America Online to Build Second $555 Million Tech Center in Prince William County, Virginia

Governor Gilmore Approves $600,000 to Assist County; AOL to Add New Tech Center, Two New Buildings

Richmond - Governor Jim Gilmore today announced that America Online, Inc. [NYSE: AOL] will significantly expand its presence in Virginia through the construction of a new $555 million technology center in Prince William County and the continued expansion of its Loudoun County campus with two additional buildings. Governor Gilmore approved a $600,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Prince William County with site preparation for the technology center.

The new Prince William County facility will employ 125 new workers, while the Loudoun County expansion will include two additional office buildings and a child care center worth $86 million. The buildings will house 1,200 employees. AOL also announced its willingness to partner with Danville, Virginia, which was also considered for the center, to help the city improve its technology infrastructure and resources.

"I am very proud to further strengthen the bond between AOL and the people of Virginia. AOL has once again chosen the Commonwealth as the best place to expand their business," said Governor Gilmore. "I also applaud AOL's initiative to look to expand and create new technology centers into areas such as Danville."

The Governor's Opportunity Fund grant will assist Prince William County with site preparation for the technology center. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Prince William and Loudoun County Departments of Economic Development assisted AOL with its decisions. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services. 

The new Prince William County tech center will offer expansion space for the computer systems that support the AOL service and AOL's other online services including CompuServe, Netscape.com, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL.COM, ICQ, Digital City, Mapquest, Spinner, and Moviefone. The facility will have state of the art systems for power distribution and telecommunications, including battery protection and diesel generators for power and fully-redundant, self-healing fiber rings on the telecommunications side.

The Prince William County facility joins America Online's three existing Virginia technology centers in Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. AOL also has tech centers in Mountain View, California; Frankfurt, Germany; Sydney, Australia; and Tokyo, Japan. AOL has also announced new tech centers will be opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil and London, England. The new Loudoun County buildings will be the fifth and sixth office buildings on the Company's campus there. 

"Although America Online now reaches members in 16 countries and all 50 states, the heart of our company is here in the Commonwealth," said Mark Stavish, America Online's Senior Vice President of Human Resources. "This company was born in Virginia, we grew up here, and we're proud to extend our commitment to Virginia through this announcement. Through cooperative efforts like this with state and local officials, we can continue to make Virginia a better place to work and live." 

"As the Internet Capital of the world, Virginia is continuously increasing its technology-based business sector," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. DuVal. "In addition to the benefits associated with AOL's new jobs and investment, the Commonwealth will also gain tremendous ground as a leader in the new web-based economy." 

About America Online, Inc. 

Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.