Archive for category: Archives

MGC Advanced Polymers, Inc. held a plant dedication on May 5, 2005 for its new Nylon-MXD6 production facility in Chesterfield County. The plant is based on Mitsubishi’s proprietary, state-of- the-art polymer technology. The company invested $20 million and employs 25 new workers.

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company is the world’s leading supplier of Nylon-MXD6. With headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Mitsubishi develops, produces and markets top-quality polymers based on its long and diversified business experience.

“We are delighted to be locating in Chesterfield County, Virginia.,” said Tomiyoshi Furuta, President of MGC Advanced Polymers, Inc. “A clean, safe and environmentally controllable manufacturing facility, an educated workforce and proximity to customers in the U.S. through access to major interstate highways are key elements to our strategy. Chesterfield County’s pro-business climate has convinced us that the county meets our present and future needs and should be our new home.”

“We are thrilled to welcome MGC Advanced Polymers, Inc. to Chesterfield County,” said Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Chairman Edward Barber. “This is a quality company that complements the growing cluster of advanced material companies in the county.”

Chesterfield County Administrator Lane B. Ramsey added, “We are very happy to welcome this newest addition to the growing family of hi-tech manufacturers that call Chesterfield County home.”

MGC Advanced Polymers, Inc. is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. and Marubeni Corporation.

Comcast has recently expanded it’s cable internet service to the Chesterfield Airpark, parts of Southlake Boulevard, and several buildings in the Arboretum Office Park. There are plans within the next few months to expand the cable service to the Winchester Building on Midlothian Turnpike and to several building in Moorefield Office Park.

Comcast Workplace offers Internet business services to smaller, mid-size, and enterprise organizations. Comcast Workplace features include 100% Pure Broadband cable powered connection, local area network ready, security, business-class support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, optional statically assigned IP address, and other customizable options – including Business Website Hosting and business e-mail.

For more information please contact Carl J. Hirtzel, Business Services Account Executive at (804) 915-5347 or email Carl at c_hirtzel@cable.comcast.com

Timmons Group has announced its plans to relocate its corporate headquarters during the first quarter of 2005. “Timmons Group will make a substantial investment to establish a new corporate home that accelerates the firm’s cultural and operational evolution while accommodating its plans for continued rapid growth,” said Dave Lucado, the firm’s president and CEO.

The company’s new corporate headquarters will be housed in Boulders One, located within the Boulders Office Complex in Chesterfield County. This Class A office space will provide the company with 43,000 square feet, dispersed over three levels, to house its environmental, infrastructure, residential, site development and surveying practices alongside its corporate functions. Timmons Group will maintain its existing metro Richmond offices in Downtown Richmond and Tri-Cities as well as its testing facility on Southlake Boulevard in Chesterfield.

The new corporate headquarters will allow sufficient room for Timmons Group to continue to grow its professional services team. The company plans to expand its team of professionals by over 200 within the next four years and has created 35 of these professional positions to be filled during the first quarter of 2005.

“We are pleased with the quality of the workforce coming to Chesterfield County and the region, and are confident we will be successful in our recruiting efforts as we bring this new headquarters up to full staffing,” Lucado said.

Timmons Group will host an open house for clients, community leaders and friends once the firm has fully settled into its new corporate home.

Through innovation, unparalleled service and commitment to its clients, Timmons Group provides engineering, surveying, planning, construction management, landscape architecture and technology services to public and private clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Four decades of transportation planning and construction will come to fruition Nov. 19 as the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) opens the final segment of Route 288 to traffic. The final link between Lucks Lane and Route 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) in Chesterfield County will allow motorists to make a continuous 32-mile trip from Interstate 64 in Goochland County to Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County for the first time.

VDOT and Vecillio and Grogan, the contractor building the final portion of Route 288, have concentrated efforts to allow traffic to use this segment before the onset of the holiday season and winter weather. However, construction activities in this area of Route 288 may continue until mid 2005 as crews complete the finishing touches. Drivers can expect continued lane restrictions and reduced speed limits for the next several months and are urged to use caution when traveling through this area.

An opening ceremony is scheduled near the new Route 288/Woolridge Road interchange at 10 a.m. Nov. 19. The road will open for traffic later that afternoon.

The completed roadway also aids in bolstering the economy of Chesterfield, Powhatan, Goochland, Henrico and Hanover counties. With the completion of Route 288, these localities will be tied together with a direct interstate-style link. This will cut 35- to 45-minute commutes from Hull Street to Short Pump using the Huguenot and Willey bridges down to less than 20 minutes.

Route 288 was dedicated as the World War II Veterans Memorial Highway in August. For more information about the project, visit www.VirginiaDOT.org or www.Route288.com.

