Area Development
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced yesterday the establishment of a DIRECTV virtual call center in the state's southwest area. The project, a collaboration between DIRECTV and customer service company Convergys, will create 100 jobs. Employees will be drawn from Virginia's New River Valley, aCorridor, and e-Region.

"We chose this area of Virginia for its strong work ethic and robust broadband infrastructure that is essential to support a virtual call center," said Ellen Filipiak, senior vice president of customer service at DIRECTV.

The employees will be trained online and work remotely from home, saving transportation costs.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Congressman Rick Boucher, along with the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, Virginia's aCorridor, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority helped negotiate the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will support job training.