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Economic Development

Patricia Hunter-Jordan, president of the Hanover County NAACP, says the Wegmans project will disrupt the historic Brown Grove community. Photo by Caroline Martin
Feb 27, 2022

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[...]

Shenandoah Valley Partnership Executive Director Jay Langston at the site where restaurant chain Cava is building a $30 million facility near Staunton. Photo courtesy Rockingham County Economic Development
Feb 27, 2022

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[...]

Munters Group AB is building its new $36 million manufacturing plant in Botetourt County, a relocation from Buena Vista. Photo by Don Petersen
Feb 27, 2022

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 e[...]

In August 2021, Tyson Foods Inc. announced it will build a $300 million, 325,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pittsylvania County. Rendering courtesy Tyson Foods Inc.
Feb 27, 2022

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 [...]

Blue Star NBR LLC is building a plant to produce medical gloves in Wythe County’s Progress Park. Photo by Earl Neikirk
Feb 27, 2022

Glove affair

You can hear the pride in Bill Mosher’s voice when he talks about his dad, Ken Mosher, and his career in the medical glove business. “He was in the glove industry for almost 50 years,” Bill Mosher says incredulously. Ken Mosher’s storied career includes being part of a team that in 1990 invented the nitrile [&hel[...]

The White Mill on the Dan River is set to reopen in 2023 for commercial and residential use, after standing vacant a decade. Photo by Hannah King
Feb 27, 2022

Making headway

Corporate investments are on the upswing in Southern Virginia, along with a desire to increase production, says Linda Green, executive director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance. “People have a lot of pent-up demand, and companies are responding to that,” she says. “We have lots of interest and activity.” Compan[...]

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. is building a $200 million offshore wind turbine parts factory at Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Scheduled to be completed in early 2023, it should create 300-plus jobs. Photo courtesy Port of Virginia
Feb 25, 2022

Hubs and spokes

Economic conditions bounced back across many sectors in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic still impacted development deals occurring in Virginia. The state saw a great deal of focus on manufacturing and supply chain growth, areas expected to stay busy despite the recent change in state political leadership. In Hampton Roads, many [...]

Feb 25, 2022

Walgreens to establish $34.2M fulfillment center in Hanover

Walgreens will invest $34.2 million to establish a micro-fulfillment center in Hanover County, a project expected to create 249 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The 65,686-square-foot facility will be located at the 185,000-square-foot Atlee Station Logistics Center and will have automated machinery to allow for a fle[...]

Feb 23, 2022

Amazon to open Augusta County distribution facility

Amazon.com Inc. will open a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable fulfillment center in Augusta County, creating 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will open in spring 2023 and will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-sized items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipm[...]

Feb 18, 2022

SWVA initiative seeks to attract remote workers

Project Fuse, a regional cooperative initiative to make Southwest Virginia the location of choice for remote employment, launched Friday with the release of a playbook to attract businesses. “The global business community seeks options for both attracting the employees they want and managing their operating costs,” Will Payn[...]

Feb 18, 2022

AutoZone to build $185M distribution center in New Kent

Auto parts retailer AutoZone Inc. plans to build a $185.2 million warehouse and distribution center in New Kent County, creating 352 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The 800,000-square-foot facility will serve as the company’s East Coast distribution operation, according to the governor’s office. Based in [...]

Workers broke ground in January 2022 on the planned $714 million Blue Star NBR medical glove manufacturing complex in Wythe County's Progress Park. Photo by Earl Neikirk.
Feb 10, 2022

$714M Wythe medical glove plant is solo venture now

Developers broke ground in January on the $714 million medical glove manufacturing complex planned for Wythe County’s Progress Park. Only now it may be a solo project, not a joint venture. In October 2021, then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Alexandria-based Blue Star NBR LLC was building manufacturing faciliti[...]

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