Polish glass fabricator expanding in Henry County

Poland-based Press Glass Inc. will spend more than $155 million to expand its operations in Henry County and add 335 jobs, marking the largest expansion in the county’s history, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

The largest independent glass fabricator in Europe, according to a news release, Press Glass will construct a 360,000-square-foot addition at its existing facility in the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre in Ridgeway, where it manufactures glass for the commercial construction industry. The company currently employs more than 300 workers at the site, which it opened in 2020.

“With this expansion, Press Glass will make the largest single capital investment by a business in Henry County’s history,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The addition of 335 new jobs, more than doubling the company’s head count, helps this region continue its economic rebound and demonstrates the resurgence of manufacturing that is happening across the commonwealth.”

Press Glass was founded in 1991 and has 15 factories in Europe and the United States. The company processes glass for fabricators of windows and doors, facades and interior glass constructions.

“Our clients have trusted us and recognized the high quality of Press Glass products, so the expansion of the factory in Ridgeway is a natural step to increase the availability of our offerings and strengthen our position in the American market,” Press Glass President Maciej Migalski said in a statement. “After the expansion, the Ridgeway plant will be one of the largest and most automated facilities processing architectural glass in the USA. At the same time, we will create new, valuable job opportunities. We express our gratitude to the local leadership for their invaluable support.”

In January, Youngkin announced Commonwealth Crossing would receive about $22 million from the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program in an effort to grow the state’s inventory of project-ready industrial sites larger than 100 acres.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. to secure the project for Virginia, and Youngkin approved a $2 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Henry County with the project. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program.