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Tag: job creation

Charlottesville-based Virginia Diodes to expand, invest $2.5M

Virginia Diodes Inc. (VDI) will invest $2.5 million to expand its operations in Charlottesville, adding an estimated 24 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

VDI was founded in Charlottesville in 1996 as a spinoff from the University of Virginia and in 2004 established its headquarters at the city’s Ix Art Park complex.  The company manufactures test and measurement equipment for millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) applications like 6G wireless communications, automotive radar and weather sensing, as well as science applications including radio astronomy and fusion research and is part of the semiconductor industry supply chain.

VDI has customers in more 40 countries and employs more than 120 engineers, technicians and administrative staff at two locations. As part of its expansion, the company added its second location, on 5th Street SW, about 18 months ago, giving it a total of about 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

“Virginia Diodes’ long-term success in the city of Charlottesville demonstrates the extensive and expansive opportunities for growth in advanced manufacturing in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “VDI is a great example of the private sector partnering with our world-class universities like the University of Virginia to produce a winning formula that enables a startup to grow into a global enterprise.”

VDI Chief Operating Officer Gerhard Schoenthal told Virginia Business that the company plans to add the jobs announced Thursday during the next year. Roles include electrical engineers and electronics technicians.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Charlottesville to secure the project for Virginia and will support Virginia Diodes’ job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consulting services and funding to companies creating jobs to support employee recruitment and training.

“VDI continues to work hard to expand millimeter-wave and terahertz technology for applications like 6G communications, automotive radar, weather sensing and radio astronomy,” VDI CEO and founder Thomas W. Crowe said in a statement. “We have been manufacturing and packaging electronic components and creating systems from those components in Charlottesville for nearly 27 years. We are proud to invest in Central Virginia’s workforce and very excited about the assistance we receive from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. VDI relies on highly skilled engineers and technicians to produce its leading-edge terahertz products, and Charlottesville has proven to be an ideal location to recruit and maintain excellent technical staff.”

Henrico insurer to create 72 jobs in $6.2M expansion

Henrico County-based insurance company Berkley Insurance Co. will invest $6.2 million to expand its office in the county’s Innsbrook area, with plans to create 72 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

A subsidiary of Connecticut-based Fortune 500 company W. R. Berkley Corp., the firm will lease an additional 8,920 square feet of office space from Highwoods Properties to accommodate growth in its Berkley Aspire, Berkley Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group and Verus Specialty Insurance businesses. The new jobs will include underwriters, financial analysts, accountants and C-suite positions, according to a news release. Currently, more than 177 employees are based in the Henrico office.

“Berkley Insurance Co.’s decision to expand in Henrico County demonstrates the continued positive momentum of Virginia’s economy and the business process services industry,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Greater Richmond is renowned for providing the robust talent pipeline that leading companies like Berkley Aspire, Berkley Mid-Atlantic and Verus Specialty require.”

Berkley Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group serves small and middle markets and focuses on six industries: construction, retail, service, wholesale, real estate and manufacturing. It has two additional offices, in Columbus, Ohio, and Pittsburgh.

“We are proud to confirm our expectation for growth and advancement within the Henrico County, Virginia, territory,” Berkley Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group President Michelle D. Middleton said in a statement. “As we reflect on the exceptional talent that Henrico has consistently provided for us, particularly in the realm of excess and surplus lines insurance, we are excited for the future. With the projected expansion, particularly of Verus Specialty and Berkley Aspire, we envision continued growth, bolstered by the incredible talent pool and the invaluable relationships we have cultivated with insurance brokers in this region. Henrico as a hub for our business expansion is undeniable, and we embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Henrico Economic Development Authority to secure the project, which Virginia competed with Arizona and Ohio to secure. Youngkin approved $217,500 from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the county. VEDP will support the insurer through its three-year Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides cash grant reimbursements for associated human resources costs after a company has had new employees on the payroll for at least 90 days.

Berkley Insurance will be the fourth company to receive incentives through Henrico’s Innsbrook Technology Zone, which the county Board of Supervisors approved in April 2022. In it, new tech businesses that invest at least $1 million and create 10 jobs can qualify for waived county planning and permitting fees.

In November 2022, Genworth Financial subleased the former SunTrust Business Center near Innsbrook instead of building a new headquarters. In December 2022, BHE GT&S, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary, moved its headquarters to the former Capital One Financial Corp. complex, which it purchased for $20.75 million, according to a news release. Education technology company EAB invested more than $6 million to relocate, consolidating its Richmond-area operations, in June 2022.

