|
Contact: Alan Fogg, afogg@fceda.org,
703-790-0600 (office) or 571-213-5065 (mobile)
U.K. business leader praises Fairfax County’s “great infrastructure and savvy workforce”
Fairfax County EDA hosts seventh networking reception in London
London, England, November 15, 2007 -- Fairfax County last night received a ringing endorsement from a prominent figure in British industry as a U.S. business center with “great infrastructure and a very savvy workforce.”
Duncan Tait, vice president of Unisys and managing director of its U.K., Middle East and African operations, told an audience of leading figures from the U.S.-U.K. business world that British businesses should work with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and similar organizations to pick up good advice on how to expand their operations into the US.
The FCEDA held its seventh major networking reception in London, a prominent annual event for those operating in the U.K.-U.S. business sphere.
Introducing Mr. Tait, FCEDA President and CEO Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., reminded the audience that Time magazine earlier this year described Fairfax County as “one of the great economic success stories of our time.”
Mr. Tait took up the theme, telling his audience of the advantages for British companies in setting up operations on the U.S. east coast and Fairfax County in particular. There are time zone advantages for U.K. firms versus other parts of the U.S., he said, and Fairfax County is near home to the “world’s biggest global client” – the federal government.
Fairfax County has a “great infrastructure and a very savvy workforce,” he said.
But he advised British companies to be prepared before they set foot in the U.S. market. Companies need to understand the formal frameworks as well as how to work within regulatory and security constraints. Organizations such as the FCEDA can assist companies in understanding the US legal framework for operations.
The annual Fairfax networking event is held in conjunction with BritishAmerican Business (BABi), a transatlantic business organization, and this year attracted sponsorship from Fairfax County-based executive search company Dahl Morrow, Fairfax County-based professional services company MorganFranklin, Washington-based law firm Crowell & Moring, U.K.-based financial solutions provider F.W. Stephens, HSBC Bank, the South East England Development Agency and the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Service.
Business growth helps Fairfax County, just outside Washington, D.C., fund public services such as a top-ranked public school system and library, public safety, social services and park systems that improve the quality of life.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org) promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. The FCEDA offers a range of services to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. The FCEDA maintains offices in Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Seoul and Tel Aviv.
# # #
| 
