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Tag: Rockingham County

Buc-ee’s starts construction on Rockingham center

It won’t be too long before drivers on Interstate 81 in Rockingham County will see a sign bearing a friendly, hat-wearing beaver.

Texas-based travel center chain Buc-ee’s started construction on its first travel center in Virginia with a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was there, as well as Buc-ee’s founder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III. Local officials attended as well.

Located at the intersection of I-81 and Friedens Church Road, the center will be 74,000 square feet and have 120 fueling positions. Buc-ee’s expects construction to take about 17 months, according to a spokesperson.

The company plans to hire more than 200 people for the center.

“One of the prettiest roads we could ever hope for, I-81 is full of folks seeking fun and all that Virginia has to offer,” Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate Stan Beard said in a statement. “We are the perfect pitstop for their road-trips and for the amazing people of Rockingham County.”

Buc-ee’s purchased 21.3 acres for the Rockingham center for $6.6 million in September 2023. The county revealed plans for the location in July 2023 by posting on its Facebook page that the company had applied for a special-use permit for review and approval of a sign plan.

A month earlier, Buc-ee’s paid $6.5 million for 27.68 acres in New Kent County, at Exit 211 off Interstate 64. The county’s economic development department posted to its Facebook page in March 2023 that the chain filed for a conditional use permit for signage. Buc-ee’s is planning to have four total Virginia locations, according a June 2023 news release from S.L. Nusbaum Realty.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 34 stores in Texas and 13 centers in other states.

Buc-ee’s buys land for second Va. location

A second Buc-ee’s Super Center is coming to Virginia along a busy stretch of highway in Shenandoah Valley near Mount Crawford.

Buc-ee’s Mt. Crawford LLC purchased 21.3 acres located at the intersection of Interstate 81 and Friedens Church Road in Rockingham County from Lispen LLC for $6.6 million, Norfolk-based S.L Nusbaum Realty announced Tuesday.  Plans for the new location were revealed in July when the county posted on its Facebook page that the Texas-based travel center chain had applied for a special-use permit for review and approval of a sign plan.

The location follows another already planned for New Kent County. Buc-ee’s purchased the property for the New Kent County location, expected to open by 2025, in June.

Just like the New Kent location, the Buc-ee’s in Rockingham will feature up to 75,000 square feet of retail space, 120 fueling positions, electric vehicle chargers and parking for more 650 vehicles, including buses.

The Virginia locations are expected to be among the chain’s largest. A total of four centers are planned throughout the state.

S.L. Nusbaum Senior Vice President and Regional Director Nathan Shor and Vice President Larry Agnew represented the buyer in the transaction. Shor is Nathan Buc-ee’s exclusive real estate rep in Virginia.

Founded in 1982 in Lake Jackson, Texas, Buc-ee’s opened its first Texas-sized interstate travel center in 2003 and has since expanded to nearly 60 locations throughout the South.

German yeast upcycler building plant in Rockingham

Leiber, a German manufacturer that processes brewers’ yeast into animal food, biotechnology and supplements, will invest as much as $20 million to establish its first U.S. operation in Rockingham County’s Innovation Village, adding an estimated 35 jobs.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the new facility Monday. It will be completed in phases and increase the company’s processing capability, as well as its range of products. Founded in 1954, Leiber works with breweries to offload yeast for further upcycling, operating five production sites in three countries and supplying products to more than 65 countries. It also conducts research in the company’s laboratories to develop products.

Virginia competed with four other states for the project. Ilya Frumkin, vice president of business development for Leiber US, declined to name the other states; an announcement from Youngkin’s office only said that they are adjacent.  Construction is expected to begin in October, with production beginning in the first quarter of 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome Leiber’s first U.S. operation to Virginia, again demonstrating that the commonwealth is an ideal launch point for international manufacturers to enter the U.S. market,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The company’s new facility in Rockingham County is in strategic proximity to the Shenandoah Valley’s robust beverage processing industry, and we are confident this new partnership is a recipe for success.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to secure the project for Virginia and will support Leiber’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consulting and funding to companies creating jobs to support employee recruitment and training activities.

“We evaluated various sites in five different states in the northeast U.S. and found in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia a perfect mix of qualified workforce, proximity to customers and vendors, as well as strong and professional support from VEDP and Rockingham County,” Christian Stork-Bohmann, director of corporate development at Leiber GmbH in Germany, said in a statement.

Agriculture 2023: JOHN KING

Turkey growers in the Shenandoah Valley formed the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative in 2004, after Pilgrim’s Pride announced it was closing a processing plant in Hinton, a major economic hit to the region. Approximately 200 farmers own 100% of the co-op and receive a portion of profits based on how much business each farm does with the co-op.

