Va. Beach military contractor announces $4M expansion

Virginia Beach-based military-industrial contractor SJS Executives LLC announced Tuesday it has received a $125,000 grant from the Virginia Beach Development Authority that will be used toward workspace and workforce expansion, as part of its Economic Development Investment Program (EDIP). As part of its expansion, the company plans to make a total of $4 million in capital investments and add 49 jobs.

The service-disabled veteran-owned company currently has three locations in Virginia Beach. The company plans to purchase a five-acre, 42,000-square-foot site at 2653 Excalibur Court (less than two miles from its headquarters office at 440 Viking Drive) which it will renovate and use for additional office and industrial space. The jobs created will have average salaries of $59,000.

“As a 34-year resident of Virginia Beach, I am excited to fulfill my long-term goal of opening and operating a new facility in the city to increase the number of quality professional and industrial employment opportunities available to our local community,” SJS CEO and co-owner Gino Gonzalez said in a statement. “I am proud to be a part of the greater Virginia Beach community and I deeply appreciate the assistance the city offered SJS to help it locate its new site and expand its operations.”

EDIP awards aren’t guaranteed, but are rather based on the amount of capital investment and job creation a company plans to have during a 3-year period, and it’s also based on the city’s target industry sectors. The Economic Development Department staff work with companies to evaluate eligibility.

“Being able to retain SJS and assist in its expansion is what the EDIP is designed to do,” Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Taylor Adams said in a statement. “The City Council put the program in place 25 years ago to help qualifying companies with their growth needs and SJS is a great success story.”

“As veterans of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, Gino and I are particularly motivated to help local veterans, including service disabled individuals, attain long-term, satisfying careers with SJS, and this new location near multiple military bases will improve our ability to find employees with in-demand technical, management and leadership skills as soon as they separate from the service,” SJS co-owner Roger LaPlante, the company’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.

Founded in 2008, SJS employs more than 200 people who work on military bases, shipyards and federal buildings. Some of their services include marine cargo handling, forklift operations, logistics, program management and engineering.

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