Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454. This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
Farouk Systems USA, creator of an international hair product line, recently opened its hair-color design studio for women and men in the Dulles Crossing Plaza. The studio's grand opening will take place Feb. 1, and first-time visitors to the studio are entitled to a free haircut or computer imaging with any coloring. Additionally, there will be a separate area dedicated to classic grooming services and products for men, which has attracted celebrities as well as professional athletes.
Local area vendors are invited to the 2005 Loudoun County
Procurement's Buyer/Seller Information Exchange sessions. The purpose of these informal sessions is to give area businesses the opportunity to meet the county's procurement staff and become familiar with the county's procurement process. The next round of sessions are as follows:
* Tuesday, Feb. 22, 10:30 a.m.
* Thursday, March 24, 2 p.m.
* Wednesday, April 20, 10:30 a.m.
* Thursday, May 19, 2 p.m.
* Wednesday, June 22, 10:30 a.m.
* Thursday, July 21, 2 p.m.
The sessions will be held in the Lovettsville Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E., in Leesburg. Call 703-771-5142 or send an e-mail to sfields@loudoun.gov.
Toll Brothers hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 11 to officially open an improved Route 50 and Route 606 intersection and brand new, nearly mile-long stretch of Loudoun County Parkway from Route 50 to Tall Cedars Parkway. The increase to five lanes in each direction at this juncture, along with the new section of Loudoun County Parkway, is expected to ease traffic congestion during peak morning and evening rush hours.
The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce has kicked off its newest program, Chamber U, at the George Washington University's Virginia Campus in Ashburn. Chamber U offers educational opportunities and a realistic approach to entrepreneurial learning. Classes will cover a variety of subjects essential to the development of a successful business in Northern Virginia and are taught by professionals with expertise in their respective fields. Classes are open to both chamber members and nonmembers, tuition per class is $45 for members and $60 for nonmembers. E-mail Naomi Torfin, events manager, at ntorfin@loudounchamber.org or call 703-777-2176, Ext. 25.
Virginia Midas dealer William Wood III was the recipient of the Retail Sales award earlier this month. Woods, who has shops in Reston, Sterling and Vienna, was recognized for the highest district retail sales volume for his Sterling shop.
The Loudoun Arts Council announces Bank of America has signed on as the official grand sponsor of the 2005 Designer Showhouse, which is currently under construction by Van Metre Homes in Lansdowne on the Potomac in Lansdowne. Both Van Metre and Lansdowne on the Potomac are Showhouse sponsors who are partnering with the Loudoun Arts Council to produce the event. The Showhouse is scheduled to open to the public beginning April 25 and will continue through May 15. The 20-day event is a major fund-raiser for the Loudoun Arts Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes the countyÕs visual, performing and literary artists and arts organizations.
Digital Doorway Designs located in Sterling was nominated by the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce for the Best Small Office/Home Office of the Year for 2004. The web and graphics design firm was established in 2003 by Jen Inscho. Finalists in all business categories will be recognized and winners will receive an award at the Herndon Dulles Chamber of CommerceÕs Annual Awards Gala Feb. 5.
Velocity Sports Performance, an advanced athletic performance training center with programs for athletes of all skills and ages, has become the official training center of the Darrell Green Speed Enhancement for Youth Huddle; a new high-profile speed training program for youth that provides personal training sessions with future Hall of Fame cornerback, Darrell Green. Beginning Jan. 15, Velocity Sports Performance of Ashburn will make its training center, specifically track, timing system and viewing areas, available to Darrell Green to conduct his classes. The Darrell Green Speed Enhancement for Youth Huddle is designed to enhance the running technique and speed of any child regardless of their size or sport.
The Phoenix Creative Group LLC, a Potomac Falls-based strategic marketing firm specializing in annual reports, corporate literature, and corporate image consulting, announces winning four Certificate of Excellence Awards in the 25th Annual American Graphic Design Awards, sponsored by Graphic Design USA, a periodical for the graphic design industry.
Phoenix Creative won with its entries of the ARC Carrier Brochure, Pocket Folder and Collateral, NRECAÕs Cooperative.com Member Brochure and Tradeshow Booth Design, a series of Lafarge North America Cement Plant Brochures, and PhoenixÕs own moving announcement entitled ÔChange.' Other winning entries include the work of large well-known companies such as American Express, Nike, HBO, Wells Fargo, and GE Healthcare, plus the work of numerous small to mid-size design and advertising firms throughout the U.S.
GTB Enterprises Inc., doing business as Paintworx, with headquarters in Sterling, is the first painting contractor in Virginia to be certified through the National Association of Home Builders Research Center's National Housing Quality Certified Trade Contractor program. The certification program provides rigorous, independent, third-party evaluations.