Archive for category: Archives

First Local Economic Development Joint
Venture Entirely
Focused on Biosciences

Officials from the Virginia
Biotechnology Research Park and the County of Chesterfield
today announced a cooperative agreement to create a satellite
campus for the biotech park within a 1600-acre parcel
in the county near the banks of the James River.

The creation of the Virginia Biotechnology Research
Park at Meadowville will allow the county and the biotech
park to jointly market prospects for either site and elevate
biosciences in the Greater Richmond Metropolitan area. Located
just south of the Interstate 295 Varina-Enon Bridge and
15 miles from the downtown research park, the satellite
location, which will be part of the Meadowville Technology
Park, will have the capacity for approximately 2 million
square feet of combined office, laboratory and manufacturing
space.

“Today’s announcement with Chesterfield County
demonstrates that the Greater Richmond region is looking
to attract and grow biosciences companies,” said
Robert T. Skunda, president and chief executive officer
of the Richmond Biotechnology Research Park. “This
alliance will allow the biotech park and Chesterfield County
to work together to provide companies with facilities and
a location that suits their specific needs. It also
allows them to be part of a ‘scientific community’
dedicated to the unique requirements of this growing industry.”

Companies that locate to the new Chesterfield site will
have access to the distinctive needs of this industry, including
research collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Ongoing research relationships with premier research
institutions is not uncommon, even for larger and more well-established
biotechnology companies,” said Dr. Eugene P. Trani,
president of VCU and chairman of the biotech park’s
authority and corporation boards. “Virginia Commonwealth
University’s recently announced $400 million life sciences
initiative will not only maintain our reputation as a center
of excellence in a number of research areas, but will position
VCU as one of the leaders in this important new industry
of the twenty-first century.”

Given Chesterfield County’s initial participation
in establishment of the park, this partnership is a step
in furthering the economic development initiatives for the
Greater Richmond area. Skunda and Chesterfield County officials
believe the expanded site options for companies looking
to have a relationship with the biotech park will help to
attract large-scale biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life
sciences companies to the Richmond area.

“We want to attract and retain biosciences companies
that will be the lifeblood of our future,” said
Renny Humphrey, chairman, Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors.
“This agreement clearly indicates our commitment
to promote high-quality development in Meadowville Technology
Park and to take a more active role in promoting this
vibrant industry.”

The boards of directors of the biotech park authority and
corporation approved a Memorandum of Understanding Dec.
5, 2000. The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors will
address and vote on the MOU at their board meeting on Jan.
24. Partners identified in the MOU are the Virginia Biotechnology
Research Park, the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park
Authority, County of Chesterfield and the Industrial Development
Authority for the County of Chesterfield.

An online article from the Richmond-Times Dispatch about this announcement can be found here.

More information about the Meadowville Technology Park can be found on the web site www.Meadowville.com.

The Antioch Company celebrated its grand opening on December 15, 2000, in the Enterchange at Walthall development. The facility produces products for St. Cloud, Minn.-based Creative Memories, a subsidiary of The Antioch Company of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The International direct-selling scrapbook company offers photo-safe albums, supplies and hands-on workshops on how to organize photographs and memorabilia. The 121,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution center on Ruffin Mill Road will create 140 new jobs by the end of 2002.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Greater Richmond Partnership, Grubb & Ellis, Harrison & Bates and the Chesterfield County Department of Economic Development assisted the Company with their decision. “Chesterfield County was chosen because it offered a number of amenities including its proximity to international shipping hubs,” said Ole Dam, Vice President of Operations for The Antioch Company. “The presence of an international airport facility and deepwater port access were critical to our decision.”

The Company invested more than $7.5 million into the facility, which started operations on October 1st. “Chesterfield County appreciates the substantial capital investment made by The Antioch Company and the employment opportunities that will be created here,” said Jack McHale, Bermuda District Board of Supervisors.

Chesterfield County welcomes The Antioch Company.

Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors established a Business Appreciation and Recognition Award to recognize existing businesses within the county that contribute to the county’s economy and its citizens. The Board has awarded Capital One as the recipient of Chesterfield County’s 2000 Large Business Appreciation Award (awarded in late December).

Capital One is located in River’s Bend Center and will be doubling its current employment from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next two to three years. A 158,000 square foot building will be constructed in River’s Bend to accommodate the additional workforce. It is anticipated that the building will be completed mid-2001.

