17th December 2008

England’s Northwest to benefit from US nuclear investment

With one of the world’s largest concentrations of nuclear facilities, England’s Northwest has been selected as the International Headquarters of US environmental software company AttentionIT.

Working with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the USA North of England Investment Agency (NoE) and the Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance (CWEA), AttentionIT has established a UK office in Warrington at Birchwood Park.

Initially employing up to 15 staff, the company projects growing its workforce substantially within the next 3 years. In total the project will represent a £4-5 million investment for the region.

AttentionIT was founded in 2001 in Knoxville, Tennessee, developing a unique waste tracking software known as eMWaste®. This provides electronic storage of information related to the characterisation, storage, movement, processing, treatment, shipping and disposal of hazardous, radioactive and mixed waste - a term referred to as “cradle to grave”.

The UK has authorised more than £73 billion over several decades for the clean up of 20 civil nuclear sites. AttentionIT will initially supply software to Magnox South Ltd for use at 5 nuclear sites currently being decommissioned in southern England; however AttentionIT has recognised the need for a central base from which they can eventually service sites nationwide.

Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Economic Development at the NWDA said:

“AttentionIT has been able to benefit from the expertise and industry knowledge of our colleagues at the North of England Investment Agency, who since 2006 have worked closely with the company to establish good relationships. By having representatives on territory in key overseas markets, the NWDA is able to directly showcase the region’s opportunities, innovation, talent, infrastructure and affordability.

“The NWDA looks forward to working with AttentionIT as it grows and develops within the UK, providing future support to assist with expansion.”

Dan Smith, Executive VP and Co-Owner, AttentionIT said:

“Since meeting representatives from North of England USA in 2006, we have been impressed with the constant communication and support we have received. We were able to form important relationships with some of the UK’s key nuclear industry personnel, receiving expert advice and taking part in an invaluable familiarisation tour.

“For a small company that was about to take a very large step into international business having someone familiar was invaluable.”

Mark Orren, CEO and Co-owner, AttentionIT said:

“The Warrington site will not only be our national UK base, but our international headquarters. We are able to operate our software remotely from a central location and Warrington’s central base in the heart of England’s Northwest has the necessary infrastructure to allow us to tackle the entire UK market and to ultimately break into the European market and beyond.

“We plan to hire from within the UK, utilizing the skills and enhanced knowledge of the local population. Our company may be based in Knoxville, but I anticipate the UK office becoming the larger employer within the next 3 years.”

AttentionIT is now actively recruiting within the region for positions in the Warrington office. AttentionIT offers a variety of career opportunities, from entry level to senior positions in a range of disciplines. For further information visit www.attentionit.com/careers.htm.

The NoE represents the two Regional Development Agencies for the North of England – the NWDA and One NorthEast (ONE). This enables it to call upon the expertise of some 700 industry, business and economic development specialists.

For further information visit www.northengland.com

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Notes to editors

This press release was issued by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. For further information please contact Shelley Tattersall, Press Officer on 01925 400256 or mobile 07500 128482 or shelley.tattersall@nwda.co.uk. For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925 400259.

The NWDA is supporting businesses and prioritising investments to ensure that the Northwest is in a strong position to respond to the current economic climate. Initiatives include:

• The launch of a £10m High Growth business support programme
• A new £4m Innovation Voucher Scheme to help 1,000 businesses work with our knowledge base
• Dedicated Access to Finance support within Business Link Northwest – now available
• £140m Venture Capital Loan Fund (VCLF) - to be launched in 2009
• £40m package of support to stimulate investment in priority skills development - to commence in 2009
• 10 day prompt-payment pledge to our suppliers to help with cash-flow

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life.