Earlier this year -- less than six months after its grand opening in Hampton -- Gateway 2000, the nation's leading global marketer of personal computers, announced it would invest an additional $2 million to locate a new technical support call center at its $18 million Hampton facility. The call center, which will create 300 technical jobs, will troubleshoot customer computer problems over the telephone.

Virginia's rich labor pool.

It's a theme heard throughout the state as companies, both manufacturing and service, expand their operations into the Old Dominion. Over the past three years the state has attracted $3.54 billion worth of new capital investment by expanding and relocating companies, creating over 200,000 jobs.

Even foreign companies are joining in. Last year foreign-owned company expansions in Virginia totaled more than $1.2 billion in capital investment.

What do all these companies find in the Old Dominion that might be of help to you in your search for the best expansion site? Let's take a trip around the state and find out.

The Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News MSA, with its 1.5 million people, has long been a major force in the Virginia economy and is one of the state's major population centers. That population also supports a major work force that has companies of all types setting up operations in the area.

One of them is Market Connections Co., a new global communications firm specializing in health care, which will locate its worldwide headquarters in Norfolk.

Market Connections will lease a 30,000 square foot building and invest $3.5 million. The company -- which will initially hire 125 employees, followed by an additional 175 by January 1998 -- plans to recruit dietitians, registered nurses and other health care professionals.

Market Connections was created by the BLP Group, a leader among health care communication companies, to provide global teleservice and customer contact communications to the pharmaceutical industry and other health care organizations. The Norfolk facility is in response to the spiraling growth of customer services provided by health care-based service corporations.

"As we looked to the Mid-Atlantic region, Norfolk, Va., proved to be the most attractive area to locate our new company," said Gregory F. Boron, COO of the BLP Group Companies and president of Market Connections. "An important component in our success will be Virginia's highly-trained work force."

Meanwhile, Dollar Tree Stores Inc. will expand its corporate headquarters and distribution center and relocate to neighboring Chesapeake, investing $28 million and creating 125 new jobs over the next five years and to retain 275 existing jobs in South Hampton Roads.

"We are very pleased with the final site selection in Virginia, which allows our headquarters and distribution center to be located adjacent to one another," said Macon Brock, president and CEO of Dollar Tree Stores.

Dollar Tree Stores is a retail chain that currently operates more than 70 stores in Virginia alone. The new Chesapeake facility will cover 50 acres and serve as the corporate headquarters representing over 700 Dollar Tree stores across the United States. A distribution center on site will also service the chain. The company plans to open 145 new stores this year.

"The site is also strategically positioned near both the interstate highway system and the Virginia Port Authority's multi-site facilities," said J. Douglas Perry, chairman of Dollar Tree Stores.

Chesapeake received a $200,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist the project.

Since 1993, 17 call centers have located or expanded in the state, employing over 4,600 Virginians and investing approximately $94 million.

New Jersey-based Chubb Group of Insurance Companies will locate its first Rapid Response Unit centralized claim service center in Chesapeake. The $10 million facility will employ more than 250 people when it opens in 1998 and may expand in future years.

Chesapeake received a $300,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund.

"Chubb is confident that the high quality of Virginia's employees will allow us to maintain the standard of excellence our customers expect from our claim service," said Doris Johnson, senior vice president of Chubb & Son Inc. "The Rapid Response Unit demonstrates our commitment to look for new ways to respond to the needs of policy holders."

A 65,000 square foot state-of-the-art building will be constructed to house the Rapid Response Unit.

Chubb will handle claims east of the Mississippi River from this facility, which will serve as the primary training center for future employees. The company selected Virginia because of its diverse work force, quality of life and central location on the Eastern seaboard.

A major call center operation also is being established in Hampton, where Bell Atlantic Plus, Inc., a subsidiary of Bell Atlantic Corp., will open a new $26 million call center to provide telemarketing services to its Mid-Atlantic customers. The company will hire 700 new employees by next April, with an additional 200 by the end of 1998.

"During our search for a site, we kept coming back to Virginia, and specifically to Hampton," said Frank Bennett, Bell Atlantic vice president for call center development. "Virginia offers a diverse and highly educated work force and a favorable economic environment."

The 125,000 square foot megacenter is the first of its kind for Bell Atlantic, and will allow the company to market its multiple telecommunications services under one roof, providing customers with convenient access to today's innovative telecommunications services.

Hampton received a $200,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist with the project, while the state will provide work force training services.

California-based Consumer Portfolio Services Inc. is opening a new $5.5 million finance servicing center in Chesapeake.

