This report is compiled from company releases, business journals and newspapers from around the state. If you have an item for these listings,
mail it to:
Catherine Leitch
Virginia Business
411 East Franklin Street, Suite 105
Richmond, Va. 23219

or e-mail it to ForTheRecord@va-business.com, or fax it to (804) 649-6311.

Mergers & Acquisitions
Advanced Communications Systems, a Fairfax-based communications company, acquired Charlottesville-based Program Support Associates, a financial-management system provider, for $2.5 million.

Sensys Technologies Inc., a Newington-based communications company, acquired the SciComm defense electronics business of Andrew Corp., a Garland, Texas-based communications company. Terms were not disclosed.

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Deals
America Online, a Dulles-based Internet service provider, and CareInsite, a health care Web site based in Elwood Park, N.J., formed a multimillion-dollar partnership to create co-branded sites so that AOL customers can communicate with their health care providers, insurers, HMOs, pharmacies and labs.

America Online and Dulles-based The Motley Fool, a financial media company, announced a co-branding agreement. The Motley Fool will be the first thing AOL customers see when they log on to AOL's Personal Finance Channel.

Commonwealth Biotechnologies, a Richmond-based biotechnology research and development company, and Schwartz ElectroOptics, an Orlando, Fla.-based laser technology company, signed an agreement to create an early warning system that would detect biological agents released into the environment.

Computer Learning Centers, a Fairfax-based computer-training company, and Reston-based Sallie Mae, a student-loan provider, have agreed to offer a comprehensive nonfederal loan program.

Media General Financial Services, a Richmond-based financial information company, and SmartMoney.com, an investment Web site based in New York, formed a partnership to make Media General Financial Services a key data component of the Stock Snapshot portion of SmartMoney.com. Media General Financial Services is a subsidiary of Media General Inc., the company that owns this magazine.

PSINet, a Herndon-based Internet company, Hewlett-Packard Co., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer company, and TWIinteractive, a sports-marketing company based in Boston, have agreed to develop Internet coverage and technology solutions for four sports Web sites. The sites include the British Open Golf site, the America's Cup Challenger Series site, the site of the Brazilian National Soccer Team and the site for FC Barcelona, a professional soccer team in Spain.

WebPerfect Solutions, a Vienna-based Internet company, and eBrain.com, a Potomac, Md.-based technology company, formed an agreement to sell Web-development and Web-hosting services in North America and South America.

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New Plants and Companies
Intel chooses Dulles for new technology center
Intel Online Services, a data services provider and a new subsidiary of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel, plans to invest $130 million to open an Internet service center near Washington Dulles International Airport. The center could create up to 250 jobs.

The facility, scheduled to open in early 2000, would house thousands of computer servers that would run client companies' Web sites and e-commerce activities. Mike Aymar, vice president and general manager of Intel Online Services, says the company chose Virginia because of the state's high volume of Internet traffic.

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Computer Resource Team, a technology company, moved its headquarters from Blacksburg to Richmond. The company relocated so it could broaden existing partnerships and create new ones.

Hale and Dorr, a law firm based in Washington, D.C., moved its corporate technology practice to Reston so it could be closer to the companies it serves in Northern Virginia.

Home Shopping Network, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based television shopping channel, plans to open a call center in Roanoke County on Nov. 15. The company, which employs about 700 people in the Roanoke Valley, expects to hire 150 telephone operators to staff the center, with the possibility of hiring 350 more.

Morrill Motors, an Erwin, Tenn.-based manufacturer of small-appliance motors, plans to open a plant in Washington County. The plant, which will be called Appalachian Cast Products, expects to create 65 new jobs and invest $3.5 million in the county.

Perdue Farms Inc., a Horsham, Pa.-based poultry producer, plans to open a $25 million packaging and distribution center in Prince George County. The facility would be operated by the Pro Source Group, a manufacturing and logistics company based in Chicago. Pro Source plans to hire 175 employees at the Perdue plant, which would make it one of the county's largest employers.

Zoots Inc., a Boston-based dry-cleaning service, plans to open an $8 million plant and regional headquarters in Portsmouth. The company expects to employ at least 125 workers at the new facility.

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Expansions
Ameriserve Food Distribution Inc., a Dallas-based food-service distributor, plans to expand its facility in Prince William County to supply 2,400 fast-food restaurants in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The company expects to hire 150 more employees.

Carter Ryley Thomas, a Richmond-based public relations firm, opened an office in Norfolk.

Dragon Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of horticultural chemicals based in Farmingdale, N.Y., plans to move from Hollins to a larger building in Roanoke County's Valley Gateway Business Park. When the expansion is complete, the company expects to hire about 60 employees.

Lafarge Corp., a Reston-based construction materials supplier, plans to build an $85 million gypsum manufacturing facility in Putnam County, Fla. The gypsum wallboard is used to finish interiors of homes and offices. The facility would employ about 100 people.

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Cutbacks & Closings
Avis Rent A Car Inc., a car rental company based in Garden City, N.Y., plans to cut about 300 call center jobs beginning Nov. 1 as part of an effort to reorganize its work force. According to a company release, Avis is trying to relocate Hampton Roads employees, placing them at other call centers in the region.

Frank Ix & Sons, a Charlottesville-based textile company and one of the area's oldest businesses, plans to close early in November, putting 150 employees out of work.