The Center for High Performance Manufacturing (CHPM) at Virginia Tech will host its fall meeting on Nov. 10 and 11 at the Holiday Inn (formerly the Four Points Sheraton) in Blacksburg, Va.

“If you need a helping hand to improve your operations, this two day meeting is an excellent opportunity for those in the manufacturing community to observe the workings and work products of the CHPM through presentations,” said Robert Taylor, interim director and research professor of Virginia Tech’s Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

In addition to academic presentations, two distinguished keynote speakers from the manufacturing community will be present. Tim Baechle, manufacturing manager of General Electric, and Jim Talley, director of aircraft systems engineering of General Dynamics will speak. “They will shed valuable light on how their companies have used the latest technologies to improve their operations,” Taylor said.

The state of Virginia launched CPHM in July of 2001, using its Commonwealth Technology Research Fund. Virginia Tech leads the center and James Madison University, the College of William and Mary, and Virginia State University participate.
CHPM works to help manufacturing firms research, develop, and implement new processes, methods, and technologies in order to stay competitive in today’s dynamic manufacturing environment. Work is performed in wide variety of areas, ranging from supply chain design and flexible automation to rapid prototyping and low-cost composite manufacturing.

The meeting is open to the general public. There is no cost to attend but registration is required. For more information and to register, go to www.chpm.ise.vt.edu.
or contact: Alice Clawson, Program Support Specialist Virginia Tech Center for High Performance Manufacturing – Phone: 540-231-6201

The Chesterfield County Crime Prevention unit of the Support Services Division strives to provide a first choice business community by educating business owners and employees on how to anticipate, recognize, and reduce crime. The Crime Prevention unit offers a variety of programs focused on businesses. Please inquire about the programs listed below at 804-674-7006 (ext. 108).

Business Security

Teaches physical, procedural and environmental security for businesses.

Business Crime Prevention Curriculum For Students

This five-lesson curriculum teaches marketing students in the county high schools crime prevention in businesses.

Business Watch

Teaches how to start and maintain a successful Business Watch.

Check and Credit Card Fraud

How to detect counterfeit, fraudulent, altered and forged checks and credit cards and how to recoup losses.

Commercial Robbery

How employees can prevent and react to a robbery.

Crime Prevention For Small Business Curriculum

A core of six lessons dealing with crime issues that affect small retail establishments.

Office Theft and Security

How to protect your belongings and yourself from theft and crime.

Refund Fraud

Teaches how to develop procedures to prevent refund fraud and how to detect it.

Substance Abuse In The Workplace

How to recognize employees who are substance abusers, and what the affects of not dealing with substance abuse are.

Violence in the Workplace

Teaches how to reduce risk of violent acts in the workplace.

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to lower tax rates for professional, financial and real estate services from 53 cents to 32 cents per $100 of gross receipts in 2005 and from 32 cents to 20 cents in 2006.

The tax rate applies to the 550 or so businesses in the county that provide those services and have annual gross revenues of $200,000 or more. The rate changes will mean a total of about $1 million in annual savings for those businesses.

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved a purchase contract for Cloverleaf Mall. The purchase is a continuation of plans that began in late 2001 to redevelop the Cloverleaf Mall area. Studies have concluded that the mall will not be a viable economic entity in the future and that the county must lead a major redevelopment effort to maintain this area.

The county has completed studies, including one begun by the Chesapeake Group in February 2002, that indicate that a mixed-use development with some retail, small industrial development, office and some high-end residential development would be a potentially good use of this property.

Chesapeake Realty Venture, LLC was selected by the county on April 6 of this year to be the developer for the Cloverleaf project. In a related matter, the county promoted former Planning department director Tom Jacobson to a newly created position as Director of Revitalization on June 1 to lead these and other redevelopment efforts.

“The county sees the revitalization of the Cloverleaf Mall area as an essential ingredient in the revitalization efforts of the Eastern Midlothian corridor and the Chippenham corridor,” said County Administrator Lane B. Ramsey.

On Tuesday, September 14, the Community College Workforce Alliance will host a Plant Engineering and Maintenance Summit for Richmond-Petersburg area manufacturers.

The technical seminar was designed by and for manufacturing and industry managers with the aim of creating a regional maintenance network. Sessions feature such topics as increasing bearing life through better lubrication decisions, laser alignment, vibration analysis, root cause failure analysis, as well as local success stories.

The afternoon sessions will facilitate strategic networking among participants about their most urgent maintenance concerns. The event is sponsored by SKF, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, the Richmond chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and CCWA. Registration ranges from $40-$75 per person. For complete registration information, visit www.ccwa.vccs.edu.

