Hollister Inc. dedicates plant expansion in Augusta County

Hollister Inc. on Tuesday held a ribbon-cutting for a $29 million expansion project at its Stuarts Draft plant.

The project increases the overall size of the plant by more than 25 percent, adding 50,000 square feet of additional space.

The project also includes new equipment to automate processes, enhance products and increase production volume.

Hollister is an employee-owned company that develops, manufactures and markets medical devices. It is based in Libertyville, Ill., 40 miles north of downtown Chicago.

Hollister has operated in the Stuarts Draft area of Augusta County since 1979.

“This Hollister expansion project will have an enormous economic impact on Augusta County long-term,” Amanda Glover, the county's economic development director, said in a statement.

The commonwealth competed against Ireland for the project, the governor’s office said when the deal was announced in March 2013.

Then-Gov. Bob McDonnell approved a $250,000 performance-based grant for the project from the Virginia Investment Partnership program, an incentive available to existing Virginia companies.

Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s retraining activities.