Rizer is Loudoun County’s New Assistant Director of Economic Development
Loudoun County announced today the promotion of Walter “Buddy” Rizer to Assistant Director of the Department of Economic Development (DED). Rizer has worked at DED since April 2007, and has been key in the successful development of the information technology communications cluster in Loudoun.
“I am excited about this opportunity,” said Rizer. “ I am very passionate about the future of this community and thrilled to be working with an accomplished team of professionals to reach the county’s economic development goals.”
Prior to this promotion, Rizer acted as the Business Development Officer for the department, with responsibilities that included business attraction, retention and small business development. “Buddy has a proven track record of growing the data center industry in Loudoun and has been a leader in the community and within the department,” said Thomas Flynn, Director of DED. “Buddy has all the right skills and experience needed for this position.”
During his tenure with DED, Rizer has worked on many significant attraction and expansion projects including Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins), Neustar, Digital Realty Trust, RagingWire, Carpathia and Latisys. He has spoken at national events related to data centers, most recently at last week’s Bisnow Northern Virginia Data Center Summit. “Buddy is respected for his business and sales skills, both inside and outside the organization,” said Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet. “He is a valuable asset to our economic development team.”
Before coming to Loudoun County, Rizer worked in radio, including positions as an owner/operator, program director, brand manager and on-air personality. Rizer has a bachelor’s degree from Towson State University. He has completed coursework to become a Certified Economic Developer.
