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Tag: Chesterfield County

Chesterfield County industrial properties sell for $9.85M

An industrial warehouse and about 11.6 adjoining acres in Chesterfield County were sold for $9.85 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced earlier in June.

According to county property records, 2001 Bellwood Road LLC purchased an 85,549-square-foot warehouse at 2001 and 1911 Bellwood Road and an additional 11.6 acres at 8331 and 8411 Fort Darling Road and 1906 and 1930 Cross St. from Fort Darling Partners LLC, an entity connected to Barefoot Spas, on June 5. The properties are just off Interstate 95 near the Richmond Marine Terminal. The buyer’s entity is linked to the address of CD Hall Construction, located at 1330 Bellwood Road.

The warehouse is the former Symbol Mattress headquarters. Chrissy Chappell and Graham Stoneburner of Thalhimer handled the sale on behalf of the seller.

Condair invests $57.2M on new Chesterfield County plant

Switzerland-based Condair Group, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial humidification systems, will invest $57.2 million to establish a new production facility in Chesterfield County that is expected to create 180 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. 

The company will convert a pre-existing warehouse facility on 1410 Willis Road into a manufacturing facility, according to Horace Wynn, chief operating officer for Condair’s North American operations. The 400,000-square-foot plant is expected to open in early 2025, the governor’s news release said. 

Initially, workers at the Chesterfield County facility will focus on manufacturing products to to assist with large-scale industrial cooling needs of the data center industry, Wynn wrote in a statement to Virginia Business. 

“However, as we build out the facility, other Condair products may be manufactured and assembled at this location as well,” he stated.

“The establishment of the Richmond site will not only bolster our production capabilities but also facilitate closer engagement with our clients, particularly in the data center sector,” Oliver Zimmermann, CEO of Condair, said in a statement. “Together with our existing sites in Racine, Wisconsin, and Ottawa, Canada, we are fortifying the Condair network to better serve our clientele across the continent.”

Condair found “the strength of the Richmond available workforce” appealing “along with the proximity to multiple data center locations for both current and future partnerships,” according to Wynn.  

Condair will find international neighbors in the Richmond region. In 2023, Netherlands-based ISO Group, which automates labor-intensive tasks in the horticultural industry, announced it would establish its first U.S. assembly and distribution facility in Chesterfield County. Also last year, the Weidmüller Group, which is based in Germany, unveiled plans for a $16.4 million expansion in Chesterfield County. The Lego Group, based in Denmark, expects to begin production at its $1 billion Chesterfield manufacturing facility in 2027. 

“When an international brand like Condair makes the decision to locate in Virginia the positive ripple-effects of economic investment, job creation and cargo growth are felt throughout the Commonwealth,” Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, stated in the release. “The Port of Virginia will be among the beneficiaries of Condair’s location in Chesterfield County, which is not far from Richmond Marine Terminal.”

Founded in Switzerland in 1948, Condair has production sites in Europe, North America and China, as well as sales and service organizations in 23 countries. Its major customers include Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. 

Condair plans to transfer its current production operations from Center, Texas, to Richmond by 2026, according to a news release distributed by the company. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Chesterfield County and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project for the commonwealth. Virginia competed against South Carolina for the project.

Youngkin approved a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Chesterfield County with the project. Additionally, Condair is eligible to receive state benefits from the Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created, as well as benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program.  

The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a program created by the VEDP that provides recruitment and training services, will support Condair’s job creation.

