Keynote: Loudoun County's Economic Development Growth

How the area's developments are bringing in new opportunities and innovations to continue building the region.

• 

  Phyllis Randall

  Phyllis J. Randall was elected Chair At-Large of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in November 2015 and reelected in November 2019. Her election was historic as she became the first person of color in Virginia’s history to be an elected chair of a county Board. As Loudoun’s Chair At-Large, she represents Loudoun on various regional, state, and national bodies including, Chair of the full Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and Chair of the NVTA Governance and Personnel Committee.  She also currently serves as a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Health and Human Resources Committee and founding member of the (NACo) Economic Mobility Leadership Network, a member of the Virginia Association of Counties Health and Human Resources sub-committee and a member of The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors, Human Services and Public Safety Policy Committee, Regional Forward Coalition, and DC Statehood sub-committee. Chair Randall also serves on the Board of Supervisors’ Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee and the Transportation and Land Use Committee. In June of 2018, Chair Randall was selected as one of only twenty-five women in the country to be included in the 2019 class of Governing Magazine’s Women in Government Leadership Program. In addition, in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, the citizens of Loudoun County voted Chair Randall Favorite Public Official, an honor which she is most humbled by and proud of.  From 2009-2011, Chair Randall served as Chair of Virginia’s Fair Housing Board under former Governors Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell. From 2014 to June of 2018, she served as Chair of Virginia’s State Board of Corrections under Governor Terry McAuliffe.  By profession, Chair Randall is a mental health therapist, with substance dependence as her emphasis area. She has worked with justice-involved populations, both in and out of incarcerated settings, a career she has enjoyed for over 20 years. She and her husband Thaddeus (T.W.) have lived in Loudoun since 2003, and are the proud parents of two sons, Ashon and Aaron.

  Loudoun County Board of Supervisors

  Chair

  Keynote

  Phyllis Randall

  Chair

  Loudoun County Board of Supervisors

Envisioning Loudoun County

From the comprehensive plan to the latest infrastructure changes, how is the county working to invest in its economic growth?

• 

  Buddy Rizer

  Buddy Rizer serves as the Executive Director for economic development in Loudoun County, Virginia, which was named the 2021 Economic Development Organization of the Year by the International Economic Development Council. He leads the agency responsible for encouraging growth and developing relationships with Loudoun’s business community in both the commercial and agricultural- based business sectors. During his tenure, Rizer and his team have attracted more than $65 billion in new commercial investment and more than 60 thousand new jobs. During this time, the growth in the commercial based has helped lower the tax rate in Loudoun by more than 48 cents on the dollar, saving residents thousands of dollars annually on their tax bill. Mr. Rizer has been named a Tech Titan eight times by Washingtonian Magazine (2017 – 2024), one of the 50 most influential Virginians six times by Virginia Business Magazine (2018 – 2023), a five-time member of Virginia’s Power 500 (2020 – 2024), and three times named to the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 as one of the most influential businesspeople in Washington, DC (2020, 2022, 2023). In 2024, he was named as one of the 50 most influential people in Northern Virginia by Northern Virginia Magazine. Mr. Rizer is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP), has a master’s in business administration/economics from Longwood University and is a graduate of Virginia Tech's Local Government Management Graduate Program.

  Loudoun County Economic Development

  Executive Director

  Buddy Rizer

  Executive Director

  Loudoun County Economic Development

• 

  Susan Mitchell

  Susan Mitchell has a 20+-year track record of success delivering grants management, research and evaluation, logistics, and technical assistance solutions to government, industry, and the community. Susan is committed to improving access to and success in education, healthcare, workforce, and economic development. Ms. Mitchell serves on the board of directors for Virginia Career Works and STEM for Her, is a Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce GovCon Committee Chair, and was tapped to serve on the Loudoun County Economic Development Advisory Commission (Life Sciences Sector), appointed by the Board of Supervisors and supports DEIA efforts as the Chair of the Loudoun Chamber Toolkit subcommittee. With innovation, education and empowerment as cornerstones, she leads a team of doctors and scientists dedicated to using their Sterling, Virginia CLIA diagnostic testing lab as an asset for the progression of therapeutic developments. She and her team are a driving force behind social and health equity endeavors that positively impact population health, product commercialization, and pipeline development.

  Athari BioSciences Inc.

  CEO & Founder

  Susan Mitchell

  CEO & Founder

  Athari BioSciences Inc.

