Press Room

SECOND ANNUAL LOUDOUN ECONOMIC SUMMIT APPROACHING
Summit To Focus on Economic Development
and Business Continuity Benefits of Telework

HERNDON, Va. – Aug. 1, 2005 – The second annual Summit, with a focus on “Designing Work for the 21st Century,” will be held Friday, Oct. 7 at Lansdowne Resort in Lansdowne, Va.  The event will run from 8:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., with opening remarks at 9:45 a.m. There is no fee to participate, and breakfast and lunch will be served. Interested attendees can visit www.loudouneconomicsummit.com to register.

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.), a national leader in the drive to accelerate telecommuting, research and development and innovation, will serve as the keynote speaker.  He has authored the most significant legislation around telework to date, cutting $5 million of funding to federal agencies if they do not meet minimum standards for telework. 

“It’s critical for Congress and other legislative bodies to support telework,” said Wolf.  “The benefits are overwhelming, from improved air quality to a better work-life balance.  Most importantly, in the event of a disaster, telework would enable the U.S. workforce to work safely and securely from home.  Moving into 2006, I will continue to push Congress to support telework initiatives.”

Paul Morris, executive director of Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) will discuss a broadband project in Utah that is relevant to Loudoun County.

Virginia delegate Joe May (R-33rd District), who is chairman of the state science and technology committee, will address deploying innovation in Virginia. 

Brett Phillips, CEO of publishing firm Amendment One will discuss how his firm has expanded the success of last year’s telework pilot at Loudoun Magazine to an enterprise-wide solution that is increasing productivity.

Dr. Grace Keenan of Nova Medical Group will discuss real-life lessons learned from Nova’s use of a Telework Consortium-funded pilot program, which includes distributed work-enabling software.

Other distinguished speakers from Loudoun County government include Lori Waters, member of the board of supervisors representing the Broad Run District and chairman of the board of supervisors’ economic development committee, and Mick Staton, member of the board of supervisors representing the Sugarland Run District.

“The second Loudoun Economic Summit will serve as a catalyst for change,” said William Mularie, CEO, Telework Consortium. “It’s the 21st century.  Society has changed.  So should the way in which we work and conduct business. With broadband technology and infrastructure in place, Loudoun County can act as a national model for telework.” 

(Click here for PDF of this press release.)