The Virginia Department of Business Assistance has launched a new and improved web site. In addition to updated and more detailed information on DBA’s programs and services, this new site offers a wealth of resources to new and expanding businesses in the Resource Center. You will find a step-by-step guide to starting your business in the Business Launch Pad. The site also includes a comprehensive Calendar of Events for business leaders and the economic development community. Please visit the site at www.dba.state.va.us
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Doing business with the Commonwealth of Virginia is now easier than ever. The state has developed eVA, a web-based e-procurement process that changes the way the state does business with its vendors. The new purchasing system automates and streamlines government purchasing activities making business processes easier, better and faster. Vendors register once to do business with all state agencies and institutions. For more information visit www.eva.state.va.us today!
eVA was developed by the Virginia Department of General Services and was launched March 5, 2001. When fully implemented, Virginia expects to have approximately 100 agencies and universities and thousands of merchants conducting an estimated $1 billion in business a year through eVA.
DuPont has announced it will consolidate its Richmond area warehouse operations in Chesterfield County. DuPont has contracted with Devon USA, through C.B. Richard Ellis, to invest $30 million to build a new warehousing and logistics center. Devon will build two 400,000-square-foot buildings on the site located on Bellwood Road adjacent to DuPont’s James River Plant.
DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition, health care, apparel, home and construction, electronics and transportation. Founded in 1802, the company operates in 70 countries and has 94,000 employees. Once complete, the warehouse and logistics complex will house finished and semi-finished products, such as Kevlar and Tyvek, produced at DuPont’s nearby Spruance plant and other operations currently located in seven facilities in the local area. The new location should provide improvements in distribution technologies, business cost and overall effectiveness. While the current warehouse operations employ about 145 people, additional employment is likely at the new complex.
“We chose Chesterfield County for this project due to the close proximity of our Spruance plant, transportation access, and the strong, ongoing relationship we have with the community and the state,” said Mike Mayberry, DuPont Spruance Plant Manager.
The Chesterfield County Department of Economic Development assisted DuPont with its decision to locate in the county’s northern Enterprise Zone.
Maruchan Virginia, Inc., the Japanese-owned ramen noodle manufacturer, hasannounced plans to expand their Chesterfield County facility at 8101 Whitepine Road in the County’s Airport Industrial Park. The company will puchase 30 acres adjacent to their current facility for the expansion. Once complete the new space will be used for warehousing; two production lines will then be added in the current warehouse space once it is vacated. It is estimated that 130 new employees will be hired as a result of the expansion. Projected investment in the project will approach $31 million.
“It is obvious from our growth record, since 1989, that our investment in Chesterfield County has been a success. Some of the reasons for this success are the cooperation and support that we have received from Chesterfield County, the State of Virginia, and all of their agencies.” said Kiyoshi Fukagawa, President, Maruchan Virginia Inc. He added, “Even though we will ship our product throughout the United States and Mexico, we are planning to expand here in Chesterfield County because we have developed solid business relationships and have benefited from the local business environment. I hope we can continue to take advantage of this prime location for the benefit of the county and Maruchan.”
The company manufactures 20 different flavors of Maruchan Ramen noodles and 22 flavors of Maruchan Instant Lunch. Though the company produces product for worldwide distribution, some of the product from this most recent expansion will be exported to Russia. Local customers include Ukrop’s Supermarkets, Hannaford Brothers, Rack & Sack, Food Lion, Walmart and Costco Warehouse.
Maruchan Virginia, Inc. is a subsidiary of Toyo Suisan Kaisha Ltd and located in Chesterfield in 1989. They purchased 23.5 acres in the Chesterfield Airport Industrial Park, constructed a 160,000 square feet manufacturing plant with two production lines and hired 50 employees. In 1992, the company was utilizing four production lines, had hired an additional 100 employees and completed the construction of an additional 100,000 square feet of warehouse space. By 1998 the company had again expanded to total space constructed in excess of 460,000 square feet and was employing nearly 300 people. With today’s announced expansion the plant will approach 590,000 square feet and employee nearly 430 people when completed.
St. Francis Medical Center, near the intersection of Route 288 and Powhite Parkway in Chesterfield, broke ground for construction on April 12, 2001. The 200,000 square foot, acute care hospital will sit on a 29-acre campus. The 130-bed facility will provide full-service medical care including emergency, surgery, diagnostics, and outpatient pediatrics, as well as birthing and outpatient services. There will also be an adjacent 100,000 square foot medical office building. The hospital will also serve Powhatan, Amelia, Cumberland, Buckingham, and Goochland Counties.