Top Five June 2024

1   |   Google investing $1 billion in Virginia data center campuses

Ruth Porat, Google and Alphabet’s president, chief investment officer and chief financial officer, announced the tech company’s investment to grow its Virginia data center campuses. News conference photo courtesy Google

Google is expanding its Virginia data center campuses this year and is launching a $75 million Google.org AI opportunity fund. (April 26)

2   |   Richmond-based attorneys win U.S. Supreme Court case

After nine years and through three U.S. presidents, attorneys David DePippo and Tim McHugh and their client, a Richmond FBI agent, won a case focused on GI Bill education funding. (April 16)

3   |  Petersburg casino competitors roll out details

Five Petersburg casino contenders shared their plans, but the city later picked a partnership between The Cordish Cos. and former NFL star athlete Bruce Smith
to move forward. (April 15)

4   |   Youngkin appoints lottery director, tax commissioner and chief transformation officer

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced three new hires in his administration. (See related interview with new Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones, Page 46.) (April 12)

5   |   Chesterfield fintech Paymerang to be acquired for $475 million

The payment and invoice automation company signed an agreement to be acquired by Atlanta-based Corpay. (May 9)

Weidmuller USA hires president and CEO

Randy Sadler is the new president and CEO of Chesterfield County-based industrial connectivity and automation company Weidmuller USA, German parent company Weidmüller Group announced Thursday.  

Sadler succeeds Bernd Schröder, who died unexpectedly in late 2023. Weidmüller Group creates smart industrial connectivity products and solutions to connect and automate electrical power and signaling for components, machines and installations.

Sadler will work to expand the company’s engineering and production footprint in the U.S. He started his career at Weidmuller USA, where he worked for 15 years and rose to the role of vice president of sales.

“I am thrilled to rejoin Weidmuller USA and lead the company forward at this pivotal time for our industry,” Sadler said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with the very talented local and global teams to accelerate the industrial internet of things innovation and create more value for our U.S. customers.”

Sadler has held sales and marketing managerial positions at several companies, including Dialight, Johnson Matthey, CoaLogix and SCR-Tech. Sadler also owned a catalytic reduction consulting business, Sadler Environmental Consulting. Most recently, Sadler was vice president of power generation for Catalytic Combustion’s power emissions group.

“We are pleased to have gained Randy Sadler for this challenging task,” Weidmüller Group Chief Sales Officer Timo Berger said in a statement. “He is an experienced executive who knows the company very well. Randy held various positions at Weidmuller from 1985 to 2000. … His many years of management experience and his broad industry expertise offer the best prerequisites for this.”

Sadler holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville. He’s held professional memberships in Electrical Generating Systems Association, 7×24 Exchange, and Western Turbine Users. He also has authored or co-authored articles on catalytic reduction and fuel cell technology in industry publications like Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide and Connector Supplier.

Founded in 1850, Weidmüller Group has production sites, sales offices and employees in more than 80 countries. It began operating in Chesterfield in 1975. The company is building a $16.4 million engineering and production facility in Chesterfield, adding 24,000 square feet to its current facility. Weidmüller Group and Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the expansion in April 2023, and the company is on track to complete the expansion in September, according to a spokesperson.

The Lake takes shape in Chesterfield

The first wave of commercial tenants is coming to The Lake, a long-planned, 105-acre mixed-use development that’s slated to bring a surf park to western Chesterfield County.

The Lake’s centerpiece will be a 13-acre artificial lake with a tow cable. It’s expected to be ready by summer 2025 for wakeboarding, kayaking, standup paddle boarding and other activities. It’ll be followed by an adjoining 6-acre surf park, one of a handful of such facilities nationwide that can generate waves large enough to surf.

“The anchor for our overall development is entertainment,” says project developer Brett Burkhart, founder of Lake Adventures and Flatwater Ventures. “We wanted to have restaurants and an amphitheater, and around that have some cool activities like surfing and wakeboarding on the lake.”

Burkhart lined up $323 million in financing for the development. Construction began in 2022 and is expected to take around five years to complete. Construction costs have increased, he says, though he declines to give a revised estimate.

In January, construction began on three buildings at The Lake’s entrance off Genito Road near State Route 288. A Chipotle and a Starbucks with a drive-thru will be the first tenants. The development’s initial phase also includes three retail and restaurant buildings by the lake. A Kilwins candy and ice cream shop has leased space in one.

Work should be completed by this fall, Burkhart says.

