EchoStar Celebrates Grand Opening of New Technical Support Customer Service Center in Virginia's Montgomery County LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2000--EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH, DISHP): EchoStar's DISH Network to Create 1,500 Jobs for New River Valley; EchoStar to Hold Hiring Expo EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH, DISHP) is celebrating the grand opening of its fifth inbound sales and technical support service center in Christiansburg, Va., to serve EchoStar's more than 5 million DISH Network satellite TV customers nationwide. Since first arriving in Christiansburg in March of this year to begin the process of hiring and training new employees at a temporary facility, EchoStar has created 850 new jobs for Virginians and plans to employ a total of 1,500. The 100,000-square-foot service center, located in Montgomery County, will focus on handling inquiries from potential customers and answering technical questions from the growing number of DISH Network satellite TV subscribers. Montgomery County is ideal for this purpose as it is home to Virginia Tech which has produced a workforce that is highly knowledgeable in the area of technology products. DISH Network is the fastest-growing direct broadcast satellite television provider in the United States and is the first television provider to offer 500 channels. Headquartered in Littleton, Colo., EchoStar's DISH Network has over 10,000 employees worldwide. "Our newest sales and technical support service center in Montgomery County is a shining example of how a technically trained workforce can meet the needs of a growing telecommunications company like EchoStar," said Soraya Hesabi-Cartwright, executive vice president of DISH Network. "We are thankful for the encouragement of Congressman Rick Boucher; the tenacity of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Gov. Jim Gilmore; the support of Mary Biggs, chairperson of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors; the help of Bob Isner of the Industrial Development Authority; the assistance of Montgomery County Administrator Jeffrey Johnson and County Attorney Martin McMahon. All of these agencies assisted EchoStar with locating DISH Network's fifth customer service center in Montgomery County." Gov. Gilmore approved a $750,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist with the construction of the new facility and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors provided the local financial match. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance, the Town of Christiansburg, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and Industrial Development Authority were instrumental in assisting EchoStar with its decision. Also, The Virginia Department of Business Assistance has provided work-force training services. "Charlie Ergen, the chairman and CEO of EchoStar, accepted my personal invitation to consider Southwest Virginia as the site for EchoStar's technical customer service center, and I'm pleased to see it come to fruition as the company has become the largest private employer in Montgomery County," said Congressman Rick Boucher, D-Va. "I commend EchoStar for its decision to make such a large investment in our regional economy." EchoStar anticipates hiring 650 more employees in the coming months. EchoStar will hold a job fair for inbound technical customer service and sales positions on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at EchoStar, located in the town of Christiansburg at 400 Technology Drive in the Falling Branch Industrial Park, north of Interstate 81, exit 118A. For more information, contact Human Resources at 540-394-2600. EchoStar currently has six inbound sales and customer service centers with over 5,000 customer service representatives in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Texas who are available 24 hours a day to assist with programming, billing and technical questions from DISH Network customers across the nation. EchoStar offers competitive wages and benefits. DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite system with the capacity to offer customers 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming as well as fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network, a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation, currently serves over 5 million customers nationwide. DISH Network was ranked number one in customer satisfaction among satellite/cable TV subscribers by J.D. Power and Associates in 1999 and 2000. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) which contains the largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq Stock Market. For more information, visit www.dishnetwork.com. CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corp. Judianne Atencio Communications Director 303/723-2010 [email protected] or Marc Lumpkin Communications Manager 303/723-2020 [email protected] .