Open for international business
Fairfax's location attracts foreign affiliates

by Joan Hennessy
for Virginia Business
January 2007

The U. S. office of ORBIS America, Inc., overlooks the heart of busy Tysons Corner - a hodgepodge of shops, eateries, parking lots, offices and multiple lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The sprawl prompts Michael Winkelmann to comment on a notable difference between Europe and the New World. "In the U.S., you need a car," says the president and CEO of ORBIS America. Europeans use trains more. And in the company's headquarters city of Saarbrücken, Germany, a good apartment is harder to find, but it won't look like the one next door. "They are all totally different."

The homogeneity of one of America's most populous suburbs is just one of the cultural differences Winkelmann has adjusted to in heading up a consulting firm that specializes in business software. As a foreign affiliate, ORBIS America represents one of the fastest growing segments in Fairfax's business community. There are about 350 foreign-owned companies in the county, employing more than 18,000 people, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

The United Kingdom has the largest number of firms at 57. They include defense contractor BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. In second place is South Korea with 52 companies, which run the gamut from International Freight to HandySoft Global Corp., a provider of business process management software. Germany follows Canada and France in fifth place with a total of 26 companies.

What attracts many companies is proximity to the federal government and a convenient East Coast location. "Any company from Western Europe or the United Kingdom, or even Central Europe, is going to look on the East Coast and not the West Coast, because it puts them three hours closer in time zones," says Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the economic development authority.

Indeed, the county markets itself as a headquarters for global business. "Many communities are willing to accept people of different cultures. We actually pursue them," says Gordon. The authority has marketing offices in Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Tel Aviv and Seoul. It provides companies with information crucial to entering the U.S. market, such as real estate locations. In 2005, 21 foreign-owned companies announced plans to lease nearly a quarter of a million square feet of commercial space in the county.

In the case of ORBIS America, locating in Fairfax was an easy decision. A customer moved to the county and ORBIS followed. The firm concentrates on business software consulting, specifically for industrial companies, automotive suppliers, and consumer goods companies. The firm's clients include Villeroy & Boch, a home-products maker, and the Newport News office of Siemens Automotive, which produces fuel-injection parts. In 2005, Orbis' revenues topped 19.8 million Euros or about $26 million.

The company's Fairfax office has 10 employees. If the firm needs more manpower for a project, help is a plane ride away. "We can fly in our specialists from Germany within a day," says Alexander Ward, the company's director of business development. "That means we're not just working with 10 people. We're literally working with a company of over 200 employees."

Like other foreign firms, ORBIS is eager to expand. "We're largely influenced by the economy in Europe," Ward says. "Now is the time to invest here. The American dollar is weaker than European currency. For every Euro, we have $1.30 [American]."