Economic Development: BUDDY RIZER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LOUDOUN COUNTY
Published
Under Rizer, Loudoun attracted $6.55 billion in new commercial investment in 2021, and in June, Irish energy management company Hanley Energy announced an $8 million expansion of its electrical division in Ashburn, a move expected to create 343 jobs.
The self-styled “godfather of data center alley,” Rizer, who became Loudoun’s economic development head in 2007, has been instrumental in making Loudoun County into the data center capital of the world. An estimated 70% of all internet traffic passes through the county, and Amazon Web Services, Google LLC and Microsoft Corp. have significant presences.
A graduate of Towson University, Rizer is a former radio disc jockey and station owner. He is an honorary board member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and a nonvoting board member for the Washington Airports Task Force. He also chairs the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation board.
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