Genuine Parts Co., an Atlanta-based automotive parts distributor, plans to close its NAPA auto parts distribution center in Roanoke, eliminating 70 jobs.

Newport News Shipbuilding laid off 450 of its 17,600 employees. Notice of the cutbacks came a week after workers approved a new five-year contract, ending a four-month strike.

According to a Virginian-Pilot report, the shipyard is under pressure to cut costs because of an agreement signed with the Navy that requires the company to cut overhead by $360 million in the next five years.

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Stocks
Chesapeake Corp., a Richmond-based paper and packaging company, plans to repurchase up to 2 million more shares of its common stock by September 2000. The company already has bought back 1.6 million shares.

Cysive, a Reston-based software engineering company, filed plans with the Securities and Exchange Commission in late September to offer 3 million shares of common stock, plus 350,000 shares by existing shareholders.

LifeMinders.com, a Herndon-based online marketing company, also filed its intent to go public with the SEC in late September. The number of shares to be offered was not specified.

Proxicom, an Internet company based in Reston, plans to offer 1 million shares of common stock plus 2 million shares owned by existing stockholders.

Smith-Midland Corp.'s president, Rodney I. Smith, and its CEO, Guy M. Schuch, have agreed to purchase 471,428 shares combined of the Midland-based concrete manufacturer. Their total investment of $330,000 would provide additional working capital and help it comply with Nasdaq's net tangible asset requirement.

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Directors
Alan Baratz, Network Solutions, a Herndon-based Internet company.

H. Brian Thompson, DynCorp, a Reston-based technology company.

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Executive Promotions
AOL appoints new chief technology officer
America Online hired William J. Raduchel as its chief technology officer in September. Raduchel replaces Marc Andreessen, the 27-year-old founder of Netscape.

Andreessen joined AOL last year after AOL purchased Netscape. Andreessen has accepted a part-time position at AOL as a strategic advisor. In a prepared statement, Andreessen said he wants to focus his time on start-up companies.

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Michael Berta, president and CEO of Intellisource, a Vienna-based information technology company.

William M. Bodnar, senior consultant at Goodman & Co., a Norfolk-based accounting firm.

Harry D'Andrea, CFO of Advanced Switching Communications, a Vienna-based communications equipment company.

Asher Epstein, director of business operations for Extil, a Reston-based Internet company.

Bryan Hunter, vice president and COO of Pacel Corp., a Manassas-based technology company.

Chris Joyce, CFO of Global Operations for Cable & Wireless, a telecommunications company based in Vienna.

Larry Kraft, vice president of marketing for Extil.

R. Luke Lively, chairman and CEO of First Virginia Bank-Mountain Empire. First Virginia is an independent bank holding company based in Falls Church.

Ernest E. McGinley, president and CEO of Virginia Mutual Insurance, a Richmond-based property and casualty company.

James W. Myers, COO of Infodata Systems, a Fairfax-based Internet technology company.

Tom Pike, CIO of Rocco Enterprises, a Harrisonburg-based producer of poultry products.

D.M. Spicer, corporate vice president of Sussex Development, a construction company based in Virginia Beach.

Frank X. Strasser, director of real estate for East Coast Oil Corp., a Richmond-based convenience store chain.

Jeffery A. Tischer, executive vice president and CFO of LandAmerica Financial Group, a Richmond-based title insurance and real estate company.

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Contracts
Atlantic Ordinance & Gyro Inc., Norfolk: $3.2 million from the Navy for ships.

Bechtel B&W Idaho, McLean: $3 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy for the operation and management of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

Datex Inc., Falls Church, $20.9 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development for administrative support services.

Delex Systems Inc., Vienna: $6.9 billion from the Navy for special studies.

Evantage, Richmond: $1.3 million from Halifax County Public Schools for energy and capital improvements.

Intelligent Decisions, Chantilly: $10 million from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service for hardware, software and professional services.

NV Enterprises Inc., Reston: $19 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide engineering, logistics and administrative services.

Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles: $10 million from the Delaware Transit Corp. and the Delaware Department of Transportation to supply Orbital's satellite-based automatic vehicle location system.

P&W Surplus Office Movers Inc., Manassas: $2 million from the Treasury Department for utilities and housekeeping facilities.

Parasense Inc., Richmond: $1.4 million from the Navy for refrigeration-leak equipment.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Fairfax: $823,465 from the U.S. Postal Service for professional and administrative-support services.

Quatro Services, Richmond: $988,566 from the Army for utilities and housekeeping services.

RS Information Systems, McLean: $9 million from the National Marine Fisheries Service for information technology and support services; $65 million from the Social Security Administration for infrastructure and applications development and support.

Sectek Inc., Herndon: $3.6 million from the Treasury Department for government facility operations.

TRW Inc., Vienna: $40 million from the General Services Administration for environmental advisory services.

Virtexco Corp., Norfolk: $2.2 million from the College of William & Mary for extensive plumbing, electrical and telecommunication systems upgrades.

This report is compiled from company releases, business journals and newspapers from around the state. If you have an item for these listings, mail it to Catherine Leitch at Virginia Business, 411 E. Franklin St., Suite 105, Richmond, Va. 23219, fax it to (804) 649-6311, or e-mail it to ForTheRecord@va-business.com.

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