Capital One initiated an alliance with the Chesterfield County Public Schools and John Tyler Community College in order to introduce and preliminarily train students in the customer relations management field. Its commitment included funding for equipping a training lab located at the Chesterfield Technical Center and an ongoing monetary commitment to provide a teaching staff for the lab.

Congratulations to Capital One!

In an ongoing effort to listen and respond to existing industry and business concerns within the county, volunteers with the Chesterfield Business Council will begin contacting county businesses in early January 2001 to participate in the Council’s annual Business Visitation Program.

Your company may be requested to participate in the Chesterfield Business Council’s annual Business Visitation Program. The Business Visitation Program is a cooperative effort between the Chesterfield Business Council (CBC) and the Chesterfield County Economic Development (CCED). Over the next few months, CBC volunteers will be interviewing a random sampling of businesses located in the County. Volunteers, fellow members of Chesterfield’s business community, will interview company representatives to gather information regarding each company’s experiences operating a business in Chesterfield County. The interview should take about thirty minutes.

Business Visitation Program volunteers will begin contacting county businesses in early January 2001 to arrange interview appointments. If your company is one of the businesses selected, we strongly encourage your participation, as this is your opportunity to directly voice your concerns. These surveys will enable CCED to provide prompt assistance for any immediate issues a company may have and to identify and address common obstacles facing businesses in our community. Chesterfield County uses this information to help formulate programs and services to address those obstacles.

If you have any questions regarding the Business Visitation Program, the Chesterfield Business Council, or Chesterfield County Economic Development, please feel free to contact us at 804-748-3963.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has reached a $236 million agreement with a private company that will allow the state to complete the final stretch of Route 288 faster, cheaper and without any tolls.

The public-private partnership between VDOT and APAC-Virginia Inc. of Danville is expected to save the state $47 million and cut the project time for the 17.5-mile stretch by seven months.

The stretch extends from Powhite Parkway to Interstate 64 and should be completed by late 2003. It would have cost $283 million for VDOT to manage the project.

The project includes building new segments of Route 288 in Powhatan and Goochland counties and fully developing portions of Route 288 in Chesterfield, as well as completing the James River Bridge.

The agreement was reached under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995, which is designed to accelerate transportation projects by letting the private sector finance and build roads.

VDOT received three unsolicited proposals from private partnerships to complete the project and finalized negotiations with APAC-Virginia in early December 2000.

The agreement requires APAC-Virginia to join with CH2M Hill of Greenwood Village, Colorado, and Koch Performance Roads of Wichita, Kansas, to design and build the remainder of the four-lane roadway, and to maintain the 17.5-mile stretch for 20 years.

Construction of Route 288 in Powhatan and Goochland counties is scheduled to begin in 2001.

The progress of the project can be followed on the VDOT web site at: http://www.vdot.state.va.us/proj/rich/288_updates.html

The Greater Richmond Employment Assistance Team (GREAT) is a community effort of citizens, organizations, and businesses dedicated to providing welfare recipients and their families the opportunity to begin their journey to self-sufficiency through skills assessment, job readiness training and employment. The GREAT program not only helps individuals but aslo benefits the business community by providing an available labor pool that has received skills assessment, training and follow-up.

The GREAT Program was conceived to meet the mandates of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, which called for welfare recipients to find work if they were judged able to work. GREAT was born in July, 1997 as a partnership between the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Interim Personnel of Richmond (now known as Spherion Corporation), Mirror Enterprise, and the Departments of Social Services of the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico, and the City of Richmond.

The Greater Richmond Employment Assistance Team (GREAT) is a community effort of citizens, organizations, and businesses dedicated to providing welfare recipients and their families the opportunity to begin their journey to self-sufficiency through skills assessment, job readiness training and employment.

The GREAT Program receives referrals from the Departments of Social Services of the partnering localities. Those welfare recipients deemed by their social workers to be qualified for and in need of the program are referred to GREAT.

ASSESSMENT: Candidates referred to GREAT first go through an extensive assessment and evaluation process to determine what skills and aptitudes the participant already has to offer to the employers in the community.

