Northern Virginia remains the economic engine of the commonwealth, generating over 40% of the region’s economic activity and nearly half of Virginia’s tax revenue. But as federal spending patterns change, business leaders are working to maintain the region’s competitive edge.
Julie Coons, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber (NVC), joined Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill on the September episode of “Connect with County Leaders” to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for the region’s business community.
“Northern Virginia is the economic center of the DMV,” Coons said. “It’s an exciting place to be to represent all employers, businesses — large and small, philanthropists, philanthropic organizations, our academic institutions.”
Federal Changes Create New Challenges
The region faces headwinds from recent federal government decisions that have affected local employment and spending. Coons noted that federal employees are losing jobs, and federal dollars are being pulled back from various companies and individuals.
“We expect it either to accelerate or continue well into the future,” Coons explained. “We’ve got to think about how we maintain that economic power for ourselves and for the commonwealth.”
The impact is already visible in rising unemployment rates. While Fairfax County’s unemployment remains lower than many other U.S. regions, any increase above 4% raises concerns for local leaders.
The NOVA Roadmap: A Four-Point Strategy
To address these challenges, the Northern Virginia Chamber has developed the NOVA Roadmap, focusing on four key areas:
- Growing Existing Industries: The plan calls for intentional growth in cutting-edge sectors already present in the region, including AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and commercial space.
- Tackling Affordability: Housing costs affect both families and businesses trying to attract and retain workers.
- Streamlining Business Processes: The chamber wants faster, less expensive pathways for establishing and growing businesses, including improvements to land use, zoning and regulatory processes.
- Strengthening Regional Branding: The region needs better marketing of its innovation and quality of life to compete with states like North Carolina.
AI as Economic Opportunity
Coons sees artificial intelligence as a major opportunity for Northern Virginia to become a national hub for the technology. Unlike Silicon Valley’s approach, the region can focus on “Civic Tech” – using AI as a force for good in government and public service. The region’s advantage lies in its skilled knowledge workers, including those transitioning from federal employment.
Housing: The Critical Partnership
Housing emerged as a top priority in the chamber’s Q3 business leader survey. Coons emphasized that the solution requires partnership between business leaders and local government, similar to how the business community worked with transportation infrastructure over the past 50 years.
“At the end of the day it’s about supply of all types of housing,” Coons said. The chamber supports exploring various solutions, including adaptive reuse and accessory dwelling units.
Transportation and Financial Responsibility
While supporting a multimodal transportation system, the chamber takes a cautious approach to Metro expansion. Coons said the organization doesn’t see a need for Metrorail expansion until Metro achieves better financial transparency and accountability.
“We’ve got to really focus on that transparency and how dollars are used. They are taxpayer dollars and there are many important uses of taxpayer dollars,” she explained.
Connect with the Gang: AI Transforms 9-1-1 Operations
The September episode also launched a new podcast segment called “Connect with the Gang,” featuring Fairfax County employees. The first guest was Dru Clarke, assistant director of 9-1-1 Dispatch Operations for the Department of Public Safety Communications.
Clarke oversees the largest public safety answering points in the commonwealth, handling approximately 1 million calls per year, and one of the 10 largest in the United States.
In August, the 9-1-1 Center launched phase one of an AI-assisted non-emergency triage program. The AI system, called ANET (Assisted Non-Emergency Triage), handles information-only calls conversationally, without requiring callers to navigate phone trees.
“Most people didn’t even know they were talking to AI,” Clarke noted. “We had one really intuitive caller that said, ‘Is this AI?’ And we had never asked the AI program that. So, we were waiting to see what it would say. And it said, ‘Yes, I am AI and I’m here to assist you.’”
Currently, the system operates in English and Spanish, with plans to expand to the top five languages spoken in Fairfax County by winter. The county has over 170 languages spoken among residents.
Clarke, who started as a call taker in 2013, still takes calls today as assistant director to stay connected with both staff and community needs.
Connect With County Leaders Podcast
The “Connect with County Leaders” podcast is a monthly opportunity to meet and connect with Fairfax County leaders, to learn about the latest county news and information, and hear more on specific programs and services in Fairfax County.
Listen or watch past episodes of “Connect with County Leaders” on SoundCloud, on YouTube and on Channel 16’s podcast on demand page. For other Fairfax County podcasts, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/podcasts, and for additional audio content, tune in to Fairfax County Government Radio at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/radio.
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