Speakers
Buddy Rizer , Executive Director, Department of Economic Development
Buddy Rizer is an experienced strategic leader, manager, communicator and sales professional. Mr. Rizer serves as the Executive Director for economic development in Loudoun County, Virginia. He leads the agency responsible for encouraging growth and developing relationships with Loudoun’s business community in both the commercial and agricultural-based business sectors. During his tenure, Rizer and his team have attracted more than $50 billion in new investment and tens of thousands of new jobs. In 2007, Mr. Rizer joined Loudoun County and helped build “Data Center Alley” into the largest concentration of data centers in the world. He also has extensive international business development experience in China, France, Germany, Russia, Ireland, The United Kingdom, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea and United Arab Emirates. In 2017, Rizer was named one of the top 50 Economic Developers in North America, he was named a Tech Titan 6 times by Washingtonian Magazine, has been named one of the 50 most influential Virginians 5 times by Virginia Business Magazine, and was twice named to the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 as one of the most influential business people in Washington, DC in 2019. Rizer is a certified economic developer and a graduate of Virginia Tech's Local Government Management Graduate Certificate Program.