The Fairfax County, Virginia, Economic Development Authority (FCEDA, www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org) named San Francisco-based marketing experts Vaughn Mulder and Neil Cohen as co-directors of its West Coast marketing efforts. Additionally, the FCEDA is moving its California offices, formerly in Palo Alto, to San Francisco.
FCEDA has maintained a marketing office in California since July 2006. The move to San Francisco and partnership with Mulder and Cohen reflect increased activity with technology companies in Northern California, many of which do business with the federal government.
Mulder and Cohen will assist West Coast-based technology companies that want to establish or expand operations in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as working with venture capitalists seeking investment opportunities in Fairfax County.
Northern California-based companies including Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, HP and Google have federal sales offices in Fairfax County. In January Computer Sciences Corporation recently announced a move of its Southern California headquarters to Fairfax County in order to be closer to its government customer base. Companies doing business in Fairfax County won more than $13 billion in federal contracts in fiscal 2005.
Mulder’s 20 years of business experience includes strategic consulting for emerging technology companies for market entry, channel partner development and location analysis. He has worked with economic development agencies in Italy, Thailand, the State of Victoria in Australia, and Wales.
Cohen has built and managed brands for corporations for more than 25 years. His firm, Cohen and Co., provides sales strategies for more than 40 tech start-ups and larger firms. As founder of an e-business incubator, he successfully launched three companies in 18 months.
“Dr. Mulder and Mr. Cohen bring a vast amount of experience working with growing companies. That background will help us explain why California businesses should consider expanding operations to Fairfax County, whether they want to win federal contracts or work in the private sector,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the FCEDA. “The labor force, the proximity to markets and the high quality of life make Fairfax County an optimal East Coast location for California companies.”
The San Francisco office is at 600 Townsend Street, Suite 120E, San Francisco, Calif. 94103. It joins a network of FCEDA offices in Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Seoul and Tel Aviv as well as FCEDA headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Time magazine in 2007 called Fairfax County “one of the great economic success stories of our time.” Business growth helps Fairfax County fund public services such as a top-ranked school system that support the quality of life. Fairfax County offers a well-educated workforce, diverse real estate opportunities, access to domestic and international markets through Washington Dulles International Airport, and a dynamic business community based on technology and professional services