Pittsylvania anticipates $7M investment by 2 businesses

In a pair of announcements Wednesday, Pittsylvania County officials celebrated an expected total investment of $7 million and more than 40 jobs by two businesses.

A paper manufacturer’s Pittsylvania County location is expanding and a Danville medical equipment company is moving to the county, state and county officials announced Wednesday.

Netherlands-based paper honeycomb producer Axxor is investing $3.5 million in expanding its capacity in Pittsylvania, creating 21 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced. Danville-based Commonwealth Home Health Care Inc. will invest $3.5 million in a Blairs facility and create 26 jobs, the county and the company announced.

Paper honeycomb developer and producer Axxor will expand its manufacturing capacity in Ringgold East Industrial Park, expected to create 21 jobs. The company will purchase new machinery through a partnership with a Ford Bronco platform supplier to Ford Motor Co.

“Axxor took a chance on Virginia in 2011 as an entry point into the North American market, and its continued growth in Pittsylvania County is a great success story,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The company offers an innovative, sustainable product that continues to gain momentum across various industries, and we expect its trajectory to continue. We are proud to have Axxor on the commonwealth’s corporate roster and look forward to a continued partnership.”

Netherlands businessman Weiger Wigersma founded Axxor in 1993, and the company has operated in Ringgold since 2012, through a partnership with co-owner Robert Boerrigter. Paper honeycomb helps manufacturers reduce weight and shipping costs and can be used in a range of products, from furniture and packing to automotive components.

“When selecting the location for its production facility in North America in 2011, Axxor believed the support offered by the state and local leadership to be the strongest in the region,” Boerrigter said in a statement. “Since beginning production in 2012, the state and local communities have delivered on those promises made in 2011 and now again supported our next phase with a competitive package. For this reason, continuing its expansion in Ringgold was a logical choice.”

For the Axxor project, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Pittsylvania County and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Michigan. The VEDP will support Axxor through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultative services and funding to support employee recruitment and training to companies creating jobs. The company is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Commonwealth Home Health Care Inc., currently headquartered in Danville, will move operations of its three companies — Commonwealth Home Health Care, Commonwealth Document Management and Fire Safe — to a 100,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Pittsylvania. The move will take place over the next two years, and the companies will leave the existing retail and corporate office in Danville.

The new facility will be used for warehousing operations, training, equipment and additional personnel. It will also have a conference teaching area to offer programs to companies that may not have space of their own.

The company has grown from three employees to more than 200 over the past 40 years. It has offices in Danville, Salem, Martinsville and South Boston, and its footprint stretches from Washington, D.C., to Gainesville, Florida.

Commonwealth Home Health Care is a medical equipment company that provides home oxygen, safety and rehabilitation products. Commonwealth Document Management is a full-service document management company founded in 2011 that provides shredding, record storage, hard drive destruction and scanning services. Fire Safe provides live emergency and non-emergency safety training and compliance for employees, plus fire equipment, maintenance, cleaning and sales for businesses.

“We are excited for the expansion of the commonwealth companies operations to the Blairs community,” Chief Operating Officer Brian Wilson said in a statement. “By adding this location to our organization, we will be able to continue our growth to include much needed space, new equipment and additional personnel.”