Thomson Reuters to open a cybersecurity operations center in Richmond

Thomson Reuters, a news and information company, will open a new internal cybersecurity operations center in downtown Richmond. The company announced Wednesday that it would occupy about 10,000 square feet at Riverfront Plaza and plans to employ up to 60 people by the end of 2018.

Tim McKnight, chief information security officer for Thomson Reuters, said the new “cyber fusion” center would be an important element of the company’s enhanced information security program. “Establishing a presence in Richmond provides us excellent access to talent and cyber-related resources from the nearby academic, research and military communities. We look forward to being a good corporate citizen in the Richmond community,” McKnight said in a statement.

Besides its labor force, Richmond’s low operational cost factored into Reuter’s decision, according to the Greater Richmond Partnership. The agency said Florida, South Carolina and Maryland also were under consideration for the project. “We had the exact real estate that Thomson Reuters was looking for with an ideal talent pipeline so the project moved very quickly. We hope to be able to attract more of the company’s operations in the future,” said Barry Matherly, president and CEO of the partnership.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe was on hand for the announcement along with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.  “Richmond is an emerging leader in innovation and technology,” Stoney said in a statement. “We are where America’s most progressive businesses want to locate and grow.”

Other companies have announced moves to Richmond’s downtown over the past year.  CoStar Group Inc., based in Washington, D.C., chose Richmond for the headquarters of an operations and global research center that’s eventually expected to employ more  than 700 people. ICMA-RC, a nonprofit financial services company, also recently leased space in the Riverfront Plaza building.

Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets, has operated in more than 100 countries for more than 100 years.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the city of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project. Gov. McAuliffe approved a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist with the project. Thomson Reuters also is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

CBRE | Richmond represented Riverfront Plaza. Matt Hamilton and Chris Wallace of the Richmond office of Colliers International  represented Thomson Reuters in the transaction.