Governor Gilmore Announces MCI WorldCom's Selection of Loudoun County for $200 Million Campus

Loudoun County - Governor Jim Gilmore today formally announced the decision by MCI WorldCom, Inc., to locate and expand its operation in Loudoun County. The campus will house MCI WorldCom's Information Technology operations and will serve as an operations center for its subsidiary UUNET Technologies, Inc. As many as 4,000 jobs will be located in Loudoun County by 2001. The 1.3 million square-foot facility will be the company's largest campus. MCI WorldCom will invest $200 million in the facility.

"Today's decision by MCI WorldCom, one of the world's largest communications companies, further confirms Loudoun County's and Northern Virginia's reputation as the economic engine of the entire metro-Washington area," Governor Gilmore said. "This announcement further proves that Virginia is becoming the nation's technology leader. With our growth, low taxes and reasonable regulatory policies, low unemployment insurance taxes and dedicated workforce, we have a business climate where companies can profit and people can prosper."

MCI WorldCom is a global communications company with revenue of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries encompassing the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. MCI WorldCom is a premier provider of facilities-based and fully integrated local, long distance, international and Internet services. MCI WorldCom's global networks, including its state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems, provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 38,000 buildings worldwide.

"The Northern Virginia MCI WorldCom campus is exceeding our expectations," President and CEO of MCI WorldCom Bernard J. Ebbers said. "We think Virginia is a magnet for attracting other pieces of our growing company as well as other high technology firms. We are all grateful for the support we have received from Loudoun County and the Commonwealth throughout this site selection process."

"We are pleased to have MCI WorldCom's largest campus located right here in the Commonwealth," Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. Duval said. "This facility will serve as a flagship in Virginia's flourishing telecommunications industry."

Governor Gilmore approved a grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund in the amount of $2 million to assist Loudoun County with site preparation. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked closely with officials from the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development and the Virginia Department of Transportation to assist the company with its decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce-training services.

"We are excited about this project and that MCI WorldCom and the County have been partnering for the past year," Chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Dale Polen Myers said. "MCI WorldCom's decision to increase its operations center by 355,000 square feet confirms that the northern Virginia region has become America's high technology address."

For more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.mciworldcom.com or http://www.wcom.com. 

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