Employee-owned companies – or those majority-owned by employees through a Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Profit Sharing Trust or Stock Purchase Plan – barely register as a percentage of all U.S. companies. Many tend to be clustered in consumer-facing market segments (i.e. – supermarkets, fast food), but if you look at the 100 largest (by […] More

It is not easy for the Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of a $1.8 billion company with 10,500 employees to convey genuine humility when reflecting upon a career overflowing with personal accomplishments. But it was clear to the room full of local executives and leaders who came to hear Jack London, Chairman of […] More

Illinois Sen. and 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama joined LinkedIn, the online professional community, further positioning his campaign as the leader in utilizing social networking sites to garner online support. Already a strong presence on Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr, Obama recently joined LinkedIn, the social network site aimed professionals looking to expand their networks in […] More

Hughes Communications is about to make my life so much easier. Let me explain. My mom lives in rural Northwest Washington state, where the biggest development each time I visit is the location of the newest clear-cut. It“™s rural. Very, very rural. My normally timid retired mother has learned to drive like a bat out […] More

As promised, this post follows up on yesterday“™s account of the Walker & Dunlop reception. Held last Wednesday, the event was hosted by the firm“™s CEO, Will Walker, who has extensive senior management experience. The firm“™s gathering gave some of the DC region“™s leading executives a chance to exchange business cards, talk shop, and even […] More

Many of the fastest growing private companies in the Discrict of Columbia provide online advertising, marketing and IT support according to the recently published INC 5000 List. The yearly catalog of fast growing private companies operating within the digital communications space includes Washington D.C-based Mindshare Interactive Campaigns, TIG global, and eResources, all of whom achieved […] More

The Post“™s WashBiz Blog published a piece on Friday that looked like the “bold“ setting had gotten stuck on the writer“™s keyboard. The usage was appropriate, though, as the article highlighted the names of top executives who had attended Walker & Dunlop“™s Wednesday reception at the Metropolitan Club. Located in Bethesda, Walker & Dunlop is […] More

Isn“™t it always a company“™s goal to grow? Not necessarily, according to a Washington Post article published earlier this week. If it means the firm will have a hard time winning essential government contracts, staying small might be the best bet.  According to the Post“™s analysis, medium-sized contractors have been getting squeezed out of the […] More

Daily Dulles Toll Road commuters would likely not welcome the addition of more cars to the Dulles Corridor route, but how about more car companies? As reported in the Washington Post today, Volkswagen of America was set to announce the company was moving its corporate headquarters to Herndon in an effort to reverse weak sales […] More

Facebook, the new Linked-In? I am not the only one that“™s noticed my Facebook invitations are increasing and my Linked-In invitations are falling. Having well over 500 connections on Linked-In, I feel connected but stabilized in my number of connections. Facebook, on the other hand is building up steam. Facebook, once reserved for students, recently […] More

There was an interesting article in this morning’s Internet Travel News about the power of social networking as a marketing tool. It caught my eye, not so much because of what it had to say to travel industry professionals in particular, but because it portended a marketing “tidal wave” for all industries. This was a timely confirmation […] More

Celera Group announced today it will acquire Berkeley HeartLab, Inc. (BHL), a cardiovascular health care company, for about $195 million in cash, minus certain BHL transaction costs. It anticipates the definitive agreement to close during the second quarter of fiscal 2008. Celera is based in Rockville, Maryland, and is one of two Applera Corporation operating […] More