"The payroll business is a major component of Intuit's small business offerings and is a big part of our future growth strategy," said Larry King Jr., vice president and general manager of Intuit's Payroll Services Group. "We've grown at a rapid pace and this groundbreaking is a sign of even more exciting things to come for Intuit and the Reno community."

A groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of the new campus at Sierra Parkway will be held next Tuesday, May 29, at 4:00 p.m. U.S. Sen. John Ensign is expected to join Intuit for a brief ceremony, and a preview of the completed campus. Press and members of the community are invited to attend.

Construction of the new campus is expected to take place over the next 18 to 24 months. The first of three new buildings is expected to be completed as early as November of this year. The second building is expected to be completed in spring of 2002, with the third and final building scheduled for completion in late 2003. When finished, the new Intuit campus will consist of 150,000 square feet of office space with seating for approximately 850 employees.

The new Intuit campus is part of the newly developed Sierra Corporate Center; Northern Nevada's first and only "smart park" designed specifically to meet the needs of high-technology tenants with the first 'concentric fiber optic ring' for exceptional Internet connection speeds. The Trammel Crow Company, which currently manages more than 5.5 million square feet of office space in northern Nevada, owns and manages the new high-tech park.

"Location and amenities are critical when choosing a home for your company. Sierra Corporate Center offers an ideal location and infrastructure for growing companies and larger established leaders like Intuit," said Matt Riecken, office specialist for Trammell Crow Company. "We are very excited about having a flagship company like Intuit be among the first of many companies to take advantage of the first master-planned office park and true campus environment."

With its payroll operation headquartered in Reno, Intuit has become the second largest high-tech employer in the area with nearly 600 employees. The planned expansion could represent an economic boom for the Reno community and surrounding areas. According to the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), the projected impact of Intuit's expansion on the community between 2001 and 2004 is estimated to total nearly $82 million.

"Intuit's presence in northern Nevada proves there are important changes taking place here and economic diversification is paying off," said Michael Thomas, executive director of TechAlliance. "We're extremely excited to have a quality company such as Intuit leading the way for even more high tech development in the region."