JOB READINESS: This element prepares candidates for a successful work experience, including getting a good job and holding it. This 3-week course begins with proper attitude issues essential for success in the workplace; moves to the “how-to” skills such as conflict resolution, resume building, and dressing for success; and concludes in the third week with everyday life skills training such as conversational exchanges with groups or individuals, listening skills, even help with budgeting and cooking tips for the soon-to-be-employed participant.

JOB PLACEMENT: Participants are referred for assistance in making connections with the available jobs that best suit their skills, attitudes and aptitudes. The extensive computer search capabilities of the program provide placement specialists with instant access to job opportunities of more than 600 local businesses.

TRAINING AFTER THE JOB – CSTA
The Customer Service Training Academy was introduced in March 1999 to provide qualified GREAT participants with much-in-demand skills in customer service and data processing operations. These higher paying skills, taught during an intensive five-week cession, enable participants to upgrade their job levels and move ever closer to self-sufficiency.

HELP AFTER THE JOB IS SECURED:
Getting a job is one thing; keeping it is another. Job retention is a huge challenge, which the GREAT Program not only accepts, but also embraces. The program’s success rate, expressed as the percentage of placed workers remaining on the job for at least 6 months, has climbed to 70%, thanks in large part to two additions to the GREAT Program:

GREAT PALS: Mentors help workers stay on the job, and the mentoring arm of the GREAT Program is called GREAT PALS (Partnering for A Life of Self-Sufficiency). Ms. Sandee Smith, GREAT’s Community Outreach and Special Projects Manager (and recently recognized as one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40”), speaks regularly in area churches and non-profit organizations to promote PALS and recruit additions to the all-volunteer staff of over 125 mentors. (To learn more about if you can qualify as a GREAT Pal, contact Sandee at 222-0400)

GREAT CARS: Dependable transportation helps a worker keep the job. Donated cars from individuals and companies are repaired through area mechanics’ training centers with no labor costs, keeping the repair costs and consequently the selling prices low to the welfare-to-work participant. Loans up to $2500 are provided through First Market Bank, but the car costs are generally in the $500 – $1200 range. The GREAT Cars program helps workers

• Keep their existing jobs
• More easily handle child care transportation problems
• Lead to better jobs which might not be accessible without private transportation

Eliminating welfare transportation costs by providing cars for working welfare recipients is having a huge financial impact. (To learn more about the GREAT Cars Program or how you can benefit from donating your car, call Tony Wilson, Executive Director, at 788-0050).

Dennis Galligan, co-creator and past Executive Director of the GREAT Program, had this to say in the foreword to this year’s Annual Report, “GREAT’s goal is not just to help our graduates get jobs, but to help them become self-sufficient. We provide a hand up, not a hand out. GREAT graduates are extremely marketable in today’s economy. It’s a win-win situation for everybody. As welfare recipients are given the tools to maintain productive life-styles, the entire Greater Richmond area benefits.”

The GREAT Program is working. Since the start of the program, more than 1300 welfare recipients have been placed in jobs through the GREAT Program. Over 600 employers have enjoyed the benefits of hiring GREAT participants or have expressed an interest in doing so.

When someone from GREAT is hired, everyone benefits!

Chesterfield Technical Center has recently been established as a Cisco Regional Training Academy for the Central Virginia region. This is all part of the Cisco Networking Academy Program, a cooperative venture between educational institutions and Cisco, the world leader in networking for the Internet.

Normally working within the community college system in Virginia, Cisco chose Chesterfield Technical Center as its only high school regional academy after discussions with the county’s Adult Education and Information Systems Departments indicated strong interest and support. Regional academies are responsible for training teachers who in turn teach students throughout business and industry.

This is a two-year program in which students learn to design local and wide-area networks in a lab setting. The program is a step toward developing the needed technology skills for the next generation of workers. For students, the academy offers an opportunity for immediate employment while giving them skills for the increasingly technology driven world of the future.

The information economy is demanding an unprecedented level of technology literacy from today’s workers. Many technology companies are looking to increase their Information Technology (IT) staffs in the next several years. The Cisco training program is a method to increase the number of IT workers in the central Virginia area.

