When Cerxon Microtechnologies decided to move its operations to Henry County (Virginia), corporate executives were impressed with the confidence of the people they met in Virginia. Virginians knew they could deliver.

"Henry County knew they could offer us what we needed, such as a work force highly qualified for the technology industry, an infrastructure customized to our needs and most importantly, a shared long-term vision for our growth and the growth of the community," said Michael Nixon, corporate vice president.

Consequently, Cerxon Microtechnologies is investing $6.5 million and hiring 250 employees. The company will first create a prototyping facility for the manufacturing of hybrid microelectronics. An additional manufacturing facility will allow expansion of activities ranging from thin film manufacturing to electronic assembly.

High-tech runs rampant

Northern Virginia is the state's mighty force when it comes to high technology, although high-tech industries are spread throughout the state. Probably Virginia's biggest announcement in recent months is WorldCom's $180 million expansion of its corporate campus in Loudoun County, which will be able to house up to 8,000 employees.

"Northern Virginia has been a home to WorldCom and thousands of our employees since the 1980s," said Fred Briggs, chief technology officer for WorldCom. "The overall business environment, high quality employee talent pool and its rich heritage of fostering business growth make Virginia a perfect place to solidify our presence in support of our high-growth data and Internet businesses."

In the defense and aerospace sector, BAE SYSTEMS is expanding by 135,000 square feet in Reston, in Fairfax County, where it will invest $51.6 million in a new office complex. It will feature several units, including the company's newly formed Integrated Systems business unit.

The facility, scheduled for a fall 2002 occupancy, will eventually house nearly 400 employees. Additional personnel will be based at government and BAE SYSTEMS customer sites throughout Northern Virginia. Virginia successfully competed with two other East Coast states for the project.

Near Richmond, other prominent high-tech clusters in electronics and biotech continue to expand. Honeywell International is investing $20 million in an expansion in its Spectra manufacturing plant in Chesterfield County.

Boehringer Ingelheim Inc., a German pharmaceutical company and one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical firms in the world, is spending $2.5 million to set up a research center in the Virginia Bio-Technology Research Park in downtown Richmond, a project that is growing by leaps and bounds. The move will bring top scientists who specialize in immunology, inflammatory diseases and virology.

In Harrisonburg, three early stage technology companies are interested in its Virginia Technology Incubator.

Novozymes Biologicals, a subsidiary of Denmark-based biotech giant Novozymes A/S, broke ground on a 20,000 square foot facility in the Roanoke County Center for Research and Technology. Roanoke has distinguished itself in biotechnology and is home to PPL Therapeutics, the makers of the cloned sheep Dolly.

Novozymes is the first tenant of the 457-acre park, a project within minutes of Virginia Tech. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the park is ideal for research and development, as well as high-tech manufacturing.

Barr Laboratories Inc., of Pomona, N.Y., is expanding its existing pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution facilities in Bedford County. The $7 million investment will create 75 new jobs in Forest, Va. Barr credited the pro-business philosophy at both the state and local levels in making its decision to expand the Bedford County facility over its other operations in three other states.

"Since we purchased the 50-acre site in 1996, we have seen steady growth in our facilities and the number of jobs we provide in Forest," said Bruce L. Downey, chairman and CEO of Barr.

Downey cited state, county and regional support as the reason the company chose to locate its operations in Virginia in the first place. Barr is constructing a 125,000 square foot addition to its existing warehouse, and has added additional equipment throughout the facility.

Unilever expands in Suffolk

Food processing is spreading throughout the state with companies like Coors, Maple Leaf Foods Inc., and Hershey growing their operations. But other projects abound.

Unilever recently selected its Suffolk manufacturing plant as its strategic site for United States tea production and will invest $15 million in the facility over the next 30 months. The Suffolk plant will become Unilever's lone U.S. manufacturing site.

The company will close its specialty tea manufacturing plant on the West Coast. The decision is part of a consolidation into fewer plants to build a world-class supply chain. The transfer of production should be completed by the end of this year.

The Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories is investing in its production facility in the town of Altavista, south of Lynchburg. A producer of nutritional products, the company will create 61 new jobs through a $29 million investment.

"Altavista has been home to Ross Products manufacturing facility since 1972," said Dennis Janice, plant manager for Ross. "Our plant was selected for this investment because of the quality of our work force, Virginia's pro-business programs, and its progressive initiatives."

Karen Thuermer is a freelance writer from Devon, Pa.