Henrico has a strong labor market for insurers, said Anthony Romanello, executive director of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority. In May, Richmond National Group Inc. announced an an expansion of its headquarters in the county, and in March 2022, Bermuda-based Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd. announced it would establish the U.S. headquarters of its subsidiary in Henrico.

“Henrico has a very strong presence of the insurance industry, and this kind of growth is exactly what we expect, and we’re especially excited to see additional investment in Innsbrook,” Romanello said. “…We have every reason to believe that Berkley and the other insurers are going to continue to see Henrico and Greater Richmond as an area where they’re going to want to continue to expand and continue to grow.”

Rail equipment manufacturer to expand in Salem

Wabtec Corp. is investing $2.7 million to expand its existing facility in Salem, adding 38 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Wabtec provides equipment, systems, digital solutions and other services for freight and transit rail globally. The expansion will accommodate the relocation of its pneumatically controlled braking systems manufacturing lines within its Graham-White manufacturing facility in Salem.

Virginia competed with Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Mexico for the project.

“Wabtec Corp.’s expansion of its Salem facility fuels the resurgence of high-quality manufacturing jobs in Virginia, and we thank the company for its long-term commitment to the commonwealth as a valued employer,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The Roanoke region offers the skilled workforce and custom solutions to support Wabtec’s continued growth, and we are confident they will thrive for the next 100 years in Virginia.”

Wabtec’s Salem facility employs more than 200 people in Salem and manufactures air dryers, valves, gages/flowmeters and braking equipment for the rail freight, rail transit, truck and bus industries.

“As a leading global provider of transportation solutions, we are proud of our long history of manufacturing excellence in Salem and delighted to be expanding our operations there,” said Mike Fetsko, president of Wabtec’s freight and industrial components business, in a statement. “Wabtec’s collaborative relationship with the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the business-friendly approach from state and local agencies, provided us with the confidence to make this significant investment. With new products and additional high-quality manufacturing jobs, our expansion in Salem represents our continued commitment to the community and its key role in supporting Wabtec’s future growth.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Salem and the Roanoke Regional Partnership to secure the project for Virginia and will support job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consulting services and funding to companies creating jobs to support employee recruitment and training activities. Salem, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board and Center for Manufacturing Excellence in Southwest Virginia will provide custom programs to support the company’s expansion, including talent recruitment, marketing assistance and workforce training.

Amazon begins HQ2 move-in

Amazon.com Inc. is moving more than 8,000 employees into the first phase of HQ2, its $2.5 billion East Coast headquarters in Arlington’s emerging National Landing area, this week. The e-tailer plans to officially open HQ2’s first phase, Metropolitan Park (Met Park), in June and to complete its move-in by the end of the summer. However, the No. 2-ranked Fortune Global 500 company said in March that it was delaying construction on HQ2’s second phase, PenPlace.

Amazon expects to create 25,000 jobs for the project by 2030 and is eligible for up to $550 million in state grants, should it meet the required annual hiring goals and average annual wages.

“This project is extraordinary in many respects,” Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said in a statement. “It will bring us significantly closer to fulfilling the community’s vision of Arlington and National Landing as an urban neighborhood with a better balance of office, residential and retail development, more and better public spaces and more and better access for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Met Park consists of 2.1 million square feet of office space and more than 50,000 square feet of retail space housing 14 businesses, as well as a 2.5-acre park. The campus is on park to receive a LEED Platinum certification, the highest LEED certification level.

Met Park’s two 22-story, 327-feet-tall office buildings can house 12,500 employees. One tower is named Jasper, the codename for an Alexa component that provides tools for customer settings. Amazon has named the other tower Merlin, after the codename for Amazon QuickSight, a cloud-based business intelligence service product that can create interactive dashboards. The buildings have a total of 62 elevators.

A street view of Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A street view of Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com
An aerial view of outdoor space within Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An aerial view of outdoor space within Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A terrace in Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A terrace with grills in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An entrance to the first phase of Amazon's HQ2, Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An entrance to Amazon’s HQ2 offices. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A stairwell and escalator inside Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A stairwell and escalator inside Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A reception desk in Amazon.com Inc's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon
A reception desk in Amazon.com Inc’s HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon
An employee gathering space in Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An employee gathering space in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An outdoor terrace in Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
An outdoor terrace in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
Snack and beverage options in Met Park
Snack and beverage options in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A presentation room inside Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A presentation room inside Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A seating area in Met Park, the first phase of Amazon's HQ2. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A seating area in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A seating area in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.
A seating area in Met Park. Photo courtesy Amazon.com Inc.

