Inaugural Northern Virginia Telework Summit Takes Place at Prince William Chamber

Monday, November 19, 2012

State Leaders Gather at Chamber HQ for Groundbreaking Event 

 PRINCE WILLIAM, Virginia – This Monday, the first-ever Northern Virginia Telework Summit took place at the headquarters of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce in Manassas, Virginia.  The event was hosted by Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-51) and sponsored by the Prince William Chamber, through its Government Affairs Committee and Telework Task Force.

Del. Anderson moderated the Summit.  He was joined by colleagues Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34), who successfully patroned telework legislation in the Virginia General Assembly, and Del. David Ramadan (R-87), who co-founded the House Business Development Caucus earlier this year and is a strong proponent of telework initiatives.  Virginia Secretary of Commerce & Trade Jim Cheng participated remotely, and a number of business leaders who are pioneering telework practices in the private sector were on hand.

In the spirit of telework, the general public was invited to participate remotely.  Summit planners explained that by conducting the event via on-line resources, they intended to model best practices in the world of telework.  Del. Ramadan was live tweeting from the event; his posts can be viewed at www.twitter.com/DavidLRamadan.  A video of the summit is posted in the News section of www.pwchamber.org. 

“An effective telework infrastructure in the Northern Virginia area has the potential for helping this congested area of the Commonwealth to address some of its more challenging problems.  Taking people off the roads by using telework will add considerable value to the state’s transportation strategy and alleviate a measure of vehicle congestion,” said Del. Anderson.

In announcing the Summit, Del. Anderson stated that “I look forward to joining with Del. Comstock, Del. Ramadan, and NOVA telework leaders to demonstrate the value of teleworking to the general public who join us on-line from their homes or work locations.  Our intent is to put our money where our mouths are in this modeling exercise.  Although much remains to be done, telework is without question the wave of the future.”

Chamber Vice President of Public Policy & Communications Nancy Hiteshue explained the Chamber’s support of telework initiatives, saying, “Telework has the potential to open doors for Prince William-area businesses.  For our technology firms, it represents a growth area.  For any company, it can offer greater workforce flexibility and productivity, making them more agile and competitive.  And of course, any time we can make progress on reducing gridlock, the Chamber is supportive.”                                                                              

The Prince William Chamber has been working to raise awareness of telework among its membership of businesses and not-for-profit organizations.  Over the last several months, its Telework Taskforce has been researching and reporting on remote-work technologies and exploring telework best practices.  To learn more about Chamber efforts in this area, email nhiteshue@pwchamber.org or call 571-765-1875.