Press Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alan Fogg, Director of Communications
afogg@fceda.org, 703-790-0600

Fairfax County Adds More Telecom and IT Employers

Eleven companies to add more than 800 jobs, FCEDA says

Fairfax County, Virginia, October 23, 2000 — Eleven corporations — including a startup that has developed a "virtual assistant" for traveling professionals, a Brazil-based information security firm and one of the area's most prominent Internet companies — announced that they would expand or locate operations in Fairfax County, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). The companies will add 817 new jobs to the economy of the Washington, D.C.-area's technology and Internet hub.

Among the companies locating in Fairfax County in September was Confidant Inc. It has pioneered a service that combines voice-enabled messaging and live personal assistance. Customers can read and respond to voice mail, e-mail and faxes through a phone call, wireless devices, the Internet, or by calling a live assistant. The company currently has 45 employees and intends to hire 227 by the end of 2001.

"We needed to be in the heart of the high-tech and telecommunications world. When we decided on a location for our headquarters, Fairfax County was the natural choice," said Will Aherne III, senior vice president for strategy at Confidant. "Half the world's Internet traffic comes through here and it is really the epicenter where telephony and computing converges. Plus, you couldn't find a better educated, more technically skilled labor force than the one available here."

 "The infrastructure and the workforce here are two big reasons that Fairfax County has become a global telecommunications center that attracts the big players and the startups alike," said FCEDA President Gerald Gordon.

Also opening in Fairfax County location was Proteus Security Services, which focuses on network security for banks and e-commerce operations. It is the second Brazil-based firm to locate in Fairfax County.

Other announcements: LifeMinders, which delivers personalized e-mail to 19.5 million customers; FasTraktion, a telecommunications-focused business incubator; Redleaf Group, a venture capital firm; and Covance Inc., a bioresearch company. 

Fairfax County has about 2,200 technology companies that employ more than 100,000 persons. Technology companies in the county received $980 million in venture capital funding between July 1999 and June 2000, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree Report.

For technology companies, Fairfax County offers a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure, access to domestic and international markets through Washington Dulles International Airport, a well-educated workforce and an excellent quality of life.

Typically, every new job added spins off two to three jobs in the secondary economy.

Some of the largest relocations and expansions during the month were:

* Foreign-owned firm.

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a world-class center of business and trade. The FCEDA assists businesses by identifying possible sites and facilities, is a source for up-to-date demographic and economic statistics, and has marketing offices in London, Frankfurt and Tokyo. Visit the FCEDA Web page at www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org.

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