Tag Archive for: Insites

SportsQuest, the Chesterfield County-based sports and entertainment enterprise, has partnered with the largest independent soccer group in the area — the Richmond Strikers.

The arrangement will allow the Strikers to use SportsQuest’s 17-field synthetic turf tournament complex, currently under construction, for its major annual events, including its crown jewel, the prestigious Jefferson Cup. That tournament draws about 750 teams and 30,000 people to the Richmond area each year, most of them from out of state.

The two-weekend event is held at 13 sites around the area, including the Strikers’ 11-field park in Henrico County, and generates about $9 million annually in tourism dollars, according to economic-impact studies conducted for the Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The partnership with SportsQuest will allow the Strikers to accept more teams and potentially expand the tournament to a three-weekend event. The Strikers also might enlarge its other major tournament, the Capital Fall Classic, a one-weekend event in November that draws about 350 teams.

The Strikers will work with SportsQuest to host additional tournaments at the campus, with the goal being five a year over eight weekends, which could bring as many as 100,000 people to the area. The two groups will share the revenue from the events.

“This is a true partnership. We’re putting all the money in a bucket and sharing,” said Burton, who noted that the Strikers’ recreation and travel leagues will remain independent of SportsQuest.

Work is scheduled to begin this fall on the west campus, which will include a 5,000-seat arena, a 2,500-seat ice multisports center, a velodrome for track bicycling, an aquatics center, and a fitness center.

In total, SportsQuest’s campus is expected to cost about $100 million.

Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors passed an agenda item on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, to approve a lease with SportsQuest of 8 synthetic fields and a 40,000 square feet warm-up area at 288 and Powhite Parkway. This lease also includes the use of 2 gymnasiums, or 4 practice courts, and a senior center. SportsQuest will support recreational, youth development, and high performance programming in 30 different sports. To learn more about SportsQuest visit www.sportsquest.biz.

The 250-acre campus, when fully built out, will have a capital investment impact of $250 million and create up to 500 jobs. The project is estimated to produce direct tax revenue of $2 million and indirect tax revenue of $4-5 million per year to the county.

Shaw Sportexe will be responsible for installing a total of 1.7 million square feet of artificial turf on the campus. Shaw Sportexe is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. and is one of the leading synthetic turf companies in North America. They have an impressive list of high-profile field installations such as the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, LSU and University of Arkansas to list a few. For more information, visit www.shawsportexe.com.

Construction on the114-acre East Campus is currently underway and the first 1 million square feet of turf will be installed and ready to play on for fall programs. Remaining areas will be completed by December 31st of this year. The West Campus will include the 5,000-seat arena, 2,500-seat ice-plex, velodrome, an aquatics center and fitness center. Corporate and retail will include a hotel and sports medicine center.

Chesterfield County Economic Development Announces Celebrate Chesterfield Business!

Chesterfield County and this year’s sponsors join the Commonwealth of Virginia in celebrating Business Appreciation Week throughout the Commonwealth. Coordinated each year by the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, Business Appreciation Week is scheduled for May 16th – 22th, 2010.

This year’s Business Appreciation Week theme is “A Commonwealth of Opportunity”. Every day, in thousands of different ways, Virginia’s businesses touch their communities with helping hands and loyal support. “Local businesses contribute to the strength of our local economy and provide enhanced quality of life for our residents,” said Chesterfield County Administrator James J. L. Stegmaier. “I am privileged to officially thank every business in our community during Business Appreciation Week.”

Chesterfield County Economic Development will host Celebrate Chesterfield Business! for local businesses in honor of Business Appreciation on May 19th at the Courtyard by Marriott in Chester. This event is by invitation only, however, if you are interested in attending, are a Chesterfield County business and have not yet received your invitation, please contact Economic Development. Driving directions are avaliable here.

Other sponsors for this year’s event include DuPont, Village Bank, Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, Dominion, and Courtyard by Marriott.

This year Chesterfield County will be announcing the Annual First Choice Business Award winners during the event. Super Radiator Coils was the 2009 Business of the Year recipient.

For more information on this year’s Celebrate Chesterfield Business! contact Lori Perez at (804) 318-8567, or email at lori@chesterfieldbusiness.com

Kenco will be adding 25 – 30 new jobs and investing $1.6 million at their current site at the Walthall Enterchange in Chesterfield County.

Kenco Logistic Services is one of the nation’s leading third-party logistics providers and has grown to over 100 facilities and more than 25 million square feet of warehouse space in 32 states and Canada. Kenco manages facilities for the automotive, food, textile, appliance, and healthcare industries.

