State awards $7M in grants to help with site readiness
Eleven commercial projects across the commonwealth will get a boost to help with site readiness, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The Virginia Business Ready Site program, administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, awarded $7 million in development grants. Having project-ready sites available has been a[...]
Danville center launches companies faster
British aerospace and defense components manufacturer MEP Ltd. isn’t moving into its U.S. facility for another few years, but that isn’t stopping the company from getting its operation off the ground in Danville sooner. In August 2021, MEP (which will operate in the U.S. as Making Everything Possible LLC) moved into a space [...]
Va. invests $722M in broadband expansion
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam this week announced a state investment of $722 million in grants toward expanding high-speed internet service in 70 localities across the commonwealth. The governor says the funding will help Virginia achieve 90% of its universal broadband access goal by 2024. “Broadband access impacts every facet o[...]
Two Va. projects are finalists for $100M U.S. EDA grants
Two Virginia projects — one to make Central Virginia an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing hub and one to support the transportation and logistics cluster in Southern and Southwest Virginia — are two of 60 finalists for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which will provide awardees with up to $100 million each. […]
UK race car maker taps into Martinsville talent
College students in Martinsville can get on the fast track to careers with British race car manufacturer Radical Sportscars. In May, the Peterborough, England-based company opened its first U.S.-based sales office at Patrick & Henry Community College’s Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Complex, close to the school�[...]
New IDA director is no stranger
When Kristy Johnson moved to Halifax County from Georgia in 2008, the community welcomed her family with open arms, she says. Now she has the opportunity to return the favor as the new executive director of the county’s Industrial Development Authority. Johnson’s no stranger to the organization. She’s worked for the IDA si[...]
VF Corp. to create 82 jobs in Henry County
Denver-based apparel and footwear company VF Corp. will create 82 jobs with a $10.2 million expansion within Henry County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The company will make upgrades within its 500,000-square-foot facility in Martinsville to increase distribution capacity and speed. “VF Corp. has thrived in Henry Cou[...]
Virginia wins $5M DOD grant to train shipbuilding workers
Virginia won a $5 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to train workers in defense manufacturing industries, particularly shipbuilding, in Danville and Hampton Roads, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The grant will go to the Virginia Defense Manufacturing Community, which brings together the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Southern Virginia and Old Dominion […]
Plastics company to revive textile mill site in Hurt
At the site of what was once a Burlington Industries textile mill in Hurt, Staunton River Plastics is building a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Staunton River Plastics is the first tenant for the newly named Southern Virginia Multimodal Park, says Linda Green, executive director at the Southern Virginia Regional All[...]
$300M widening of U.S. Route 58 has started in Patrick County
A groundbreaking ceremony took place Wednesday in Patrick County to widen a 7.4-mile stretch of U.S. Route 58 in Patrick County, the first phase of a project to create a continuous four-lane highway between Virginia Beach and Interstate 77. The project, part of the U.S. Route 58 Corridor Development Program enacted by state lawm[...]
German manufacturer bringing 355 jobs to Henry County
Schock GmbH, a German quartz composite sink manufacturer, plans to build an $85 million manufacturing facility in Henry County, creating 355 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Virginia competed with Florida, Georgia and North Carolina for the project, which will occupy a 95,500-square-foot shell building on 14.7 acres i[...]
Company to build $4.2M facility in Brunswick County
Southern Virginia Vegetable Packing LLC has partnered with Brunswick County Industrial Development Authority, with plans to build a 45,000-square-foot, $4.2 million produce processing and packing facility that is expected to create 40 jobs over three years, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. Old Dominion Organic Farms, a member of Southern Virginia Vegetable Packing, will operate the […][...]