The Lake is also slated to include 150,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 100,000 square feet of office space, a 170-room hotel, an amphitheater, 830 apartments and 360 townhomes.

Chesterfield’s primary interest in the project is its commercial component, which is expected to help retain visitors to the county’s nearby River City Sportsplex who might otherwise head to Richmond for hotels, restaurants and shopping, says H. Garrett Hart III, the county’s economic development director. He also hopes The Lake will attract talent for businesses to Chesterfield.

Supervisors approved an agreement in 2022 to provide Lake Adventures with local tax rebates of up to 80% over the next 20 years for the development’s mixed-use and commercial portions. The funds will help defray the cost of building a parking deck instead of surface parking, leaving more space for commercial offerings.

“That’s the benefit of tourism, keeping those dollars in Chesterfield to be able to put back into our own infrastructure,” says J.C. Poma, Chesterfield’s executive director of sports, visitation and entertainment.  

Electrolyzer manufacturer to build $400M plant in Chesterfield

Updated May 1, 2024

Topsoe, a Danish electrolyzer manufacturer, is planning to build a $400 million manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County after receiving $136 million in federal tax credits to help fund construction, the company announced Friday. The plant is expected to create about 150 jobs, according to a news release Friday from the offices of U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan.

The company will manufacture Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) stacks, which help produce renewable or “green” hydrogen, in Chesterfield, according to the announcement. Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, about 35 companies, including Topsoe, received clean energy tax credits totaling nearly $2 billion, which the U.S. Department of Energy announced Friday.

A May 1 announcement from Gov. Glenn Youngkin notes that the Meadowville Technology Park facility will be Topsoe’s largest U.S. investment. To secure the project, Chesterfield County received a $6 million grant from the Commonwealth Opportunity Fund, and Topsoe is eligible for benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program. The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program also will support job creation and training, according to the governor’s office.

“Through legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and strong support from individual states such as Virginia, the U.S. government is helping to accelerate the clean energy transition,” Topsoe CEO Roeland Baan said in a statement. “With our strong dedication to innovation, we will help the U.S. achieve its goals of driving down the cost of clean hydrogen and delivering clean energy jobs.”

Topsoe’s cells increase electrolyzer efficiency up to 30% more than other electrolysis technology, according to the company. Green hydrogen is created by electrolysis of water while using renewable electricity, so it emits no pollutants into the atmosphere, and scientists say the gas can limit global warming if used to replace fossil fuels in industries such as shipping, aviation and production of steel, cement, glass and chemicals.

Democrats Warner, Kaine and McClellan, who represents part of Chesterfield County in Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, wrote a letter to the Energy Department to advocate for the Topsoe project’s inclusion in the awards, the federal legislators said in their statement Friday.

“The Inflation Reduction Act represented a bold step towards maintaining American leadership in manufacturing, creating the next generation of clean energy jobs, and combatting climate change,” Warner said. “I’m glad to see that vision executed in Chesterfield County with the announcement of a new Topsoe manufacturing facility. Thanks to tax credits from this landmark law, Virginia will continue to power our nation and lead the clean energy transition by creating good-paying manufacturing jobs across the commonwealth.”

Youngkin previously released a statement April 19 after the senators’ announcement: “I am thrilled that Topsoe has chosen the great commonwealth of Virginia for its new, state-of-the-art factory that will be key to scaling clean hydrogen production. Virginia’s robust workforce, strategic location and top business climate provide the necessary tools for Topsoe to continue to grow as a leader in the clean energy industry.”

Founded in 1940 in Denmark, Topsoe has two facilities in the United States in Texas and California, and it has offices around the world, although about 1,700 of its 2,300 employees are based in Denmark. The company specializes in technology that helps reduce carbon emissions, including heavy industry, long-haul transportation and producing cleaner fuels.

Sheetz starts construction on $2.4M Chesterfield property

Sheetz is building a store on 2.66 acres in Chesterfield County that it purchased for $2.45 million.

