Paula C. Squires// April 2, 2018//
Stihl Inc. continues to expand in Virginia Beach. The U.S. division of Stihl Group has broken ground on a $25 million, 80,000-square-foot administration building.
Besides the new administration space, the project will include improvements to an outdoor demonstration area for hands-on training, enhancements to the entry guardhouse and updates to traffic flow and security at the main entrance gate.
“Stihl Inc. has enjoyed more than 40 years of growth and expansion in Virginia Beach,’’ Bjoern Fischer, president of Stihl Inc., said in a statement. “This groundbreaking is a sign of our confidence in a continued positive environment for modern manufacturing in the city of Virginia Beach and signals our ongoing investment not only to the region but our network of more than 9,000 servicing dealers and their customers.”
Stihl is a leading outdoor power equipment manufacturer. Since coming to Virginia Beach in 1974, the campus has grown from a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse to more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and administrative space on more than 150 acres at its site on Viking Drive. The construction of the new administration building will inclde a Stihl museum, customer welcome center and other upgrades.
Virginia Beach-based Hourigan Construction, will serve as the general contractor for the project. Another Hampton Roads company, HBA Architecture Interior Design, is the lead architect. Virginia Beach-based Creative Development Partners will serve as the owner’s representative.
Bjoern Fischer, president of Stihl, at the groundbreaking ceremony courtesy of Stihl Inc.