Bon Secours, which means “good help,” was founded back in 1824 by a group of twelve Catholic women to address unmet healthcare needs in Paris, France. They founded the Sisters of Bon Secours, a community dedicated to providing medical and spiritual care for the sick and dying, rich or poor. Today, the Bon Secours Health System, Inc. is a national healthcare provider with 41 facilities, serving 14 communities in nine states throughout the eastern United States.
St. Francis will create approximately 400 jobs with an annual payroll of $20 million by 2005. Projected construction costs are $70 million. The hospital is expected to open Summer 2003.
The Richmond area ranks No. 33 among “America’s 50 Most Wired Cities,” according to the April issue of Yahoo/Internet Life.
The region scored 19.4 points out of a possible 40 points in the evaluation. San Jose, Calif. ranked No. 1 with 33.3 points and the Washington, D.C. area, in which the magazine included parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, ranked No. 4 with 28.1 points.
Measurements for each city or standard metropolitan area were based on (1) the number of residents using the Internet, (2) the degree of user sophistication, (3) the number of businesses on the Interact and (4) the mount of online content about a city and its government. City sizes also were factored in “to generate scores that reflect degree of wiredness,” the magazine said.
The magazine said the “Most Wired” list was prepared because “there are actually two digital divides. While the national debate has centered on individual haves and have-nots, the disparity among entire communities goes largely unnoticed.”
“Yahoo’s rating of Greater Richmond further underscores our progress toward becoming a technology hub on the East Coast,” said Gregory H. Wingfield, president of the Greater Richmond Partnership.
The only other Virginia metro area included in the Top 50 list was the Norfolk/Tidewater region (No. 48). Other cities on the list include Raleigh-Durham (No. 8), Atlanta (No. 16), Chicago (No. 21), Charlotte (No. 28), Houston (No. 31), Philadelphia (No. 35) and Baltimore (No. 46).
The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors has named Hoover & Strong as the recipient of Chesterfield County’s 2001 Medium Business Appreciation Award. The Board of Supervisors established a Business Appreciation and Recognition Award to acknowledge existing Chesterfield businesses that contribute to the county’s economy and its citizens.
The Board gives four awards annually, one each to Large, Medium and Small Business, and one to the Developer of the year.
Hoover & Strong is a family-owned, mail order company established in 1912. The company refines and manufactures specialty metal products for metalworkers across the nation, and its three divisions produce over 30,000 products.
The company started in Buffalo, New York and relocated to Chesterfield County in 1979. Hoover & Strong currently employs over 170 people. George Hoover, President, is active with the Richmond Hand Workshop Arts Center, Midlothian YMCA, and the Chesterfield Emergency Planning Committee.
Chesterfield County has launched a new business-oriented web site and a revamped county government web site.
ChesterfieldBusiness.com is an all-new web site designed specifically for Chesterfield business users. The site contains a wide variety of information, resources, and links to help with business needs. It is broken up into three easy to navigate sections.
The Business Assistance section outlines programs, services, and incentives offered by the county and includes information for small and minority business owners.
The Business Resources section is great for researchers and consultants. It contains news, facts, and figures about the community as well as an online version of the Chesterfield Industrial Directory.
The Business Properties section is helpful to businesses and developers looking for industrial sites and buildings. It contains site selection tools that allow online access to a database of available properties and buildings. Also included in this section are transportation and development plans for Chesterfield.
Chesterfield.gov is the new user-friendly main county web site. It includes everything the old site offered, but the new design should make it easier for users to find specific information.
Web page areas for residents, businesses and tourists have links to specific information on topics such as taxes, leaf collection, licenses and permits, land development, events, attractions, maps and more. The 10 most requested pages for the past week are listed and a user can search the site with keywords.
Governor Jim Gilmore has announced that ERNI Components, Inc. will expand its operation in the Rivers Bend Center in Chesterfield County. The expansion will create 550 new jobs and the company will invest $98.4 million to complete this project. Virginia successfully competed with Nevada for the investment.
“The Commonwealth’s pro-business environment is vital to the satisfaction of our existing companies,” said Governor Gilmore. “ERNI’s decision to embark on such a major expansion is a testament to Virginia’s success in this area.”
ERNI is a leading global manufacturer and worldwide supplier of a broad line of interconnect products for the telecommunications, data communications, computer, industrial and medical markets. ERNI has manufacturing and sales operations in both Europe and North America as well as sales offices in over 40 countries. ERNI has participated with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to strengthen its international trade presence. The company partnered with Old Dominion University in the fall of 1998 to participate in VEDP’s International Market Planning program. Company executives also accompanied Governor Gilmore to South America in 1999 for a trade mission.
