Press Room

SECOND ANNUAL LOUDOUN ECONOMIC SUMMIT
PROVES VIABILITY AND BENEFITS OF TELEWORK
Loudoun County Public and Private Sector A Nationwide Model for Telework

HERNDON, Va. – Nov. 3, 2005 – Loudoun County Board of Supervisors member Lori Waters demonstrated the power of current telework technology when she addressed more than 200 business and government leaders at the second annual Loudoun Economic Summit in Northern Virginia last month. Proving the possibilities made available through technology and demonstrating work-life balance, Waters utilized video collaboration software to deliver her speech to attendees remotely, as she was physically located at her home with her newborn child.

Waters was just one of many speakers at the Summit who commented on the theme “Designing Work for the 21st Century”. The day-long, hands-on program focused on implementing broadband collaboration tools to spur economic development, address continuity of operations issues and enhance work-life balance among private and public sector employees. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who has long been the leading advocate for telework in the Federal government, served as the keynote speaker via a pre-recorded conversation with James Kane, CEO of the Systems and Software Consortium. 

“With the technology now, you can be in your own house, flip up your laptop computer, communicate back and forth with one another, and do things dramatically differently,” says Wolf. “It [telework] saves money and saves time, and I’d be so bold as to say it saves families. The studies show that with the technology that’s now available, people are more productive, happier and more likely to stay with a company. With this technology, the opportunity to make a big difference for the country and for the bottom line are there.”

Attendees, leading decision makers from local businesses and economic development organizations, met three pilot programs – Loudoun Business, Loudoun County government and Nova Medical Group – to hear testimony about telework’s benefits. Summit participants also experienced the latest software and hardware in “FutureScape”, a dynamic demonstration area sponsored by such companies as Intel, VIACK, Marratech AB and GlobalMedia.

“The Loudoun Economic Summit provides a forum for decision makers to learn more about the benefits of telework,” said Scott Overson, public sector marketing, Intel Corp. “There have been a number of important advancements in technology like Intel® Centrino® mobile technology and Wi-Fi that enhance the telework experience for business and the public sector.” 

The Loudoun Economic Summit, hosted by the Telework Consortium and Amendment One’s monthly magazine Loudoun Business, is an annual program designed to promote open dialogue about the potential of new technologies to change the nature of work and drive economic development. William Mularie, CEO of the Telework Consortium, noted that a key component of this is infrastructure. 

“It was heartening to see the public support from the elected leaders of Loudoun County for vigorously driving the goal of a broadband infrastructure as an imperative for Loudoun County,” Mularie said.

For a complete list of speakers and detailed information about the Summit, visit www.loudouneconomicsummit.com. Interested media may obtain a transcript of the day’s presentations by contacting Julie Buckley.

(Click here for PDF of this press release.)