• 

  Guy Gravett

  Spanning a professional real estate career of over 30 years, Guy M. Gravett brings in-depth knowledge of real estate brokerage transactions from both the buyer and seller side. Mr. Gravett is presently the Principal Broker of Farms and Acreage, Inc., a real estate brokerage company that he purchased from his mentor, Verlin Smith, in 2004. Guy’s work has included helping to create and implement a disposition strategy for such high profile projects as Moorefield Station and Arrowbrook Centre. Mr. Gravett holds a Bachelors of Science in Real Estate from Florida State University. He currently lives in Warrenton, Virginia with his wife. He has four grown children. Mr. Gravett’s professional affiliations include: • Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) • Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA) • National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) • Urban Land Institute (ULI) • International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) • Northern Virginia Apartment Association (NVAA) • Property Management Association (PMA)

  Claude Moore Charitable Foundation

  Trustee

  Guy Gravett

  Trustee

  Claude Moore Charitable Foundation

• 

  Monti Mercer

  Monti Mercer serves as Chair of the Loudoun Cares Board of Directors, named the 2021 Non-Profit Organization of the Year and the 2021 Small Business of the Year (second non-profit ever to receive this honor) by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. He is a neuroscience researcher, and a science humanitarian focused on sharing basic biomedical research and science education. Mr. Mercer is the Community Relations Manager for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the Janelia Research Campus. His department supports the campus’s philanthropy and community engagement initiatives through community partnerships with local leaders and organizations to expand STEM education while promoting charitable experiences. Mr. Mercer’s servitude includes an appointment as Trustee for the Dulles District with the Loudoun County Public Library, Board Director with the Loudoun Chamber, and the STEM Advisory Council for the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation. He was Loudoun 40 Under 40 honoree in 2019 and a finalist for the 2022 Young Professional Leader of the Year with the Loudoun Chamber. Mr. Mercer is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, completed the John Mercer Langston Institute – African American Political Leadership program at Virginia State University, and is currently pursuing a Master of Strategic Public Relations from the George Washington University.

  Loudoun Cares Board of Directors

  Chair

  Monti Mercer

  Chair

  Loudoun Cares Board of Directors

• 

  Amy Owen

  Amy’s professional career has been in nonprofit management, program development, teaching, and fund-raising. For more than 10 years, she managed and directed fundraising programs for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy based in Harpers Ferry, WV. Beginning in 2001, she shifted to executive leadership in the community foundation arena, and in 2012, joined the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, a grantmaking organization distributing approximately $2M annually while also dedicating resources to nonprofit training and elevating varied issues of community need as workforce housing and social justice.

  Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties

  CEO & President

  Moderator

  Amy Owen

  CEO & President

  Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties

Loudoun County's Development Forecast

What are the latest projects in the area, what neighborhoods are on the rise, and how is the county preparing for 2023?

• 

  Beth Twomey

  As Chief Operating Officer, Beth leads and shapes organizational strategy and operational systems that position the organization for success meeting business goals. Beth, along with the CEO, is steering the organization’s goal to bring a USTA Mid-Atlantic tennis campus to fruition leading all strategic implementations for this project. She will lead the capital campaign and the project’s revenue and operating strategy. Beth conceptualized and led the creation of USTA Mid-Atlantic’s philanthropic vision and identity, establishing the organization's first ever development department in alignment with the Section becoming a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Philanthropic strategies for the organization’s programs as well as fundraising, grant giving, sponsorships, and capacity building to support the entire tennis ecosystem in the region are under Beth’s purview. Beth’s skill in relationship building coupled with her visionary strategy led to immediate fundraising success across multiple platforms and audiences. Beth has a Master of Arts in Organizational Development from Marymount University and is a member of the national scholastic honor society, Delta Epsilon Sigma. She is a SHRM-SCP and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification from ASAE and certification from the Institute for Organization Management (IOM). She was a collegiate level athlete and youth coach.

