Power Moves: Comcast and the SBA have new local heads

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Email us at dc@technical.ly.

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Comcast has named Michael Parker as SVP and top exec of its operations in the Beltway Region, which includes D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and parts of Delaware, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Parker is a 20-year Comcast exec, most recently in the role of SVP of Comcast’s Keystone Region covering Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve veteran is a graduate of the Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia.

“I’m excited to return to the Beltway region and continue our commitment to deliver great experiences for employees and customers alike,” Parker said in a statement.

In other recent Comcast news: Through its Internet Essentials program, the telecommunications giant joined with Telemundo 44 and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation last week to donate 200 laptops to local families through the District’s Latin American Youth Center.

Comcast also began offering its low-cost Internet Essentials option to eligible households for free for two months at the start of the pandemic. Applications for the program have since been extended through June 2021.

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The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the departure of its acting mid-Atlantic regional administrator, Steve Bulger.

Bulger, a White House appointee, played a role in the SBA’s push for small businesses in the region to apply for first-round Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding in 2020. (The second round went live this week.) Broadly, he oversaw biz development and financial assistance programs across the DMV region, as well as Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.

“I am especially proud of the tremendous effort our SBA Mid-Atlantic team has put forth in guiding the businesses we serve through some of the most difficult times in recent memory,” he said in a statement. “These amazing men and women have given their all to implement the [PPP] and disaster relief efforts during near-impossible conditions — putting in extra hours and often virtually holding the hands of small business owners as they navigated the process.”

Bulger’s last day was Jan. 8. On Monday, Jan. 11, he became the administrator for Saratoga County, New York. The Republican’s move came just days before the end of the Trump administration, when he would possibly lose his position anyway, Saratoga County’s The Daily Gazette notes.

Bulger is replaced in the interim by John Fleming, the SBA’s Delaware district director.

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Arlington, Virginia-based healthcare provider Advantia Health found a new CEO in Vincent Bradley. The healthcare and veterinary exec has previously worked as divisional VP of Tennessee’s Premise Health, a provider of employer-based healthcare services, as well as founder and CEO of Heart + Paw, a multi-site vet practice based in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Advantia cofounder Sean Glass will step down as CEO, but remain on company’s board of directors.

Founded in 2014, Advantia exclusively focuses on women and maternal health, and has a tech component that helps its patients to easily communicate with their doctors. In July 2020, the company acquired downtown D.C.-based Reiter, Hill, Johnson & Nevin, a comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology practice. That acquisition came after Advantia secured a $45 million investment from BlueMountain Capital Management and expanded its telemedicine offerings — including the Pacify app connecting new parents in Philadelphia with lactation support — earlier that year.

The healthcare provider also plans to open women’s health practice Liv by Advantia Health in the U Street NW area in March.

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Bethesda-based energy efficiency services provider GreenGen announced two executive hires this week: VP of Finance Mandy Lam and Chief of Staff Charlotte Taylor. Lam, a CPA, previously worked as a senior manager at Bethesda, Maryland’s Snyder Cohn, while Taylor brings leadership experience in sustainable investing, including in emerging markets.

CEO Brad Dockser shared his 2021 predictions with Technical.ly at the start of the new year. Here’s what he’s expecting, in his own words:

• Buildings owners/operators need to entice people to return — Now that people have gotten used to WFH and a more flexible work arrangement, building owners and operators need to create a compelling case for people to want to return. We need to think about how we make these spaces feel not only safe, but more interesting. For example, open spaces will need to be redesigned for safe collaboration.
• Remote work continues to evolve — Distributed work and teams have proved effective for many companies in 2020 and caused them to fundamentally rethink how they deliver business. For example, GreenGen now has an engineering team that spans multiple continents yet works on the same projects (remotely) — essentially providing 24/7 service. 2021 will bring even more remote work collaboration.
• Science matters again — The incoming administration will return us to a science-based, data-driven approach when it comes to solving the climate crisis, as well as restore the United States’ climate leadership worldwide.
• It’s all about healthy buildings and air quality — There is a new normal when it comes to expectations for indoor air quality and healthy buildings now that COVID-19 has permanently opened peoples’ eyes to their importance. Consumers/tenants will expect more transparency around air quality and how commercial property owners/operators are keeping them safe and healthy (be it increased air circulation, touchless sensors, etc.).

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Other recent tech and bizdev Power Moves from around the region:

• Tysons Corner, Virginia-based Paradyme Management Inc. has named Roger Miller as its new senior director of growth for justice markets.
• D.C.’s  ApprioHealth has hired Carl Swart as chief operating officer.
• The NoMa Business Improvement District named Federal City Council’s former director of transportation and infrastructure, Maura Brophy, as its next president and CEO.