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Sign manufacturer to open facility in Bluefield
Chicago-based custom sign manufacturer Signco Inc. will invest $650,000 to take over the former MC Signs facility at 334 Industrial Park Road in Bluefield, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Signco, which is owned by Anthony Morrone and Vince Sclafani, expects to hire 19 workers at the facility. “Signco’s technology and custom product specifications are advancing […]
Alarm.com to expand Fairfax HQ, create 180 jobs
Alarm.com will expand its technology research and development division at its Fairfax headquarters, investing $2.6 million and creating 180 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. The technology company already has several hundred workers in Virginia and will create additional engineering positions within its research and de[...]
Compounding interest
The Roanoke Valley enjoyed a constant stream of nibbles from prospective corporations considering the area in 2021, according to John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, which promotes development in four counties and three cities. “I don’t think we’ve ever been this busy in terms of interest and [...]
Tilting toward windmills
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.’s October 2021 announcement that it will build the nation’s first offshore-wind blade factory at Portsmouth Marine Terminal has put Hampton Roads on a trajectory to become a supply chain hub for the country’s nascent offshore wind energy industry. The Spanish wind turbine company is inv[...]
Signs of promise
A second year of COVID came and went, but 2021 proved more fruitful and less uncertain for businesses in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates were the highest in the commonwealth. Work on Amazon.com Inc.’s $2.5 billion-plus HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington County is forging ahead, and economic development officia[...]
‘Behind the eight ball’
David Manley had a good feeling. The site visit was going well. During their spring 2021 tour of the Progress Park industrial site in Wytheville, the leaders of a manufacturer of nitrile gloves — those blue, disposable pieces of personal protective equipment that have become ubiquitous during the pandemic — seemed intrigue[...]
Finding new solutions
Movers and shakers in Southwest Virginia wanted to try a new approach to economic development. The stakes were (and are) high. Naturally, the decline of the coal industry had a devastating impact on Virginia’s coalfields. The Appalachian Regional Commission classifies four counties in Southwest Virginia — Buchanan, Dickenson[...]
In the big leagues
Central Virginia continues to attract pharmaceutical companies, advanced manufacturing sites and distribution centers, with 2021 seeing several major deals from companies that will bring large footprints to the region. Richmond was the leader in the clubhouse, with the city occupying half of the spots on the region’s list of t[...]
Complicated history
Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is building a $175 million distribution center and regional headquarters near the intersection of Sliding Hill and Ashcake roads in Hanover County. The 1.1 million-square-foot facility is expected to create roughly 700 jobs, making it one of the most significa[...]
Return to form
In terms of business activity and economic development wins, 2021 turned out to be a stellar year for the Shenandoah Valley. “We have exceeded what we anticipated from a business activity perspective,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, which promotes economic development from Shenand[...]
Hot times in cooling tech
As far as problems go, this was a good one to have. A year into his tenure as director of Virginia operations for Swedish manufacturer Munters Group AB, Brian Frost was seeing “explosive growth” in sales of data center cooling systems manufactured at the company’s facilities in Buena Vista and Natural Bridge. Cooling equip[...]
Big bird
In August 2021, Tyson Foods Inc., one of the world’s largest food companies, announced it will invest $300 million to establish a 325,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pittsylvania County, creating 376 full-time jobs. Just two months later, Tyson broke ground on the project at Cane Creek Centre, an industrial park just[...]