“Virginia government and business officials have affirmed their support of ERNI through the years. This support has been crucial in our decision to expand our business in the Commonwealth,” states Willy Rau, President and CEO of ERNI Components. “The talented labor pool and convenient accessibility to transportation also played key roles in our decision to commit to this investment in Virginia.”
“By expanding here in Virginia, ERNI will be able to take advantage of our high quality workforce,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. DuVal. “The company will also significantly increase its capacity to supply its existing and newly developed products to all of its customers.”
Governor Gilmore approved a $500,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Chesterfield County with site preparation. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Chesterfield County assisted ERNI Components with its decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services. The company also qualified to receive a grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership, an incentive available to existing Virginia companies, in the amount of $500,000.
“We are very excited about this existing industry continuing to expand in Chesterfield County,” said Renny Bush Humphrey, Chairman of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. “This project reinforces that this area is becoming an emerging high tech, quality-manufacturing center. It will create high paying jobs for our citizens.”
The 30th Annual Basic Economic Development Course was held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in March. The Department of Economic Development sent two staff members to attend, Barbara DelVillar and Tina Shreve.
The course was sponsored by: The Institute for Economic Development, Department of City and Regional Planning, The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The American Economic Development Council (AEDC) also accredits the course.
The purpose of the course is to improve practitioner competence in economic development, provide basic learning opportunities for new professionals and provide a pathway for participation in advanced educational programs in the field.
| Date | Company | New or Expansion | Investment (millions) | # New Employees | Square Footage |
| 01/00 | Rogar | Expansion | $0.500 | 5 | 20,000 |
| 02/00 | Antioch Company | New | $7.500 | 140 | 121,000 |
| 02/00 | Prillaman Chemical Company | Expansion | $0.900 | 0 | 500 |
| 03/00 | Con-Way Southern Express | New | $11.200 | 20 | 68,400 |
| 03/00 | Tidewater Fibers | Expansion | $6.000 | 10 | 70,000 |
| 07/00 | PARI Innovative Mfgrs. Inc. | Expansion | $2.000 | 15 | 20,000 |
| 07/00 | Algroup Lawson Mardon | New | $45.000 | 130 | 170,000 |
| 08/00 | VPMEP | Expansion | N/A | 0 | 2,300 |
| 09/00 | Virginia Water Systems | New | N/A | N/A | 13,600 |
| 09/00 | Columbia Gas of Va. | Expansion | N/A | N/A | 20,600 |
| 09/00 | Chrystalis | New | $5.000 | 50 | 100,000 |
| 10/00 | Capital One | Expansion | $34.700 | 1,000 | 158,000 |
| 12/00 | Bon Secours – St. Francis | New | $69.500 | 400 | 109,000 |
| 12/00 | Rotary Corporation | New | $1.500 | 12 | 36,000 |
| 2000 | TOTALS | $183.800 | 1,782 | 909,400 | |
M & R Constructors, industrial and mechanical contractors, is relocating to a new location. The company, which was located in the Chesterfield County Airport Industrial park, purchased a 6,380 square foot building at 9410 Burge Avenue. Total investment is estimated at $600,000. Five workers will be relocated to the new facility.
The Virginia Procurement Pipeline (VPP), an on-line database at www.virginiabusiness.org, provides a marketing resource for Virginia businesses and a procurement resource for businesses anywhere.
The goal of the VPP is to provide information to create additional business opportunities for Virginia companies. Whether manufacturers or service providers, companies in Virginia may use this database, at no charge, to extend their market reach. Private corporations throughout the Commonwealth and in the Mid-Atlantic region are using the VPP database to identify new sources of supply. Government agencies at the local, county and state levels are also turning to the VPP to meet their procurement needs.
Export opportunities are also a possibility, as the foreign offices of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership are using the VPP database to identify trading partners for their clients. By registering in the database, businesses gain exposure to these organizations.
Each registered company gets an individual VPP Home Page, which lists the details they have provided about their business and its operations. When e-mail or web site addresses are offered, hyperlinks are created from a company’s VPP Home Page. This service provides a basic web presence for Virginia companies who may not have the resources to create and maintain their own web site.
Along with the marketing advantage offered by the VPP, Virginia businesses benefit from using the database to find what they need to run their own businesses. It is important to note that the project is state funded – there is no fee to register with the VPP, or to search the database.
