RICHMOND - Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that BT Conferencing Inc., a worldwide provider of audio, web and video conferencing, has invested $1 million to locate a new customer support facility in the City of Chesapeake. The project will create 150 new jobs. The Chesapeake facility is slated to open in early March.
“It is rewarding to see international companies recognize the benefits of a Virginia location,” said Governor Warner. “Our world-class workforce in the Hampton Roads region is a strategic asset for BT Conferencing, and we welcome them to Virginia.”
BT Conferencing Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BT Retail, BT's consumer and business facing organization based in the United Kingdom. The company provides clients across the world with global conferencing services including audio, video and web conferencing. BT is one of Europe's leading providers of telecommunications services. Its principal activities include local, national and international telecommunications services, higher-value broadband and Internet products and services, and IT solutions. In the U.K., BT serves more than 20 million business and residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines, as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.
“BT Conferencing entered the U.S. market in 2001, when the telecommunications sector was struggling,” said Rob Bellmar, Vice President of Operations, BT Conferencing Inc. “The growth we’ve accomplished in three and a half years is remarkable and is driven by our focus on providing excellent, high-quality services and products. Our move into Virginia reinforces our overall strategy and further increases our efficiencies so we can support our customers in every way as their businesses grow and evolve. Our new site and the quality of the labor pool in Chesapeake will allow BT to continue to maintain some of the highest levels of customer service in the industry.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Chesapeake and the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training through its Workforce Services Program.
“This decision affirms our efforts to create a world-class business environment in Chesapeake,” said City of Chesapeake Mayor Dalton Edge. “After an extensive national site search, BT Conferencing found that a Chesapeake location would best meet its labor and technology needs. By coming to Hampton Roads, BT Conferencing joins one of the most dynamic business communities on the East Coast, and becomes the newest addition to our impressive portfolio of international companies.”