French company chooses Loudoun County for North American headquarters

KoDe Software, a Paris-based IT company, wants a Loudoun County location for its first U.S. office. The company said Monday that it would launch its North American operations with five staff members and an investment of $100,000. It is initially looking to lease space in the Dulles area.

“We welcome KoDe … ” Loudoun Economic Development Director Buddy Rizer, said in a statement. “One of the great things about information, communications and telecom companies is that small businesses can make a huge impact in their industry and often grow very quickly.”

Eric Hifi, CEO of KoDe Software, said that the company considered several locations for its expansion, including sites in France and in other D.C. area jurisdictions. The company was looking for accessibility to key clients, strategic partners and markets; the availability of a highly skilled and educated workforce; and a business-friendly climate.

“ … The bottom line is that we chose Loudoun because they made things happen for us. They didn’t just talk a good game; they always did what they said they would do,” Hifi said in a statement.

For example, Loudoun’s Interim Business Development Officer Steve Hargan introduced KoDe to the Innovative Solutions Consortium, an organization that builds collaboration among U.S. federal government contractors.

KoDe Software will be the county’s ninth French-owned company. It’s the second European company to choose Loudoun this fiscal year, following BioGrund, a German company. Altogether, the county has more than 80 foreign-owned firms.

“As the home of our region’s international airport, international business development is an area of tremendous growth potential for Loudoun County,” said Dulles District Supervisor Matt Letourneau, chairman of the board’s Economic Development Committee.