Alex Orfinger is Publisher of the Washington Business Journal. After serving as Executive Vice President of American City Business Journals for several years, Alex has returned to the role that first brought him to Washington, DC. He is excited, at this important moment, to help the Business Journal be at the center of conversations around economic recovery, income disparity, systemic racism, and why these issues must matter to the business community.

When Alex arrived in Washington in 1996, most people thought the Washington Business Journal was an oxymoron. The business of Washington was government. That perception was wrong and would dramatically change. Driving that change became Alex’s mission. For over two decades as publisher, Alex worked out front and behind the scenes to develop a strong identity for the region’s business sector. He built a team to report on the diversity of the business community – the robust commercial real estate but also the nascent tech and venture communities, the retail and restaurant industries, the service sector, and the burgeoning hospitality industry. Government leaders had no special place except when they impacted what happened in business. Alex, along with the scores of people who worked with him, told the stories of companies, the personalities who ran them, and what made leaders tick. This led to strong revenue growth, subscription gains, and a boost in website traffic and resulted in the Washington Business Journal leading the company and outpacing the industry. The core purpose of the Washington Business Journal was to help local business grow by providing leaders with the information they needed to get their work done, including leads, competitive intelligence, and knowledge about who was doing what and with whom.

Beyond reporting, the Washington Business Journal brought leaders and business people together, and that’s when business generation really grew as if on steroids. No other organization in greater Washington could gather as many senior executives from across the region and across industry sectors as the Washington Business Journal did under Alex’s leadership. The events weren’t just cocktail receptions; they were places where deals were consummated, connections were made, and regional problems were solved. Live events may be on pause for now, but the idea of bringing people and organizations together to advance business and tackle issues remain a fundamental Business Journal value.

Over the last several years and today as he takes up the mantle of Publisher again, Alex is committed to working at the intersection of business and community. He believes the road to economic renewal runs through deeper relationships, connectivity, and leadership and that innovation and entrepreneurship will be front and center as the engine for growth. He shines a light on complex and important social issues business leaders should know and understand. He believes what is good for business is also good for the greater community. Alex is a champion of collaboration and is dedicated to developing relationships that strengthen the connection among business leaders and between the business and philanthropic communities.