Quick Facts:
1) Loudoun County ranks 5th in job growth from 2000 to 2006 according to Money Magazine.
2) Over 11 million square feet of commercial space has been permitted in the last three years.
3) In May 2007, Loudoun County's unemployment rate was 2 percent, tying Fairfax for the second lowest unemployment rate in Virginia.
4) While residential values decreased 7 percent on average in 2006, commercial values increased 17.9 percent.
5) According to the County's 2006 Annual Growth Summary, "The nonresidential vacancy rate continued its downward trend, dropping to 12.7 percent from 13.1 percent in 2005 while new product continues to be added."
6) The business license tax, which is levied on gross receipts, rose from $10.3 million in 2000 to over $24 million in 2007. Business tangible levies rose from $19 million in 2000 to over $27 million in 2006.
Conclusion: Loudoun County has a healthy, growing commercial tax base.

As chair of the Economic Development Committee, Lori has worked with numerous businesses to assist them in their location and expansion decisions. What do these companies have in common? Equinox, Orbital, Airbus, Wavelight, Amazon.com, Salamander Hospitality, Lockheed Martin, MCDean, and Verizon. All these companies have either located their business or expanded their business in Loudoun County – and they pay taxes. There are also other household name companies that can’t be named for security reasons. One of these users will be bringing hundreds of jobs to a new 450,000 square foot facility. During a meeting several months ago with a prospective business, the business leader said that he thought that Loudoun would be the right image for his company. Lori just recently spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and welcomed this business to a new location in Loudoun County.

One of Lori’s first economic development initiatives was to develop a modified process in which qualifying companies could obtain county administrative approvals and permits on a shortened timeframe. While some localities immediately offer financial incentives to attract new businesses, Loudoun typically does not. With businesses looking for certainty in the development process, the county can use non-financial incentives, such as a modified process, to woo new businesses and remain competitive.

With 83 percent of county businesses having under 20 employees, Lori has worked with commercial developers to help ready space for small businesses. By assisting companies like Merritt Properties through the county’s administrative approval processes, more small businesses have opportunities to grow. Bringing more jobs to Loudoun not only provides relief to the residential tax burden, but it also means more opportunities for current residents to work closer to home. In 1999, there were less than 73,000 jobs in the county. Today, there are over 147,000 jobs, and during 2004 and 2005, over 1,000 additional businesses opened their doors in Loudoun County. And with the right leadership, the future also looks bright.

Lori has led county and regional efforts to expand broadband. In 2006, Lori chaired a regional Broadband Task Force for the Council of Governments. With broadband, more employees can telework - taking cars off congested roads.

Lori was also a leader in developing the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee (ZORC) to review the zoning ordinance to clean-up errors, bring clarity and objectivity, and identify zoning hurdles that make Loudoun less competitive in business location decisions.

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