A couple old news item worth posting NOW!!
ThankYou ANCR. Gonna keep these FC seats a lot longer
Who knows what they'll sell for........
AOL to build $520 million
tech center
By Bloomberg News
Special to CNET News.com
March 10, 1999, 2:40 p.m. PT
DULLES, Virginia--America Online will build a $520
million technology center in Prince William County,
Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore said.
AOL, with more than 16 million subscribers worldwide, also
plans to spend $80 million for two new buildings at its
headquarters in Dulles, Virginia.
The 220,000-square-foot technology center, near Manassas,
Virginia, will create 175 new jobs, the
company said. AOL received $1 million in
state and county grants to prepare the
25-acre site for the new building, which will
mainly house computer systems to support
Internet traffic.
"The expansion further cements Virginia's role as the Internet
capital of the world," Virginia Secretary of Commerce Don
Upson said.
AOL shares rose 2.69 to close at 92.81 today.
Gilmore and AOL president Robert Pittman were appointed by
Congress to sit on a panel looking at how and whether to tax
Internet commerce. AOL CEO Steve Case serves on Gilmore's
Commission on Information Technology, which helps set the
state's agenda on Internet issues, including a tough policy to
crack down on junk email.
news.com
AND
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 11, 1999; Page B04
America Online Inc. announced yesterday that it will add up to 1,800 jobs
and $600 million in buildings and equipment in Loudoun and Prince
William counties, deepening the Internet giant's roots in Northern Virginia
and nearly doubling its investment in the region.
Huddling on a cold ridge near Manassas National Battlefield Park
yesterday, AOL executives and Virginia officials broke ground on a $520
million computer center slated to open in about a year. In addition, officials
unveiled plans for two new buildings at AOL's headquarters complex in the
Dulles area. Company officials said 1,200 workers will be added to the
Loudoun campus and up to 600 could be hired eventually in Prince
William, which will start with 125.
The expansion announced yesterday was larger than expected and could
increase the company's Virginia work force by nearly 60 percent.
In return, the world's largest Internet provider stands to gain $19 million in
upfront tax breaks and incentives for the Prince William project, plus more
than $3.5 million a year in ongoing tax savings from the county and the
state.
Those incentives don't include $4 million in annual tax discounts for AOL
that were approved last month by legislators. Gov. James S. Gilmore III
(R), who has made high technology a cornerstone of his administration and
has forged close ties with AOL executives, defended the use of aggressive
incentives to lure technology jobs.
"We're reducing the tax and regulatory burden on businesses," Gilmore
said. "We must continue to pursue policies that ensure long-lasting
economic vitality. . . . We are like a rocket ship, and we're on the way up."
AOL said it rejected five other sites for the center, which will be the most
expensive facility it has ever built. Ray Oglethorpe, AOL's president of
technologies, said the Prince William location is close to AOL
headquarters and other Internet companies in Northern Virginia. The tax
breaks and other incentives, he said, were "important, but not a
determining factor" in AOL's decision.
AOL is arguably the most visible technology employer in Northern
Virginia, with 16 million subscribers and a market value of more than $84
billion. The firm bought Compuserve last year and is now acquiring its rival,
Netscape.
Oglethorpe said the two buildings in Loudoun will cost $80 million and
provide 400,000 square feet for software designers and other employees.
The 220,000-square-foot Prince William facility, which will be similar to
current centers in Dulles and Reston, will house computer servers and
other equipment used to store and retrieve data.
AOL is striving to keep ahead of increasing online traffic and avoid the
public-relations fiasco of two years ago, when the company switched to
flat-rate pricing and the flood of new customers overloaded the service.
"The business just continues to grow, and we have to keep up,"
Oglethorpe said. "We want to jump ahead and make sure we avoid any
access problems in the future."
The project marks an economic-development triumph for Prince William, a
commuter suburb and discount-retail hub that has struggled to compete
with its neighbors for technology firms.
The data center ranks as the largest private investment in Prince William's
history, promising about $3.5 million in annual revenue for the county even
with tax breaks and other incentives. Officials hope the facility's size and
brand-name cachet will help lure other firms to the area in and around
Manassas, where Dominion Semiconductor recently opened a computer
chip plant.
"AOL's decision to locate here affirms Prince William County as a
high-tech destination," said county board Chairman Kathleen K. Seefeldt
(D).
As part of the deal to land AOL, Prince William supervisors agreed to
halve the property tax rate on technology equipment, a move that will also
help 60 percent of the county's other businesses.
Located near Interstate 66 in Battlefield Business Park, the data center will
include $400 million in computers and peripherals, plus $50 million in other
equipment. The building and 25 acres will cost about $70 million, officials
said, and AOL has options on adjacent property as well.
AOL began talking with Prince William about six months ago, officials
said, and persuaded legislators last month to approve a sales-tax
exemption on Internet-related computer equipment. The company rejected
a bid from North Carolina, which had offered $28 million in tax breaks
over seven years for a site near Charlotte.
Would be nice to see somee SUNW/ANCR FC switches go in here!! |
