Archived News and Events

Consider Becoming A Safe Place Site

Project Safe Place is a national prevention and outreach program available in more than 300 communities to assist teens who are in a urgent situation. The program works by providing a network of “Safe Places”: businesses and public locations that display the Safe Place logo on
their premises.

Safe Place sites can be any location where young people feel comfortable. Cloverleaf Mall was the program’s sponsor and the initial Safe Place site in Chesterfield County. The program has now expanded into the city of Richmond. Not only shopping malls, but restaurants, convenience stores, libraries, fire stations, entertainment centers and small businesses can be an excellent location for a Safe Place.

Volunteers are always needed for the program. If you would like more information about becoming a Safe Place site, or volunteering please call 275-7697.

Chesterfield County Celebrates Quality Month

Chesterfield County proclaimed October as “Quality Month” in recognition of our continuing efforts to improve service delivery to our customers – Chesterfield County taxpayers.

As a continuation of that celebration, the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors and the Department of Economic Development would like to acknowledge all of our corporate citizens for the valuable contributions you make to the fiscal well-being Chesterfield County enjoys. Without your ongoing support and commitment to making your businesses successful and profitable in Chesterfield, the County would be unable to provide our residents with the outstanding quality of life we have all come to enjoy.

So, a very big and sincere “Thank You” to all of our corporate partners for choosing to make Chesterfield County your First Choice for business!

Panattoni Development Company Receives 1999 Developer Award

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. Based upon the Board of Supervisor’s approved Business Appreciation Award criteria, the Board has awarded Panattoni Development Company as the recipient of Chesterfield County’s 1999 Developer Appreciation Award.

Panattoni Development is a development firm with an established reputation for its vision and responsiveness. They are located at 7400 Beaufont Springs Drive in the Boulders Office Park and specialize in the development of build-to-suit manufacturing and distribution facilities. The company has a net worth of over $150 million and has completed over 40,000,000 square feet of distribution facilities located in 45 cities across the United States since 1986.

The first project Panattoni worked on after opening their office on Beaufont Springs Drive was a 317,000 square foot, build-to-suit for Rehrig International, Inc. in the James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County which totaled over $10 million. Rehrig is the largest manufacturer of plastic shopping carts.

Congratulations to all the employees at Panattoni that contributed to the success of the company! A special thanks goes to Leslie Jones for receiving the award. Chesterfield County appreciates your presence in our community.

Attention Minority Owned Businesses Looking To Grow

The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with The Metropolitan Business League (MBL) to publish the region’s first-ever Minority Business Directory. Funding support
for the directory is being provided by
Bell-Atlantic.

The Minority Business Directory will list businesses owned by ethnic and racial minorities, one of the country’s fastest-growing business segments. The Chamber, The MBL, the Greater Richmond Partnership and other organizations will be distributing the directory to contacts all around the world as a way to promote Greater Richmond area minority businesses. In addition, the Chamber will provide the directory to its Board of Directors and the top fifty employers in the region.

In order to have a comprehensive directory, the Chamber is requesting help in identifying minority owned firms. If you or someone you do business with is a minority-owned firm, contact Cheryl Trott, the Chamber’s Vice-President of Research and Information, at 783-9344. You will receive a form that will serve as a listing in the directory. There is no cost to have your business listed. Publication of the Minority Business Directory is planned for Spring 2000.

TechnoBrands.com

TechnoBrands.com (formerly Comtrad Industries, Inc.) has relocated to the Enterchange Building in the Walthall area. The company expanded to 50,000 sq.ft. and will have 140 employees relocating. The estimated investment for the first year is $4,470,000.

Super Radiator Coils

Super Radiator Coils has announced a 57,000 sq.ft. expansion at the company’s site in Southport Industrial Park. The estimated capital investment for the expansion is $3,000,000.

DuPont Nomex

DuPont Nomex Headquarters relocated from Wilmington, DE. DuPont refurbished the Nylon Building on the Spruance site. The labor total is 100 with 70 employees being relocations. The estimated capital investment is $10M.

