Bethesda area ranks first in STEM pay for second consecutive year
The personal finance company SmartAsset examined the salaries of workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in 54 metro areas and found that workers in the Bethesda area received the most pay. It’s the second year in a row that Bethesda beat out other tech hubs such as San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle. The average annual pay for STEM workers in the Bethesda area was $94,130, according to the study, which used salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The company attributed Bethesda’s first-place ranking to regional employers including the National Institutes of Health, Lockheed Martin, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Bethesda Softworks. The averageSTEM income in the Bethesda area—which SmartAsset stretched north to include Rockville and Frederick—was more than $20,000 above the $72,217 national average for STEM fields, according to the study.
Bethesda Softworks game developer to receive lifetime achievement award
Todd Howard, the game director and executive producer at Rockville-based Bethesda Softworks, is scheduled to receive the lifetime achievement award at the Game Developers Choice Awards next month in San Francisco. Howard, who has worked at Bethesda Softworks for 22 years, is credited with developing the open-world style of game play featured in the studio’s blockbuster hits such as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series that have generated millions in sales for the company. Howard will receive the award at the March 16 event.
Photo: Todd Howard via Bethesda Softworks
Michael & Son Services’ Super Bowl ad featuring Mike Tyson has Potomac connection
In case you missed it, the renowned and infamous boxer Mike Tyson appeared Sunday night in a locally aired Super Bowl commercial for the regional plumbing, heating and air conditioning company Michael & Son Services. The boxer could be seen knocking out an opponent who had been fighting Tyson’s real-life son in the commercial. Then Tyson turned to the cameras and said Michael & Son’s ubiquitous “If you can’t, we can” slogan.
Michael & Son was able to land Tyson because company president Basim Mansour knew a friend of Tyson’s who lived in Potomac, where Tyson previously lived, The Washington Post reported. The friend was able to help broker a deal with Tyson to appear in the commercial after the boxer initially requested payment that was much higher than what the company could afford, according to the paper.
White Star Investments acquires Virginia office building
Bethesda-based White Star Investments announced Friday it has acquired Loudon Plaza 1, a 72,000-square-foot office building in Sterling, Virginia. The Class A office building is the eighth commercial building purchased by the real estate company. The building is 90 percent leased and recently underwent cosmetic and mechanical improvements, according to White Star. The company did not say in its announcement how much the building cost.
