OVH’s Arrival Keeps Vint Hill Momentum Going

Posted on October 17, 2016 by

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Oct. 6 announcement that France’s OVH, one the world’s leading cloud-computing providers, has picked Vint Hill for its North American headquarters is both major win for the region and the latest example of how Vint Hill is evolving into a diverse live-work-play hub.

“We’re both honored and excited that OVH has chosen Vint Hill as the site of its North American headquarters and first U.S. data-center facility,” said Ed Moore, President, Vint Hill Village, LLC. “We wish to express our gratitude to Fauquier County and Virginia state officials for their leadership in helping finalize this agreement.”

Founded in 1999, OVH has a long history of innovative technologies building its data center offerings from the processor up, leveraging technology partnerships with Cisco, Intel, Microsoft and VMware, among others. Today, OVH provides cloud infrastructure as a service with products including bare metal and virtual servers, networking, private cloud solutions and more.

“The U.S. is a strategic market for OVH as we grow our business, and Virginia was a natural choice for our first presence in this new market,” said OVH CEO Laurent Allard. “Fauquier County offers a unique mix of a high-end, innovative digital infrastructure combined with a business and employee-friendly environment, along with a dedicated team that greatly facilitated our move.”

Vint Hill supported local officials, including the Fauquier County Department of Economic Development and elected representatives, as well as executives from the Commonwealth of Virginia during the discussions with OVH. Now that a deal is in place, stakeholders will begin to finalize the intricate details that go into establishing a regional headquarters and standing up a high-tech enterprise.

“We’re committed to working with OVH and the other stakeholders as plans evolve to ensure the company’s needs are met, and most importantly, that the partnership is a mutually beneficial one for OVH and our community,” Moore said.

News of OVH’s arrival is the latest example of Vint Hill’s growing prominence as a local economic, cultural, and residential center.

The community last month welcomed more than 8,000 attendees and 150 vendors to its second annual Fall Festival.

Recent months have seen additions of a coffee shop, general store, and a revamped salon that offers both tattoos and locally made beauty products. And this summer brought news of another major tenant—the state-funded Puller Veterans Care Center that is tentatively planned to open in 2019.

Led by the OVH and Puller Center projects, Vint Hill has seen businesses and organizations pledge more than $100 million in investments in the last six months. This is in addition to more than $10 million of infrastructure improvements, including the current road projects that are improving access throughout the community.

“We’re attracting services and amenities that any community would be proud of,” Moore said. “From our unique retail outlets to the Puller Center, which will be a huge benefit for so many of Virginia’s veterans, and now a global company’s North American headquarters, Vint Hill is rapidly transforming into what we envisioned when we started this project in 2014: a vibrant, sustainable, Main Street community.”