SimpliSafe customer support center to create 572 jobs in Henrico

Home security system manufacturer SimpliSafe is establishing a customer support center in western Henrico County, a deal expected to create 572 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

The Boston-based company will invest $5.5 million in a facility at 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, close to the Richmond city line. SimpliSafe provides self-installed home security devices, 24-hour monitoring and software for residential use, and it employs nearly 800 employees currently. According to a company spokesperson, renovations and hiring will start soon, with a goal of being “up and running during the late summer.”

“We are proud to now call Virginia and Henrico County our second home,” SimpliSafe CEO Christian Cerda said in a statement. “SimpliSafe has been expanding rapidly, and we are excited to partner with the talented, diverse workforce in the Richmond region to continue keeping more and more Americans safe. We aim to offer a fast-growing and innovative workplace culture and are thrilled to find ready-made facilities at Willow Lawn.”

The three-story building is in the middle of the Willow Lawn shopping center, with retail and restaurants on the first floor and 57,110 square feet of unoccupied office space on the second and third floors. SimpliSafe will be on the top two stories.

Richmond law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP assisted SimpliSafe with its search process in the Richmond region, which competed with Raleigh, North Carolina, for the project, said Lee Downey, Hunton’s director of economic and business development. He said that the company was “very adamant” that its new office have access to public transportation. Willow Lawn is on the Greater Richmond Transit Co.’s rapid transit bus line, the Pulse, built in 2018.

Northam approved a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the county with the project, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the county’s economic development authority and the Greater Richmond Partnership. SimpliSafe is eligible for benefits through the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program and a Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created. VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) will provide funding and services to support workforce training.

“SimpliSafe’s decision to locate its second U.S. customer support operation in our commonwealth shows great confidence in Henrico County’s infrastructure and talented workforce,” Northam said in a statement. “Securing this project is a significant win that will have positive economic effects throughout the greater Richmond region.”