On-line registration in the VPP is available at the website, www.virginiabusiness.org. More information about using the database may be downloaded from the home page, and on screen help in conducting searches is available. For additional information about this service, including alternate ways to register your company, e-mail pipeline@runet.edu or call 540-831-6392.
With a view toward promoting small and minority business development and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit in the county, the Department of Economic Development has enhanced the program that provides such businesses with a single point of contact for assistance with issues of concern to them.
Steven C. Wright will head up the new program as project manager. Wright comes to Chesterfield County from Ferguson Enterprises, having also worked with the Chesapeake Economic Development Department for several years. He is familiar with the area, having received his bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1991.
“The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors believed that while the county is active in assisting large industry, more could be done to help small and minority business,” Wright said. “Chesterfield County welcomes and wants to aid all businesses, but limited staff resources hampered the effort with small and minority businesses. With this new program, we will be better able to address the issues, from inception through development, that are important to this particular segment of our business community.”
The new program will facilitate workshops on topics such as business startups, business plan development and access to capital. Business counseling will be offered and the program will focus on small and minority businesses.
“In keeping with the overall economic development plan for the county,” said Jim Dunn, Economic Development director, “the services included in this program will lead to the creation and enhancement of small and minority businesses and increased employment opportunities.”
For more information, contact the Chesterfield County Department of Economic Development at 748-3963.
Expansion Management magazine polled over 75 prominent site selection consultants regarding their choices for the best cities for business location and expansion. The Richmond-Petersburg area was ranked 15 in the poll, released in the magazine’s January 2001 issue, due in large part to its workforce. The region, which included Chesterfield County, was cited as having a motivated and productive workforce, which is constantly being replenished, by the eight colleges and universities in the area, trailing spouse of new hires and a growing number of exiting military personnel.
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.
Chesterfield Economic Development has a new Project Manager for Small and Minority Businesses.
Economic Development would like to welcome its newest member – Steven Wright. Steven comes to us from Ferguson Enterprises in Newport News. He was the Development Coordinator and also has experience as a Project Manager in the City of Chesapeake.
Steven will coordinate all the small and minority owned business projects here in Chesterfield County.
Welcome Steven!
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.
HCA Richmond Hospitals announced $37 million expansion and opening of a new regional patient account service center in Chesterfield County. The patient account service center will bring more than 250 new jobs to the area. Johnston-Willis Medical Center will upgrade and renovate operating rooms and surgical support areas.
The patient account service center will be located in the Boulders office complex (Boulders VIII), and will serve 17 hospitals in Virginia, West Virginia and New Hampshire, providing billing, procurement and other financial services. By the end of the year, the center will employ about 450 people. About 185 workers were transferred to the center from HCA facilities in the area. Up to 265 employees will be hired by the end of 2001.
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!
Rotary Corporation announced it would open a new Mid-Atlantic Distribution Center in Chesterfield County, VA. The new Distribution Center will open February 2001, and will be located at I-95/Walthall Interchange in the Walthall Enterprise Zone.
This Distribution Center has 36,000 sq ft. and will house the company’s entire product line of over 7,500 parts and accessories. Rotary Corporation, considered the world’s largest supplier of parts and accessories for the outdoor power equipment industry, has a convenient distribution network that services customers from coast to coast and over 60 countries worldwide. Founded in 1957, the company has six distribution points in the United States and an International Distribution Center in Belgium.
This Distribution Center will provide next day service to customers in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and to portions of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Jersey and West Virginia.
Rotary Corporation plans to employee 10 to 12 individuals at the initial startup. Rotary’s Corporate Headquarters is located in Glennville, Georgia.
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 Department of Business Assistance is seeking nominations for the Southern Growth Policies Board’s annual Governor’s Cup Awards, which identify and honor the best companies in the South.
Each year, the Board recognizes outstanding examples of economic development efforts undertaken by private sector companies. The awards are presented in three size classifications, based on the number of employees, and are chosen on the basis of outstanding achievement in five categories:
- Technological innovation
- Economic impact
- International trade
- Community involvement
- Human resources
Virginia companies have received six of the twelve Governor’s Cup awards given in the past four years. Competition for the awards is intense, with entries submitted by each of the board’s 14 member states and Puerto Rico. Arrowhead Space and Telecommunications, Inc. of Falls Church was the latest Virginia recipient, winning the 2000 Award in the 51-100 employees category.
Local economic development offices, chambers of commerce, and technology councils are welcome to submit nominations, or companies can nominate themselves. Please contact Jay Ruehrmund, DBA’s Research Director, at (804) 371-0071 or jruehrmund@dba.state.va.us no later than March 1 with the name of the company you are nominating and a contact name and number.
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