Kaine Pays a Visit to GMU-affilited Incubator in Leesburg

U.S. Senator dropped by the Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) in Leesburg Friday afternoon to lend his ear to local businesses and give a brief update about what’s happening on the Hill.

The MEC is an incubator, which provides space and other assistance to those wishing to establish a new business. And the Leesburg facility has proven successful.

“We are now at 100 percent capacity,” said Susan Henson, regional manager for the MEC and co-founder of Idea Fusion, adding that there’s also a waiting list.

Kaine offered a quick update about the work going on in Congress, including his bill to provide veterans with credit for their skills to assist with post-military resumes; the Marketplace Fairness Act, which imposes a sales tax for online retailers based on the ship-to address; and the budget – “We’ve got a ways to go.” The U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act Monday.

Kaine welcomed a series of questions from a room full of business owners at the MEC Friday.

Fabbioli Cellars founder Doug Fabbioli asked how small businesses could hoist their ideas up the chain to lawmakers on the Hill, particularly while competing against deep-pocketed corporate lobbyists.

“Do you feel like you’re hearing us?” Fabbioli asked from a seat about five feet away from Kaine. “How best can we work at our level to get our thoughts and ideas to you?”

The senator said small businesses would likely have the most success by banding together; he also said lawmakers are supposed to take advantage of congressional recesses to meet with their constituents and listen to their ideas

“We are supposed to do our best work outside the office,” Kaine said. “What I would encourage you to do is work with chambers and local business groups.”

Kaine also touted his small business background, asserting that during his time as governor of Virginia the percentage of state contracts given to small businesses rose from 13 percent to 40 percent.

“I very much want to do the same thing; that is, make sure small- and medium-sized businesses are in that procurement space,” he said. However, he also said the federal procurement process is different and that there’s still work to do in that respect.

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce president Tony Howard asked Kaine if he could find out why the National Parks Service has not yet signed off on the Bi-county Parkway – formerly known as the Tri-county Parkway until it was shifted west and away from Fairfax County.

The parkway – intended to improve access between Interstate 66 in Prince William County and Route 50 in Loudoun, and ultimately Dulles International Airport – has developed momentum under the governorship of Bob McDonnell.

However, the road has had its opponents, including historical preservationists concerned about Manassas Battlefield and environmentalists concerned about impacts and development along the route. Concerns have also been raised that the project is a veiled first step at creating a new transportation corridor that some fear would overload Loudoun’s roads. As currently planned, the parkway would line up with Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) and form a connection from Route 7 to Interstate 95, via Routes 659 and 234.

According to Howard, the parks service representatives at the battlefield support the road because it will take traffic off off Route 234 through the battlefield, making the holdup more puzzling. The proposed route skirts the battlefield park. Environmentalists have continued to raise concerns.

The Leesburg MEC came through a partnership between George Mason University, the Town of Leesburg, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and Loudoun Economic Development.