EPE Packaging

EPE Packaging, of Orange County, California, announces the location of its new manufacturing plant in the River’s Bend Business Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The new facility, officially named EPE of Virginia, will be 80,000 square feet and is expected to employ up to 100 people in production, management, engineering and sales. EPE is a world-wide manufacturer of custom foam packaging for the computer, computer peripherals and electronics industries and other companies that produce high-value products which require engineered protective packaging.

Tracing its roots back 26 years to its founding in Tokyo, Japan, the EPE group has grown to include 26 plants in its global network. EPE’s worldwide headquarters remain in Tokyo.

The Chesterfield County location was chosen because of its strong, pro-business climate and the availability of management and skilled technical personnel.

According to Paul Puletti, Plant Manager of EPE Virginia, “Chesterfield is a growth area with tremendous potential. During our exploratory visit to this region, we were very impressed with the cooperation of the county, Virginia Power and other local government departments.” He added, “EPE’s experience in this early state of its start-up has been nothing but positive.”

River’s Bend Business Center is developed by Liberty Property Trust, and McKinney & Company is providing complete design and construction management for EPE.

International Trade Web Site

Virginia Companies currently selling to foreign markets or those companies interested in selling overseas should check out the interactive web site www.exportvirginia.org. The Division of International Trade Development at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) has set up this new information web site to make it easier for Virginia businesses to find practical information about exporting from the Commonwealth to countries around the world.


Users will be given the opportunity to explore the benefits of international sales, chat on-line with trade managers from VEDP’s foreign offices, search various informational databases, and access an extensive list of international trade related web sites.

In addition, the web site allows users to self-register an organization for inclusion in the Exporters Directory and access contact information for Division of International Trade personnel. VEDP’s primary we site is located at http://www.yesvirginia.org.

Precision Manufacturing Program at JTCC – Serves Chesterfield Business with New/Improved Facility

John Tyler Community College (JTCC) has been named a Center of Excellence in Precision Manufacturing, and assumes the leadership role for the Commonwealth in assisting regional manufacturers with precision manufacturing training and retraining requirements.

Thanks to the leadership of Bryce Jewett, president of Jewett Machine and Jewett Automation, and the support of more than 30 area manufacturing companies, JTCC has renovated its precision manufacturing lab, retrofitted and replaced machines, revised the instructional program with industry participation and endorsement, added “state-of-the-art” equipment, and secured financial support and donations of consumable supplies and tools from business partners. The program also received funding from the Virginia General Assembly (under HJR 622) to expand the program and assist other community colleges in replicating it.

Lynn Wilson, the Center’s new coordinator, joined the JTCC team in May following her employment as the Business Partnership Specialist for Chesterfield County Public Schools. Prior to her work in Chesterfield, Lynn served Virginia Power in their Public Affairs department.

For more information about JTCC’s Precision Manufacturing program, contact Lynn Wilson, Coordinator-High Performance Manufacturing program, at 796-4505 or e-mail at lwilson@jt.cc.va.us.

Virginia Works – Downlink to Your Site

Mark Friday, October 29th on your calendars for the Fifth Annual Virginia Works Conference, which will be held at John Tyler (JTCC) and J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College. The half-day program will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a breakfast and end at noon. As with last year’s conference, each of the two campuses will have a prominent statewide and national speaker to address the growing issues associated with workforce development. The speakers’ remarks will be uplinked from JTCC statewide and downlinked by participating Virginia Community College System campuses.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry DuVal has confirmed his participation in the conference. He will make remarks and update attendees on the status of Governor Gilmore’s Virginia Strategy. In addition, panel discussions and updates of regional workforce initiatives will be presented.