The towers include “centers of energy,” Amazon’s term for spaces for employees to gather, including four coffee shops and three all-electric commercial kitchens. The areas are designed to handle 30% of the offices’ employee capacity, an intentional move by the company to encourage employees to “venture out into the neighborhood,” according to a news release.

The 14 ground-floor retailers include a bike shop, a dog day care, a fitness studio, an early childhood education center, a spa, restaurants and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Arlington’s Innovation Studio.

The towers have outdoor spaces within their designs: about 2.7 acres of rooftop landscaping, about an acre of green roof with native plants, two event terraces, two café terraces, one garden terrace, an urban farm and outdoor kitchens.

The public park includes walking paths, a dog run and a children’s play area and garden.

For commuting employees, Met Park has 620 bike racks, four levels of below-grade parking with 290 electric vehicle charging stations and pedestrian pathways for employees taking the Metro. On May 19, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opened the Potomac Yard-VT station, anchored by Virginia Tech’s $1 billion Innovation Campus and two stops away from HQ2.

Air compressor maker plans $7.4M Norfolk expansion

Norfolk-based Bauer Compressors Inc., a subsidiary of Munich-based Bauer Kompressoren Group, will invest $7.4 million to expand its production capacity in Norfolk, creating an estimated 47 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

The company will increase its capacity to produce hydrogen and natural gas compressors.

“Bauer’s long-term success in the city of Norfolk reinforces the commonwealth’s strong foundation for job growth and the company’s continued confidence in our pro-business climate, infrastructure and workforce,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The expansion of global industry leaders like Bauer strengthens the local and regional economies and Virginia’s advanced manufacturing sector.”

Bauer Compressors specializes in high-pressure breathing air; General Services Administration/military breathing air; industrial air and gas; plastics technology; natural gas; and inert gas compression. Bauer is a 2010 graduate of the Virginia Leaders in Export Trade Program, which assists Virginia exporters that have established domestic operations and want to pursue international exporting to grow.

“Bauer is excited to be able to continue our long-standing partnership with the city of Norfolk and the commonwealth of Virginia,” Bauer Compressors President Tony Bayat said in a statement. “The favorable business climate, easy access to the port and room to grow make Norfolk an ideal location for us.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Norfolk and the Hampton Roads Alliance to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Ohio and South Carolina. Youngkin approved a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Norfolk with the project. Bauer is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. VEDP will support Bauer through the three-year Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides cash grant reimbursements for associated human resources costs after a company has had new employees on the payroll for at least 90 days.

Henrico insurer to create 100 jobs in HQ expansion

Specialty insurer Richmond National Group Inc. will invest $350,000 to expand its Henrico County headquarters, a move expected to create more than 100 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday.

The company, founded in 2021 as a holding company for Richmond National Insurance Co., will add 7,200 square feet of office space to its roughly 10,000-square-foot headquarters at 3951 Westerre Parkway. The new jobs will be full-time.

“We are committed to fostering a business environment that supports startups of all sizes in the commonwealth, and Richmond National Group’s growth since its founding two years ago is a strong Virginia success story,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Greater Richmond provides the talent pipeline and quality of life that makes the region a hotspot for economic development, and we are excited about the company’s future.”

Richmond National Insurance Co. is a specialty excess and surplus lines insurance company that serves select wholesale brokers across the U.S. The company specializes in underwriting property, casualty and professional liability risks for small businesses. In March, Richmond National Group raised more than $30 million from employees and existing shareholders, including HF Capital, Bonhill Capital, and WT Holdings Inc., bringing its total equity capital raised since 2021 to more than $100 million.

“We chose to start our specialty insurance company in the Richmond, Virginia, area, primarily due to its deep talent pool of insurance and financial services professionals and its favorable business environment,” Richmond National Group President and CEO Joseph C. Kavanagh said in a statement. “So far, we have hired more than 75 highly talented employees and we are continuing to grow.”

Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Henrico Economic Development Authority to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Chicago and North Carolina. VEDP will support the insurer through the three-year Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides cash grant reimbursements for associated human resources costs after a company has had new employees on the payroll for at least 90 days.

