Amazon Web Services will expand in Fairfax County, Virginia, by establishing an office as part of a multi-million dollar project that will create 500 jobs. AWS designs and offers cloud computing services to businesses, government and educational organizations. The company plans to establish an office to support the business and mission information technology requirements for the public sector and commercial customers of AWS cloud services.

"We look forward to putting more than 500 Virginians to work in Fairfax County," said Teresa Carlson, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector, AWS. "We appreciate the state and local elected officials who have helped us make this exciting investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia."

Governor Bob McDonnell said, "Amazon Web Services is a global, universally known company that has a significant Virginia presence as a strong corporate partner and employer. Adding a new office in Fairfax County allows the company close proximity to its IT and government customers in Virginia, and creates 500 highly-technical jobs."

"AWS's continued growth throughout Virginia is a strong testament to the business climate, available workforce and cost of operations in the Commonwealth," said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. "We welcome the addition of the company's new IT office and a significant number of quality, high-paying jobs."

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McDonnell approved a $500,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Fairfax County with the project. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support company recruitment and training activities.

"Fairfax County is proud to be home to such a world-class company. Amazon Web Services will be expanding and providing cloud-based services it is providing to a wide variety of clients," said Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. "The company will benefit from the highly skilled IT workforce that is attracted to the Fairfax area and the quality of life. It is a very important part of our corporate roster."