The Virginia Work Conference Committee along with the State Workforce Council are very pleased to announce that Governor Jim Gilmore has designated the week of the Virginia Works Conference, October 25-29, 1999 as Workforce Development Week. As a result of this prestigious designation, many special activities will be planned to celebrate the importance of workforce development and increase the awareness of the many employment opportunities and training programs available in Chesterfield and the region.

One of the long-term goals of the Conference is to increase the participation of parents and students and enlighten them on the jobs of the future. Most students are influenced by the parents in selecting careers and higher education. As a result, it is increasingly important for the community and businesses to get involved in workforce development and partner with the school system to make area residents aware of productive and well-paying career paths and the educational resources that are available to them.

Businesses and industries interested in becoming a downlink site for the conference, and anyone seeking more information about Virginia Works should contact Ron Laux or Becky Fain in the JTCC BIGS Center at (804) 796-4041.

VCCS Names New VC for Workforce

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) has named John J. Sygielski as the first Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development. The new position will allow the VCCS to provide a central focal point for workforce development services thought the 23-college, 39-campus system, which of course includes John Tyler Community College.

In his new position, Dr. Sygielski will have executive responsibility for system-level development and coordination of workforce training services, and will identify needs and develop a marketing plan for programs and services.

“I am passionate about workforce development issues and embrace this exciting and challenging opportunity to work with others from business, education and government committed to unifying and creating the resources and energies necessary to make the Commonwealth the nation’s premier workforce development state, “said Dr. Sygielski. “The VCCS, with its natural network of community colleges throughout Virginia, offers incredible potential for enhancing its position as a central provider of quality services that will boost economic development both in the individual regions and the Commonwealth as a whole.”

Dr. Sygielski will be formally introduced to the Chesterfield business community at the 1999 Virginia Works Conference which will be held on October 29 at the campuses of John Tyler and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

White Tire Distributors

White Tire Distributors, Inc. has purchased 6.5 acres on Willis
Road for construction of a 47,200 square foot distribution and
service center. The company, in business for 27 years, is headquartered in Roanoke, VA and specializes in the sale and
service of truck tires to the trucking and transportation industry.
The new Chesterfield facility will also offer routine maintenance services such as brake repairs, alignments, and safety inspections
to commercial trucking customers.

White Tire Distributors’ other locations include Kingsport, TN, Easley, SC, Charleston, WV, and Harrisonburg, VA. With a well-established customer base that includes United Parcel Service,
Ryder Transportation Services, Waste Management, and Tyson Foods, White Tire is now the 14th largest commercial tire dealer
in North America.

The company’s new facility in Chesterfield County should be completed by December and will initially employee 35 people.

Director of Economic Development Named

James G. Dunn has been selected as the new Director of the Department of Economic Development for Chesterfield County, Virginia in July, 1999, and has been with the department since 1989.

Mr. Dunn grew up in Rochester, New York and after serving four years in the Air Force, graduated from Lemoyne College with a B. S. degree in Industrial Relations and a MBA degree from Syracuse University. He also completed post graduate course work in Sales Management and Marketing Strategy at the University of Virginia Colgate-Darden Graduate School of Business.

Prior to being employed with Chesterfield County, Mr. Dunn spent eight years as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Weidmuller, Inc., a German manufacturer of electrical and electronic connection devices at their USA headquarters in Richmond, VA, and sixteen years were spent with General Electric in various positions and locations.

Mr. Dunn was the co-founder and Director of Golden Handshakes, a Richmond area support group for the unemployed. He is also past President of the Board of Trustees for Millwood School, a kindergarten through eighth grade independent school located in Chesterfield County.

Small Business of the Year Awarded to High-Tech Machine MFG., Inc.

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors has awarded the 1999 Small Business Appreciation Award to High-Tech Machine MFG., Inc. The award, based on the approved Business Appreciation Award criteria, acknowledges High-Tech’s dedication and commitment to our community over the past year.

