Bill Keech Jr. is president of the Westfield Business Owners Assn. and the Chantilly-Centreville Chamber of Commerce, both of which are putting on Chantilly Day, along with Kaiser Permanente.
Q: How will the second annual Chantilly Day build on last year’s event?
A: It is hard to build on an event that was so successful last year. The momentum is building and everyone is excited about this year’s Chantilly Day. We are welcoming the designation of the "Air & Space Capital of Virginia" and the fantastic lineup in the business showcase, live entertainment, family games and our very special honored guest astronauts, Carl Walz and Frank Culbertson Jr.
Q: What’s your goal for this year’s Chantilly Day?
A: Our goal has always been to create the very best venue for the business and surrounding community to have a chance to get together to learn about our business neighbors and our special community here in Chantilly. We are proud of our community and we want to share with each other what makes Chantilly so special. We believe we met our goal last year and will surpass our expectations this year.
Q: What does this event contribute to the Chantilly community?
A: Chantilly Day was designed to bring the business and surround greater Chantilly community together to highlight what makes our community so special. It helps us all recognize and share the success that our businesses, schools and families have achieved and enjoyed here in Fairfax County. It's an opportunity to highlight and share our wonderful retail, dining and entertainment venues and learn about the business and services available to us.
Q: What are you most excited about this time?
A: We are excited to see the dedication of the Chamber, its committees, members and volunteers, as well as our business community come together to create this venue. A lot of hard work went into creating this event. We are excited and honored that we can kick off our community proclamation of "The Air & Space Capital of Virginia" with our two local astronauts. It will be fun for the family and kids to meet a real astronaut.
Q: Why is it important for the chamber to provide this avenue for business and entertainment to the Chantilly community?
A: The community chamber helps bridge the gap between the businesses and the surrounding community. Getting to know your neighbors, who they are and what they do creates a sense of belonging and a communal wellbeing. We know we have something special here and we are proud to share it.
Q: Why does the Westfield Business Owners Assn. believe it should contribute to this event?
A: Westfields International Corporate Center is the largest, Class A office park in the region and home to some of the largest most well-respected businesses in the world. Representing the property owners and their tenants, we represent the largest employment base in Chantilly.
Since the creation of the office park in 1986, we feel much of our success is based on our community of elected officials, civic leaders, our families and our businesses and property owners all working together to propel Chantilly into one of the best places to work and live.
Q: What do you hope the community takes away from Chantilly Day?
A: We hope the community will see beyond their backyards and neighborhoods to see that there is a lot of success and opportunity happening right here in Chantilly. There is more than meets the eye when it comes to great companies creating and innovating great things and families and communities that work hand-in-hand with their elected officials, schools and civic leaders. We have a can-do attitude and a warm, welcoming community for all.
Q: How do you as a business in Chantilly believe this event will contribute to the area’s business and community identity?
A: We are a large part of this community and we hope we can show people that Chantilly has a lot to offer as a place to live, learn, work, shop and play. We are fortunate that we have the best community, the best schools and the best businesses in the region, and the best is yet to come.