Although all competed with BDM, in the buildup of defense budgets in the late 20th century, nearly all prospered. For a time, the press referred to these companies as "Beltway Bandits," because of their location near (mostly Virginia) interchanges of the Washington, D.C. circumferential freeway. Employees of those companies, including BDM President Earle Williams, took offense to that term. As the Virginia-based defense contractors lost their independence and were absorbed by large aerospace giants, the term fell from use. Although the location of the headquarters of these defense contractors was part of an overall trend of movement to the suburbs beginning in the 1960s, BDM played a leading role in the specifics of this movement into the Virginia suburbs of Washington. BDM's executives were also active in the local community. President Earle Williams served as Director of Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing Arts. BDM's Executive Vice President Stanley E. Harrison worked to strengthen the academic programs of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He later became the Provost of Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. In 1988 BDM was purchased by FORD Aerospace and became a part of Ford Motor Company. In 1990 Ford Aerospace was sold by FORD Motor Company to Loral and BDM was spun off to Carlyle Group. In 1997 BDM was purchased by TRW, an aerospace systems and technical services company, which in turn was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2002. Northrop Grumman maintains a major corporate facility in Tysons Corner to this day.