Business & Tech

George Allen Joins Arlington-Based VT Group

Company praises Allen's work in innovation and technology, including nanotechnology.

By Jason Spencer

George Allen, the former Republican Virginia governor and U.S. senator, has a new job.

Allen has joined the Arlington-based VT Group, a government contractor in Crystal City, as a strategic advisor, the company announced Monday. His role will be to support "integrated technical solutions," particularly in the area of Passive Optical LANs, or local area networks.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Passive Optical LAN essentially uses a fiber optic cable to connect a broad network, which advocates sayfar surpasses the geographical and bandwidth limitations of traditional copper-based cable.

“I am proud to join VT Group as a strategic advisor,” Allen said in a statement. “I look forward to leveraging our combined strengths for the advancement of Passive Optical LAN solutions, which provide high bandwidth and significant energy and cost savings for private enterprises and public entities.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

VT Group, in making the announcement, listed several of Allen's accomplishments while in public office in the areas of technology and innovation. Allen served as chairman of the Senate High Tech Task Force and co-founded the Nanotechnology Caucus. He co-sponsored the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research & Development Act in 2003 and the Internet Tax Freedom Act in 2004. While governor, Allen "dedicated his time to transforming Virginia into the 'Silicon Dominion' as a leader in information technology and semiconductor fabrications," according to a news release.

“Our relationship with George Allen is an excellent opportunity for us to work with a well respected, innovative information technology advocate.  We are eager to take advantage of Gov. Allen’s forward thinking and entrepreneurial spirit as we institutionalize the energy and space-saving benefits of passive optical LANs,” VT Group CEO Terry M. Ryan said in a statement.

Allen, a Republican, lost his Senate seat in 2006 to Jim Webb. He ran again in 2012 and lost to Tim Kaine, who is also a former Virginia governor.

Following the 2012 defeat, Allen said he had "no intention" of running for office again.

In 2007, Allen founded George Allen Strategies, which advises companies and individuals on energy, technology and other issues.

George Allen Strategies is located on Princess Street in Old Town Alexandria.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here