Consumer Portfolio Services serves as an alternative source of financing for automobile dealers, other than traditional banks, credit unions or finance companies affiliated with major automobile manufacturers.

Ohio-based 5B's Inc., America's largest contract embroidery company, is building a new $10 million manufacturing facility in the Martinsville-Henry County Enterprise Zone, representing the company's first move to Virginia. The 170,000 square foot facility will be the company's first in Virginia, and will initially employ 200 people.

The company further estimates creating 500 additional jobs in two years, eventually adding 1,000 new jobs within five years.

Based in Zanesville, Ohio, 5B's provides embroidery contract services to major garment manufacturers such as Osh-Kosh, Starter, Champion and Fruit of the Loom. Three separate shifts will operate in the facility to be constructed on a 25-acre parcel of land in the Beaver Creek Industrial Park.

"We look forward to successful business growth in Henry County," said Todd Biles, president and chief operating officer of 5B's Inc. "Virginia's quality work force and welcoming business attitude of Virginia and Henry County will serve 5B's to the highest degree."

5B's began operations this March. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance provided approximately $225,000 in work force training services.

Carbone of America has been operating in Farmville, midway between Petersburg and Lynchburg, since 1968. The company manufactures carbon brushes that go into the motors of automotive products, such as windshield wipers.

The majority of Carbone's customers are in Michigan, where the major auto manufacturers are. Even so, the company finds it more cost effective to manufacture in Virginia and ship north.

"One of the biggest pluses is the work force itself," says Michelle Wooldridge, human resources director for Carbone. "The majority of our employees have been with us for 15 to 20 years."

Even though the region's towns are relatively small, manufacturers are able to draw from a large area.

"We draw from the surrounding eight counties," said Wooldridge.

The automobile industry is a major force in the region, accounting for much of the area's economic growth. Reynolds Metals Co. recently began production of lightweight aluminum wheels at a $34 million manufacturing plant in Lebanon, north of Bristol on U.S. Highway 19.

The 55,000 square foot facility, Reynolds second U.S. wheel plant, will be the company's first to feature a "near-net" forged wheel manufacturing process that produces a lighter wheel with added styling flexibility.

"Aluminum wheel growth continues to accelerate as automakers look for ways to further reduce weight and offer superior styling," said Randolph N. Reynolds, president and CEO of Reynolds International. "Our wheel capacity has more than doubled since 1992."

Reynolds is one of the world's leading aluminum wheel producers, with 31 of the company's more than 100 plants worldwide supplying aluminum products to the automobile, truck and trailer industry.

But automobiles are not the only industrial activity in the area.

Southern Engineering will locate a new $5 million steel manufacturing plant in Abingdon, just northeast of Bristol on Interstate 81, which will create 80 new jobs.

The new facility will be named Southern Engineering/Virginia Rebar and is the company's first expansion in Virginia. Norfolk Southern's rail access to the site also played a key role in the company's decision to locate in Virginia.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Southern Engineering manufactures both concrete reinforcement and structural steel.

"We are a customer-oriented company," said Charles Saleh, president of Southern Engineering. "We chose Virginia because of its tremendous pro-business climate and highly skilled work force."

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will assist with rail access funding, and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide work force training services.

A little further up Interstate 81 lies Smyth County, where Marley Mouldings Inc., which manufactures window components, picture frame and house moldings for the building supply industry, will expand its facility near Marion.

The first phase will consist of a $5.5 million investment that will be completed by the end of 1997. The second phase is expected to be completed by December 1998, and will represent an additional $4.5 million investment.

Marley Mouldings is a subsidiary of Marley PLC, which is based in Seven Oaks, England.

Using an extrusion process, pre-finished plastic moldings are produced to resemble a wood-like appearance, yet the products maintain the ease of a vinyl molding. Marley Mouldings plans to install up to 30 additional extrusion lines over the next two-and-a-half years at the Smyth County facility. The company also plans to construct a new building adjacent to the existing structure to accommodate new equipment.

"We are committed to Virginia's pro-business climate," said Gary Peacock, vice president of operations for Marley Mouldings.

Smyth County received a $100,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist the project.

The southwest region hasn't missed out on the state's call center boom, either.

Chicago-based Boise Cascade Office Products Corp., an international office products distributor, will invest $7.5 million to locate a customer call center in Bristol that will create 550 new jobs. The company will locate the call center at an existing 80,000 square foot shell building in the city.

Boise Cascade's new call center will enable the company to meet growing nationwide demand by receiving and processing customer orders and relaying them to distribution centers around the country.