Honeywell announced today a $20 million investment to boost production of Spectra® fiber to meet increased demand from the North American armor industry.

Honeywell expects to make several similar-sized investments in Honeywell Performance Products over the next few years to boost Spectra® fiber production. The current investment will take place at Spectra® fiber manufacturing facilities at Honeywell’s Technical Center in Chesterfield County. The announcement was made during a visit to the facilities by General Paul J. Kern, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Material Command, which is dedicated to providing superior technology, acquisition support, and logistics for the U.S. Army.

Spectra® fiber, the strongest man-made fiber in commercial use today, is the high performance fiber of choice for armor manufacturers servicing the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies with SAPI (small arms protective insert) plates used in the Interceptor vest. “Honeywell is fully dedicated to being the premier supplier of high performance fibers to the North American armor industry,” said Dr. Nance K. Dicciani, president and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials. “Honeywell has invested more than $25 million in Spectra® fiber research and production in the past three years. Today, we’re entering a new stage of development that will enable Honeywell to even further expand its support of the armor industry, to service new industry segments and to continue to drive innovation in specialty fibers.”

The expansion announced today is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2005. The additional production will be primarily devoted to meeting U.S. military requirements. This Richmond-area build-out is independent of a previously announced Spectra® fiber manufacturing operation intended to support the global marketplace.

“Spectra ® fiber’s unique qualities and extraordinary strength have made Honeywell a preferred supplier of weight-for-weight, stronger-than-steel fibers to companies serving the U.S. military,” said Mike Ryan, vice president and general manager, Performance Products, Honeywell Specialty Materials. “By undertaking a substantial capacity expansion in Chesterfield County, Virginia, we’re reinforcing a leading position in the North American armor industry. We believe that the eventual addition of new facilities will enable us to even further distinguish Honeywell in the global marketplace.”

Honeywell has been operating its Spectra® fiber operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week for several years to fulfill customer demand and will continue to do so throughout the multi-line expansion. Spectra® fiber is pound for pound 10 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float, making it ideal for a wide range of armor and security applications — from bullet-resistant vests, helmets and breastplates to combat vehicles and military aircraft — where light weights and ability to endure environmental elements are crucial.

“Chesterfield County is committed to being the first choice business community, and Honeywell International’s plans to invest $20 million and create 21 new jobs here in Chesterfield County is a welcome announcement. It speaks not only to our attractiveness to new businesses, but also to the manner in which we work to nurture existing businesses so they may prosper and grow.” said Chesterfield County BOS Chair Kelly Miller.

Spectra Shield® material, a composite product made out of Spectra® fiber, forms a basis for SAPI plates used in the Interceptor vest worn by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Four-pound SAPI plates are the component of the vest designed to stop high-energy rifle rounds, including those from AK-47s and grenade shrapnel, encountered by troops in these locations. Honeywell is currently the sole supplier of Spectra Shield® material to SAPI plate manufacturers servicing the U.S. military.

Spectra® and Spectra Shield® are registered trademarks of Honeywell International, Inc.

A study by American City Business Journals (ACBJ) says Chesterfield County,
VA offers the nation’s 17th best quality of life. ACBJ used 20 statistical
indicators to rate living conditions in all 3,141 counties and independent
cities across the country.

ACBJ’s report is more comprehensive than traditional quality-of-life studies,
which usually only focus on metropolitan areas and omit smaller communities.
This study includes data for every county and independent city in the nation.
The study used statistical information from the 2000 census.

The state of Virginia had four counties in the top 20 and eight counties included
in the national top 50. An article outlining the study and the methodology
used is available online at www.bizjournals.com.

The results are naturally of interest to companies looking to locate and expand.
But quality of life rankings will not outweigh critical economic factors such
as the availability of workers and access to markets.

The ratings formula compared each county’s performance against the U.S. county-by-county
averages in 20 categories, yielding an overall quality-of-life score. Counties
with upper-income families, large homes and well-educated adults received high
marks. But several qualities unrelated to affluence were also rewarded, including
racial diversity, family stability and short commuting times. Overall scores
ranged from a high of 18.99 points to a low of minus-16.04 points.

Listed below are the 20 categories that ACBJ used to produce the ratings.
The letter in parentheses indicates whether the category’s top score went to
the county with the highest (H) or lowest (L) figure.