High-Tech Machine MFG., Inc. is owned and operated by Robert Cacciotti. The company generated $1 million in sales last year and now employs approximately 14 people. The company plans to expand its current facility up to 12,000 square feet. High-Tech is located on Trade Road (off Midlothian Turnpike) in Chesterfield county.

Congratulations goes to Mr. Cacciotti and all his employees!

Filtrona Richmond, Inc. to Move into Enterprise Zone

Filtrona Richmond Inc., a manufacturer of cigarette filters and bonded fiber products, will build a 180,000-square-foot plant in the Ashton Creek Business Center, off the Walthall interchange of Interstate 95. 230 employees will be affected by the move. The investment will amount to more than $10 million, construction is expected to start midsummer.

The facility will house Filtrona’s administrative and research and development divisions, as well as its specialty fiber division, which supplies bonded fiber components to the writing, medical and printing industries. Those functions are now based in a 165,000-square-foot plant along Jefferson Davis Highway near Willis Road in Chesterfield. Filtrona has been at that location for 35 years.

The bigger, more modern building provides room to expand if needed,and will allow the company to take advantage of certain local and state tax breaks as a newcomer to the Walthall Enterprise Zone, which covers about six square miles along I-95 and Jefferson Davis Highway in southeastern Chesterfield.

Small Business Conference Slated for June

Virginia Cooperative Extension and Chesterfield County Economic Development are, once again, jointly sponsoring an annual conference for those interested in starting a small buinsess.

The one-day seminar will be held on Friday, June 4, 1999 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Building on the campus of Virginia State University.

The conference will offer an array of speakers, including Dr. Ann Lastovica, Extension Specialist and State Micro-Business Coordinator at Virginia State University, along with accounting and legal experts. Topics to be covered include: current trends for micro businesses, assessment of personal and business management skills, developing a business plan, searching for capital, record keeping and taxes, legal issues, pricing for profit, and helpful hints from a panel of successful entrepreneurs.

The conference registration fee of $20 covers the cost of educational materials, continental breakfast, lunch, and refreshment breaks. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling the Chesterfield Extension Office at 751-4401. General information on the seminar is also available from Chesterfield County Economic Development at 748-3963.

Economic Development Welcomes New Employee

Chesterfield County Department of Economic Development recently hired Tina Shreve as the Administrative Assistant for the department. Tina graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, and a minor in Economics. She was most recently employed by a property management company.

Capital One Partners with JTCC and Chesterfield Schools

Capital One, one of the region’s newest and largest employers, celebrated the grand opening of their Call Center Simulator Computer Lab on April 15, 1999 in the lab’s new location in the Chesterfield Technical Center.

Capital One, John Tyler Community College (JTCC) and Chesterfield County Public Schools have formed an alliance to implement an innovative employment training program: The Call Center Training Alliance. This program will offer call center training and preparation for adults through JTCC and for Chesterfield County high school students enrolled in career development advanced marketing courses.

County high school students enrolled in career development Advanced Marketing courses will participate in a training program that introduces them to call center procedures and processes. Adult students will attend evening classes at JTCC while the high school students will attend the Chesterfield Technical Center. Both JTCC and the high school students will culminate their training at the Chesterfield Technical Center in the call center computer lab sponsored by Capital One.

Dr. Bill Bosher, Superintendent of Chesterfield Public Schools, Dr. Marshall Smith, President of JTCC, and representatives from Capital One made remarks at the grand opening ceremony and spoke about the positive impact that this training alliance will have on Chesterfield County and the region.
For more information about this innovative program, contact JTCC BIGS Center at (804) 796-4041 or Chesterfield County Public Schools at (804) 768-6165.

McLaren Leaves Chesterfield

It is with mixed emotions that we announce the resignation of Gary R. McLaren, Director of Economic Development, who has left Chesterfield County to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia as Director of Business Development of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP).

Gary was hired as Director of Economic Development in 1988. Prior to that, he was the Director of the City of Chesapeake Dept. of Economic Development.