The company operates a regional distribution center in Chesapeake, and maintains sales offices in Alexandria, Salem and Henrico County.

''The new call center in Bristol will be a critical link between our customers and our distribution centers throughout the eastern U.S. as we continue to grow our business,'' said Ken Cupp, eastern region manager for Boise Cascade Office Products.

Bristol received a $350,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide work force training services.

Gov. Allen has been a chief proponent in the expansion of Enterprise Zones across the Commonwealth. In 1995, he won approval of a comprehensive package of changes that doubled the number of Enterprise Zones from 25 to 50.

Canadian-based Maple Leaf Bakery Inc. will locate $22 million food processing facility in the Roanoke Enterprise Zone. The company will build a 100,000 square foot plant, creating approximately 150 to 180 new jobs.

Maple Leaf Bakery is a subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., Canada's largest food processing company with sales of more than $3 billion and 11,000 employees worldwide.

"The new bakery is a key component in our strategy for growth in the Eastern United States," said Richard Lan, president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Foods USA. "There is strong consumer demand for Maple Leaf Bakery's specialty bread products."

The Roanoke food processing plant will operate around the clock to manufacture and distribute premium quality specialty breads and rolls. The company hopes to expand the facility and hire additional employees over the next five years.

Roanoke will receive a $110,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist the project.

Maple Leaf Foods joins 49 other Canadian companies that have already located in Virginia, that have invested over $3 billion and created approximately 3,270 jobs for Virginians.

Illinois-based Levy Home Entertainment is opening a book distribution center in Roanoke and that will employ up to 125. This is Levy's first location outside of Illinois and will help the company better serve a growing customer base in the East.

Levy distributes to retailers such as Kmart, Target, and Wal-Mart.

"The central location of our new facility will help Levy provide better service to our customers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast," said Howard Reese, vice president of Levi Home.

Meadville Forging Co. is building a 60,000 square foot forging plant in Buchanan that will use computer-controlled robotics to produce steel forgings for use in automobiles and light trucks.

The company plans to invest $18 million in the plant and equipment in the first phase, with a second phase that could bring the ultimate investment to $35 million. The new plant should be in operation by summer 1997.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons' new $102 million book printing plant is also located in Roanoke County. The facility will print short-run multicolor books for consumer book publishers.

Jouan Inc., a medical laboratory equipment manufacturer based in France, is expanding its Winchester facility, creating 60 new jobs in the Shenandoah Valley. The $8 million plant will cover 103,000 square feet in Frederick County in an industrial park to be renamed the Jouan Global Center.

Jouan produces medical laboratory centrifuges, ovens and freezers at its current plant in Winchester. The company maintains a strong commitment to research and plans to expand its research and development staff when the facility is completed in July.

Lyle Cady, president of Jouan Inc., cited Virginia's favorable business environment, excellent education system and superior quality of life as primary factors in the expansion decision.

"We are proud to expand our already successful plant in Winchester, and look forward to increasing our profits in Virginia's successful business climate," said Cady. "In addition, Jouan has been extremely pleased with Virginia's quality work force.

About 25 miles south of Winchester, Woodstock Manufacturing Corp. has decided to establish operations in Shenandoah County. The new manufacturing operation will create 400 jobs over the next two years.

Woodstock Manufacturing will manufacture rubber and plastic products for consumer and industrial uses in the former Aileen building in the town of Woodstock in Shenandoah County. The 400 jobs it will create will help the region offset recent layoffs at other local companies during the past few years.

"We are looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship between the community and Woodstock Manufacturing,'' said Stanley Banks, part-owner of Woodstock Manufacturing.

Shenandoah County received a $200,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to assist with site acquisition costs.

Ohio-based Diebold Inc. is building a $12 million manufacturing facility in Staunton. The 77,000 square foot will process sheet metal components for the manufacture of automated teller machines (ATMs).

"Workers at our existing plants are currently working a lot of overtime," said Robert W. Mahoney, chairman and CEO or Diebold. "The additional plants will enable Diebold to meet global demand for its products."

Also in Augusta County, Hershey Foods is undergoing a $75 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Stuarts Draft. The new 200,000 square foot facility will employ an additional 85 people.

The expanded facility, expected to be on-line this October, will adjoin Hershey's current facility, enabling four additional production lines to operate.

Once again, it was Virginia's work force that received special mention.

"Hershey has truly enjoyed doing business in Virginia," said Larry Reitenauer, manager of administrative services at Hershey. "Not only do the employees display a strong work ethic, they are highly skilled. As a result, our safety performance, production level, and quality of work have soared. We anticipate even more success from this expansion."

