Gov. Glenn Youngkin and officials from Alexandria and Fairfax County on Thursday announced that Systems Planning & Analysis, a tech company specializing in security and defense, will add 1,200 jobs, nearly doubling its workforce in Northern Virginia over the next five years.
The 53-year-old firm is headquartered in the City of Alexandria. It will add to its staff and facilities there and in its Fairfax County operations, investing a total of $46.9 million. The announcement at SPA’s headquarters highlighted the collaboration between SPA with officials from Alexandria and Fairfax County and across party lines.
“This announcement today reflects confidence in a future — confidence in a future that will be built by investment, through hiring, and by building on already great foundations, a company that has become an overnight sensation after 53 years of work,” Youngkin said. “I believe that today also reflects a collaboration among all of us that requires all of us. … As I’ve said over and over again, governments do not create jobs, businesses do. But when we work together in a collaborative framework, local government (local government times two), state government, and many times the federal government, amazing things can happen, and today is an amazing thing: 1,200 jobs.”
As part of its headquarters expansion, SPA has purchased a state-of-the-art office building in the City of Alexandria and plans to make extensive updates to the space.
“The purchase of their office headquarters is a signal of their commitment to and investment in Alexandria, where they will grow their workforce and community partnerships, said City of Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins. “This planned regional growth cements their place as a pillar of the defense and national security industry, and we are proud to add them to the growing list of Alexandria business success stories.”
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay also spoke about the collaborative effort. “Fairfax County is the epicenter of the workforce development and talent that we need to make sure that we continue to foster throughout Northern Virginia. We’re very proud of our highly skilled, diverse workforce throughout Northern Virginia, and we know how important that is to the decisions that are made about where expansions like this happen,” he said. “We also know the importance of Northern Virginia to Virginia’s economy, and I want to emphasize this because Northern Virginia generates 50 percent of Virginia’s total GDP.”
SPA employs nearly 3,000 people worldwide, with about 1,500 of those jobs currently in Northern Virginia.
“We are thrilled to deepen our roots in Alexandria and Fairfax County, two vibrant communities that have supported our growth for more than 50 years,” said SPA CEO Rich Sawchak. “This expansion reflects our commitment to providing exceptional data-driven analytical insights to our clients while fostering innovation within our own organization. We are excited to welcome new talent and invest in the local economy.”
Feature image of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, SPA CEO Rich Sawcha, and government officials by Amy Ayres
