Dulles South Youth Basketball - Mercer Hoops Off to a Great Start

Checking in with the Mercer Basketball League, a Dulles South Youth Basketball Association, it appears there will be no shortage of basketball talent (or aspirants) for years to come in Loudoun County.

(Check out our cool "Microsoft Image Composite" of the whole crowd, above)

Parents and players gathered at Freedom High School today for the annual league kick-off, complete with a parade of players, raffles, clinics and photos for all. The 3rd and 4th grade boys took the award for fastest-growing and largest group, with over 200 players...

US Passport and Visa Expeditors: Need a Quick Visa or Passport this Holiday?

Getting away overseas this holiday season? If you don't already have your US Passport or Visa in hand, it's going to be very difficult. Fortunately, there's an entire industry waiting to serve your US Passport and Visa expediting needs.

The leading US Passport and Visa Expeditor is A Briggs, headquartered in Washington DC. A Briggs US Passport and Visa Expeditors secures expedited passports and travel visas for international travelers every day, and working with the U.S. Passport Agency and foreign embassies and consulates to secure passports and travel visas in as quickly as 24 hours.

The local passport and visa expediting company recently opened a new Chicago passport and visa expediting office, and is the only designated passport and visa provider of the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), that clears over $80 billion in airline ticket sales annually.

See more of their recent Washington DC business news...

Modern Moms Night Out Draws the Crowds in Support of Research Foundation

I Am Modern Magazine, in partnership with the Medical Spa at Nova held its first annual Holiday Shopping Event on November 9th, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in the Reston Town Center to help raise money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

(Pictured above: Local celebrities and business leaders including
FOX 5 News Anchor Melanie Alnwick,
"I Am Modern" Founder Hulya Aksu, and
Internet Marketing/Social Media Expert Kelly McLaughlan, of
KME Internet Marketing.)
Pics by Michael Vonal Photography

Over 30 retailers including The Dandelion Patch, Posh Couture, Candy Beads Jewelry, PR at Partners and 800 attendees participated in the charitable Mom's Night Off (MNO) shopping event.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually, worldwide about 465,000 women will die from the disease. Research money is needed to help beat this deadly and insidious disease.

"In an economic downturn everyone suffers, everyone feels the pinch, including the charities" says Hulya Aksu, founder of I Am Modern Magazine.

"By holding these social functions, where the retailers can gain access to moms and moms can get out and socialize, we are making raising money for a charity a win-win for everyone involved."

Loudoun Business Shout-Out: Topkick Taekwondo, Curry's Auto, Fireworks Pizza

Here's a quick shout-out to some fabulous Loudoun County business we really enjoy, and have received amazing services from...Topkick Taekwondo, Curry's Auto and Fireworks Pizza!

Topkick Tae Kwon Do



Topkick Taekwondo Martial Arts Center in South Riding is truly an amazing center focusing on martial arts, exercise, guidance for living and activities for the entire family. Our entire family attends various activities and events, and the expert, respectful and extremely organized and friendly staff are second to none in terms of program knowledge, competence and overall customer service. A first-rate outfit, and fantastic value in family activities.

Coming Friday, November 21st - "Champion for Life Workshop/Class" FREE for Students and Parents - Meet Martial Arts and Discovery Channel Star Roland Osborne...special dynamic kick combinations, champion's mindset and special focus skills, best kept secrets of Martial Arts training, parenting tips for a successful Black Belt in life, and more!!

Curry's Auto


We recently had two cars in various stages of failure, a bigger domestic SUV and a small fuel-sipping import. Normally we've relied on the dealer for our Chevy SUV, but we weren't sure where to bring the Hyundai here in Loudoun, Dulles South. So we called Curry's Auto Service of Chantilly, and in the space of a week, got both cars repaired and on the road - with absolute expertise and fantastic customer service evident at all times. From Mike at the front desk, to the mechanics who called to explain the myriad problems and routes to correction, we were treated with absolute professionalism and respect, and drove away thoroughly confident in both the expert repairs and fair prices. Thanks, Curry's Auto!

Firework's Pizza



Simply put, the best Pizza and Beer in Loudoun County, period. As a large family, with dining-out interests ranging from great microbeers to sippy cups, this restaurant is now a regular destination for us. The service and waitstaff were absolute professionals and family-friendly, the range of amazing beers was mind-boggling (and certainly hard to "digest" in only one sitting), and the pizzas were fabulous at very reasonable pricing. Though it was a bit cold, we sat outside under the festive lights, and were joined by a really nice crowd in downtown Leesburg. Our highest recommendations and compliments to this great pizzeria!

Dulles South Business Alliance Supports Loudoun Hospital on Rt. 50

The Dulles South Business Alliance today emailed its support, to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors, for the next Loudoun Hospital to locate on Rt. 50 to serve Dulles South-area Loudoun businesses, residents and organizations.

"With a major hospital less than 5 miles from the proposed site in Broadlands, we believe that the new facility will be better utilized within the Dulles South region."

With over 50 local business owner members, the Dulles South Business Alliance is an active group in this area, advocating for and promoting the interests of businesses located on or dependent on Rt. 50 and the "Dulles Loop" in general (which includes Rt. 28 and Rt. 606).

Maryland 375 Celebrations and Businesses Gearing Up

2009 will be an exciting year for Maryland, and in particular, Southern Maryland Businesses in Calvert and St. Mary’s County taking part in the Celebrate 375 Maryland events.

As noted by the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce, “Over this past year, the tourism and hospitality industry, working with the St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism and with assistance from the Chamber, developed the Celebrate 375 marketing campaign. The increasingly challenging economic outlook for 2009 makes this marketing effort critical for area businesses.”

Many Southern Maryland and Metropolitan Washington DC businesses will be taking part in the celebration, as well as working together to promote Southern Maryland businesses throughout 2009 - including businesses with significant Southern Maryland presence such as Cherry Cove Hospitality and KME Internet Marketing.

Read more at Northern Virginia and Washington DC's Business Blog...

2008 Loudoun Small Businesses of the Year - Loudoun Chamber of Commerce

Congratulations to the 2008 Loudoun Small Business of the Year Award Finalists, as announced by the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce.

Here at Dulles South Online and KME Internet Marketing, our objective is to promote and advance Loudoun County and Northern Virginia Businesses online. Over the past years, we've done just that - helping to significantly increase the exposure of Loudoun County and its businesses in terms of Online Search Engine exposure, thereby doing our part in the economic development of this area of the country. These small businesses are representative of the solid economic growth engine in Northern Virginia, in spite of the National economic outlook - Loudoun will continue to produce energetic, value-add and truly entrepreneurial businesses like those listed here.

The winners are:

Small Business of the Year - Go Bananas.

Ag/Equine Business of the Year - Notaviva Vineyards;
Franchisee Business of the Year - Pump It Up;
Home Based Business of the Year - MakeUp Artistry by Tracie Rosales;
Product of the Year - Edibles Incredible Desserts;
Retailer Business of the Year - Go Bananas;
Service Business of the Year - Loudoun Family Practice;
Technology Business of the Year - Zillion Technologies, Inc.;
Entrepreneur of the Year - Hulya Asku, Modern Mom Media Corporation

We'll point out that "Modern Mom Media Corporation" in particular, is a breakout example of how to harness the Internet to represent small business interests on the local, regional and national stage. The "I Am Modern" brand and value is channeled not only through the printed magazine, social events and the core website, but also through online social media and search engine marketing strategies - thereby providing significant value to readers, members and advertisers across all Washington DC and Northern Virginia media channels.

All Loudoun businesses should leverage this example, working together to promote our local business economy both online and off.