Augusta County received a $200,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to secure the expansion.

"Warren County, Va., is an ideal location for our distribution facility," said Leon Levine, chairman and CEO of Family Dollar. "The area boasts outstanding access to major interstate highways which will be utilized to speed deliveries of merchandise to our stores."

The state's new trucking and tax reform legislation will make Virginia an even more desirable place to do business for distribution firms such as Family Dollar.

Founded in 1959, Family Dollar operates more than 2,600 stores in a 38-state area ranging as far as South Dakota to Florida, and from Maine to New Mexico. The company expects to add 185 stores to the chain this fiscal year.

The new facility will serve as a base to distribute merchandise to more than 1,000 Family Dollar stores.

Warren County received a $200,000 Opportunity Fund grant to assist the project.

During the past two years, Motorola has invested nearly $4 billion in two semiconductor fabrication sites in the metro area. Siemens, the German industrial giant, is a partner in the second facility.

Semiconductor industry facilities today are running 94 percent of capacity and Motorola will invest $7 billion through 1997 on new and expanded capacity, a large part of it at the West Creek site in Richmond.

In April, Hewlett-Packard recently leased nearly 500,000 square feet of space in the Greater Richmond area to assemble and distribute LaserJet printers and inkjet printer supplies.

A 143,000 square foot HP LaserJet Product Completion and Distribution facility in Henrico County will handle final assembly, packaging and distribution of LaserJet printers worldwide.

Two new buildings totaling 300,000 square feet, now under construction in Chesterfield County, will house the company's America's Product Completion Center, which will package and distribute printer supplies. It will be one of just three such centers in the world and will ship product to North and South America.

The labor pool here, as in the rest of the state, is well-educated and hard working. And it's not just the technology industries that are taking advantage of this work force.

Barber and Ross Millwork Co. will invest $4 million to establish new manufacturing operations in Richmond. The company will employ 200 by 1999 and will operate in Richmond's North Enterprise Zone.

"We looked at the employment base, economic stability, central location, opportunity for future expansion and the quality of the builders in the area in determining Richmond as the best location for our new manufacturing plant," said Scott Joffe, vice president for Barber and Ross.

Barber and Ross, established in 1876, manufactures a wide variety of millwork products for residential home builders, including interior/exterior doors, windows, porch railings and fireplace mantels.

In a major headquarters move, the Pittston Co. is relocating its Fortune 500 corporate headquarters to Richmond from Stamford, Conn.

"We were particularly drawn to the Richmond area because of its quality of life and its quality of doing business," said Joseph C. Farrell, Pittston's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The Richmond area has a unique blend of government attuned to helping where it is appropriate to do so, a highly trained and motivated work force and top-notch infrastructure. We are very pleased to be here."

Pittston is parent to Brink's Incorporated, Brink's Home Security, Inc., Burlington Air Express Inc. and the Pittston Minerals Group. Pittston is the eighth Fortune 500 company with headquarters in the Richmond area.

Maersk Container Service Co., the North American terminal and trucking subsidiary of Maersk Line, also relocated its headquarters to Chesterfield County in order to consolidate its East and West coast operations.

The new headquarters will manage the company's North American port operations for worldwide distribution of the products Maersk transports.

"This restructuring will help improve the operating efficiencies of these companies," said Bill Trok, president of Maersk Container.

Another transportation company, New Jersey-based "K" Line America, Inc., is locating its new National Service Center in Richmond. "K" Line America is an intermodal transportation company linking the entire Pacific Rim with North America,

Oscar J. Abello, president and CEO of "K" Line America, said the company's site selection team evaluated 17 national locations. Richmond was selected from among four finalists, which also included Memphis, Dallas and Seattle.

"We are consolidating our service operations into a centralized facility in Richmond to improve customer service and to enhance our ability to provide fast, accurate responses to customer inquiries," Abello said. "This Center will serve our business throughout North America with expanded hours of operation and the latest technological improvements in communications and information processing."

"K" Line America and "K" Line Canada Ltd. operate 24 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its six weekly fixed-day sailings to the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest offer direct sailings to "K" Line's own double-stack train service covering the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Even the British are coming back to Virginia.

Contract Chemicals, Ltd. (CCL) of Merseyside, England, is expanding its global presence by opening its first North America sales office in Henrico.

Contract Chemicals is a manufacturer of fine and specialty chemicals that are predominantly used by the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, photographic and water treatment industries, among others. The company maintains three manufacturing sites in England and employs 240 people.

