(Alexandria, VA) — Kerry J. Donley, Mayor of the City of Alexandria and Chairman of the Board of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc. (AEDP) was honored by the AEDP board of directors and staff at their quarterly board meeting on September 30 with the organization’s first annual “Fitzgerald Award.” The award is to be given to an individual who has contributed significant time, energy and expertise to benefit economic development, AEDP and the City of Alexandria.

Under Mayor Donley’s leadership, AEDP’s crowning achievement has been the recruitment of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The project will constitute more than two million square feet of office space, employ more than 7,000 people, and attract approximately 700 visitors a day. The project will bring revenues to the City of Alexandria in excess of $6 million annually.

Mayor Donley has also been pivotal in his commitment to northern Virginia’s only state-sponsored enterprise zone, located in the Potomac West area. The area was once characterized by the abandoned buildings that lined its streets. An old grocery store was boarded up on a prominent corner and a six-story building, one of the tallest in the surrounding area, sat vacant and dormant.

In addition to his dedication in spearheading economic development of Alexandria’s ailing neighborhoods, the Mayor also engages members of the local business community each week in a program called the Mayor’s Local Business Outreach Program. Since the program began in1996, the Mayor, and a member of City Council, have conducted one-on-one meetings with nearly 300 local businesses.

The award is named after Mr. John Fitzgerald – an Irishman, who served as colonel of the Virginia militia and an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. Mr. Fitzgerald moved to Alexandria in 1769 and purchased the south side of the 200 block of King Street in 1788. The town council granted him the sunken ground to the east of this lot. Mr. Fitzgerald banked out 400 feet from the shoreline at King and Water (Lee) Streets, creating “Fitzgerald’s Wharf.” On the wharf, he constructed three brick warehouses. He also served as mayor and collector of the port.

The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc. is a public/private partnership that plans, directs, manages and implements efforts to attract, expand, and retain business operations in the City of Alexandria. AEDP has worked since 1981 as a facilitator to establish Alexandria as a nationally recognized community and business center. AEDP is located at 1729 King St, Suite 410, Alexandria, VA 22314. AEDP can be contacted at 703.739.3820, or alexecon@erols.com.

For Immediate Release-10/3/02

Contact: Marc Brambrut,
703-739-3820 xt. 12

Back to Press Releases