RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, May 19, 1995 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., Presidentand Chief Executive Officer John T. Chambers joined area business leadersand elected officials today to dedicate the company's new easternheadquarters in Research Triangle Park, and to announce eminent groundbreaking for a second building on the 43 acre site. Cisco is the fastestgrowing, most profitable telecommunications and computer company in NorthAmerica over the past seven years.
Joining Chambers in the ceremony was Cisco Systems Vice President andGeneral Manager F. Selby Wellman, North Carolina Secretary of State RufusL. Edmisten, and James O. Roberson, President of the Research TriangleFoundation.
Cisco hired its first employee in North Carolina in January 1993, and hasgrown to its current size of more than 200 people. The company moved intoits first building at the Research Triangle Park site last month. Toaccommodate immediate growth plans, a second building 50% larger than thefirst -- at three stories and 120,000 square feet -- will be erected.
"We are proud to be a part of North Carolina and fully expect to expand ourbusiness here," said Chambers. "If we are able to maintain our growth pathfor the business unit in the RTP, I certainly expect us to be as many as650 employees strong when we fill out the second building, and grow to morethan 1,000 people once we fully develop the site."
During the ceremony, Chambers, Wellman, Roberson and Edmisten planted atree that Chambers referred to as "a symbol of Cisco establishing roots inNorth Carolina." The Cisco president went on to say, "As this tree grows,so will we in North Carolina, firmly establishing Research Triangle Park ashome for our eastern US headquarters."
"I am very pleased to welcome Cisco Systems to our growing family ofcompanies on the frontier of technology," said Secretary Edmisten."Research Triangle Park continues to be a hotbed for the growth of ideas,innovation, and economic development. I hope that, like the tree weplanted here today, Cisco Systems continues to thrive. And I believe thecompany will help North Carolina participate in the global world economy."
The mission of the RTP facility is both to provide headquarters for the IBMInternetworking Business Unit and to house other engineering, customersupport, and sales functions serving the entire company. The IBM BusinessUnit was recently formed to address the integration of existing SNA-based(Systems Network Architecture) computer networks with non-SNA local- andwide-area networks. The formation of the business unit reflects a strongCisco commitment to this fast growing market.
Wellman, as the new general manager of the business unit said, "Our companytruly represents the global future of the networking industry. Cisco is anindustry leader and I am proud to have an opportunity to be a part of sucha dynamic organization with such a great future."
The company employs more than 3000 people worldwide. The initial buildingof a three-building site plan is approximately 80,000 square feet and wascompleted in just under 200 days. The two-story structure has more than 80miles of communication and data cable incorporated into its design.
Cisco Systems has been a leader in developing the Internet, the "network ofnetworks" that today connects more than 15 million university, corporateand government computer users worldwide. The company has been buildingInternet nodes since its formation in 1985, and technology originated andcommercialized by Cisco has made possible the establishment and rapidgrowth of the Internet by providing the "intersections" of the globalinformation highway.
CiscoSystems is the leading global supplier of enterprisenetworks,including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up access servers and networkmanagement software. These products, integrated by the Cisco InternetworkOperating System(tm) (Cisco IOS(tm)) link geographically dispersedLANs,WANs and IBM networks. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and inthe US is traded under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.
Posted: May 19 11:27:27 1995
