This morning we formally open the XM Satellite Radio customer service center which is providing 255 jobs for Twin County residents.  In January of this year we gathered in this same space to announce the plans of The Results Companies, headquartered in Dania Beach Florida,  to open this call center in the Crossroads Institute, to provide services for XM.

     Since that announcement, approximately 10,000 square feet of previously empty space has been refurbished for Results, creating a state-of-the-art call center on the second level of the building.  175 people are already employed at the center, demonstrating the region's outstanding ability to meet the employment needs of companies such as Results.

    This is the fourth center to be established in our region by Results.  With Centers previously established in Lee, Scott and Patrick Counties, the Galax center brings the current number of positions created by Results in the Ninth District to 800, making the Company a significant employer in our region.  Results, with Fortune 500 clients in the telecommunications, insurance and financial sectors, is rated among the top ten companies in the financial services sector of the teleservices industry and is a welcome addition to our region's corporate family.

    I am pleased to welcome Robert Rapp, President of Results, to our event this morning.  We value the significant contribution his Company is making to our region and look forward to hearing from Robert in a few moments
    I also want to welcome Gary Parsons, Chairman of XM Satellite Radio, to this event.  XM has played a very key role in the partnership that developed between my office and Results, leading ultimately to the creation of these new jobs, and I want to take a moment to recognize that contribution.

    The work leading to the success we celebrate this morning, began 5 years ago in 2001, when I initiated conversations with XM Satellite Radio about the possibility of meeting XM's future needs for customer service here in Southwest Virginia.  The company was just beginning to experience  rapid growth in its customer base, and the time was approaching when there would be a need to increase customer service capacity.

    Over the next 2 years,  I hosted XM corporate officials for several tours of my Congressional District to demonstrate the assets our region has to offer.  With the assistance of local and state government personnel, we showcased various communities and facilities, and we presented information on our outstanding educational and workforce assets and on Virginia's attractive business climate.  Ultimately, instead of opening its own call center, XM decided to focus on its core business -- entertainment programming-- and to allow a business with expertise in customer service to handle its customer service needs.  

    That business was The Results Companies.  The corporate executives from XM who had visited our area were so impressed with Southwest Virginia that they suggested that Results consider our region for the placement of call center operations.  With its preference for smaller call centers in rural areas, Results was a perfect fit for our region.
    Representatives from Results contacted my office, and the rest is history.  A series of tours with Results executives led by my office over the next several years paved the way for the establishment by Results of the four centers spread throughout Southwest Virginia providing services for a range of clients in the health care, insurance and telecommunications sectors.  Fittingly, this fourth center is devoted entirely to customer care for XM's growing customer base.

    In connecting Results with our office,  XM did a great service for Southwest Virginia, and I want to express my appreciation for that recommendation.

I would like to take a few minutes to recognize some individuals who have contributed to today's success:

    *  Carroll County Administrator Gary Larrowe, as well as Richard Slate, Sr., Chairman of the Carroll IDA, for their hard work  in completing the buildout of this facility.  
    *  Mike Maynard, Chairman, and the Carroll-Grayson-Galax Industrial Facilities Authority, for their leadership in fostering the kind of regional cooperation that made this project possible.
    *Tom Elliott, Director of Virginia's aCorridor, for his expertise in assisting companies in achieving success in our region.
    *  The Galax City Council, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors and the Grayson County Board of Supervisors for their cooperation and support of the project.  
    * Ned Stephenson and The Virginia Tobacco Commission, which made a significant contribution to this project in order to help defray the cost to the localities of preparing the facility.

    *  Dr. Oliver McBride, Chairman, and the Board of the Crossroads Institute, as well as the Board of the Southwest Regional Enterprise Center, for recognizing the value of this employment opportunity for citizens of the region and for agreeing to allow location of Results in this facility.
    *  Wytheville Community College for its critical support and assistance with the project.
    *  The Virginia Employment Commission for assisting the company in recruiting and hiring the new employees.
    *  Lea Lofty, Project Manager with Virginia Jobs Investment Program, for her excellent work with this center and others throughout the Results Network in Virginia.
    *  Governor Tim Kaine, represented here today by Gary McLaren of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, for his dedication to our region and his commitment to job creation, and the VEDP for its unwavering efforts to assist us in creating employment opportunities.
    *Robert Rapp and the entire team of Results for the company's commitment to our region, a commitment that has led to the creation of more than 800 jobs throughout Southwest Virginia, 255 of which will be located in Galax.
    *Gary Parsons, Chairman of XM Satellite Radio, for his confidence in Results and in our region.

    We should note that hiring continues at the Center.  Those interested in seeking employment at Results should contact the Virginia Employment Commission at 276 236-5105.

    We will now hear from Gary Parsons.  He will be followed by Robert Rapp, Gary McLaren and Mike Maynard.   We will cut the ribbon at the conclusion of our remarks, and there will be tours of the new center available for those with an interest in seeing it.

-###-