Article by: Virginia Business | Written by: Elizabeth Cooper

Article from Cardinal News | Written By: Grace Mamon 

An investment group wants to bring 1,900 new residential units to 600 acres of southwestern Pittsylvania County in a master-planned community that would be a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, apartments and senior living. 

If approved, the project by Southside Investing LLC would take a decade or longer to complete, according to a news release from the local investment group.

Companies making clean energy products could get federal tax credits for bringing an industry to the Southern Virginia Mega Site at Berry Hill.

The 3,500-acre mega park in southwestern Pittsylvania County sits in a census tract adjacent to another area in Rockingham County, North Carolina, that has experienced job losses in a fossil-fuel-related industry.

That makes the area where Berry Hill is located an energy community.

“The Berry Hill megasite falls into one of those geographic areas,” said Janine Kritschgau, spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “Therefore, should a company decide to use the site for clean-energy production or the manufacturing of products needed for clean-energy production, then that company would be eligible for the additional incentives.”

Articel from the Danville Register and Bee | Written by John Crane

“Southside Virginia leads the commonwealth in the number of prepared sites, one of the reasons for the success they are achieving in business attraction,” the alliance stated in a news release last week. “The strategy by local elected officials, government and economic development staff to keep an inventory of ready sites that serve diverse industries leads to sites that are ready to market for prospects who need to ensure that the risks of building on the sites have been assessed and minimized.”

Article from Cardinal News | Written by Grace Mamon

Almost 20 industrial sites in Danville and Pittsylvania County are being upgraded to shovel-ready status, and these localities now have the highest number of developed industrial sites in the state, according to Virginia Economic Development Partnership qualifications. 

The locality with the next-highest number of shovel-ready sites is Chesterfield County, with three sites, according to the list of certified sites on VEDP’s website. The VEDP’s Virginia Business Ready Sites Program designates industrial sites in tiers, ranked one through five, to signify the level of development. Tier 4 and Tier 5 sites are considered shovel-ready.

Four sites are being upgraded to a Tier 5 designation and 15 more will now hold the Tier 4 designation in Danville and Pittsylvania County. And in two other Southside localities, more Tier 4 and 5 upgrades mean that almost 30 sites are now considered shovel-ready in the region.  In Patrick County, two sites are being upgraded to Tier 5. And in Halifax, three sites will become Tier 5, and five more will become Tier 4.  This makes eight new Tier 5 sites and 21 new Tier 4 sites in Southside, according to a release from the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance. All these sites were previously Tier 2. 

Southern Virginia Increases Virginia’s Inventory of Shovel-Ready Sites

The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) is pleased to join localities of Halifax, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville in announcing twenty-one sites that will move from Tier-Two to Tier-Four sites (signifying shovel-ready sites) in the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) and eight sites that will move from Tier-Two to Tier-Five (shovel ready sites with graded pad sites).  SVRA received $1,534,900 from GO Virginia Region 3 and $454,100 from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) to further the preparation of sites in areas identified with specific assets for transportation such as rail and highway access, utilities inclusive of significant supply of natural gas, electricity and water supply along with a demonstrated available labor shed and workforce pipeline.  Southern Virginia leads the Commonwealth in the number of prepared sites, one of the reasons for the success they are achieving in business attraction. The strategy by local elected officials, government and economic development staff to keep an inventory of ready sites that serve diverse industries, leads to sites that are ready to market for prospects who need to ensure that the risks of building on the sites have been assessed and minimized. 

The SVRA service region has worked with the engineering firms of Dewberry and Reynolds and Clark to complete right-of-way; engineering and building for reliable, redundant and abundant sites across the region.  The strategy for site development included meeting diverse needs and has resulted in six VBRSP Tier-4 industrial parks in the region that provide access to eight VBRSP Tier-5 graded sites that are ready for immediate construction.  An additional 21 VBRSP Tier-4 sites have completed the engineering due-diligence and are ready for grading and building within 12-18 months. 

Sites range in size from 3.4 to 67 acres with from 2.5-32 acres of developable pad sites that can readily accommodate buildings from 20,000 sq. ft. to 600,000 square feet in size.  Some of the lots can be joined to accommodate larger pad sites for expansion capacity with up to double lot.

News release by the River District Association

Main Street America announced today that River District Association (RDA) in Danville has received the prestigious Great American Main Street Award, which recognizes communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. The 2023 GAMSA designations, sponsored by The Hartford, were presented at the opening plenary for the Main Street Now Conference in Boston, Mass.

Selected by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation, River District Association is being recognized for creating a fertile environment for economic vitality through exceptionally strong collaborative leadership and partnerships.

“River District Association demonstrates that a strong organizational foundation based on an ethos of collaboration and strategy leads to transformative change,” said Main Street America Interim President and CEO, Hannah White. “Their tireless efforts to build meaningful relationships with local stakeholders to inform and realize a holistic economic development approach has created an entrepreneurial ecosystem for the downtown and its surrounding region.”

Global electronics manufacturing services leader to invest total of $18 million to expand manufacturing operation in the City of Danville and U.S. headquarters in Loudoun County

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Germany-based Zollner Elektronik AG, one of the world’s largest manufacturing service providers for electronic and mechatronic components, will invest a combined $18 million to expand in Virginia, growing its market presence in the U.S. and creating 100 new jobs.

VEDP assisted and Governor Youngkin approved the company acquired Electronic Instrumentation and Technology’s (EIT) Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) division in July 2022, which included locations in the City of Danville and Loudoun County. Zollner will invest $14 million to expand its manufacturing operations in the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority-owned Cyber Park to develop custom electronic products for clients using proprietary technology, which will create 80 new jobs. The company will also expand its U.S. headquarters facility in Loudoun County through an additional $4 million investment, creating 20 new jobs. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina and West Virginia for the projects.

“Zollner Elektronik’s decision to increase its market reach with the expansion of its manufacturing capabilities in Danville and U.S. headquarters in Loudoun County demonstrates the strength of our business climate and workforce that benefits diverse industries and locations across Virginia,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “EIT has a long history of success in the Commonwealth, and we look forward to building on that partnership with Zollner in the years to come.”

 “This great expansion is a win for two regions of the Commonwealth as well as our corporate services and manufacturing sectors,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “We are excited to support Zollner Elektronik’s overall growth in Virginia as the company increases production in the City of Danville and expands its U.S. headquarters in Loudoun, creating a total of 100 new jobs for hardworking Virginians. A number of these jobs are now open—interested applicants can visit www.eitcareers.com and apply for job openings at both locations.”

 “Since EIT was founded in 1977, we have had a great deal of support from the Commonwealth of Virginia and local government agencies in helping us grow and prosper. The acquisition by Zollner AG will give us the advantages of a global company while being able to maintain our Virginia presence. Our locations in Leesburg and Danville have workforce availability and are supported by complete transportation systems, so we look forward to continued growth through the acquisition by Zollner,” said David Faliskie, President/Chief Executive Officer of EIT-Zollner.

Article from Virginia Business Magazine

Written by Elizabeth Cooper

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 transit company, announced plans to move into or expand in the region. Local economic development officials attribute the burgeoning commercial growth to the region’s investments in shovel-ready industrial parks and workforce training programs, as well as teamwork to promote Southern Virginia and respond to business needs.