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Tag: Axxor

Paver manufacturer to invest $47M for Pittsylvania facility

Cambridge Pavers, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of pavers, slabs and wall systems, will invest $47.35 million to establish a 150,000-square-foot facility at Ringgold East Industrial Park in Pittsylvania County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday.

Virginia competed with North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Massachusetts for the project, which is expected to create 55 jobs.  

Cambridge Pavers, which boasts seven other manufacturing facilities and employs 370 workers, manufactures hardscape products for patios, landscaping and pool decks. Cambridge paving stones are made with the company’s trademarked ArmorTec, a proprietary mix of sand, aggregate, cement, pigment and a limited amount of water, making the stones stronger than poured concrete and skid- and slip-resistant, according to the company.

“Cambridge Pavers’ decision to establish its first manufacturing facility outside New Jersey in Pittsylvania County demonstrates the commonwealth’s competitive advantages for manufacturers,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Ringgold East Industrial Park is located just outside Danville and adjacent to Cane Creek Centre, a 900-acre industrial park jointly owned by the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County.

Cambridge Pavers, which was founded by Charles H. Gamarekian in 1994, will be hiring technical, manufacturing and customer service workers in Pittsylvania. The average pay of the positions will be $58,151 annually, according to Steve Oberfield, vice president at Cambridge Pavers.

He estimates the facility will be operational in 18 to 24 months.

“This expansion represents a significant milestone in the continued evolution of Cambridge Pavers, reinforcing our commitment to innovation, precision and excellence in every aspect of our business,” Gamarekian, founder and CEO of Cambridge Pavers, said in a statement.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Pittsylvania County and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the manufacturing facility. Youngkin approved a $220,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund, a deal-closing fund employed at a governor’s discretion to incentivize a company moving to or expanding in the commonwealth, to assist Pittsylvania County with the project.

Additionally, Cambridge Pavers will receive support from the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a program, created by the VEDP in collaboration with higher education partners, that provides recruitment and training services at no cost to the companies served.

Last month, Tennessee-based Microporous announced plans to invest $1.3 billion to build its battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania, a project expected to create 2,015 jobs.

In September, Youngkin announced that education consulting company TECHnista, which develops curriculum for K-12 programs for defense and advanced manufacturing industries, planned to invest about $1.56 million to establish a National Training and Technology Center at the Ringgold East Industrial Park. Netherlands-based paper honeycomb producer Axxor, which began production in Ringgold in 2012, is also located in the park.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the project’s timeline and other details.  

Pittsylvania anticipates $7M investment by 2 businesses

In a pair of announcements Wednesday, Pittsylvania County officials celebrated an expected total investment of $7 million and more than 40 jobs by two businesses.

A paper manufacturer’s Pittsylvania County location is expanding and a Danville medical equipment company is moving to the county, state and county officials announced Wednesday.

Netherlands-based paper honeycomb producer Axxor is investing $3.5 million in expanding its capacity in Pittsylvania, creating 21 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced. Danville-based Commonwealth Home Health Care Inc. will invest $3.5 million in a Blairs facility and create 26 jobs, the county and the company announced.

Paper honeycomb developer and producer Axxor will expand its manufacturing capacity in Ringgold East Industrial Park, expected to create 21 jobs. The company will purchase new machinery through a partnership with a Ford Bronco platform supplier to Ford Motor Co.

“Axxor took a chance on Virginia in 2011 as an entry point into the North American market, and its continued growth in Pittsylvania County is a great success story,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The company offers an innovative, sustainable product that continues to gain momentum across various industries, and we expect its trajectory to continue. We are proud to have Axxor on the commonwealth’s corporate roster and look forward to a continued partnership.”

Netherlands businessman Weiger Wigersma founded Axxor in 1993, and the company has operated in Ringgold since 2012, through a partnership with co-owner Robert Boerrigter. Paper honeycomb helps manufacturers reduce weight and shipping costs and can be used in a range of products, from furniture and packing to automotive components.

“When selecting the location for its production facility in North America in 2011, Axxor believed the support offered by the state and local leadership to be the strongest in the region,” Boerrigter said in a statement. “Since beginning production in 2012, the state and local communities have delivered on those promises made in 2011 and now again supported our next phase with a competitive package. For this reason, continuing its expansion in Ringgold was a logical choice.”

For the Axxor project, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Pittsylvania County and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Michigan. The VEDP will support Axxor through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultative services and funding to support employee recruitment and training to companies creating jobs. The company is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Commonwealth Home Health Care Inc., currently headquartered in Danville, will move operations of its three companies — Commonwealth Home Health Care, Commonwealth Document Management and Fire Safe — to a 100,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Pittsylvania. The move will take place over the next two years, and the companies will leave the existing retail and corporate office in Danville.

The new facility will be used for warehousing operations, training, equipment and additional personnel. It will also have a conference teaching area to offer programs to companies that may not have space of their own.

The company has grown from three employees to more than 200 over the past 40 years. It has offices in Danville, Salem, Martinsville and South Boston, and its footprint stretches from Washington, D.C., to Gainesville, Florida.

Commonwealth Home Health Care is a medical equipment company that provides home oxygen, safety and rehabilitation products. Commonwealth Document Management is a full-service document management company founded in 2011 that provides shredding, record storage, hard drive destruction and scanning services. Fire Safe provides live emergency and non-emergency safety training and compliance for employees, plus fire equipment, maintenance, cleaning and sales for businesses.

“We are excited for the expansion of the commonwealth companies operations to the Blairs community,” Chief Operating Officer Brian Wilson said in a statement. “By adding this location to our organization, we will be able to continue our growth to include much needed space, new equipment and additional personnel.”