Arlington County’s top economic development leader, who helped lure Amazon to Northern Virginia, is taking his clout to neighboring Fairfax County.
Victor Hoskins, director of economic development for Arlington County, has been named chief executive for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, succeeding Gerald Gordon, who led the authority for more than three decades.
Hoskins was instrumental in leading the regional effort to bring Amazon’s HQ2 to Arlington County. He had previously served as Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development for D.C., helping shape the development of some of D.C.’s largest projects in recent years, including The Wharf and Union Market.
Hoskins, 61, officially joins Fairfax County Aug. 5.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority works with companies looking to locate or expand in Fairfax County, many of them established or start-up technology companies. There are nearly 150,000 technology workers in the county, roughly one in four jobs in Fairfax.
“Fairfax County is well known for its pro-growth environment and its ability to attract, train and retain talented workers,” Hoskins said in a statement. “I hope to do more of that with increased outreach in the U.S. and abroad, especially among young people.”
Hoskins will build on the HQ2 momentum. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority recently launched a talent attraction and retention program to build on HQ2’s arrival with an initial $1 million budget and an $800,000 annual budget in following years to study ways to expand the region’s talent pipeline.
In Fairfax County Economic Development Authority’s announcement, it said Hoskins’ work in D.C. and Arlington has resulted in the creation of 375,000 jobs and he has led teams that have negotiated more than 700 major business deals.
Gordon, 68, who joined the authority in 1983 and served as its CEO since 1987, announced his retirement in August. He now serves as a fellow at the College of Charleston’s Joseph P. Riley Center for Livable Communities in South Carolina, and teaches in the college’s Master of Public Administration program.
During Gordon’s tenure, Fairfax County grew to one of the largest suburban office markets in the country, with more than 117 million square feet of office space, and the number of jobs more than doubling to 600,000.
While Gordon headed the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, several major corporations moved their headquarters to Fairfax County, including Northrop Grumman, Capital One, Volkswagen North America, Hilton and Bechtel.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority now has offices in London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Bangalore and Southern California.