Lego breaks ground on $1B Chesterfield facility

The Lego Group broke ground Thursday on its $1 billion Chesterfield County manufacturing facility — launching the Danish toymaker’s first U.S. manufacturing plant and one of Virginia’s biggest economic development projects.

The Billund, Denmark-based toy company known for its brightly colored plastic toy bricks and construction sets plans to hire 1,761 people to work at its plant in Chesterfield’s Meadowville Technology Park over the next 10 years, with production, including molding plastic toys, expected to begin in the second half of 2025.

“We are not just building a factory, but we are building a culture of diverse, inclusive and playful workplaces for more than 1,700, or to be exact, 1,761,” said Lego Chief Operating Officer Carsten Rasmussen.

Lego is initially hiring 500 people to package toys in a temporary facility in Chesterfield’s Walthall Interchange Industrial Park and plans to begin those operations in the first half of 2024. So far, the company has hired about 20 people, Rasmussen said. Lego’s Virginia careers website shows several open positions, including construction project manager, director of human resources, facility director, materials planner and senior procurement manager.

“This is an iconic company,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “…Together [we] are committed to invest [in] and grow … [a] workforce that is truly best in class.”

Lego plans to select a general contractor for the facility in the next few months, Rasmussen said, and the company has contracted with George Nice & Sons Inc. to conduct groundwork currently occurring at the site.

When complete, the Lego facility will have 13 buildings comprising 1.7 million square feet, including office spaces, molding, processing and packing buildings and a high bay warehouse. The property spans 340 acres.

A Lego model in the Chesterfield facility's visitor center shows the planned layout. Photo by Rick DeBerry
A Lego model in the Chesterfield facility’s visitor center shows the complex’s planned layout. Photo by Rick DeBerry

Lego is eligible for incentives approved by the General Assembly’s Major Employment and Investment Commission. During the ceremony, Youngkin signed Virginia HB 2238 and SB 1134, establishing the Precision Plastic Manufacturing Grant Fund. The bill provides up to $56 million in grants between July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2035, “to a qualified company that engages in the manufacture and distribution of precision plastic products in an eligible county and that between June 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2035, is expected to make a capital investment of at least $1 billion and create at least 1,761 new full-time jobs related to or supportive of its business.”

Thursday’s event was celebratory, but Virginia’s economic development officials have acknowledged that Lego’s plant is a one-of-a-kind deal in the commonwealth, while neighboring states have won many more high-dollar industrial projects since 2015. Youngkin has blamed a lack of shovel-ready industrial sites and focused on allocating more state funds toward site preparation in hopes of winning more megaprojects.

Lego is also using the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a discretionary incentive program that provides free customizable workforce recruiting and training services for eligible businesses locating or expanding in Virginia.

Lego has touted its commitment to the Richmond community. On Thursday, the company announced it will donate more than $1 million to charities that support local children from disadvantaged backgrounds with learning-through-play programs. In 2022, Lego donated $300,000 to the Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Science Museum of Virginia, but the company and its foundation won’t announce recipients of the remaining $700,000 until this summer.

“Children are our role models because they have boundless creativity and natural curiosity about the world and they’re a constant source of inspiration,” said Skip Kodak, Lego’s regional president of the Americas.

Lego has also emphasized its commitment to sustainability. By 2032, Lego Group aims to reduce its global carbon emissions by 37% of its 2019 output. The Chesterfield facility will be carbon-neutral, with ground and rooftop solar panels and a 35- to 40-megawatt solar plant onsite. The toymaker is also aiming for a Gold LEED certification for the facility once complete.

The Chesterfield factory is Lego’s first U.S. manufacturing facility and its second in North America, the first being in Monterrey, Mexico. The Danish company plans to open another facility in Vietnam by 2024 and is expanding its facilities in Mexico, Hungary and China.

Lego established its American subsidiary, Lego Systems Inc., 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 three in Virginia — in Arlington, McLean and Woodbridge. Worldwide, the company has more than 27,000 employees.

Norfolk tech startup plans $1M expansion

Norfolk-based digital magazine startup Magazine Jukebox Inc. (MJB) will invest $1 million to expand, moving from a coworking space into an office, and will create an estimated 20 jobs.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the expansion Tuesday.

“We are proud that Magazine Jukebox, an emerging leader in the technology services sector, was founded in Virginia and continues to reinvest in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The entrepreneurial drive demonstrated by its founders has already generated an impressive list of clients and reinforces our commitment to ensuring an innovation economy that supports Virginia’s startups and small businesses.”