The Altoona, Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain bought the property at 9420 Midlothian Turnpike from Gouldin Properties on March 18, according to county property records.

Sheetz has started construction of a store at the site, according to a Tuesday news release from Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. The location is scheduled to open in the fall, according to a spokesperson for the chain.

The address for Gouldin Properties is also the address of the Short Pump location of Strange’s Florists, a garden center, nursery and florist business. Strange’s President Bill Gouldin did not immediately return a request for comment.

David M. Smith of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer handled the sale negotiations on behalf of the seller.

HHHunt starts work on 2,200-home development in Midlothian

Construction has started on a new master-planned community in Chesterfield County’s Midlothian area that will bring hundreds of single-family homes, town houses, apartments and commercial space.

Glen Allen-based developer HHHunt and real estate investment firm GrayCo are developing The Aire at Westchester. The 334-acre tract is at Route 288 and Midlothian Turnpike on the western edge of the Westchester Commons shopping district.

GrayCo is the landowner and HHHunt is the managing partner for the master-planned community, which has been in the works for years. Construction is underway on the first phase of the project, which will include 196 condos and 204 town houses, said Jonathan Ridout, vice president of real estate development and general manager of HHHunt Communities. The commercial areas are in the preliminary design phase, and HHHunt is working on deals with commercial retailers.

Site development could take 12 to 18 months and vertical construction would start in about 18 months. The town houses and condos could be ready in about two years, Ridout says. The commercial space could come online independently, he said, with around 180,000 square feet of commercial space, including office space and restaurants. There is a lot of flexibility in the zoning, he said, to adapt plans to market conditions.

A greenway will bisect the different parcels of land, and the development will include parks and trails.

In total, the development is expected to have about 2,200 residences, including 330 single-family homes on the back portion of the property, but the timing on that piece of the project is flexible, Ridout said.

“We want to create something that resembles a lifestyle center,” he said.
The zoning also allows a hotel, and there’s a possibility for 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of office space.
“Midlothian is one of the most desirable parts of Chesterfield County,” Ridout said. “This becomes a real hub where you can have higher density, different uses, people — it can be an attractive project.”
The project has been in planning for years, with GrayCo hiring David Smith of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer to identify a development partner. Smith started working with GrayCo in October 2017, HHHunt came on in about 2020, and the land was rezoned in 2021.

Central Virginia Year-in-Review: Pumping the brakes

During the pandemic, companies began pumping the brakes on expansions out of fear of the unknown. But, using that same car-related analogy, by late 2021, they were flooring it, explains Greater Richmond Partnership President and CEO Jennifer Wakefield. And by 2022, they had kicked it into sport mode.

“Now it’s shifted back into normal mode,” Wakefield says. “They’re not quite going 100 miles an hour, but maybe they’re going like 85.”

During 2022, the region saw a series of blockbuster economic development projects announced, including the $1 billion Lego Group manufacturing plant in Chesterfield County and Plenty Unlimited’s $300 million project to build the largest indoor vertical farm in the country there. So, by comparison, 2023 felt like a slowdown, Wakefield says. But Central Virginia still had some big wins in 2023 and is gearing up for a strong 2024.

“Our pipeline is still way more robust than it would be in a typical year,” Wakefield says.

Richmond

The city’s $2.4 billion Diamond District redevelopment project, which will include a new baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels Double-A baseball team, an 11-acre green space and mixed-income housing, finally was approved in May 2023. Led by Richmond-based Thalhimer Realty Partners, the project’s development team was poised to begin work on the first phase in February after receiving extra financing.

In January, city officials and developers held a groundbreaking for Red Light Ventures and Live Nation’s $30 million, 7,500-person Riverfront Amphitheater, which is slated to be completed by summer 2025. The project is headed by Charlottesville music industry executive Coran Capshaw, who has managed the Dave Matthews Band and other major music performers.

Additionally, Sapporo Breweries, the Japanese parent company of Escondido, California-based Stone Brewing, invested $16 million into Stone’s Richmond brewery last year, adding 68 jobs, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Sapporo acquired Stone Brewing for $165 million in 2022.

Henrico County

It can be hard to compete with Northern Virginia for major economic development projects — namely data centers — but Henrico County is bucking that trend. In 2023, Henrico County became the fourth-largest economy in Virginia at
$32 billion, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data, behind only Loudoun, Arlington and Fairfax counties.

“From a macroeconomic standpoint, the county’s economy remains really strong,” says Anthony Romanello, executive director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority. “And it’s growing.”

A lot of that has to do with the county’s diverse economy, which includes investments from “practically every sector,” Romanello says, including banking, technology, manufacturing, data centers and more. 

In 2023, Henrico County saw expansions from insurance giant Genworth Financial, Coca-Cola, QTS Data Centers and insurance company Richmond National Group. These projects totaled about $775 million in capital investment, 268 new jobs and 1.8 million square feet of new commercial space, Romanello says.

“The hallmark of the year is that when you look at the announcements, when you look at the growth and the economic activity, it really speaks to the diversity of Henrico’s economy,” he adds. “We didn’t hit just one thing last year. We saw a number of things that really popped.”

Even still, the pipeline for industrial space and data centers remains strong in the county, Romanello says. In fact, construction and development firm Hourigan in December 2023 proposed a data center and advanced manufacturing light industrial complex on a 622-acre tract of land in Henrico’s Sandston area. Hourigan anticipates the project could attract more than $1 billion in private investments.

Chesterfield County

Chesterfield County continued to see big wins in 2023, including a $27 million expansion from baking soda manufacturer Church & Dwight Co. Announced in May, Church & Dwight’s addition of a new manufacturing line for a scent-boosting laundry detergent was expected to create at least 27 jobs. Meanwhile, a month earlier, Weidmüller Group, a German manufacturer of industrial smart connectivity products, announced a $16.4 million expansion of its Chesterfield facility, adding engineering, production and warehousing space and generating 140 jobs.

“We not only had a big new business come into town, but we’ve also had some nice expansion from companies that have been here for decades,” says Matt McLaren, deputy director with Chesterfield Economic Development. 

The county’s 2023 fiscal year, which ended June 20, 2023, was a particularly good one for Chesterfield, establishing the county as an epicenter for pharmaceutical companies, advanced manufacturing and other tech- and life-science-related industries. The county’s location along the mid-Atlantic corridor is what’s attracting this type of business, and it’s also why the locality continues to invest in speculative commercial space. As of December 2023, the county had more than $4 billion of spec development underway, McLaren says.

This year will be a transformative one for the county, with construction underway on several projects, notably including the Lego factory and Plenty’s indoor vertical farming operation. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was among the dignitaries present for Plenty’s July 31, 2023, groundbreaking ceremony at Meadowville Technology Park, where Lego also began construction in 2022 and plans to begin production in 2027. Plenty’s farm is expected to bring 300 jobs to the county and Lego has hired about 500 workers, with plans to add more than 1,250 associates over the next decade.

“2024 is definitely going to be the year of construction,” says Garrett Hart, director of Chesterfield Economic Development. “There’ll be thousands of construction jobs in the county. [These projects are] all poised to start vertical development this year.”

Hanover County

In March 2023, SanMar, the United States’ largest supplier of wholesale printable accessories and apparel, announced a $50 million project to establish distribution operations in Hanover County, creating an expected 1,000 jobs. This includes warehouse distribution, logistics, inventory management, human resources and sales jobs, says Brandon Turner, director of Hanover County Economic Development. 

What made Hanover an attractive choice for SanMar was available warehouse space, its “strategic location” between facilities the company operates in New Jersey and Florida, and the area’s growing population and skilled logistics warehousing workforce, Turner says. It’s also centrally located and close to the Port of Virginia, “which checked a lot of boxes,” he adds.

Another win for the county was a $3 million expansion by Virginia Artesian Bottling announced in October 2023, which will create 13 jobs. Artesian bottles water for 600 to 700 different labels across the country, Turner says. 

“They’re a small operation, but that was a big win for a domestic homegrown business that’s been here in the county for years,” he adds.

Charlottesville

Two major economic development announcements in Charlottesville in 2023 came in July and August, respectively: Nanotechnology company Laser Thermal’s $2.9 million expansion, adding 28 jobs at its manufacturing, research and development facility, and Virginia Diodes’ $2.5 million investment to expand its local operations, creating 24 jobs. Virginia Diodes manufactures testing and measurement equipment for millimeter-wave and terahertz applications like 6G wireless communications, automotive radar, and weather sensing.

“Virginia Diodes has been around in Charlottesville for about 25 years, kind of a quiet little company, but they’ve grown to over 100 employees,” says Chris Engel, director of economic development for the City of Charlottesville. “And they’re now moving into another phase of growth.”

The two projects illustrate how Charlottesville has established itself as an epicenter for science and tech firms in the region. In December 2023, the University of Virginia began construction on the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, which is expected to be a regional hub for biotech research, development and manufacturing.

“Charlottesville is connected. [U.Va.] is here, and that drives a lot of the technology,” Engel says. “The community of collaboration amongst startup founders and funders is fairly unique, and there’s a lot of opportunity for them to interact with one another, learn from one another and really help a small company really get going.” 

Lego delays Chesterfield production start to 2027

Lego Group will begin production at its $1 billion Chesterfield manufacturing facility in 2027, at least a year later than originally planned, the Danish toymaker announced Thursday. 

The company also named Preben Elnef as project lead and Gray | Hourigan, a joint venture between Lexington, Kentucky-based Gray and Richmond-based Hourigan, as general contractor. 

Billund, Denmark-based Lego first announced the project in July 2022 and broke ground on its plant in Chesterfield’s Meadowville Technology Park in April 2023. The company expects to hire 1,761 workers over the next 10 years. When complete, Lego’s 340-acre campus will have 13 buildings comprising 1.7 million square feet, including office spaces, molding, processing and packing buildings, and a high bay warehouse. 

When Lego broke ground, the company said it would start production in late 2025. Factors that contributed to the delay include finalizing the agreement with the general contractor and assessing design and ramp-up plans. 

Construction of the factory buildings will begin later this year.

Lego has already opened a temporary packaging facility in Chesterfield’s Walthall Interchange Industrial Park in October 2023, ahead of schedule, where it has hired 200 workers.

“We are pleased with the progress we’re making with our investment in Virginia and grateful for the continued support from the local community,” Lego Chief Operations Officer Carsten Rasmussen said in a statement.

Lego’s vice president of workforce solutions and operations, Preben Elnef, will lead the project beginning in April and oversee all aspects of the project, including the Chesterfield factory’s construction and opening. Elnef was previously vice president and general manager for Lego Manufacturing in Vietnam and has been with Lego for the past decade. 

“I am excited to join the team. This is an important program in support of our mission to inspire and develop kids across the Americas region for generations to come,” said Elben, who expects to relocate to the Richmond area in the spring. “It is also a step towards operating more sustainably, as we’re building a site designed to minimize energy use. I look forward to continuing our important partnerships in the local community to bring play to more children in Virginia.”

The Chesterfield factory is Lego’s first U.S. manufacturing facility and its second in North America, the first being in Monterrey, Mexico. 

Lego established its American subsidiary, Lego Systems, in 1973. Although its Americas headquarters have been in Enfield, Connecticut, since 1975, the company is moving its U.S. headquarters to Boston in 2026. The toymaker employs more than 3,000 people in the U.S. and has more than 100 stores, including four in Virginia — in Arlington County, McLean, Woodbridge and its most recent in Virginia Beach. Worldwide, the company has more than 27,000 employees.