Governor Northam announces Qualtrics to expand in Fairfax, creating 400 new jobs

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced Qualtrics, an experienced management software company, will invest $15.9 million to expand in Fairfax County. Virginia successfully competed with Pennsylvania and Ohio for the project, which will create 400 new jobs.

“Virginia offers access to the highest concentration of tech talent in the United States,” said Governor Northam. “The Commonwealth’s diverse tech ecosystem is driven by our stable business climate, competitive operating costs, and a world-class workforce. We look forward to Qualtrics’ continued success in Fairfax County.”

Qualtrics is the leader and creator of the Experience Management (XM) category, one of the sector’s fastest-growing markets. The company helps organizations understand what customers and employees are thinking and feeling and enables them to act on that feedback to provide optimal experiences. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is used by more than 13,500 organizations around the world to drive customer and citizen engagement, improve loyalty and retention, and grow revenue. Qualtrics recently acquired the Reston-based company Clarabridge, a leader in omnichannel conversational analytics.

“The Commonwealth has become one of North America’s premier locations for the tech sector, providing the ideal environment for fast-growing software companies to thrive,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “We are excited to see Qualtrics expand its presence and advance cutting-edge technology in Fairfax County while creating high-quality, 21st-century jobs.”

“Organizations everywhere are undergoing an experience transformation and Qualtrics has an incredible opportunity in front of us. With its strong talent pool, Virginia is a perfect place for us to grow,” said Qualtrics Chief Executive Officer Zig Serafin. “The investments we’re making today will put us in an even stronger position to help our customers build their next great customer, employee, product, and brand experiences.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Northam approved a $1.4 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Fairfax County with the project.

The Governor also approved $2 million in funds from the Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant. The Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant was established as a self-funded program of performance-based incentives that the Commonwealth awards to exceptional economic development projects with large numbers of employees and very high wages relative to average wages for that particular area.

Support for job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System and other higher education partners, with funding support from the Northam administration and the Virginia General Assembly. Launched in 2019, the program accelerates new facility start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a company’s unique products, processes, equipment, standards, and culture. All program services are provided at no cost to qualified new and expanding companies as an incentive for job creation.

“This marks the second vote of confidence that Qualtrics has made in our business community this year,” said Fairfax County Economic Development Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Victor Hoskins. “First was the purchase of Clarabridge, a homegrown tech success story, and now the expansion being announced today. We thank and congratulate Qualtrics for this tremendous growth and we stand ready to assist the company further as it expands its footprint here.”

“Congratulations to Qualtrics on expanding their offices in Fairfax County,” said Senator Janet Howell. “Qualtrics, with their innovative spirit, customer-obsessed solutions, and data-driven analytics, will find itself right at home, where some of the world’s leading cloud-based IT companies flourish and continue to find tremendous success.”