Since it was announced in August, it was no surprise that the Chamber ALX‘s 2025 Business Leader of the Year Award was presented Thursday night (Oct. 23) to the Virginia Tech DC Area Launch Team.
Still, there were a number of other contentious business awards, and ALXnow was at the Westin Alexandria Old Town (400 Courthouse Square) to see them handed out. Below are the winners of the micro, small, medium, large, rising star, non-profit, and overall businesses of the year in Alexandria.
Virginia Tech opened earlier this year in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood. A three-building campus is planned, with the first building, an 11-story, 300,000-square-foot academic facility serving hundreds of computer science and engineering graduate students.
“This is the first time an academic institution has received this award,” said Lance Collins, Virginia Tech’s vice president and executive director of Virginia Tech’s Alexandria campus, upon receiving the award. “That may seem like a straightforward, regular thing, but it’s actually not. It really was built into everything that we did. We wanted an academic institution that was connected, that was essentially running side-by-side with the businesses in the region, accelerating them, augmenting them, lifting them, and, you know, providing the talent that would drive them.”
This year’s overall business leader of the year award was presented to the nonprofit Community Lodgings. For decades, the organization has provided housing, education, and support services to Alexandria families earning 30% to 60% of the area median income.
The other awards are listed below.
- Micro Business of the Year — Aptivate Educational & Psychological Solutions
- Small Business of the Year — Family First Law Group, PLLC
- Medium Business of the Year — Alexandria Children’s Dentistry
- Large Business of the Year — Hotel AKA Alexandria
- Nonprofit / Association of the Year — Alexandria Soccer Association
- Rising Star Business of the Year — Cornerstone Craftsman, Inc.
