamation projects The Next Generation of Manufacturing Click to Learn More
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Loudoun is in the middle of a dramatic shift from the sleepy suburbs of Washington D C to a newly defined wave of urban style living blended with walkable communities that is spurred by a passion to create a connected innovative and culturally vibrant place to live and conduct business With bountiful shovel ready greenfield space located at Loudoun s Metro stops the opportunities for thoughtful live work learn and play spaces are just beginning One Loudoun is a lifestyle mixed use community that brings a diverse collection of shops restaurants corporate offices entertainment options and expertly crafted new homes right to the heart of Loudoun County Beautifully designed streetscapes highlight boutiques trendy restaurants and bars and community events on the Downtown Plaza 10 Located at the confluence of Route 28 and the Dulles Toll Road in Loudoun County Virginia Rivana at Innovation Station will include A 185 000 square foot retail village 1 8 million square feet of Class A office space 1 954 residential units A 265 room full service hotel A world class performing arts venue 11 Two expansive public parks Live Work Learn and Play in Loudoun Click to Learn More
Taste of Burma was recognized this Small Business Week The Conche expanded into an additional space in Sterling for their Conche Chocolate Cake Studio United States Tennis Association Mid Atlantic Section announced plans to build a state of the art 36 court tennis campus FY22 major wins include Raytheon Technologies DXC Technology American Aerospace Xelevate Solutions Athari Biosciences Collins Aerospace Capital Telecom Services an Inc 5000 company opened its new Ashburn HQ TTM Janitza Electronics EmilAmerica XCAL Shooting Sports and Fitness opened thier doors to the public this spring 12 Catoctin Creek was recognized this Small Business Week Frontier Kitchen was recognized this Small Business Week Melanie Natoli Cana s awardwinning winemaker is the first woman to win the Governor s Cup
DIVERSIFICATION IN ACTION Creating a diverse and globally competitive Loudoun economy 140 Personalized Medicine Health Info Highly Specialized Manufacturing Transportation Warehousing and Logistics Other Rural Retail Culture Entertainment ICT ICT Data Center 140 Wins total wins 28 30 26 11 21 12 8 4 1 924 6 747 696 businesses worked with total square footage 6 584 total jobs 5 74 billion new comercial investment Wins Business opening or expanding in the county defined as more square feet or jobs Behind the Numbers
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Phyllis Randall Chair At Large Koran Saines Vice Chairman Sterling District Juli Briskman Algonkian District Tony Buffington Blue Ridge District Sylvia Glass Broad Run District Caleb Kershner Catoctin District Matthew Letourneau Dulles District Michael Turner Ashburn District Kristen Umstattd Leesburg District COUNTY ADMINISTRATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Buddy Rizer Colleen Kardasz Dave Diaz Mark Armentrout Alex Gonski John Magistro Rick Morris Shannon Wilson Chris Blosser Nancy Evanko Mollie Eversburg Brandon Ferris Katie Fleger Chris Friberg Danelle Hayer Omar Hernandez Chris Hunter Bobby Klancher Katy Lowitz Robert McCollar Lisa Molthen Amy Mugford Paul Newman Ramona Thompson KC Tregoning Tim Hemstreet County Administrator Charles Yudd Deputy County Administrator Valmarie Turner Assistant County Administrator Joe Kroboth Assistant County Administrator PHOTO ATTRIBUTION A special thank you to our photo contributors Cover Photo vc_0002_1391 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 3 vc_0018 9 18 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 6 vc_0025_s1_005 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 1 vc_0002_1391 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 4 Washington Dulles International Airport 7 and 8 Northrop Grumman s Satellite Manufacturing Facility 5 vc_0003_6059 35 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 9 Comstock Holding Companies 2 vc_0003_1004 01 Collection Rust Archive Thomas Balch Library Leesburg Virginia 10 One Loudoun Kite Realty Group 11 Novias Partners 12 Jennifer Jule Studios Contact Us send