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Verizon Wireless Celebrates Grand Opening of Regional Headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowell McAdam, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, and Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wireless Carolinas/Tennessee region president, today joined with dignitaries and guests to celebrate the official grand opening of the company's $54 million regional headquarters facility inFranklin, Tenn.

"We are thrilled to officially open the doors of the new Verizon Wireless regional headquarters and celebrate our commitment to both employment and economic growth in the Middle Tennessee technology corridor," said Fountain. "We currently have 85 new employees in training this month alone and will hire an additional 500-600 employees over the next three to five years at this state-of-the-art green facility."

Verizon Wireless currently employs over 2,200 people in the state ofTennessee. Nearly 700Nashville, Tenn.-area Verizon Wireless employees relocated to the 191,142 sq. ft. regional headquarters facility, building capacity to over 1,300 when it is fully operational.

"The mission of our office is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans, and the opening of the Verizon Wireless regional headquarters today is indicative of Tennessee's success in that regard," commented Matthew Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. "In a five-year period, we have brought more than 145,000 new jobs toTennessee and attracted more than $22 billion in new capital investments. Our state recently earned the 'National Competitiveness Award' from Site Selection magazine, rankingTennessee first among the 50 states for economic development performance."

The new regional headquarters facility falls squarely in line with Verizon Wireless' workforce development efforts to provide competitive compensation and outstanding benefits to employees. Verizon Wireless currently operates a $26 million Customer Contact Center inMurfreesboro, Tenn., which was built in 2003.

"The job growth and the economic infusion into the area will have a positive, lasting impact on this state," said Tennessee Department of Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. "The fact that Verizon Wireless chose to expand here inTennessee speaks volumes for our state and is a positive message for others seeking to live and work in our thriving community."

In an effort to maximize energy efficiencies in the new Verizon Wireless headquarters complex, architect SPACE NELSON incorporated several "green" design initiatives, including:

    --  All windows are tinted and feature sunshades.
    --  The rooms have light switches with motion sensors to automatically turn
        off when empty to conserve electricity.
    --  30 percent of the parking spaces are made of pervious pavement, which
        helps to collect storm water runoff efficiently. This approach creates
        more efficient land use by eliminating the need for retention ponds,
        swales and other storm water management devices. In doing so, pervious
        concrete has the ability to lower operating costs. This effort is
        considered a Best Management Practice by the EPA and other agencies and
        geotechnical engineers across the country.
    --  The building walls (that are not glass) are concrete, adding to energy
        efficiency.
    --  The building features an R-30 roof that increases energy efficiency by
        50 percent and decreases utility costs by 50 percent.

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network. As the state's leading wireless provider, Verizon Wireless covers all 95 counties and approximately 41,898 square miles of theTennessee landscape. Since 2003, Verizon Wireless has invested $634.5 million to enhance voice and data services and coverage throughoutTennessee.

Today, over 95 percent ofTennessee residents have access to Verizon Wireless' high-speed broadband service, an increase of over 22 percent since 2007. Verizon Wireless' high-speed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network provides high-speed business and entertainment-based services on wireless phones, laptops and other wireless devices with Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess and V CAST multimedia services.

In addition to economic growth, Verizon Wireless is an active community supporter of domestic violence awareness and prevention in the state ofTennessee, a grassroots component of the company's national HopeLine(R) program. Over the past five years, the company has contributed to programs in the greaterNashville, Tenn., area such as You Have the Power, Andrea Walks and The YW of Middle Tennessee, to name a few.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered inBasking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless