Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Upcoming Event

Best Places to Work in Virginia

Hamburger Menu Hamburger Menu

Tag: Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Youngkin proposes eliminating tax on tips in Va. budget

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday a budget proposal to exempt service tips from Virginia’s state income tax, an idea that’s gained bipartisan support federally.

In a statement, Youngkin said that Virginians who receive tips — hair stylists, restaurant workers, bellhops and other service industry professionals — would benefit from being able to claim deductions on their state tax returns to the tune of about $70 million annually.

President-elect Donald Trump proposed the idea of eliminating taxes on tips during the presidential campaign, and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, endorsed the idea as well.

“We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s,” Youngkin said in a statement. “By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work.”

According to the governor’s statement, the state tax department and the Virginia Employment Commission estimate that more than 250,000 Virginians work in service and hospitality industries.

Shortly after the governor’s announcement, the Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Travel Association released a statement of support.

“Virginia’s tipped employees in the hospitality and restaurant industries do an amazing job every day to help our commonwealth welcome visitors and locals alike to our nation-leading restaurants, hotels, campgrounds and attractions,” VRLTA President Eric Terry said. “Helping these team members keep more of the tips that they earn in their pockets will be a welcome relief as consumer costs continue to put pressure on everyday families. We are committed to working with the Youngkin administration and the Virginia General Assembly to make sure that this proposal is as responsible and impactful for Virginia’s tipped employees as it can be.”

Business Facilities names Virginia 2024 State of the Year

Business Facilities has named Virginia its 2024 State of the Year, recognizing the state’s business environment and economic development success, the publication announced Monday.

The award comes in the same year as Virginia’s sixth No. 1 ranking as CNBC’s Top State for Business, awarded in July. Virginia previously won Business Facilities’ State of the Year designation in 2018, and in 2021, it was named as having the nation’s Best Overall Business Climate. Business Facilities is a magazine geared toward corporate site selectors and site selection consultants.

“From advanced manufacturing to data centers to professional services, Virginia is attracting companies across industries with its business-friendly environment and programs to support the distinct needs of those businesses,” Business Facilities Editorial Director Anne Cosgrove said in a statement. “From the recent news of a $1 billion-plus investment by Microporous LLC to manufacture battery separators to Beanstalk Farms investing $4.1 million for indoor farming and distribution, businesses of all sizes see the promise and profit in choosing Virginia.”

According to Business Facilities’ announcement, the publication took into consideration education and workforce, infrastructure and business attraction and retention. Earlier this year, the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce training program started by Virginia Economic Development Partnership, was ranked No. 1 for customized workforce training in Business Facilities’ 2024 State Rankings report.

The publication listed 12 top contenders for the 2024 State of the Year award: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

“Virginia is a prime location for businesses of all varieties, and this honor from Business Facilities underscores the work we’ve been doing since day one to make Virginia the best place for business investment and job creation,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “The commonwealth has experienced record job growth from companies that are drawn by our best-in-class talent, infrastructure and business-friendly environment. I am thrilled that Virginia has earned this recognition from a leading source for site selection experts.”

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.  

Carolina Structural Systems to establish Greensville plant

Carolina Structural Systems, a company that manufactures custom wood trusses and other structural products, will invest $5.5 million and create an estimated 58 jobs in Greensville County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday.

Based in North Carolina, Carolina Structural Systems plans to construct a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Greensville County Industrial Park in Emporia, and it expects to purchase $395,000 in Virginia-grown lumber, according to the governor’s office.

“Carolina Structural Systems’ decision to establish its new manufacturing facility in Greensville County underscores Virginia’s strategic location and excellent transportation network,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Virginia’s pro-business climate and skilled workforce continue to attract out-of-state companies seeking to expand, and this investment is a testament to that.”

Virginia competed with North Carolina and South Carolina for the project, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Customer Services worked with the county and Virginia’s Growth Alliance to secure the project. Youngkin approved a $270,000 Commonwealth Opportunity Fund grant and a $75,000 Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund grant to assist Greensville County. Carolina Structural Systems is eligible for state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, and recruitment and training will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program at no cost to the company.

“Carolina Structural Systems is proud to partner with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Greensville County,” Carolina Structural Systems General Manager Dave Green said in a statement. “This location is strategically located between the growth in the area north of Raleigh, while giving us access to the Richmond market. Once we decided that our company’s growth was going to be in this region, the folks involved with this project made Virginia an easy choice.”

Defense/public safety tech manufacturer moving to SWVA

Wrap Technologies, an Arizona-based public safety and defense technology company, is locating its manufacturing and distribution base in Norton’s Project Intersection industrial park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday.

The company will occupy a new, 20,000-square-foot building at Project Intersection, where U.S. Route 23 and Highway 58 meet. In August, a $10.4 million EarthLink call center became the industrial park’s first tenant. Project Intersection is a development project of the Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority, a multijurisdictional cooperative authority encompassing Dickenson, Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the City of Norton.

Wrap Technologies CEO Scot Cohen said in an interview Friday that the new plant will be ready by late 2025, but Wrap will be starting production in early 2025 in a temporary local facility. He added that the company, which will remain headquartered in Arizona, expects to invest $4.1 million in hiring new employees. Many of the new jobs will involve manufacturing, engineering and logistics, Cohen said, and the company will also be hiring people to train police officers and other first responders on how to use equipment produced by Wrap.

Scot Cohen. Photo courtesy Wrap Technologies

The company produces tools for law enforcement officers, including BolaWrap, a lasso-like restraint device made from Kevlar that police can use to de-escalate conflicts in the field, and Wrap is building training platforms using virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. “On the VR side, there’s a lot of conversation with two local universities” — the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and Emory & Henry University — Cohen said. The company, which has 1,000 police departments worldwide as customers, also has plans for integrated body camera systems and drone technologies for safer and more efficient law enforcement, according to the governor’s news release.

Though Wrap primarily provides public safety technology to police departments across the country, it also is involved in producing defense technology, although there’s a fair amount of overlap between the two sectors, Cohen said.

The reason Wrap is setting up in Virginia is multifold. First, the company supplies products and training to more than 40 police departments in Virginia, including in Richmond and Fairfax County, Cohen said, and the state has skilled workers and strong political leadership. Although Wrap has received offers to move its manufacturing to other countries, “there wasn’t even anybody close” to Virginia’s bid, he added. “The state has everything we want.”

The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) approved a $3.16 million loan for the Norton Industrial Development Authority to build the new facility at Project Intersection, and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission awarded regional economic development groups an $800,000 grant through its Southwest Economic Development program to assist with this project. Youngkin approved a $425,000 Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant as well, and the Virginia Jobs Investment Program will support employee training activities at no cost to Wrap.

“As Wrap Technologies brings its operations to Virginia and creates more than 120 jobs, we are reaffirming the commonwealth’s leadership in technology and innovation,” Youngkin said in a statement. “This expansion further accelerates our efforts to develop key technology hubs in the region.”

Judge rules Youngkin’s RGGI exit was unlawful

A Floyd County Circuit Court judge ruled this week that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was unlawful, but the governor plans to appeal the decision, according to a spokesperson.

Judge Randall Lowe ruled that “the only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be the General Assembly,” a victory for the plaintiffs, Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, and Appalachian Voices. The group filed suit against the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and its director, Michael Rolband, two years ago. The Southern Environmental Law Center’s Charlottesville office represented the plaintiffs.

Newly in office in 2022, Youngkin issued an executive order calling on the state Air Pollution Control Board to exit the RGGI, a market-based, cap-and-invest initiative to lower carbon emissions through auctioning of carbon credits. Nearly a dozen states in the mid-Atlantic and New England belong to the RGGI. In June 2023, the state air pollution board — with new members appointed by Youngkin — voted to remove Virginia from the RGGI, effectively repealing legislation enacted under former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020.

According to news reports, the state received about $830 million over three years from its membership in RGGI. Youngkin, however, argued that utilities’ payments to participate in the carbon market were passed on to customers via higher power rates, although RGGI supporters said that Virginians benefited from funding for weatherizing homes and to address flooding.

“We respectfully disagree with the judge’s decision and will pursue an appeal,” Youngkin’s press secretary, Christian Martinez, said in a statement. “Gov. Youngkin remains committed to lowering the cost of living for Virginians by continuing to oppose the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which fails to effectively incentivize emission reductions in the commonwealth. Instead, it functions as a regressive tax, hidden in utility bills, passed on to all Virginians.”

Contrary to the governor’s stance, the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus celebrated the ruling in its statement: “Today’s ruling represents a decisive victory for Virginia and the rule of law. RGGI proved to be an invaluable tool in our fight against the climate crisis, providing critical resources to protect communities from flooding and extreme weather, reduce household energy costs, and deliver environmental justice to communities historically burdened by air pollution. The Youngkin administration’s unlawful actions have resulted in dirtier air, left our communities vulnerable to climate disasters without proper resources, and stripped Virginians of vital assistance for reducing their energy costs.”

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, called the decision “not only a win for every Virginian who has faced the devastating impact of severe flooding but a win for all Virginians, their wallets and our environment,” in a statement posted on X. “Gov. Youngkin’s reckless attempt to undermine this critical program has been rightfully stopped, and we remain committed to building an affordable and more sustainable future for all.”

Senate Republicans backed the governor, with state Sen. Mark Obenshain, chair of the state Senate GOP caucus, saying in a statement, “This decision ignores the economic impact of RGGI on Virginians. We remain committed to supporting efforts to lower energy costs and ensure Virginia’s future is not dictated by an ineffective program. I do not believe that this decision will stand on appeal.”

Miyares declares run for 2nd term as Va. AG

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares declared Monday he will run for a second term in 2025, leaving Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears a clear path to the Republican nomination for governor.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is prohibited by state law from serving consecutive terms as governor, endorsed both candidates following Miyares’ announcement. A former Virginia Beach delegate and son of a Cuban refugee, Miyares is the first Hispanic person elected to statewide office in Virginia. He defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Herring in 2021’s GOP sweep of Virginia’s top three statewide offices, along with Earle-Sears and Youngkin.

Miyares will likely face either former state Del. Jay Jones or Shannon Taylor, Henrico County’s commonwealth’s attorney, on the Democratic side.

Earle-Sears announced in September her candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor, following U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s declaration in November 2023 that she would seek the Democratic nomination. Miyares was also rumored to be considering a bid for governor, but his announcement Monday keeps Earle-Sears, the state’s first Black woman and immigrant to serve in a statewide office in Virginia, from having to run a potentially expensive primary campaign to win the GOP nomination. Spanberger is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

“In 2021 Winsome, Jason, and I ran as a team, and we have served Virginians as a team,” Youngkin said in a statement endorsing Earle-Sears and Miyares. “In 2025, Winsome and Jason will once again lead the Republican team as candidates for governor and attorney general. Both have been indispensable partners to advance our shared, commonsense conservative policies that have made Virginia the best state in America for business, backed the blue and cracked down on crime, stood strong for our military and veterans, and transformed education by raising teacher pay, re-establishing academic excellence, and empowering parents in their child’s education and life.”

 

Appalachian Power plans small nuclear reactor in Campbell

Appalachian Power, an electric utility subsidiary of American Electric Power which serves more than one million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, announced plans Thursday to bring a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) project to Campbell County.

The company, which has its headquarters in Charleston, West Virginia, has identified a potential site for the project on property it already owns in Joshua Falls near the James River and outside Lynchburg. A 765-kilovolt substation is already located at Joshua Falls and nearby roads are adequate to support moving equipment to the site, according to Appalachian Power.

“Advanced nuclear power is at the heart of Virginia’s All-American, All-of-the Above Energy Plan, a plan that prioritizes abundant, reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean power to fuel our thriving and growing economy,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin stated in an Appalachian Power news release. “I am grateful that Appalachian Power is taking this next step to support Virginia’s nuclear future.”

SMRs are designed to generate up to 300 megawatts per unit, about one-third the capacity of conventional nuclear reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Association. As of now, only two SMRs are in operation — one in Russia and the other in China.

In 2022, Youngkin announced Virginia would build a SMR within a decade. The next year, the governor and the General Assembly created the Virginia Power Innovation Fund, which provides $4 million for research and development of innovative energy technologies.

“Appalachian Power is committed to generating clean, always-on power to meet Virginia’s future demand,” Appalachian Power President and CEO Aaron Walker stated in a release. “We are grateful to the Virginia General Assembly and Gov. Youngkin for embracing SMR technology. This announcement would not have been possible without their forward-thinking support.”

The largest SMRs can produce enough energy for 250,000 to 500,000 homes, according to George Porter, a spokesperson for Appalachian Power. The SMR in Campbell County would generate power for Appalachian Power customers in Virginia, he stated.

In October, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia entered into an agreement to explore development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Station in Louisa County.

Appalachian Power plans to file an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission in spring 2025. The company intends to apply for the U.S. Department of Energy’s $900 million grant program that is designed to accelerate the deployment of SMRs.

The utility serves about 550,000 customers in an 11,000 square-mile territory in central and southwestern Virginia. It will hold a community open house to discuss the project on Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance.

 

Youngkin announces plan to grow workforce housing

At the Governor’s Housing Conference in Virginia Beach Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled the Workforce Housing Investment Program, an initiative at Virginia Housing that will invest $75 million over five years to spur the creation of workforce-priced housing.

The funding holds the potential, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office, to “catalyze $750 million and build 5,000 units of workforce housing in conjunction with economic development projects in the commonwealth.”

Additionally on Thursday, Youngkin issued an executive order directing the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Department of Housing and Community Development to coordinate with Virginia Housing — which was created by the General Assembly in 1972 to help Virginians attain affordable housing — to ensure business site investment decisions take into account nearby localities’ plans to foster housing development.

Virginia has a housing supply of about 3.6 million residential units but has a housing demand of 4.1 million units, according to an analysis performed by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The current shortage of workforce housing in Virginia is 41,000 homes, according to the executive order.

The executive order also notes that an analysis from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership found Virginia’s metro areas are building new housing units at a lower rate than metro areas in competing states. Metro areas outside of Virginia are also issuing permits for new residential units at a faster rate than the commonwealth’s metro areas, according to the order.

“With record employer relocations and expansions in the commonwealth, over $85 billion in capital investment, nearly 250,000 jobs created, and a reversal of recent trends on net-out migration, it is clear that Virginia is growing and we need to make sure the supply of housing can meet our surging demand,” Youngkin stated. “The private sector is ready to step in and meet the needs of our growing workforce with much-needed workforce housing, and today’s announcement advances these efforts by accelerating workforce housing development and requiring local governments to support the housing growth that Virginia needs.”

Under the Workforce Housing Investment Program, Virginia Housing will provide loans, loan subsidies and grants up to $3 million to localities and nonprofits to develop housing for workers earning between 80% and 120% of the area median income, or up to 150% in rural areas.

To be eligible, a locality must be located within a 30-minute drive of a business adding new jobs. For a locality that isn’t economically distressed, that business must add 100 jobs. For a distressed locality — a locality with an unemployment rate above the state average or with a poverty rate above the statewide average poverty rate — the business must add 50 jobs. For a double-distressed locality — a locality with both an unemployment rate above the state average and with a poverty rate above the statewide average — the business must add 25 jobs.

The Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference, which opened Wednesday and continues through Friday, attracts more than 900 affordable housing advocates, providers and policy makers.

