When he was campaigning for president, candidate Barack Obama made a stop in Lebanon, Virginia to talk about creating more high technology jobs. He singled out CGI, a global information technology and business process services provider, for bringing over 300 high tech jobs to a rural area of the state.
Encouraged in part by Virginia’s business-friendly orientation and the state’s aggressive effort to build out high-speed broadband technology, CGI decided to locate one of its 13 Centers of Excellence in Lebanon.
The Center expands CGI’s capacity to provide its government and private sector clients with a broad range of IT services at competitive rates. Locating a center in a rural area provided the additional benefit of spurring economic development in a region anxious to attract employers.
CGI, which has operations in 16 countries, has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax, Va. The company is a leader in IT and business processes that reduce costs, improve efficiency and help clients solve difficult business challenges. In deciding to locate in Russell County, Va, the company recognized the availability of a well educated, skilled workforce and its proximity to leading universities and colleges in the region. “With the Southwest Virginia Center, we were able to address a long-standing economic and social issue across the US—the exodus of jobs as well as young people from smaller, rural communities in favor of larger, metropolitan cities,” says Donna Morea, President, CGI United States.
The CGI Center started with 17 employees in 2006 and now employs 306, thanks in large part to the ability to recruit from local colleges and universities. And CGI recently announced that it will add 100 new jobs in Lebanon in the coming year. In its Lebanon facility, with high end information technology jobs, CGI is now supporting 13 clients—the U.S. government, state and local governments, and global commercial sector clients—with systems design, development, testing and integration services.
The results for CGI, its clients and Russell County have been positive all around. As a result the company is actively seeking other locations in the U.S. where it can partner with state and local governments to bring job growth and technology advancements to rural America. “It’s a win-win situation for CGI and the localities,” says Morea.
“Our presence in a region brings job growth, gives local graduates an opportunity to stay and work in their home towns and allows CGI to offer our clients flexible, affordable delivery options on U.S. soil.”
Although it is no short commute from either Richmond or Capitol Hill, Lebanon has seen its fair share of visitors and dignitaries who were interested in seeing the facility and the work CGI does first hand. In addition to President Obama’s visit, Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., and Governor Tim Kaine, D-Va., attended at the ribbon cutting event in 2007. Both spoke about the importance of creative public-private partnerships to drive economic development in rural America.
Encouraged in part by Virginia’s business-friendly orientation and the state’s aggressive effort to build out high-speed broadband technology, CGI decided to locate one of its 13 Centers of Excellence in Lebanon.
The Center expands CGI’s capacity to provide its government and private sector clients with a broad range of IT services at competitive rates. Locating a center in a rural area provided the additional benefit of spurring economic development in a region anxious to attract employers.
CGI, which has operations in 16 countries, has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax, Va. The company is a leader in IT and business processes that reduce costs, improve efficiency and help clients solve difficult business challenges. In deciding to locate in Russell County, Va, the company recognized the availability of a well educated, skilled workforce and its proximity to leading universities and colleges in the region. “With the Southwest Virginia Center, we were able to address a long-standing economic and social issue across the US—the exodus of jobs as well as young people from smaller, rural communities in favor of larger, metropolitan cities,” says Donna Morea, President, CGI United States.
The CGI Center started with 17 employees in 2006 and now employs 306, thanks in large part to the ability to recruit from local colleges and universities. And CGI recently announced that it will add 100 new jobs in Lebanon in the coming year. In its Lebanon facility, with high end information technology jobs, CGI is now supporting 13 clients—the U.S. government, state and local governments, and global commercial sector clients—with systems design, development, testing and integration services.
The results for CGI, its clients and Russell County have been positive all around. As a result the company is actively seeking other locations in the U.S. where it can partner with state and local governments to bring job growth and technology advancements to rural America. “It’s a win-win situation for CGI and the localities,” says Morea.
“Our presence in a region brings job growth, gives local graduates an opportunity to stay and work in their home towns and allows CGI to offer our clients flexible, affordable delivery options on U.S. soil.”
Although it is no short commute from either Richmond or Capitol Hill, Lebanon has seen its fair share of visitors and dignitaries who were interested in seeing the facility and the work CGI does first hand. In addition to President Obama’s visit, Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., and Governor Tim Kaine, D-Va., attended at the ribbon cutting event in 2007. Both spoke about the importance of creative public-private partnerships to drive economic development in rural America.