The investment will help MJB secure an office space and remodel it, according to Magazine Jukebox Chief Experience Officer Bronston Carroll. MJB is currently considering leases with options to purchase over 36 months, since the company doesn’t know how much space it will ultimately need in the coming years, he said in an email.

The startup, which currently has a staff of seven, plans to hire a minimum of 20 employees, mainly for sales roles with some service and marketing roles, according to Carroll. They will work in a hybrid in-person and remote model.

Founded in 2020, Magazine Jukebox is a subscription service that provides digital magazines as alternatives to print magazines for commercial spaces with waiting rooms, like salons, car dealerships and medical centers. The company distributes QR codes and displays for guests to access digital magazines, and access continues for up to 36 hours.

Choice Hotels International Inc. and more than 100 medical offices with Baptist Health South Florida and the University of Miami Health System use MJB. In Virginia, Massanutten Resort recently added MJB’s offerings to its website, and the company is working on launching its services on Ziosk, a tabletop ordering platform used in more than 2,000 quick service restaurants.

“We are proud to be a Virginia-based company, and we believe Norfolk is the perfect place for us to grow,” Magazine Jukebox co-founder and CEO Scott Janney said in a statement. “The city’s investment and support of technology startups like ours has been a driving force in our decision to launch our company in this community and remain in this community.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city of Norfolk and the Hampton Roads Alliance to secure the project. VEDP will provide funding and services to support employee recruitment and training through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP).

Lego to hire 500 Chesterfield employees by year’s end

The Lego Group plans to hire approximately 500 people for its $1 billion Chesterfield County manufacturing facility by the end of this year, according to the Danish toymaker’s head of talent operations in the Americas, Karra McCormack.

Lego expects to create more than 1,760 jobs over 10 years. The company and Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the facility in June 2022.

Lego has filled 15 salaried positions for the Chesterfield facility so far and will open more in the next few months, McCormack said. Lego plans to hire 60 hourly production employees for Chesterfield by June.

At the time of the Chesterfield announcement, Lego CEO Niels B. Christiansen said he thought the average annual salary for employees at the facility would be “north of $60,000.”

Although the company is receiving help with recruiting and onboarding employees through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a state workforce incentive program, the toymaker is sending its first 60 production workers to its facility in Monterrey, Mexico, this July for trainings, which will include production safety and cultural instruction. The employees will spend two weeks in Mexico, return to the U.S. for two weeks, and then repeat the process in either a four- or six-week period, McCormack said.

“We thought it was super important that they actually see a facility that’s up and running and are able to work on the line alongside [experienced workers],” McCormack said.

After they return from Mexico, the new hires will work in Lego’s temporary facility, a leased building in Chesterfield’s Walthall Interchange Industrial Park. In 2024, workers in the temporary facility will begin packing polybags and boxes of toys.

Construction on Lego’s 1.7 million-square-foot permanent facility in Meadowville Technology Park began in 2022. Lego expects to begin production in the facility in the second half of 2025. The permanent building, which will include a high bay warehouse, will house molding, processing and packing operations.

The solar park that will share the facility’s 340-acre area is set to be complete in 2025 as well. The Chesterfield facility will be carbon-neutral, with the solar park matching all of its energy needs.

Lego plans to ramp up hiring for Chesterfield in 2024 as well, McCormack said.

Manufacturer plans $40.2M expansion in Floyd

Massachusetts-based advanced materials manufacturer Hollingsworth & Vose will invest $40.2 million to expand its Floyd County operation, a project expected to create 25 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday.

H&V will add more than 28,000 square feet to its facility at 365 Christiansburg Pike NE to accommodate new production equipment.

“Hollingsworth & Vose has generated positive economic impact and job opportunities in Floyd County for more than four decades, and this significant investment further solidifies the company’s commitment to Virginia,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Businesses with a long history of expansion in the commonwealth offer powerful testimonials on why a Virginia location is a foundation for success.”

H&V was incorporated in 1892 and has been family-owned for seven generations. The company produces advanced materials used in filtration, battery and industrial applications. It has more than 200 employees.

“We’ve been a part of the Floyd, Virginia, community since 1976. This facility is essential to serving both our global and domestic customers,” H&V CEO Josh Ayer said in a statement. “We chose Virginia for this expansion because of its positive business environment and strong support from the commonwealth of Virginia and Floyd County.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Floyd County to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Georgia. Youngkin approved a $558,700 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Floyd County with the project.