  USTA Mid-Atlantic Section

  COO

  Beth Twomey

  COO

  USTA Mid-Atlantic Section

• 

  Susan Bourgeois

  Executive Director

  Rappaport

• 

  Donald Knutson

  CEO

  Knutson Companies

• 

  Tim Steffan

  Tim Steffan joined Comstock Holding Companies®, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHCI) (“Comstock” or “Company”) in early 2018 as Executive Vice President of Asset Management, Leasing & Development. Mr. Steffan is responsible for management of the asset management, leasing, and development operations of the Company. As a member of Comstock’s Executive Management Committee, Mr. Steffan has played a key role in the development and execution of Comstock’s strategic plan and the recent reshaping of its management team in support of the 2018 transformation of Comstock’s operations from for-sale homebuilding to commercial real estate development, asset management, and real estate related service provider. While leading by example, Mr. Steffan’s results oriented management style inspires teamwork, creativity, integrity, and a collaborative work environment.

  Comstock

  COO

  Tim Steffan

  COO

  Comstock

• 

  Mike Romeo

  A native of Reston, Michael joined Walsh Colucci in 2004 and primarily focuses on managing the legislative approval process for clients seeking rezonings, special exceptions, zoning modifications, and other land use approvals. Michael has gained extensive experience through his work in Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg and has been involved in several projects in other Northern Virginia municipalities. In addition to providing project management experience, Michael has a thorough understanding of local zoning ordinance, comprehensive plan, subdivision and site plan standards as well as significant experience in drafting proffer statements, zoning determination request letters, statements of justification, and various other land use documents.

  Walsh Colucci

  Land Use Planner

  Moderator

  Mike Romeo

  Land Use Planner

  Walsh Colucci

Opening Remarks

• 

  Chris Clemente

  Chris Clemente founded the Comstock organization in 1985 and has guided its growth and diversification since its inception. Mr. Clemente managed the growth of Comstock as a private enterprise until the 2004 initial public offering of Comstock Homebuilding Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHCI), now known as Comstock Holding Companies®, Inc. (“Comstock” or “Company”). Since the IPO, Mr. Clemente has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comstock and is the largest individual stockholder of the Company. Mr. Clemente chairs Comstock’s Executive Committee, which charts strategic direction, evaluates acquisition opportunities, and oversees strategic partnerships, including multiple public-private partnerships. Mr. Clemente is also Managing Member of Comstock Partners, LC (“Partners”), a family-owned, private company founded by Mr. Clemente in 1999 to focus on commercial real estate development and investment. Following its IPO, Comstock expanded its for-sale homebuilding operation into multiple key markets in the southeastern United States, while the commercial development operation of Partners remained focused on the Washington, DC market. Following the Great Recession, Comstock scaled back its for-sale homebuilding operation to focus solely on the Washington, DC market. Mr. Clemente managed the two companies as separate firms with distinct management teams and investment objectives until early 2018, when Comstock announced its plan to wind-down its for-sale homebuilding operation and refocus on commercial development, real estate asset management, and real estate related services. To execute this strategic plan, the operating platforms of Comstock and Partners were combined, and changes were made to the management team. To anchor the transition, Partners entered a long-term, cost-plus asset management agreement covering its portfolio of commercial properties, which had grown to include millions of square feet of stabilized buildings and development assets strategically located at key transit stations on Metro’s new Silver Line in the Dulles Corridor of Northern Virginia that have an estimated value at full build out of approximately $3 billion. Key assets included in the portfolio of managed assets, include; Reston Station, a 4.5 million square foot transit-oriented and mixed-use development covering nearly 40 acres surrounding the terminus station of Phase I of the Silver Line in Reston, Virginia, and Loudoun Station, a 2+ million square foot transit-oriented and mixed-use development located adjacent to the terminus station of Phase II of the Silver Line in Ashburn, Virginia. Mr. Clemente attended the University of Wisconsin and George Mason University where he studied Business and Psychology. Mr. Clemente and his wife, Tracy Schar, have been long-time supporters of numerous charitable organizations in the Washington, DC region that support international adoptions, foster care programs, and that provide educational, housing and other assistance to families and children in-need.

  Comstock

  CEO

  Chris Clemente

  CEO

  Comstock

• 

  Kurt Marx

  Kurt Marx is the market president for United Bank’s Fairfax West region, encompassing Loudoun County and parts of Fairfax County. He is a 1980 graduate of George Washington University and he has been employed in the local banking industry since 1986. Kurt is an active member and has served in various positions within St. Theresa Catholic Church, Ashburn, VA. Since 2012, he has served as director and treasurer for the non-profit Mosaic-Virginia which operates a clinic in Lansdowne, VA and provides free women’s health care services.

  United Bank

  Market President

  Kurt Marx

  Market President

  United Bank