Defense agency set to bring jobs to area, C’ville Expo told

They’re well trained, well paid, ready to join and may even bring a passel of jobs for local residents along with them.

Employees of the Defense Intelligence Agency will begin moving in January to the military’s Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility at Rivanna Station in Albemarle County, carrying more than 800 jobs with them from elsewhere, said Jim McIlmail, of the DIA.

McIlmail told members of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce at the Charlottesville Business Expo luncheon that an additional 600 jobs could be created and filled by local residents.

“This is a real big deal for the DIA as much as it is for the community,“ McIlmail said. “It’s a really interesting time, a very [important] time for the DIA, for the community and for our country.“

The business expo at the John Paul Jones Arena included a Tuesday night job fair attended by more than 1,000 people, chamber officials said. The fair continued Wednesday with local business displays, the luncheon and workshops. The expo was sponsored by The Daily Progress, Charlottesville Radio Group and StellarOne.

McIlmail said about 100 DIA employees will arrive at their new posts in January. Eventually, 828 jobs will be reassigned to Rivanna Station from other DIA posts across the country as part of a base relocation program. Some of those jobs will be open to local residents.

McIlmail said that federal statistics and formulae predict another 600 jobs will be created within the community because of the new base.

“The [DIA employees] will be coming in, looking for homes, joining churches and schools and becoming friends and neighbors,“ he told the luncheon attendees. “These are well-educated, highly trained and higher paid jobs that are going to be a big benefit to the community.“

McIlmail said the employees are engaged in a variety of military intelligence and national security activities. The functions range from studying and monitoring the capability of other countries to manufacture and use weapons of mass destruction to learning to defuse terrorist devices and monitoring technological advances.
The agency has personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and studying Pakistan, Iran and North Korea as well.
“These are people who are protecting us and working on new technologies while studying the capabilities of others,“ he said. “After [the] Iraq and Afghanistan missions are complete, they will continue their efforts to monitor potential threats.“
Business leaders at the luncheon said they are looking forward to the influx of residents, and several met with McIlmail after the luncheon to talk about the DIA. Others said it was nice to learn more specifics of what the new residents will be doing.
“I think people have heard so much about the [DIA employees] and there’s sort of a mystery that surrounds federal officials. It’s good to actually profile who these people are going to be,“ said Rachel Brozenske, vice president of Allison Partners, a Charlottesville-based business consulting firm that sponsored the luncheon. “It’s a good organization and the people who will be here will be good people doing good work.“
Brozenske said the DIA employees should help stimulate the local economy.
“They’re going to a real benefit to the community,“ she said.
Michael Harvey, director of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development, agreed.
“I think [the DIA] is going to be a real shot in the arm for us,“ he said. “Something like this, creating good, high-paying jobs, is really good for the community. I think [the DIA] will bring more to this community than people can imagine.“
McIlmail said DIA officials expect to work closely with area agencies and contractors, including researchers at the University of Virginia. He said contract jobs at the base are likely to be opened to local businesses, although employees who work at the facility will be subject to a security clearance investigation.
“We think there’s a real synergy between UVa and us,“ he told the luncheon. “There are a lot of areas where we can work with the university. We’re also looking forward to working with businesses and the community. It’s going to be a benefit to everyone.“