Battery-powered tools are wave of future at Stihl
Stihl Inc., the U.S. affiliate of the global Stihl Group, has invested more than $60 million on battery manufacturing at its Virginia Beach facility since 2018, according to Stuart Morrison, the company’s vice president of assembly. Battery-powered tools — like pruners, trimmers and blowers — are expected to see the fa[...]
IALR hires new manufacturing advancement exec
Jason Wells will join the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research as executive vice president of manufacturing advancement on June 3, according to a release from the Danville-based economic development organization. Wells, who has nearly three decades of experience in high-performance manufacturing, replaces Todd Yeatts, a [...]
Montgomery manufacturer to invest $1.6M to increase capacity
ESS Technologies, which specializes in packaging line design, equipment manufacturing and integration for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and consumer packaging goods industries, will invest $1.6 million to increase capacity at a new facility in Montgomery County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The new facility will be located in the former Jeld-Wen building on Scattergood Drive in Christiansburg, according[...]
Fed’s Fifth District economy grows slightly
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) grew slightly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released April 17. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is bas[...]
Altria plans to sell 35M Anheuser-Busch InBev shares
Henrico County-based Altria Group announced Wednesday it hopes to sell 35 million ordinary shares in Anheuser-Busch InBev in a public offering. The proceeds — estimated by Bloomberg at up to $2.2 billion — will go toward repurchases of Altria’s common stock, according to the Fortune 500 company’s statement. Altri[...]
Critical minerals co. reactivates Petersburg operation
Petersburg-based Atlantic Strategic Minerals will invest more than $50 million to restore and reopen a mining operation in Dinwiddie County and a concentrator plant and mineral separation plant in Sussex County, producing critical minerals that are used in various supply chains, the governor’s office announced Monday. The project is expected to create 71 jobs at […]
Alliance for Building Better Medicine receives $1M award
The Alliance for Building Better Medicine — a group of public and private pharmaceutical manufacturers and research organizations in Richmond and Petersburg — will receive a $1 million award from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Richmond-based innovation incubator Activation Capital, which convened the alliance four yea[...]
Modine will invest $18.1M in Rockbridge County expansion
Modine Manufacturing, a manufacturer of cooling equipment for data centers, will invest $18.1 million to expand its Rockbridge County operation, creating an estimated 211 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Wisconsin-based Modine, which builds thermal management systems and components, saw $2.3 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2023, a 12% increase over the previous […]
Mack Trucks will expand Roanoke County facility
North Carolina-based Mack Trucks, a division of Sweden-based Volvo Group, will invest $14.5 million to expand its Roanoke County manufacturing operation, a project expected to create 51 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Mack Trucks, a medium- and heavy-duty trucks producer, will add 72,000 square feet to its current fa[...]
Smithfield Foods hires two C-suite execs
Virginia-based Smithfield Foods named two C-suite executives Monday. The nation’s largest pork product manufacturer and hog producer has named Brendan Smith its chief marketing officer and Allyson Bouldon its chief ethics and compliance officer. Smith is returning to Smithfield Foods, having previously served as senior vice pr[...]
Lego donates $1M to six Richmond-area nonprofits
Lego Group has distributed $1 million in grants across six Richmond region nonprofits, the Danish toymaker announced Thursday. The company, which broke ground in April on its $1 billion manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County, awarded the funding to organizations serving children and families as part of its commitment to h[...]
Carpenter to acquire N.C. foam manufacturer
Richmond-based polyurethane foam manufacturer Carpenter has signed an agreement to acquire North Carolina-based NCFI Polyurethanes’ Consumer Products division, the company announced Wednesday. Carpenter declined to disclose financial terms of the transaction. The NCFI division has about 150 employees, who will join Carpenter�[...]