Annual Report 2006 - Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

chairman’s message
Creativity has been a hallmark of the Fairfax County Economic
Development Authority for decades. The FCEDA
established five offices in vibrant and compatible technology
markets overseas, something no other county—and possibly
no state—can match. It began a capital attraction program
that helps entrepreneurs secure venture capital investment
and attracts venture capitalists to Fairfax County. It started
programs to support development of small and minorityowned
firms that have led to widespread recognition for the
county as an attractive location for these businesses. And, the
FCEDA was the first economic development organization
to use national advertising vehicles such as the Wall Street
Journal and National Public Radio.
In 2006, the FCEDA established an office in Silicon Valley.
While other states and localities have tried marketing in
California, Fairfax County is using a different and more
creative approach. The strategy is not to lure companies
away from California but to help businesses expand by identifying
opportunities in the federal marketplace. By helping
them fi nd new customers, the FCEDA is helping companies
grow in their west coast bases as well.
These strategies befit Fairfax County, where creativity is
second nature to those who live and work here. Fairfax
County has one of the highest concentrations of information
technology companies and workforces in the nation.
Our technology community has one of the highest percentages
of college graduates and those with post-graduate
degrees.
In 2007, the FCEDA will organize and host the National
Conference on the Creative Economy. The conference will
help companies learn how to release and apply the imaginative
energies of their employees, and it will help communities
learn how to position themselves to host companies that
harness the “creative class.”
Just as the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology
focused the attention of the global technology business
community on Fairfax County, so will the National
Conference on the Creative Economy shine a spotlight on
Fairfax County as one of the leading creative economies
and communities in the world. The conference Web site is
www.creativeeconomies.org.
The FCEDA also will continue to employ other creative
methods to sustain the world-class economy that supports
an unsurpassed quality of life. By doing this, the FCEDA
will help sustain a strong commercial tax base, from which
the Board of Supervisors funds programs and services.
Steven L. Davis
FCEDA Commission Chairman
and
Assistant Controller, Corporate Accounting Services
Exxon Mobil Corporation
FCEDA
AR 06
4 | 5