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COVER STORY A talent T


John Braun of Dynamis is impressed with the state’s commitment to educational investments, which are designed to ensure a steady pipeline of skilled workers.


tug of war?


Model workplaces prepare for competition with Amazon by Gary Robertson


he big prize. The opportunity of a lifetime. The largest single roll of the dice in U.S. economic development history.


All the superlatives were trotted out as Seattle-based tech giant Amazon pon-


dered where to put its second headquarters (HQ2). In the end, Arlington County in technology-rich Northern Virginia and the


Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New Yo rk City, divided the spoils. Amazon says the 25,000 or so jobs it will create in each location will pay an average of $150,000 a year. The ripple effect of Amazon’s presence in Virginia will amount to $14.2 billion and more than 59,000 jobs over a dozen years, according to a study for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce conducted by Richmond-based Chmura Economics & Analytics. In competing for HQ2, Virginia rightly decided that monetary


incentives were not the most important issue for Amazon. What really mattered was Northern Virginia’s pipeline of technology tal- ent and major educational investments to train more workers. But questions persist about the effect Amazon’s arrival will


have on existing employers. These companies wonder whether the pipeline will be big enough to satisfy everyone’s needs. Some of those companies are among the Best Places


to Work in Virginia. Since 2011, Virginia Business and Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group have collaborated to identify top workplaces in the commonwealth. One hundred companies in three employment


categories were chosen for the Best Places list. (See selection process on Page 27).


www.VirginiaBusiness.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS | 23


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