Pittsylvania megasite wins $1.3B battery separator project

Tennessee-based Microporous will invest $1.3 billion to build its battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The company expects the project to create 2,015 jobs.

The megasite’s first tenant, Microporous will develop Lot 1 at the park in two phases, with each phase being about 500,000 square feet. According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state anticipates Lot 2 of the megasite will be under consideration for Microporous’ potential future expansion. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina for the project.

During the ceremonial groundbreaking for the project, Youngkin nodded at the controversy created in 2023 after word broke that the governor had pulled the Southern Virginia Megasite out of the running for a $3.5 billion Ford Motor Co. electric vehicle battery factory over national security concerns that a Chinese company would be involved in its operation.

“I want to say it very clearly,” Youngkin said Wednesday. “This is an American company using American technology that will hire American workers and supply American companies.”

For more than eight decades, Microporous has produced separators for lead-acid batteries, the oldest rechargeable battery technology, which is typically used in vehicles and to power grid systems. The company’s headquarters are in Sullivan County, Tennessee, near Bristol, Virginia. It also has a facility in Austria.

At the megasite, Microporous plans to expand into creating battery separators for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems and other applications.

Microporous CEO John Reeves said Wednesday that the facility will be at the forefront of clean energy. “We are driven by commitment to innovation, sustainability and growth, and today marks an extraordinary step in that journey,” he said.

The company’s Berry Hill manufacturing facility will be fully operational by 2026, according to Reeves.

The Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill is owned jointly by the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County through the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA). Leaders in the two counties have worked to make the site a reality since 2008.

Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chair Darrell Dalton called Microporous’ selection of the megasite “a testament to how two localities work together [to] pull themselves out of economic hardship, to where they’re generating optimism for the future.”

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces Microporous' $1.3 billion facility in Pittsylvania County. Photo by Beth JoJack
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces Microporous’ $1.3 billion facility in Pittsylvania County. Photo by Beth JoJack

Vic Ingram, chair of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Authority and a member of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, considers Microporous selecting the megasite for its facility as the start of something great.

“We were once known as the world’s largest tobacco market and home of Dan River Mills, or Dan River Fabrics,” he said. “Many of us vividly remember those tobacco fields, but moving forward, we will be known nationwide, if not worldwide, for advanced manufacturing technology,” he said.

State Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, a commissioner on the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission’s board, noted Wednesday that the commission has invested over $60 million in the project. “And we’re looking forward to getting returned with great paying jobs and great investments here,” he said.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Microporous was among seven recipients of federal funding totaling $275 million designed to strengthen the country’s clean energy supply chains. The majority of the selected projects were planned to be in or adjacent to disadvantaged communities. Microporous was tapped to receive the largest chunk of those federal dollars: $100 million.

In a news release distributed Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, D-VA, noted that Microporous’ Virginia facility will also be eligible for “additional federal incentives because it falls within an area designated that has been designated an ‘energy community’ by the Inflation Reduction Act.”

For several years, progress at the megasite at Berry Hill had stalled because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would not issue a permit to grade the land unless a tenant had been secured. Warner and Kaine worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and advocated for the work to be permitted.

“This is a testament to years of hard work and collaboration, including working in a bipartisan way to address permitting challenges at economic development sites in Southside,” Kaine stated. “With major federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and smart moves to cut red tape, it’s clear our work is paying off.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Danville-Pittsylvania County RIFA, Pittsylvania County, the City of Danville, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and the General Assembly’s Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission to secure the Microporous project.

Microporous will be eligible to receive an MEI Commission-approved special appropriation of up to $60.6 million for the company’s investment of more than $1.3 billion and the creation of more than 2,000 jobs, subject to the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, according to a news release from the governor’s office. Additionally, the company is eligible to apply for state grants from the Port of Virginia.

The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a program run by VEDP with higher education partners, will provide recruitment and training services to the company.