Chamber Briefings 
April 2017
Upcoming 
Events

REGISTRATION OPEN!

Virginia Chamber Annual Dinner
May 11, 2017
The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond

Energy & Sustainability Conference
May 24, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center

June 8, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center

SAVE THE DATE!

2017 Virginia Workforce & Education Conference
September 28, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center
Member News & Events





President's Message

Last night, we were pleased to recognize 50 of the fastest-growing companies in Virginia at the 22nd Annual Fantastic 50 Awards in Chantilly. These 50 companies are leading the way in advancing a better business environment in the Commonwealth, raising personal incomes of Virginians, attracting top talent, and making their communities better places to live and work. Many thanks again to our sponsors--Cox Communications, Hunton and Williams, Dixon Hughes Goodman, JPMorgan Chase & Co., the Westfields Marriott, SunTrust, and Virginia Business--for making this recognition possible. You can find the names of the 50 winning companies below.

On May 11, we will honor pro-business legislators at our Annual Dinner. That evening, we will also release our 2017 Legislative Report Card. I hope you will make plans to join us for the business community's salute to Virginia's legislators who are working to ensure that Virginia remains one of the best states for business. More information on our Annual Dinner can be found below.

As you know, we are also working to update Blueprint Virginia this year by developing Blueprint Virginia 2025. We've held regional briefings around the commonwealth and so far have heard from over 3000 business leaders on their priorities for improving our economic climate. We'll also be conducting in-depth, industry specific polling at two of our upcoming events--our Energy and Sustainability Conference on May 24th and our Health Care Conference on June 8th. Be sure your voice is heard on these important issues--more information on both conferences can be found below. You can learn more about our Blueprint Virginia 2025 process here.

Virginia Chamber Unveils 22nd Annual List of Virginia's Fastest Growing Companies - the Fantastic 50
 
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce celebrated fifty of the fastest growing Virginia companies at the twenty second annual "Virginia's Fantastic 50 Awards Banquet" on April 27 at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly. More than 400 attendees participated in the banquet to recognize the companies for their success.
 
"We know that companies will grow and expand where they have the skilled workforce to support their mission," said Barry DuVal, president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. "We are glad to toast the entrepreneurial spirit of these business leaders and the dedicated employees who have brought these companies continued success."
 
At the conclusion of the awards banquet, the Chamber announced four Virginia Vanguard winners, recognized for the highest growth in the categories of service, technology, manufacturing, and recognizing the company with the highest overall growth in Virginia. The 2017 Virginia Vanguard Winners are:
 
Highest Overall Growth: Darkblade Systems, Stafford County
 
Technology: GuidePoint Security LLC, Herndon
 
Service: Axis Global Enterprises, Virginia Beach
 
Manufacturing: O'Connor Brewing Company, Norfolk
 
A full list of the Fantastic 50 award winners is available below.
 
About the Awards -Virginia's FANTASTIC 50 award program is a signature event of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Now in its 22nd year, the FANTASTIC 50 program is the only annual statewide award recognizing Virginia's fastest growing business.
 
Nominations for the 2017 FANTASTIC 50 were sought last fall from local chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and through the sponsors' networks; companies may also nominate themselves.
 
To be eligible, a company must be privately held with headquarters in Virginia, show revenues between $200,000 and $200 million, and demonstrate positive revenue growth and positive net income in its most recent fiscal year over the previous year. Companies are judged on four-year sales revenue history. The professional service firm Dixon Hughes Goodman verifies all award entries.
 
The Fantastic 50 award program is sponsored by the Virginia Chamber, Cox Communications, Inc., Hunton and Williams, Virginia Business Magazine, Dixon Hughes Goodman, SunTrust Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, and the Westfields Marriott.
 
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
2017 Virginia Fantastic 50 Winners
 
  1. Darkblade Systems, Stafford (Virginia Vanguard - Highest Overall Growth)
  2. GuidePoint Security LLC, Herndon (Virginia Vanguard - Technology)
  3. Axis Global Enterprises, Virginia Beach (Virginia Vanguard - Service)
  4. SSi, Virginia Beach
  5. Davis Defense Group, Inc., Stafford
  6. The Hilb Group, Richmond
  7. V1 Analytical Solutions, LLC, Arlington
  8. Cynet Systems Inc., Ashburn
  9. Concept Plus, LLC, Fairfax
  10. E3 Federal Solutions, McLean
  11. RM Advisory Services LLC, Alexandria
  12. Creative Systems and Consulting, McLean
  13. Ingenicomm, Inc., Chantilly
  14. Tribal Tech LLC, Alexandria
  15. PotomacWave Consulting, Alexandria
  16. American Cyber, Inc., Clifton
  17. Cape Henry Associates, Virginia Beach
  18. Convoke, Arlington
  19. Impact Makers, Richmond
  20. O'Connor Brewing Company, Norfolk (Virginia Vanguard - Manufacturing)
  21. Eagle Hill Consulting, Arlington
  22. Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Lexington
  23. Veris Group LLC, Vienna
  24. Morooka America, Ashland
  25. Insignia Technology Services LLC, Newport News
  26. DIGITALSPEC, Fairfax
  27. Highlight Technologies, Fairfax
  28. SOLitude Lake Management, Virginia Beach
  29. Brandito, Henrico
  30. MindPoint Group LLC, Springfield
  31. Divurgent, Virginia Beach
  32. Patriot Group International, Inc., Warrenton
  33. Marathon TS, Kilmarnock
  34. Sevatec Inc., Fairfax
  35. Epitome Networks, Richmond
  36. The Bowen Group, Stafford
  37. ValidaTek Inc., Arlington
  38. Pretek Corporation, Chantilly
  39. Datatility, Inc., Ashburn
  40. Amatea, LLC, Leesburg
  41. NuAxis Innovations, Vienna
  42. ODUrent, Norfolk
  43. The Frontier Project, Richmond
  44. AEM Corporation, Herndon
  45. Technatomy Corporation, Fairfax
  46. Chmura Economics & Analytics, Richmond
  47. Higher Logic. Arlington
  48. Dominion Consulting Inc., Reston
  49. Markon Solutions, Falls Church
  50. Zantech IT Services Inc., Tysons Corner

