Welcome to the weekly Biz Buzz column. We’ll keep you up-to-date on news, and comings and goings of McLean’s business neighbors.  McLean happens to be the address of several Fortune 500 companies, such as Hilton, Mars, SAIC, as well as many beloved hometown businesses like McLean Family Restaurant, and Flowers and Plants.  Let us hear from you.

iBerry

McLean’s new (and only) frozen yogurt dealer just celebrated its one-month anniversary, and it looks like it will be celebrating many more in McLean. iBerry Owner, Otto Vetch, says business has been better than he anticipated, and Memorial Day saw a steady stream of customers. 

Tuesday, two school busses filled with students from the Potomac School nearly wiped out the inventory, he said.

Though Vetch says he’s not a businessman, he clearly put some thought into the location of his new business.  He also owns Pa-Sa Thai three doors down.  Both businesses are located in the small triangular-shaped shopping center next to Wachovia Bank just before Chain Bridge Road intersects with Dolley Madison Boulevard.

 iBerry employs about ten staff persons, mostly high school students.  His daughter and mother also like to come and help out on the weekends.

The secret to his success?  “No secret,” he said.  “I’m a simple guy.  I’m looking at the whole town of McLean.  It’s just doing what they don’t have, and you might have a chance of success.”  Is Vetch planning on opening another iBerry?  “Not yet,” he said.  “I have plans, but not yet.”

Appointments

LDiscovery: McLean legal and technology consulting firm, LDiscovery, appointed Taffi Schurz as Vice President of Quality Assurance.  Schurz will oversee performance in each division of the computer forensics firm.

 Chris Weiler, LDiscovery’s CEO, said in a PR newswire press release that “Taffi’s in the trenches and managerial experience and her obvious talent in the field of E-Discovery processing and hosting make her a perfect fit for her new role.”

MITRE Corporation: Lillian Zarrelli Ryals was appointed Vice President of the MITRE Corporation, and Deputy General Manager of the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD).  “CAASD is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration,” according MITRE's website. 

 Ryals has been with the company since 1979, and according to the company's website, she has more than “30 years of experience working in the aviation sector across a broad range of National Airspace System modernization and operations activities.” 

International Society for Neurofeedback and Research: Cindy A. Yablonski was appointed Executive Director of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research.  She joins the organization from The Protein Society, where she served as Executive Officer since 2003, according to a press release issued by the INSR.