The co-op was one of the first turkey processers in the nation to offer organic and antibiotic-free products, and it processes about 7 million turkeys a year. In 2019, it completed a three-year, $100 million plant expansion. 

A two-time Radford University grad, King served as vice president of sales and became president of the cooperative in 2017. He previously worked for ag giants Rocco Foods (now Cargill) and Pilgrim’s Pride and joined the co-op when it was formed. King serves as a board member on the powerful and influential statewide board of GO Virginia, the state economic development initiative. He also is an executive committee member on the National Turkey Federation’s board and also serves on the Council for Rural Virginia’s board.

Agriculture 2023: MATTHEW RYAN

The 34-year-old Soli Organic closed on a Series D funding round in October 2022 totaling nearly $125 million, funds that will go toward expanding its high-tech, soil-based indoor farms where it grows herbs and leafy greens for sale at more than 20,000 retail stores. Started as Shenandoah Growers, Soli rebranded in 2021 and is now a national company, with facilities in Washington state and South Carolina. With the latest funding, the company plans to build an automated indoor farm and packing facility in San Antonio.

Ryan became Soli’s CEO in 2021. Last fall, Ryan said that Soli is seeking indoor farm locations in the Midwest and Northeast, which would allow it to distribute fresher products to regional grocery stores. With its growing physical footprint, Soli hired former Tesla infrastructure director Jeff Jackson as its chief infrastructure officer this year.

A Harvard University graduate, Ryan has served on the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals board of directors since January 2020.

Transportation 2023: DEVON C. ANDERS

In 1993, Jerry Morris and Wayne Ruck bought an old Weyers Cave factory, seeking to maintain their box-manufacturing business while entering the logistics sector. Anders, then an accountant seeking a different field, became InterChange’s president in 2000.

Since then, InterChange’s portfolio has grown to nearly 2 million square feet and 500-plus acres of prime industrial and commercial land, including 18 warehouses in the Shenandoah Valley. In 2019, the company opened a cold storage facility in Mount Crawford.

A certified public accountant who has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Mennonite University, Anders leads 380 employees in the Shenandoah Valley and Portsmouth. Before joining InterChange, he was a controller at Packaging Services and an audit manager at PBMares (then PBGH).

Anders serves on GO Virginia’s Region 8 Council and chairs the Virginia Maritime Association’s Valley Logistics Chapter.

HOW I BALANCE WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE: Schedule times for travel and things we want to do. Journal and quiet time to keep perspective.

NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: Sailing the Turkish coast and Greek countryside, following the travels of the Apostle Paul

Plans revealed for second Buc-ee’s Va. location

Buc-ee’s appears to be planning its second Virginia location, this time along Interstate 81 in Rockingham County near Mt. Crawford.

According to a post on the county’s Facebook page, Buc-ee’s, the Texas-sized travel center chain, has applied for a special use permit for review and approval of a proposed sign plan. The Texas-based retailer is planning a 74,000-square-foot store with 120 fueling positions and 24 electric vehicle charging stations, with a projected opening in 2025.

New Kent County’s economic development department revealed Buc-ee’s plans for a center along I-64 when it posted to its Facebook page in march that the chain filed for a conditional use permit for signage. Buc-ee’s New Kent LLC purchased 27.686 acres located at Exit 211 off Interstate 64 from Kent Farms Holdings Company, LLC for $6.5 million. Completion of that sale was announced in June. Once complete, it could be among the company’s largest locations.

The Buc-ee’s chain has opened more than 25 locations throughout the South in the past two decades. The Rockingham and New Kent locations are among four the company says it has planned in the state.

Avian flu outbreaks strike Va. farms

For almost a year, Virginia poultry farms managed to avoid the nation’s worst-ever avian flu outbreak, but in January, the virus struck a commercial turkey operation in Rockingham County, prompting the killings of 25,300 birds.

Five days later, 10,700 more turkeys were euthanized in Rockingham, and in February, 800 birds at an Alexandria live market were killed to stop the flu’s spread.

These numbers are small, considering that 58.6 million birds nationwide have died from the flu as of mid-March. But even a small outbreak is a big deal in Rockingham, where federal mandates required the 150 to 200 poultry facilities within 10 kilometers of the infected flock to quarantine and test their birds.

In 2021, Virginia poultry farmers produced 14.5 million turkeys. The state produced 284.5 million broiler chickens that year, too. So, avian flu “is definitely very significant to the business,” says Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesman Michael Wallace.

A 2002 flu bout led to the culling of more than 4.7 million birds in Virginia, costing the poultry industry $130 million. Egg and turkey prices have escalated in the past year, partly due to the flu.

The illness can be brought into poultry farms when wild birds like waterfowl or bald eagles mix with a domesticated flock, or by poultry workers stepping in wild bird droppings, Wallace notes.