"We are pleased to be locating our sales office in the Richmond region because of its convenient location to the many pharmaceutical manufacturers in Virginia and the Northeast, and its proximity to our existing customers in the area," said Jeff Wilson, vice president of sales.

Siebe Appliance Controls, parent company of Robertshaw Controls Co. and six other operating companies, has chosen the Richmond area as the location of its worldwide headquarters.

Siebe Appliance has about 6,500 employees and is the largest worldwide supplier of controls for residential and commercial appliances. It has operations in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Siebe's customers include such well known companies as Frigidaire/Electrolux, Whirlpool, Amana, Maytag and GE, as well as hundreds of manufacturers of specialty and commercial appliances.

New Millennium Studios, founded by Hollywood veterans Tim and Daphne Maxwell Reid, is currently under construction in Petersburg. Announced last October and, the 59-acre facility becomes Virginia's first full-service film studio.

"Varied climate and topography, beautiful scenery and historic architecture are only a few of the reasons film companies consider Virginia as an ideal location," said Reid. The $11 million studio will create 100 jobs and will be constructed in three phases.

During Phase I, a sound stage covering nearly 15,000 square feet will be constructed, along with a 15-acre backlot. Post production facilities such as editing suites, computer animation and a music recording studio will also be completed as part of Phase I this June.

Phase II will include two additional sound stages, a studio headquarters, a commissary, and an equipment building. Upon completion of Phase II during the summer of 1998, visitors will have the opportunity to visit the studio for guided tours.

Phase III will consist of a support services complex, a transportation housing structure, a merchandising store and the two additional sound stages. A complete tourist center will also be added during this final phase.

By the summer of 1999, New Millennium plans to have all phases complete and operational.

Tim Reid, best known for his roles in "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Simon and Simon," is a Virginia native and has envisioned New Millennium Studios for over a decade.

"New Millennium Studios is situated less than two hours from my home in Charlottesville," said Reid. "The support we've received from state government and the high tech industry is phenomenal, and we anticipate many successes as the 'new millennium' approaches."

The Reids plan to establish a film school at New Millennium in cooperation with local colleges.

The area around Washington, D.C., boasts one of the best-educated, and most-highly paid, work forces in the nation.

Last fall Oracle Corp., the world's second-largest software company, relocated its Government Division to its new East Coast campus in Fairfax County. The $45 million expansion also will result in the centralization of the company's Maryland and Virginia offices.

Oracle plans to centralize Oracle Government operations in a new campus that ultimately could consist of four buildings and 725,000 square feet of office space, accommodating 3,500 employees.

"Northern Virginia is a wonderful business and residential community, is convenient to Dulles Airport, and is the epicenter of the technology industry for the East Coast," said Jay Nussbaum, senior vice president of Oracle Government.

The first building on the new campus is scheduled for operation in late 1998.

Recently, three foreign-based companies set up shop in the region.

Harkness Screens, a manufacturer of cinema screens based in the United Kingdom, will open its first U.S. facility this summer in Fredericksburg. Virginia competed against Pennsylvania and North Carolina for this $500,000 manufacturing facility.

The company will use a state-of-the-art plastics process to manufacture movie screens. Harkness Screens also manufactures rigging equipment and components of live theater, sound stages, and television studios.

Digigram SA, a French developer of professional hardware and software for digital audio applications, will launch a U.S. subsidiary to be located in Arlington. This facility also will serve as the parent company's North American headquarters.

Digigram utilizes the latest digital signal processing advances to answer the needs of thousands of radio and television stations, recording studios, post production facilities and commercial sound installations around the world.

Trados Corp., a German computer software development company, will open a $1.3 million office in Alexandria. The company has developed numerous software and application products that are marketed worldwide. Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia also comprise a large segment of its consumer base.

Trados considered several sites before selecting Virginia, including Maryland, New York and Massachusetts. Proximity to Dulles Airport and Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology were key factors in the company's location decision.

Speaking of Dulles, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), the United Express carrier for the Eastern U.S., is expanding its airline operations at Washington-Dulles International Airport by constructing an 85,000 square foot aircraft maintenance facility.

The $10 million project will develop a maintenance facility that will be the first of its kind at Washington-Dulles International.

Atlantic Coast, which recently opened its corporate headquarters in nearby Sterling, has acquired 12 new British Aerospace Jetstream 41 aircraft and has made plans to also acquire 12 Canadair Regional Jets. These aircraft have the capability to travel non-stop to destinations of more than 1,000 miles away, dramatically increasing the company's market reach.