Northern Virginia Technology Council looks ahead to 2007

Transportation and telework went hand in hand for the Northern Virginia Technology Council in 2006. The influential organization pushed hard for more transportation funding and stronger telework programs this year and will continue to make those issues its top priorities in 2007, said Bobbie Kilberg, NVTC president and chief executive officer.

“We were very vocal advocates this year for … new transportation funding,” Kilberg said. “We’re going back again next year.”

The council will work with a coalition of business groups in 2007 to lobby for $400 million in dedicated state funding for transportation projects in Northern Virginia. Despite a push from numerous groups in 2006, the Virginia General Assembly failed to come up with any long-term transportation funding.

“Our role is to keep letting legislators know that inaction is not going to solve the problem,” Kilberg said.

With funding at a standstill, NVTC trumpeted the value of telework in 2006 and urged more companies to offer work-from-home solutions that could ease traffic in congested Northern Virginia.

“We can really contribute to the debate about what technology innovations can help alleviate the transportation crisis,” Kilberg said.

In November, the council unveiled a pledge from 32 Northern Virginia technology companies to expand or implement telework programs for their employees.

“The reality is these days employees aren’t asking for telework, they’re demanding it,” Kilberg said. “We want to aggressively advance teleworking. … [Virginia] can be a true leader in telework. It can be important [because] you can tap into the work force of other parts of the state and indeed anywhere else in the country.”

In addition to telework and transportation, NVTC continued in its role of guiding local technology startups in 2006. The organization’s Entrepreneur Center worked with 35 early-stage companies in 2006 and hopes to expand that number significantly next year, Kilberg said.

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