1. Stability — Percentage of residents who have lived in their current homes
   for at least five years. (H)
2. Work in neighborhood — Percentage of workers who walk to their jobs or
   work at home. (H)
3. Work within county — Percentage of workers who work in the same county
   where they live. (H)
4. Short commutes — Percentage of workers who live less than 15 minutes
   from their jobs, minus the percentage who commute 45 minutes or longer. The
   listed figure is the difference between these two groups, expressed in percentage
   points. (H)
5. Transit availability — Percentage of workers who commute by public transit.
   (H)
6. Young adults — Percentage of residents between the ages of 25 and 44.
   (H)
7. Racial diversity — Percentage of residents who are minorities (blacks,
   Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans) minus the national average (30.9
   percent), expressed as an absolute value. The listed figure is the local
   deviation from minority representation in the nation as a whole, expressed
   in percentage points. (It is not the percentage of local minorities.) The
   lower the deviation, the more closely a county mirrors the nation’s diversity.
   (L)
8. Poverty — Percentage of families living below the federally designated
   poverty level. (L)
9. Unemployment — Percentage of civilian workforce that is unemployed. (L)
10. Top-level jobs — Percentage of workers who have jobs in management or
    professional occupations. (H)
11. Income — Median household income. (H)
12. Home value — Median value of owner-occupied homes. (H)
13. House affordability — Comparison of median home value and median household
    income, expressed as home value per $1,000 of income. (L)
14. Property taxes — Comparison of median real estate taxes and median household
    income, expressed as real estate taxes per $1,000 of income. (L)
15. New housing units — Percentage of existing homes built since 1980. (H)
16. Big houses — Percentage of homes with nine or more rooms. (H)
17. Homeowner rate — Percentage of homes owned by their occupants. (H)
18. High school grads — Percentage of adults 25 or older who hold high school
    diplomas. (H)
19. College grads — Percentage of adults 25 or older who hold bachelor’s
    degrees. (H)
20. Graduate degrees — Percentage of adults 25 or older who hold master’s,
    doctoral and/or professional degrees. (H)

Each year the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors honors local companies that contribute to the county’s economy and its citizens. The intent is to give recognition to small, medium and large organizations that consistently uphold the principles and standards of ethical business practices and that advertise and sell with integrity, participate consistently in community, trade associations and local programs that better our county and region.

For the first time, there was a tie for this honor between two nominees in the large business category; however, it was felt both organizations were worthy of this recognition. The Board of Supervisors, and the selection committee, awarded Defense
Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) and DuPont Spruance
Site, as the recipient of Chesterfield County’s 2004 Large Business of the Year Award.

Defense Supply Center Richmond

DSCR occupies over 600 acres along the I-95 corridor in southern Chesterfield County and employs approximately 3,000 employees. It has been a consistent, dependable supplier of quality goods and services to those defending the nation around the world since it was activated in 1942.

In 1996, DSCR was designated as the lead center for aviation consumable support within the Department of Defense. In this role, they serve as the primary source of supply for nearly 850,000 repair parts with a direct application to aviation. The center receives about 8,000 demands a day, or about a quarter of a million demands a month from all corners of the world.

The installation is the recipient of numerous citations and certificates for its community service. The Virginia Blood Services presented its Award of Achievement to DSCR again in 2003 for outstanding contributions to the community. DSCR participates in one of the largest school partnerships in the Richmond Metropolitan area. Over 150 volunteers donate time to our command-sponsored programs with four area schools. Employees again led the way for federal agencies in the Richmond metropolitan area, donating a record $262,000 to the Combined Federal Campaign in 2003.

Congratulations to Admiral Michael J. Lyden and all the DSCR employees!

DuPont Spruance Site

DuPont Spruance plant was built on a 500-acre parcel in 1929, and today employs 2,600 employees. The Spruance plant belongs to the DuPont worldwide family of plants that manufactures and produces products from chemicals for every possible use imaginable. DuPont recently celebrated its 200th birthday. Over these two centuries the company has evolved from manufacturing black powder and explosives, to chemicals, energy and modern materials.

During the past ten years, DuPont has spent over $550 million to expand and modernize the Spruance businesses’ assets. In May 2001, DuPont announced a $50 million capital investment to increase production of Kevlar® fiber at the Spruance site.

DuPont materials and technologies have offered innovations designed to maximize safety, mobility, survivability and sustainability. Some products include: CVC flame resistant coveralls, flak jackets, personnel and cargo parachutes.

DuPont sponsors many community causes and encourages its employees to volunteer in community activities. Employees volunteer in a wide variety of civic groups, athletic teams, rescue squads, and volunteer fire departments. The DuPont Volunteer Recognition Program recognizes employees who are contributors not only at work, but also in the community as volunteers. The recognition consists of a $1,000 award to the community organization and an annual recognition event to honor the employee. A few community organizations are as follows: Bensley Elementary, Meals on Wheels, American Red Cross, Virginia Muscular Dystrophy and Chesterfield Alternatives.

Congratulations to Mike Mayberry, Plant Manager, and all the DuPont employees!