In addition to the Regional Academy designed to train teachers, local academies for students have been set up in six locations. Thomas Dale and Chesterfield Community High Schools offer instruction to students in the southern end of the county. James River and Manchester High Schools offer classes to students in the northern end of Chesterfield. The Chesterfield Technical Center offers instruction in Cisco with background preparation in A+ Networking to students from all of the county high schools. The Adult Education Department is also offering Cisco instruction to adults at night in various locations. For additional information about student classes, please contact the Cisco Chesterfield Regional Director, Mike Rose at 768-6160. Information about Cisco classes for adults can be obtained from Dr. Dan Geary at 768-6140.

Devon USA, a local commercial real estate developer and a premier provider of light manufacturing/warehouse, office and retail properties in the area, was named the 2000 Developer of the Year by Chesterfield Economic Development and honored by the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors with its Business Appreciation and Recognition Award.

The company currently owns and manages about 2.2 million square feet of buildings, 40% of which are located in Chesterfield County. Specifically, they own and manage a Class A office building near Brandermill (Waterford I), a warehouse at Bermuda Triangle Road and a shopping center on Jefferson Davis Highway (Port Walthall). Their newest project is the Enterchange at Walthall. Devon USA constructed a large speculative light manufacturing/distribution facility of 650,000 square feet with another 600,000 square feet planned as Phase II. By providing speculative buildings, Devon is facilitating a section of the user market that may otherwise go to other counties or states.

Congratulations to Devon USA!

Capital One’s Chesterfield Operation, located in River’s Bend since 1998, will be doubling its current employment from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next two to three years. The company initially established a 78,000 square foot call center in River’s Bend in March 1998. “Chesterfield’s large number of skilled workers” was cited as a main reason it located the call center in the county at that time. River’s Bend, selected from dozens of sites considered worldwide, offered plenty of room for future expansion as well as convenient access from Interstate 295.

In February 1999 Capital One announced an additional 350 jobs and a 45,000 square foot expansion at their River’s Bend site. Capital One executives said, “We are very pleased with the quality of the work force and think it’s a tremendous market that has been underestimated. It’s a well-kept secret. It’s a good quality labor pool in terms of skill and work ethic.”

A 158,000 square foot building will be constructed in River’s Bend to accommodate the additional workforce. It is anticipated that the building will be completed mid-2001.

Joan Powers was named the Director of Workforce Development Services for the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), effective September 11, 2000. Ms. Powers will assist in the development and recommendation of policies and procedures regarding occupational-technical initiatives, Workforce Investment Act related issues, and the development of a Workforce Development Academy. She will also assist the coordinators of Tech Prep and apprenticeship-related instruction besides a host of other activities aimed at providing expanded and enhanced services.

Ms. Powers formerly held a position as senior planner at the Virginia Employment Commission. Prior to that, she served as an Assistant Professor and Director of Piedmont Works at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. She has over eleven years of service in the delivery of post secondary training to college students, special populations, employers and job seekers.

Dr. John Sygielski, Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development Services, commented that her proven experience in running employment programs and facilitating workforce development initiatives would enhance the workforce development efforts of the VCCS. “We want to build the best workforce development system in the country and I’m excited to work with Dr. Sygielski and his team in doing that,” said Ms. Powers.

The VCCS Workforce Development Services unit provides system wide community college contact for developing partnerships between private and public entities and the community college system. For additional information on Virginia Community College System Workforce Services visit their web page at www.so.cc.va.us.

The Chesterfield Public Education Foundation and the Chesterfield County Public Schools are again sponsoring its teachers’ store FROM CRAYONS TO COMPUTERS. The store, located in the Beaufont Mall Shopping Center, 7138 Midlothian Turnpike, provides teachers with items for use in their classrooms free of charge. The store offers merchandise from chalk, crayons, and paper to computers, calculators and office furniture.

This store is made possible through the generous donations of the entire Chesterfield County community including manufacturers, retailers, large corporations, small businesses and individuals. If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation of items or cash, please call Kathy Krausse at 804-748-1411. Your support is greatly appreciated and it gives you the chance to help more than 51,000 young people in Chesterfield County.

Economic Development would like to welcome its newest members – Karen Aylward and Barbara DelVillar.

Karen comes to us from the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority and she will be a great asset to the department as a Project Manager. Welcome Karen!

Barbara comes to us from the Chesterfield Planning Department. As a Project Information Coordinator, her skills will enhance the department’s ability to provide accurate, timely information to our customers. Welcome Barbara!