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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alan Fogg,
Director of Communications
afogg@fceda.org, 703-790-0600
Companies Make Fairfax Center of the Global Economy
Fairfax County, Virginia, June 18, 1998 — As Fairfax County becomes a leader in national and international commerce, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) has enhanced its efforts to compete globally and attract more businesses from all over the world to locate in the County. As host to the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology, being held June 21-24 in the County, the FCEDA will highlight Fairfax County as a global technology center to the international audience.
"The FCEDA is constantly seeking to attract more U.S. and foreign-owned businesses," says Patricia Woolsey, chairman of the FCEDA Commission. "In today's market, we are competing globally and utilizing every resource we have, like our new Tokyo office, to continue to attract international firms."
Fairfax County is already home to 114 foreign-owned firms that represent nearly 20 countries. Premier firms like Canon USA, Fujitsu, Hitachi Data Systems, LaFarge Corporation and Nissan Motor Corporation are among the North American headquarters in the County.
Teleglobe, the international telecommunications carrier in Canada, made the decision in 1995 to locate its global headquarters in Fairfax County, and last year's international traffic growth of more than 50 percent confirms the wisdom of that decision. Further evidence of its success in the international arena is the necessity to move to Reston later this year to accommodate the expanding number of employees needed to run this burgeoning worldwide business. As one of Fairfax County's many telecommunications giants, Teleglobe offers carriers, businesses and consumers a broad portfolio of services, including voice, data, Internet and broadcast services.
"Teleglobe's international operations have grown substantially over the last three years, making the move to Reston a welcome necessity in order to accommodate our growing employee base," said Paolo Guidi, president and chief executive officer of Teleglobe Communications Corporation.
"Fairfax County continues to be an excellent base for our global operations as it continues to attract highly trained, technically skilled employees with international telecommunications market experience. The area with its strong international focus offers many benefits to area companies like ours that operate on a global basis."
On June 1, Minolta Company, Ltd., announced that it had selected Fairfax County for a new U.S. office. The office is part of Minolta's new technologies division and will focus on the development of new technology in the multi-media and Internet services sectors. As director of the new Minolta office, Mr. Ichizo Miyamoto will explore forming partnerships with the information technology and engineering departments at universities in the region.
Through the collaborative efforts of the FCEDA's Japan office in Tokyo and the Commonwealth of Virginia, Minolta selected Fairfax County after an extensive nationwide search that included high-tech areas in Silicon Valley and Boston.
The 1998 World Congress on Information Technology, coming to Fairfax County June 21-24, offers business leaders from around the world an historic opportunity to meet. At the 1998 World Congress, more than 1,800 information technology leaders from more than 70 countries will gather to network and share perspectives on the future on the global impact of information technology. Fairfax County, in partnership with the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) won the opportunity to host the 1998 World Congress as a result of Fairfax County's emergence as an international information technology leader.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority provides services and information designed to promote Fairfax County as a business location for domestic and international companies and organizations. The FCEDA assists businesses by identifying possible sites and facilities and is a source for up-to-date demographic and economic statistics. For more information, visit the FCEDA's Web page at www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org.
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