Dr. Charles Broaddus, the state veterinarian, says the number of migratory birds flying through Virginia is causing the disease’s spread here — although the flu makes chickens and domestic turkeys visibly sick quickly, vultures and eagles can carry the virus with few, if any, symptoms. The good news is that migration is expected to taper off in mid-April, Broaddus says, and this avian flu strain hasn’t affected humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that as long as poultry or eggs are cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, they’re safe to eat.

Once a farm has a confirmed infection, it can take several months to disinfect all areas so it’s safe to bring birds back, Broaddus notes, although the smaller live market in Alexandria was back in business in three days after cleaning and disinfecting.

“With biosecurity, there’s always room for improvement, and farmers are doing a good job at that,” he says, although with the virus thriving among wild birds, it is hard to combat.   

A time to build

The Shenandoah Valley Partnership had more economic development activity than “anyone anticipated in 2022,” says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director.

During the calendar year, the partnership saw close to $140 million in investment and 520 jobs. 

In Fishersville, Amazon.com Inc. is building a $120 million, 1 million-square-foot nonsortable fulfillment center, which handles bulky or large items such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs. The building, 85% complete as of late January, is expected to be finished this spring, according to Langston.

“I’ve been in this business for 38 years and never had a project like that come in so fast,” he adds. “It was the right place and the right time. Augusta County did a superb job working with consultants and engineers. It was a huge team effort.”

Additionally, Rockingham Cooperative in Rockingham County will invest nearly $17 million to upgrade and expand its grain handling and feed manufacturing operations, adding up to 20 jobs.

“This is a major investment because of the growth of agriculture in the region,” Langston says. “We have four of the top five agriculture top-producing counties in Virginia in this region.”

Augusta County

Augusta County’s economy held strong with the February 2022 announcement of Amazon’s nonsortable fulfillment center.

With 21% of the county’s workforce in manufacturing, “job openings in that sector, particularly, continued to grow,” says Rebekah Castle, the county’s director of economic development and marketing. “There continues to be great potential for growth with growing job openings and programs like Blue Ridge Community College’s Job Starter, paid training providing the skills … needed to be successful starting a job in advanced manufacturing.”

Harrisonburg

“Active and productive” are the words Brian Shull, Harrisonburg’s economic development director, uses to describe the city’s economic development in 2022.

Farmer Focus completed construction on its organic chicken packaging facility, a $65 million-plus project in northern Harrisonburg, in February 2022.

“This project led to enhanced business interest in surrounding greenfield sites,” undeveloped land that can be used for commercial or residential development, Shull says. 

Lauf Cycling, an Icelandic high-end bicycle manufacturer, selected Harrisonburg for its U.S. headquarters, including a showroom and distribution center. The company made the announcement in April 2022 and signed a five-year lease for a 6,500-square-foot shell building in downtown Harrisonburg at 156 E. Washington St., which the bike maker plans to build out. Lauf’s projections call for hiring approximately eight employees in three years. Capital investment figures for the facility build-out have not been released.

“Harrisonburg has such a strong cycling and outdoor recreation culture,” Shull says. “Lauf quickly recognized this asset and wanted to be part of it.”

Harrisonburg Innovation Hub (HIH), a coworking center, is expected to open in the former Wetsel Seed building downtown late this year. The HIH team purchased the 25,648-square-foot building for $2.88 million and expects the purchase and renovation costs to total $4.5 million. The space will offer up to 60 offices, rooftop event space and an AV production studio, developers say.

In addition, Blue Ridge Rubber & Industrial Products Co., an industrial rubber hose fabricator, is investing $700,000 to expand its Harrisonburg manufacturing facility on Acorn Drive, near Eastern Mennonite University.

Thanks to increased tourism spending and James Madison University’s first year in the Sun Belt Conference, Harrisonburg also experienced a healthy bounce in hospitality sector tax revenue in 2022. Compared with 2021, Harrisonburg saw a 15.8% jump in meals tax revenue, a 12.1% rise in lodging tax revenue and a 9.2% increase in sales tax revenue.

Rockbridge County

The past year was the most productive year Rockbridge County had seen in economic development over the last five years.

“In addition to establishing an office of economic development, the county started developing its first strategic economic development plan to guide future economic development efforts,” reports Brandy Flint, the county’s director of economic development. “We have two new commercial construction projects underway and two more to start next year.”

The estimated value of all 2022 commercial building permits, including new construction and renovations, was “approximately $18.6 million,” she adds.

The conversion of a Modine Manufacturing Co. warehouse into a manufacturing plant was a $7 million project that kicked off in 2021, with work completed in November 2022. “That project has continued into 2022 with an increased scope of work and additional employment,” Flint says, noting the plant’s projected 60 jobs has increased to 73 because of an increase in sales.

