Botetourt’s Croy Contracting to invest $3.45M in expansion

Botetourt County-based construction and contracting firm Croy Contracting plans to invest $3.45 million in an expansion within the county, adding a division called CroySafe, the Roanoke Regional Partnership announced Wednesday.

CroySafe is a new division offering professionally installed safe rooms.

The project is expected to create 30 jobs, including positions in skilled trades, manufacturing, installation, operations and administrative roles. In addition to new jobs and supporting a facility upgrade, the $3.45 million investment will fund about $500,000 in equipment and product development.

Currently, Croy Contracting has 14 employees, according to Aaron Ewert, business development director at CroySafe.

Safe rooms can provide secure shelter and storage for businesses and homeowners.

CroySafe designs and builds custom safe rooms using proprietary materials engineered to resist intrusion and withstand extreme conditions, according to a news release. CroySafe rooms are built directly into a structure and can be installed in two days.

“For more than 35 years, we’ve built our reputation on quality work and strong relationships,” Eric Croy, owner of Croy Contracting, said in a statement. “This new division gives us the chance to use that experience in a way that helps people feel safer and more prepared in their homes and businesses.”

CroySafe’s products include reinforced wall systems featuring GatorWall ballistic panels that can be finished to match any interior, up to six hours of burn-through fire resistance and integrated ventilation and lighting systems.

Ewert declined to specify how many safe rooms have been sold so far. “Quite a few sold and a lot of estimates are in the bucket,” he wrote in an email Friday. 

Pricing depends on how large a client wants a safe room to be and what kind of features they request. “Pricing can be anywhere from 10k to 100k and up,” he said.

Founded in 1992, Croy Contracting began as a subcontracting service taking on maintenance repairs for food and auto parts chains. The company expanded to cover 14 states and broadened services to include commercial, residential and industrial renovations.

This expansion is the seventh in the region over 13 months, according to John Hull, president and CEO of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, an economic development organization that represents the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke as well as the cities of Roanoke, Covington and Salem.

The others expansions are:

• Munters, an air treatment and climate control solutions company with its global headquarters in Sweden, announced in March 2025 plans to invest $29.95 million to build a 200,000-square-foot expansion to its HVAC manufacturing facility in Botetourt County.
• Novonesis, a biotech company with five Salem facilities, announced plans to invest $5 million to expand production at three of those sites in April 2025.
• Global medical contract developer and manufacturing company Integer Holdings announced in April 2025 plans to expand its Salem operations, creating 83 jobs.
• Salem-based metalworking fluids manufacturer QualiChem announced plans in May 2025 to invest $9 million to expand its operations with a new 48,550-square-foot facility and create 12 jobs
• Texas-based defense contractor Elbit Systems of America announced plans in November 2025 to invest $30 million to expand its Roanoke County night-vision googles manufacturing facility, with plans to create 288 jobs.
• Cornerstone Building Brands, a North Carolina-headquartered manufacturer of exterior building products, announced plans in December 2025 to invest $4.9 million to expand capacity at its Franklin County operation.

“That kind of momentum is no accident,” Hull said in a statement. “It reflects a healthy economy, a talented and available workforce and the strong relationships our partners have built with businesses like Croy Contracting over many years.”