WCED Project Receives 2009 SPACE Economic Development Award For New Industry

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ken Atkins, executive director for Wake County Economic Development (WCED) (www.raleigh-wake.org), has announced that HCL America Inc. received the Triangle Business Journal’s SPACE Award for Economic Development in the New Industry category. This award honors a company that is locating new operations to the Triangle, creating new jobs and investing in the region. HCL America, a wholly owned subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd., announced in 2008 that it will open its first “delivery” center in the United States in Cary. Projected to open early this year, the delivery center is expected to create at least 513 new jobs in the area and invest $3.2 million throughout the next five years. The average salary for workers at the Cary facility will be close to $47,000. Wake County beat out numerous locations for the facility, including finalists in Texas and Arizona.

Local economic development partners who assisted in the deal include:

Conni Tucker, assistant executive director, WCED
Sandy Jordan, economic development director, Cary Economic Development
Debbie Lilly, vice president of client services, Research Triangle Regional Partnership
Vivian Powell, economic development rep., North Carolina Department of Commerce
Jessica Brock, senior marketing representative, Spectrum Properties
Pat Gilliard, senior business executive, Progress Energy

Triangle Business Journal’s SPACE Awards honor the region’s most prominent economic development projects, most innovative commercial real estate developers and largest real estate transactions for the previous year. All 2009 SPACE Award honorees were recognized at Triangle Business Journal’s SPACE Awards event held on Jan. 29 at the North Ridge Country Club. Attendees included the top commercial real estate executives, economic development officials and service industry executives, as well as Triangle community leaders.

“We are excited that HCL chose to locate its first U.S. delivery center in Cary,” said Atkins. “The company’s investment in Wake County will be invaluable as our region continues to grow and expand.”