By Serge da Motta Veiga
The Greater Washington (or Capital) region has a population in excess of 6 million people with a diversifying business presence and a gradually shrinking federal government presence. Five counties across the region are among the top ten counties in the country for median household income. The region is also well represented among the most educated residents across the country. There has been good and steady growth across Greater Washington in the last decade, with the District of Columbia increasing from approximately 550,000 people in the early 2000s to over 700,000 residents today.
Surprisingly, although it is the capital of the county, there are many “sectors” other than the federal government that make up the business life of this region. The leading hotel companies in the world are based in Greater Washington – Hilton, Marriott, Choice, Ritz, Host and other ones are headquartered in and around