Thursday, May 11, 2017
The Jefferson Hotel - Richmond, VA

Join us to recognize members of the General Assembly for their support of pro-growth, business friendly legislation during the 2017 Session.
Individual Tickets: $125


Featuring a special presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to retiring House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell for his leadership in the General Assembly and service to the Commonwealth.



Presenting Bank Sponsor

Presenting Law Firm Sponsor

Business, public policy, and energy leaders chart a sustainable energy future for Virginia with a changing fuel mix and new federal energy policies.

Featuring Keynote Remarks by
Governor Terry McAuliffe
Early-bird rate $95

Attendees will have the opportunity to 
help set the policy goals for Virginia's energy future through polling for 
Blueprint Virginia 2025 . Results will be presented to our next Governor following the 2017 election. Make sure your voice is heard!

Pinnacle Sponsor
Diamond Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors

Presenting Law Firm
The health care landscape in America today is uncertain.
 
What impact does this uncertainty have on the business community as employers seek to lower costs and improve the health of their workforce? How are employers addressing health care within their organizations? What are the strategies for moving from a "volume" to "value" based system, and how are payers, providers, physicians and patients adapting? What impact is technology and innovation having on this transition?
 
Join more than 600 professionals in health care and human resources for discussions on these questions and more!
Early bird rate: $95

Attendees will have the opportunity to help set the policy goals for Virginia's health care future through polling for 
Blueprint Virginia 2025.

Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit Guidelines
 
On April 19, 2017, the Virginia Department of Taxation ("the Department") published final updated Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit Guidelines and final Major Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit Guidelines. 

These guidelines are now available on the Department's Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit Guidelines website and Major Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit Guidelines website. 

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please contact Matthew Huntley at [email protected].
Business News

Each Friday, we post highlights of news articles from the week on our website.

These articles cover mentions of the Virginia Chamber, state and federal policy updates, election news and general business news. Be sure to check back each Friday for a recap of the week's news!
2017 Transitioning Military & Employer Networking Receptions

The Virginia Chamber Foundation is partnering with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services on the Veterans Career Network program. The program will capitalize on Virginia's highly skilled veteran talent pool to help strengthen our workforce. We will be hosting military and employer networking receptions designed to provide transitioning service members the opportunity to connect one-on-one with community and industry leaders.
 
Transitioning service members will gain access to valuable contacts and receive career advice from industry professionals representing local military-friendly companies hiring for jobs in finance, healthcare, shipbuilding, maritime, aviation, logistics, and law enforcement.
 
To learn more about the program and view a list of the currently scheduled networking events, click here.
Alert: ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits

The Oklahoma Chamber has alerted us to the fact that hundreds of class action lawsuits have been filed "against companies, principally in the retail, hospitality and financial services industries, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act for failure to maintain websites that are accessible to the blind and visually impaired."

Title III of the ADA, which was enacted in 1990, prohibits discrimination against the disabled, including the blind and vision impaired, in places of public accommodation and permits private rights of action. The ADA does not expressly cover websites (if for no other reason than the first website wasn't created until 1990), but more recently courts have interpreted places of "public accommodation" to include websites.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation to avoid frivolous lawsuits against small businesses. Two examples in Oklahoma (OK HB 1429 & OK SB 651) require 120 days of notice to potential defendants before filing an action and requires the court to dismiss the lawsuit "if the website defects are corrected prior to the filing of a petition and award court costs and reasonable attorney fees to the defendant."
How Well-funded Are Pension Plans in Your State?

According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, unfunded state and local public pension obligations exceed $1.5 trillion, and many governments are facing a pension crisis as a result. The following map by the Tax Foundation uses data from Pew to measure the funded ratio of public pension plans by state.

The gap between the pension benefits that Virginia has promised workers and the funding to pay for them remains significant. However, Virginia has enacted reforms in recent years to help shrink that divide, though it will take time to close the funding gaps. In 2013, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) board adopted a stronger funding policy to pay off the unfunded liabilities over a fixed time period. The General Assembly also enacted legislation to make full actuarial contributions by 2018.
Virginia ranked as the sixth best state to retire

According to a report released last month by Bankrate.com, Virginia ranked as the 6th best state to retire, behind Number 1 New Hampshire, Colorado, Maine, Iowa and Minnesota. Virginia came in as the 5th lowest state in crime, and ranked 14th in cultural vitality and 16th in both health care quality and weather. The study examined eight factors:  cost of living, health care quality, crime, cultural vitality, weather, taxes and senior citizens' well-being and the prevalence of other seniors. Alaska was rated the worst place to retire, followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.

For the complete list, click here.
Interested in International Expansion? Take Advantage of VITAL!
The Virginia Chamber is proud to partner with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership on VITAL, the Virginia International Trade Alliance. As a VITAL partner, our member companies have access to steeply discounted rates for international market research as well as international trade shows and international trade missions facilitated through VEDP. 
 

Click below for more information:

If you or a company that you work with is interested in learning more about VITAL, please contact Samantha Quig, Director of Communications and Program Manager, at [email protected] or 804-237-1457.
Keep up with the Virginia Chamber on Twitter!