Worldwide doctor referral organization locates in Arlington County; will create 50 jobs
Richmond - Governor Jim Gilmore today announced that Best Doctors, Inc., an independent doctor referral organization, has selected Arlington County for its new service center. The company will create 50 new jobs in the region and invest at least $500,000 in the facility this year. Virginia successfully competed with Georgia and New York for the investment.
"Best Doctors' decision to add a facility in Virginia is a strong testament to our thriving service economy and skilled workforce," Governor Gilmore said. "Nurses, sales professionals and Virginians fluent in other languages will have tremendous job opportunities with this company."
Headquartered in Aiken, South Carolina, Best Doctors was founded by Steven Naifeh and Gregory W. Smith, both graduates of Harvard Law School who ended their successful law careers to be writers. Together, they wrote several U.S. best sellers and eventually won the Pulitzer Prize. In 1986, Smith was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and was expected to live only a few months. Today he is alive and well, and his long medical journey served as the inspiration for Best Doctors, a company that provides patients with the information needed to cope with serious illness. Working from its database of 40,000 of the best physicians worldwide, the company matches patients with skilled doctors for the treatment of critical medical problems. To date, Best Doctors has assisted more than 23,000 patients and in January 1998 was featured on the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes."
"Virginia was uniquely well-suited for our business because of its large international community and its proximity to Washington D.C. and three major airports," said Mr. Naifeh, CEO of Best Doctors, Inc. "In addition, the state has developed a reputation as a leader in the information technology industry."
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Arlington County Department of Economic Development assisted the company with its decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services.
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