During his 11 years of service, he developed a strong and nationally-recognized program that is regarded by both peers and consultants as one of the top economic development organizations in the country. Gary’s leadership provided for the creation of more than 9,000 new jobs and investments of nearly $1 billion in new revenue which has resulted in Chesterfield consistently ranking in the Top 10 communities in the state in new jobs and investment.

Gary and the office of Economic Development, recognizing the importance of existing industry to the county’s economic prosperity, initiated a very successful Existing Industry Program. This innovative program was recently awarded the NACO Achievement Award.

As Director of Economic Development, he worked closely with developers, land owners and other county departments and was instrumental in initiating infrastructure improvements and rezoning of properties to better position Chesterfield of significant future development.

We wish Gary success with his new position, but will greatly miss his vision and leadership here in Chesterfield County.

VEDP Recruiting Companies for IMP Program

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is currently recruiting businesses to participate in the highly-successful International Market Planning (IMP) Program.

In the IMP Program, teams of top graduate business students from one of 12 colleges and universities in the Commonwealth are paired with a Virginia business to develop a comprehensive export marketing plan to assist the company in examining a new foreign market or expanding their existing markets. The students are supervised by an experienced professor. At the end of the semester, the students teams present an executive summary along with a written proposal in an oral presentation to the company’s top management.
Everyone is a winner in the IMP Program. Virginia businesses can develop new markets and increase sales. Local communities, like Chesterfield, can benefit from expanding job opportunities, and the graduate students gain valuable business experience in the real world, that can’t be duplicated in the classroom.

Since the establishment of the IMP Program in 1988, more than 300 businesses, ranging from small entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, have benefited from the comprehensive, tailor-made export marketing plans.

Diversitec, Inc., in Midlothian, along with their IMP team from VCU, recently received the Governor’s Award for Excellence for their IMP project. The VCU team developed technical specifications and requirements needed in the telecom transmission and switching equipment industry. The project identified Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica as key markets for Diversitec’s initial exporting efforts.

For more information about this program, contact Jay Hershey, IMP Coordinator at VEDP, at (804) 371-8915 or fax (804) 371-8860.

Chesterfield Celebrates Our Existing Industry

The fifth annual Business Appreciation week will be celebrated May 16-22, 1999 and has the theme, “Thanks to You, Virginia Works.”

Chesterfield County joins Governor Jim Gilmore and the Virginia Dept. of Business Assistance in acknowledging the contributions of Virginia business in its celebration of Business Appreciation Week, May 16-22, 1999. The theme of this fifth annual event is “Thanks to You, Virginia Works.”

This is a time when we gratefully acknowledge the benefits brought to the people of Virginia by the businesses that operate in our communities. While much attention is given to new business attraction, it is just as important to recognize the contributions made every day by existing industry. It is these businesses that make Chesterfield and Virginia a better place to live.

More Y2K Information

The Virginia Department of Business Assistances’ Existing Industry Development division has developed a publication which features federal, state and private sector contacts and resouces for understanding and tackling the year 2000.

The guide includes contact information for hardware and software manufacturers, consultants, and books, as well as contact information for the Small Business Development Centers. If you would like a copy, please write DBA’s Existing Industry Development division at P. O. Box 446, Richmond, VA 23218-0446. Or you can call (804) 371-8225, or contact your local SBDC office.

Electronic copies can be requested by emailing: jwitherspoon@dba.state.va.us or by visiting for FAQ page on DBA’s web site at www.dba.state.va.us.

Tarmac

Congratulations to Tarmac on their recent expansion in Chesterfield County. Tarmac held an official Grand Opening for their new, $7.2 million, state-of-the-art concrete products plant which was constructed adjacent to their aggregate distribution depot on their site on Willis Road.

The new plant is 50,000 square feet and features an automated computer-controlled concrete block production system with a low-pressure kiln curing process that ensures consistency and quality. The facility will employ up to 25 people and will have the capacity to produce more than 10 million units of high quality concrete block annually.