West Coast company establishing operation in the Valley

TruckVault, a West Coast company, liked what it found in Shenandoah County when it was searching last year for an East Coast manufacturing and assembly site.

The company’s decision to locate in the Mount Jackson Industrial Park and invest $1.5 million in its new operation is expected to create 60 jobs in the next few years.

Since 1995, TruckVault, which is based in Washington state, has made secure storage compartments for equipment kept in vehicles ranging from sedans to pickups.

The company compares its manufacturing process to cabinet making, says Jenna French, Shenandoah County director of tourism and economic development.

Before talking to local economic development officials, the company “had scouted out some properties that could have worked for them. Going off that information we sought out additional properties,” says Courtland Robinson, business development director for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership.

The company also looked at possible sites in Kentucky. It chose Mount Jackson because of its access to major transportation arteries. “They liked the location along Interstate 81,” Robinson says. “Being on I-81 offers a host of advantages.”

The area also is accessible to Interstates 66 and 64, the Capital Beltway and Washington, D.C.

TruckVault will be moving into the One Stop Deli building, which was previously used for food processing and preparation. The existing cold storage units will be removed during renovation. TruckVault plans to use 14,664 square feet of the more than 18,000-square-foot building for manufacturing.

“It’s hard to find an up-to-date building in today’s market. They saw that as an opportunity to invest,” Robinson says.

In addition to interstate access, the company cited other factors that drew it to the region. One was Virginia’s business friendly environment “and ability and eagerness to provide assistance to a company like that from start to finish,” Robinson says.

TruckVault is a natural fit, he adds. “We have a lot of similar industries in the area that employ similar workers. They would be able to find their workforce in or around Shenandoah County by being able to pull from Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Staunton and Waynesboro.”

Being part of a community also played into the company’s decision. “They are down-to-earth folks, and they are excited to call Shenandoah Valley home,” French says.