Carvana opening $25M center in Chesterfield

Tempe, Arizona-based Carvana Co., an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, will be investing $25 million to establish a vehicle inspection and reconditioning facility that will create an estimated 400 jobs in Chesterfield County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

“Carvana is a fast-growing national company, and we are proud that it has chosen to locate and create new jobs in Chesterfield County,” Northam said in a statement. “This is an exciting win for the region and for the commonwealth.”

Virginia competed with North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee for the project and secured it with the help of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Northam approved a $360,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund to assist Chesterfield County with landing the project.

Carvana features an inventory of more than 15,000 vehicles on their website. Carvana vehicles are inspected, reconditioned and photographed in inspection centers like the one planned for Chesterfield.

“Greater Richmond has emerged as a hub for globally recognized businesses and Carvana will be a strong addition to the region’s impressive corporate roster,” Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball said in a statement. “The company’s new location in Chesterfield County will provide strategic access to major thoroughfares traversing the country, as well as a robust labor force to support Carvana’s continued growth in U.S. markets.”

Carvana is also eligible for a major business facility job tax credit. Qualified companies locating or expanding in Virginia are eligible to receive a $1,000 income tax credit for each new full-time job created over a threshold number of jobs beginning in the first taxable year.