Research In Motion Ltd. has picked the telecommunications hub of suburban Dallas as the site of its U.S. headquarters, with a plan to employ more than 1,000 people in the city of Irving within the next several years.
Company executives and government officials made the announcement at a press conference in Irving on Monday.
Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive officer of the Waterloo, Ont.-based BlackBerry maker, said the city of 200,000 — about 20 kilometres west of Dallas — was chosen because of its talented workforce and strong infrastructure.
RIM is looking to expand its operations and pursue sales and service opportunities around the world, he said.
The company will occupy more than 100,000 square feet in Riverside Commons, a recently renovated six-building office complex on 13 acres along State Highway 114.
Irving is also home to oil giant ExxonMobil Corp. and jewelry retailer Zale Corp. The Dallas area is also a telecommunications hotbed, with many of the largest U.S. wireless companies — including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. — having research facilities in Richardson, a suburb just north of the main city.
Richardson is also home to a large U.S. operation from Toronto-based Nortel Networks Corp. The company's Richardson operation employs 4,200 people and conducts most of its wireless work.
More Money Headlines »
- Chrysler takes over number two spot in Canadian car market
- Chrysler Canada has overtaken Ford as the second-biggest vehicle seller in the country, bumping Ford out of the position it has held for decades.
- Toyota outdrives Ford in 2007 in U.S. market
- Toyota Motor Corp. moved into second spot in the U.S. market last year as it broke Ford's grip behind General Motors.
- Gold reaches another new high
- The price of gold hit new record levels on Thursday as it reached an intraday trading high of $871.20 US an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
- Ford picks India's Tata as top bidder for Jaguar, Land Rover
- Ford Motor Co. picked India's Tata Motors Ltd. as the top bidder for its Jaguar and Land Rover units, the Detroit automaker said Thursday.
- Florida cold snap didn't harm orange crops, say growers
- A blast of unusually cold weather doesn't appear to have damaged Florida's multibillion-dollar citrus crop, an industry spokesperson said Thursday.
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - link will open in new window