Rockingham County

Rockingham County’s growth in 2022 was a balance of new and existing business expansions and announcements.

“The county is fortunate to have such a diverse economic base of manufacturing, food and beverage and service-related businesses throughout the community,” says Joshua Gooden, the county’s economic development and tourism coordinator.

In 2021, Veronesi Holding S.p.A. selected the county to become the first North American location for its cured meat processing facility located in Innovation Village @ Rockingham. The Italian company broke ground in February 2022 on the facility, which is anticipated to be completed this spring. The plant is expected to bring 150 jobs to the county.

Meanwhile, Gooden says, the $6.5 million expansion of Virginia Industrial Plastics Inc.’s plant in Rockingham, a project that was expected to create 92 jobs, has been delayed. The project was announced in 2021.

Shenandoah County

Shenandoah County saw a dramatic increase in the number of leads and interest in properties throughout 2022, says Jenna French, the county’s director of tourism and economic development.

“Our industrial development authority entered into an option-to-purchase agreement on a 21-acre parcel in the Northern Shenandoah Business Park in Strasburg, and one of our larger parcels of industrially zoned land recently sold in the Toms Brook area,” she says.

Shenandoah crossed the finish line with one of its larger tourism projects, a $109 million wellness and nature resort known as Simply Shenandoah, which is slated to break ground this spring and open to guests in 2024. The deal is expected to create 125 jobs.

“With tourism being the second largest industry in our county, this is a welcome addition that fills a unique niche for the county, offering a higher end experience and additional lodging opportunities,” French says.

Waynesboro

Waynesboro’s economic development wins were a bit smaller than those in other localities, but Greg Hitchin, the city’s director of economic development and tourism, notes, “We opened five businesses this summer, and all are doing well.”

Also, the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s Waynesboro campus is moving forward, with the design phase set to end in June 2023. Contingent on General Assembly funding, groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for 2024, with a spring or summer 2026 opening. The city expects the museum to draw more than 65,000 visitors annually.

Winchester

In Winchester, one of 2022’s major economic wins was the redevelopment of the Winchester Towers property, with Lynx Ventures LLC leading a mixed-use project with 175 residential units and a structured parking facility, as well as retail and dining space.

“Combining the housing with the services enhances socialization and provides the businesses with ready consumer activity. It’s a win-win for all involved,” says Winchester Mayor John David Smith Jr.

The city’s economic development authority leveraged the state’s enterprise zone program to facilitate an $11 million expansion of Continental AG, generating 67 manufacturing jobs as well as other investments. The authority didn’t provide incentive details.

In December 2021, TFC Poultry LLC announced it would invest $31.5 million to establish its second U.S. production facility in Winchester at the former Sunshine’s Pride Dairy facility, which was expected to open by April. The project is anticipated to create 111 jobs.

Trex Company Inc., one of the major brands of composite decking, is building a $7 million, 64,000-square-foot global headquarters and adding 200 employees. (See related story.) Announced in January 2022, construction is underway with completion anticipated in the third quarter of 2023.

Soli Organic hires former Tesla exec

Rockingham County-based Soli Organic Inc. has hired former Tesla executive Jeff Jackson as its chief infrastructure officer, the indoor farming company announced Friday.

Jackson was the director of infrastructure for Tesla, which manufactures electric vehicles. At Soli Organic, he will support the strategic development of the company’s new facilities and infrastructure. He will lead building, geographic expansion, clean and low-carbon energy sourcing, scaled design and facility innovation, according to a news release.

Soli Organic recently closed a $125 million Series D funding round. In 2021, it broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot facility in South Carolina and in February 2022 announced plans to build a 130,000-square-foot, soil-based, controlled environment agriculture farm in Washington state.

“We are committed to flipping the paradigm that organic must be more expensive. Our indoor farms provide sure supply of fresh, nearby, sustainably grown produce and our technology allows us to provide the quality organic produce consumers want at prices they can afford. Demand in key markets is high and we are gaining leadership as we rise to meet it with expanded facilities in strategic locations,” CEO Matt Ryan said in a statement. “Jeff will further accelerate our efforts in this next phase of growth, drawing on decades of experience with global brands well-known for fast growth and world-changing technology to drive the evolution of industries.”

Jackson has more than 20 years of experience in operations, engineering and construction. He spent more than seven years at Tesla and has held leadership roles in operations and facilities at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. He will be based on the West Coast, but plans to regularly travel to Soli Organic’s Virginia headquarters.

Soli sells a variety of lettuces, herbs, purées and potted herbs at 20,000 retail stores nationwide and operates several facilities around the country.