How does job growth in Virginia’s tech industry help the overall economy?
The average tech salary pays 1.9 times the salary of all other industries. Every technology job therefore would bring in more tax revenue for the state, and that is a case that we continue to make. You want to create these high-scale, high-tech jobs in Virginia because they pay well, and that benefits the state. Northern Virginia continues to be the driver of technology-based economic growth, with two-thirds of the technology activity happening up here. But we’re seeing a fascinating trend where technology companies are expanding into other parts of the state. That’s been very key for us to be able to show other parts of the state that they are an important part of this technology economy and they stand to benefit even as we see this transition from textile- and manufacturing-based jobs to information- and technology-based jobs. Do you foresee any impact from the changing presidential administration? The focus of the [technology] industry right now is very clearly on the incoming admin
