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Judd's
OnLine Moving to Downtown Technology Zone
Firm moving into Salvation Army's former home
By Darcy Spencer
Northern Virginia Daily - Wednesday, January 21, 1998
Judd's Online announced Tuesday
that it will move its Internet service operations into the building
on South Loudoun Street in downtown Winchester that once housed
the Salvation Army. The Internet service provider will be the
first company to move into Winchester's technology zone, although
similar companies were there when the zone was created.
Officials said they hope the move will draw more high-tech companies
to the zone. Technology-based companies in the zone, the first
in the state, get tax breaks and incentives to do business there.
Judd's OnLine will leave within a few months 7,000 square feet
of office space at 303 S. Loudoun St., known as the Fern Adams
Building. The announcement was made inside the building, which
has a long way to go before it's ready for occupancy. The walls
have exposed bricks and the roof is still being constructed and
there is no heat.
Renovations will cost $700,000 to $800,000, according to Kevin
D. Adams, President of the Adams-Legge Development Group. But
by spring, company officials said, at least 20 employees will
be working at computer terminals in the building.
Judd's OnLine, which began as an operating division of Strasburg-based
Judd's Inc. in the fall of 1995, primarily builds web sites, particularly
those that generate revenue. Some current clients are country
music star Reba McEntire and Martha Stewart. The division was
spun off as a separate company after Perry Communications Inc.
merged with Judd's.
Company officials plan to offer their Internet expertise to area
businesses to help them enter the worldwide shopping market through
online "stores." The company contracts with Microsoft
and hopes to strengthen that relationship to "partner"
status, officials said.
Most of Judd's OnLine web sites are developed in the operations
center in Strasburg, which will be moved to the Fern Adams Building
in April.
Richard L. Warren, senior vice president for strategy, sales and
marketing for Judd's OnLine, said the company chose the Fern Adams
Building because most company staff members live in the area.
By creating a high-tech zone, Winchester created a magnet for
other computer companies, an incubator of innovation and a "very
powerful" synergy, he said. Moving into a historic building
was important because those who work in high-tech industries often
need to deal with "real" things that are tangible and
permanent, he said.
He joked about being surprised that the city would want so many
"nerds" in a small area.
The company expects its staff to grow to about 60 people over
the next 18 months and projects a 400 percent annual growth rate,
he said.
The building will be filled with about 25 computer servers, special
computers associated with the operation of web sites, drives and
other equipment.
Businesses in the region will benefit from Judd's OnLine's being
in Winchester, Warren said, because he hopes to bring the company's
expertise to them as well as those that operate on a national
level.
The announcement was hailed by economic development officials.
"This is a joy," said June M. Wilmot, executive director
of the Winchester-Frederick County Economic Development Commission.
"It's always nice to see a dream come true."
"They've taken a building that was in a state of (disrepair)
and they have proved this is a viable investment," said Lise
R. Sundrla, executive director of the Old Town Winchester Development
Board.
A couple of business representatives noted that Judd's OnLine
maintains the Internet web site for the Salvation Army's national
office magazine. "It is an irony that the Salvation Army
is coming back to the Fern Adams Building," Warren said.
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