Devon USA will act as the General Contractor for the expansion. Devon is a leading developer and general contractor for warehouse, distribution, and light manufacturing facilities in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Chesterfield County Economic Development assisted with the expansion as well as the Virginia Department of Business Assistance.

Dan Gecker, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said, “The growth of our existing industry is a key element in our economic development strategy and we are extremely pleased that Kenco is expanding in Chesterfield County.”

Gordon Mulkey, Kenco General Manager, commented, “Chesterfield County is a terrific location for business and we look forward to this expansion. We are very pleased with the pro-business environment and level of support we have received.”

New Watkins Centre ambulatory care campus projected for 2011

A new $30 million Bon Secours ambulatory care campus will bring an influx of capital investment and 100 new jobs to northwest Chesterfield County in addition to increased availability of ambulatory services for the county’s fast growing population.

The new campus of Bon Secours will be located at Watkins Centre, at the corner of Route 288 and Midlothian Turnpike, just 4.5 miles from Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. Scheduled completion for Phase I of the project is 2011.

“We are very pleased to make an announcement that will have such a tremendous economic benefit to the county,” said Art Warren, chairman of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. “Bon Secours’ development adds important healthcare services for the community, creates a substantial number of jobs, and is strategically positioned to be a success for both the health system and the county.”

Bon Secours at Watkins Centre will be built in phases with Phase I consisting of 100,000 square feet of space that includes a freestanding emergency department, a comprehensive diagnostic imaging center and a physician medical office building which will house primary care, obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine physician practices.

When Phase II is completed, the total medical campus will consist of some 200,000 square feet of space. Plans for Phase II are still under development.

“Chesterfield County has been a great partner; we worked closely in selecting the Watkins Centre property for development,” said Peter J. Bernard, chief executive officer of Bon Secours Virginia. “We have done our due diligence on this project and expect all of our services to be at or near capacity soon after operations begin.”

According to Chesterfield Country officials, the Midlothian area surrounding the Watkins Centre is expected to grow significantly in the next 10 years, creating a need for more medical services to accommodate the growing population.

The northwest part of the county, where the Watkins Centre is located, will service three large residential and commercial areas of Chesterfield as well as Powhatan, Goochland, and Western Henrico counties.

The Watkins Centre, already under development, has room for 2.5 million square feet of office space, 200,000 of which is already developed and 1.3 million square feet of retail space, 900,000 of which is already developed. “This area is one of the key gateways to the future economic growth of Chesterfield County. This project is a perfect fit and we’re excited about the continued investment of Bon Secours in our community,” said Jay Stegmaier, County Administrator for Chesterfield County.

“Adding 200,000 square feet of medical facilities is a key element of the Watkins Centre,” said Sen. John Watkins, who represents Chesterfield County. “Bon Secours is integral to the property’s development and compliments everything we are trying to accomplish in Chesterfield. The health system’s St. Francis Medical Center has already been a tremendous asset to our residents and the new development will serve us well.”

Bon Secours is a not-for-profit Catholic health system with four hospitals in the greater Richmond metropolitan area; St. Mary’s, Memorial Regional, Richmond Community Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center, as well as Bon Secours Medical Group which is composed of more than 40 physician practice groups.

The mission of the Virginia Business Excellence Consortium is to provide a vehicle to help companies identify and obtain support in implementing advanced business practices to improve processes, operations and worker skill levels in Virginia.

The consortium achieves its mission through: site visits at member companies to see first hand how they are implementing a particular improvement initiative; training workshops or round-table discussions on topics of interest to members; speaker events; and sharing ideas, resources, and information on training and educational opportunities and to assist with member problem-solving.

There are three to four learning events per quarter and companies can send anyone in their company to any event. When space is limited, the director allocates spaces to ensure the broadest participation by interested member companies.

Being a member of VBEC provides member companies with the opportunity to:

Ø Develop a network of individuals in a variety of companies and industries that you can call on for advice and assistance in implementing business improvements
Ø Go behind the scenes of other businesses and see how they operate, how they are implementing improvements, what their challenges are and how they are addressing them
Ø Take advantage of expertise in other companies and leverage resources for training, learning and problem-solving
Ø Access to various external educational and training resources and speakers
Ø Discounts on training/educational programs offered by affiliate members, i.e., VPMEP and SPQA
Ø Dues Structure

For more information on the consortium and how to become a member visit their website at www.vbec.org

Virginia T’s, Inc. has completed the relocation of its warehousing operation to Chesterfield County. The company is leasing 208,000 square feet at 11200 Old Stage Road in Chester, Virginia. There are 101 full time and part time employees working at the location. Seventy-five of those employees transferred from the Petersburg location while 26 were new hires. The new investment to Chesterfield County is estimated to be $15,000.

