A titanic win
After enduring the exodus of companies like Burlington Mills and Daystrom Furniture over the past two decades, Halifax County is celebrating its biggest manufacturing announcement in decades — the arrival of Virginia’s first titanium demonstration facility. Last fall, Charlotte, North Carolina-based IperionX Ltd., a minerals[...]
Moving in
Southern Virginia is laying out the welcome mat for a growing number of companies seeking to locate in areas with lower taxes, better proximity to supply chains, a skilled workforce and improved quality of life. During 2022, a variety of businesses, ranging from an automotive education and entertainment firm to a moving and tr[...]
It’s official — Ford plant going to Michigan
Ford Motor Co. announced Monday that it will build an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, a $3.5 billion project that Virginia was considered for until Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled the state out of it late last year. Youngkin’s concern, he said in January, was over the involvement of China-based Contemporary Amperex [...]
Danville pharma startup announces $6.1M expansion
Danville-based pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing company Engineered BioPharmaceuticals Inc. will invest $6.1 million to expand from a business incubator into its first standalone manufacturing space, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The move is expected to create 34 jobs. The company will expand from its current lab space at Dan River Business Development Center — a […]
Farmville SEED hub seeks to grow innovation
Luther Cifers launched fishing equipment company YakAttack LLC in 2009 out of his friend’s basement, and he moved to the garage to create prototypes of its gear. Now, he is putting in work so future entrepreneurs will have a dedicated space for their projects. The Farmville SEED Innovation Hub, slated to open in late fall, [&h[...]
Danville lacks housing options for workforce
Danville is having a “Field of Dreams” dilemma. The famous movie quote, “If you build it, they will come,” rings all too true in the former mill town, which is attracting companies to its industrial parks and old Dan River Mills properties, along with a $650 million casino. It’s good news on paper, but where […]
Democrats call out Youngkin on Ford plant decision
Democratic state delegates excoriated Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday for taking Virginia out of the running for a $3.5 billion Ford Motor Co. battery manufacturing plant that would have created at least 2,500 jobs in Southern Virginia. The governor said last week that although Virginia was a finalist for the economic de[...]
White Mill project renamed ‘Dan River Falls’
The city of Danville and The Alexander Co. held a groundbreaking Thursday for the redevelopment of the long-vacant White Mill in Danville’s River District. At the ceremony held Thursday in Danville, officials revealed that the White Mill will now be called “Dan River Falls,” honoring Dan River Fabrics, the text[...]
NY textiles company to buy Patrick County HanesBrands facility
New York-based specialty textile manufacturer Apex Mills Corp. will invest $3.1 million to acquire the former HanesBrands facility in Patrick County, along with the plant’s equipment. The acquisition will retain 96 jobs and create an estimated 44 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Apex Mills will fulfill contracts for the Hanes clothing brands. HanesBrands Inc. […]
Caesars ups the ante on Danville casino
Since its approval by Danville voters in November 2020, plans for a casino in the city have shifted. In August 2022, Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced a partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Together, they upped the size and scope of Caesars Virginia, increasing their investment from $400 million to $[...]
State industrial fund awards $24.7M to projects
The governor announced more than $24.7 million in Industrial Revitalization Fund grants going to construction projects across Virginia on Tuesday, including Danville’s White Mill, South Boston’s John Randolph Hotel and other historic properties. “The transformation of older, vacant or blighted structures into produ[...]
Center aims to grow manufacturing
In 2015, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville was attracting manufacturers at a faster pace than it could handle. The IALR was providing work-ready incubation space where companies could launch their businesses while waiting to build, upgrade or occupy facilities while also helping build a pipeline of wor[...]