Virginia T’s distributes imprintable sportswear. It offers wearable, headwear, and accessory needs. The company was founded in 1984 in Petersburg, Virginia. In 1992, the company added a location in Jacksonville, Florida, and in 2001 added one in Evansville, Indiana.

Virginia T’s offers competitive prices, features a wide variety of all the best-selling imprintables and has no minimums. The company has its’ own “in house” credit department to assist with financial matters in an accommodating and professional manner.

The company can be reached at 800-289-8099 or toll free fax 877-289-8099 or e-mail service@virginiats.com. http://virginiats.com

UPS Freight has leased 85,018 square feet in Chippenham Square at 7415-7485 Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County.

The shipping company signed a six-year lease with occupancy in June.

Chippenham Square is a 184,894-square-foot retail center that was constructed in 1982 in Richmond’s Midlothian submarket.

Chesterfield County Economic Development assisted the company.

The 2009 First Choice Business of the Year was awarded to Super Radiator Coils.

(left to right) Art Warren, Chairman Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, Jay Stegmaier, Chesterfield County Administrator, and Ray Birk, Vice President of Operations Super Radiator Coils

Chesterfield County and Master Sponsor, Atlantic Constructors, Inc. Announce 2009 First Choice Business Award Winners at Annual Celebrate Chesterfield Business! Event

Each year Chesterfield County honors local companies that contribute to the county’s economy and its citizens through the annual First Choice Business Awards. The intent is to give recognition to businesses that consistently contribute to the community by giving back to the residents of Chesterfield County through community service, that create and deliver products or services that are innovative to its customers, is a leader in valuing its employees, and upholds the principles and standards of ethical business practices.

This year’s First Choice Business Award winners were announced at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield Business! appreciation event held on May 11, 2009.

Bank of Virginia received the Community Impact Award. Bank of Virginia is a community bank headquartered in Chesterfield County with five area branch locations, four of which are located in Chesterfield County. Several bank employees regularly volunteer with the Community in Schools Program, serving as mentors, class readers, and as book and lunch buddies.

The Innovation Impact Award winner was Super Radiator Coils. Although Super Radiator’s core business is the manufacturer of heat transfer coils for the residential, commercial and industrial markets, they recently completed the construction of a Wind Tunnel. This machine will enable their engineering staff to further refine their computer design software to ensure accuracy and design the most cost effective solution for their customers.

ACAC Fitness & Wellness Center was the winner of the Employee Impact Award. ACAC has been in business for 25 years and in Midlothian for four. ACAC Fitness & Wellness Center is the gold standard for health and wellness facilities. At the heart of the organization is ACAC’s mission to change lives. While many health clubs cater to individuals who are already fit, ACAC’s priority is to reach out to inactive adults and their families. Senior and medically based programming and services are an important part of that objective.

The 2009 First Choice Business of the Year was awarded to Super Radiator Coils. Super Radiator Coils has been in business for 80 years and at their current Chesterfield location for 28. The company President is Rob Holt and Ray Birk is the Vice President of Operations. Super Radiator Coils designs and manufactures heat transfer coils for the residential, commercial and industrial markets. While these coils could end up in a person’s back yard as a condenser for an A/C system, it is just as likely that one of these coils could be used in a coal fired power plant or on an IBM super computer.

The Board of Supervisors at the May 27, 2009 meeting will recognize the First Choice Business Award winners.

For more information on this year’s Celebrate Chesterfield Business! contact Tina Shreve at (804) 318-8564, or email at tina@chesterfieldbusiness.com

Southern Design and Mechanical, Inc., a supplier of products and consulting services to industrial process industries, has located in the BizWorks Enterprise Center on Jefferson Davis Highway. The company supplies pump, seal and valve applications to a variety of industries including chemical processors, power generation, pulp and paper, water and wasterwater, steel manufacturing, bio-energy and pharmaceutical. They occupy 1,250 square feet in the center and plan to invest $75,000. They currently have 3 employees.

BizWorks is a non-profit small business incubator offering office and warehouse space to new businesses and those transitioning from a non-traditional environment, such as their garage or dining room.

BizWorks cultivates new and emerging businesses by providing:

• Synergistic environment
• Management guidance
• Customized advisory services
• Access to business resources
• Flexible office space and shared administrative services

The Center can provide you with the opportunity to start and grow your business in a supportive, cost effective and professional environment within an approximately 50,000 square foot building, consisting of office, manufacturing/warehouse and storage space.