Virginia is a great place for plastics companies. With Rubbermaid Commercial Products announcing an expansion in December, Tessy Plastic’s January announcement is a strong indicator that injection molding companies are on the rise in the Commonwealth.

Operating in Lynchburg, Va., since 1997, Tessy Plastics plans to invest $4.8 million to expand its current 60,000-square-foot facility by nearly 30,000 square feet. The new space will be used for additional high-technology injection molding, robotics and assembly equipment, primarily serving the company’s growing medical sector. The project will create 60 new jobs, adding to the company’s 143-person Virginia workforce.

Tessy Plastics selected Lynchburg, Va., due to its proximity to the company’s customer base and confidence in the local workforce. “We at Tessy Plastics have an excellent, hardworking and honest workforce. With our great employees and the partnership with the city of Lynchburg and the state of Virginia, I look forward to investing in our future to make us a stronger, more efficient company which will help us stay competitive in a global market,” said Tessy Plastics President Ken Beck.

Virginia is able to attract leading plastics companies due to its strategic East Coast location, world-class transportation system, competitive operating costs and its highly skilled workforce, referenced above.  Virginia’s higher education system offers a number of training programs to meet the needs of the plastics industry. Those programs include the High Performance Manufacturing Technician certification offered through the Virginia Community College System, the Certificate in Polymer Manufacturing Processes at Danville Community College, the Advanced Manufacturing and Packaging Technology curriculum at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and the Center for High Performance Manufacturing and the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute, both at Virginia Tech.

With more than 200 plastics companies operating in the Commonwealth, Virginia actively participates in industry events, such as the Plastics News Executive Forum and the upcoming National Plastics Expo in Orlando, Fl., from April 2-5. Come visit VEDP at booth #174 to learn more about Virginia’s strengths in the plastics industry.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson recently toured the factory floor of Paramount Industrial Cos., located in Norfolk, Va. The visit came a day after President Obama’s State of the Union address, in which the President emphasized the importance of building the U.S. manufacturing base and keeping these jobs stateside.

Paramount Industrial is the first national mattress manufacturer to be Made in USA Certified®. Established during the Great Depression, Paramount Industrial is a third-generation, family-owned business that has been part of the Norfolk community since 1933. The company’s mattress line includes: A.H. Beard, Back Performance, Boutique Hotel, GoodNite Kids, Heavy Duty, Nature’s Spa, Quilt O PEDIC and Sleep for Success.

With mattress sales correlated to the housing market, Paramount Industrial has investigated ways to expand into international markets. Working with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), the company has visited China on multiple occasions to pursue sales opportunities. This past July, Paramount Industrial was accepted into VEDP’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program as part of its 20th class. The award-winning VALET program assists established Virginia companies with their global marketing efforts through a two-year business acceleration program. Through marketing trips and introductions to a team of international service providers, companies experience an 88 percent increase in international sales, on average.

To learn more about VEDP’s programs helping Virginia companies to export across the globe click here. Or if you’re an international company interested in locating in Virginia click here.

Virginia’s Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) recently won a 2012 Manufacturing Leadership 100 Award (ML100) in the category of New Workforce. The awards are presented by Manufacturing Executive, a division of Thomas Publishing LLC of New York.

Created eight years ago, the ML100 Awards recognize excellence, innovation and transformational projects in the field of manufacturing. The New Workforce category seeks to honor companies that “have come up with innovative ways to bring new workers with critically needed new skills into the workplace, and to allow them to productively collaborate with and learn from existing knowledge experts. Winning projects, for example, will involve education and training, knowledge management and transfer, and collaboration with educational institutions,” according to Manufacturing Executive.

The award criteria is a near perfect description of CCAM, which brings together leading manufacturing companies and top educational institutions to collaborate and develop new technologies that result in a more efficient manufacturing process. Canon Virginia Inc., Chromalloy, Newport News Shipbuilding, Rolls-Royce, Sandvik Coromant and Siemens are a few of the market leading companies that participate in the program with the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. CCAM’s research efforts focus on developing solutions for surface engineering and manufacturing systems. Research is already underway in labs at UVA and Virginia Tech while CCAM's 60,000 square-foot, high-technology facility is expected to open in September 2012 in Prince George County, Va.

To learn more about Virginia’s internationally recognized R&D facilities and why companies choose Virginia for its access to cutting-edge research and technology, click here.

Virginia’s Community College System was recently awarded the Innovation in Government award for the development of an online career and educational tool called the Virginia Education Wizard. The award was given by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University as part of its Excellence in Virginia Government Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions that have a significant impact on Virginia’s citizens.

The Virginia Education Wizard, located at www.vawizard.org, allows users to narrow down their choice of career by taking a number of interest, value and skill assessment tests. It then provides information on colleges offering programs in the targeted subject area. The site also offers students and parents information on planning for college, including test preparation and financial aid. This is all accomplished with the assistance of an online guide, named Ginny, who walks users through each step.

Developed by Chmura Economics & Analytics in tandem with IT professionals at Virginia’s Community Colleges, the website pulls in real-time market data from Chmura Economics & Analytics. Since its launch in March 2009, more than 314,000 individual accounts have been created. The site also topped one million visits in August 2011. The tool is successfully being used not only by high school students, but also by career coaches and guidance counselors, as it provides one location with everything needed for the college planning process.

The success of the Virginia Education Wizard illustrates the strength of Virginia’s excellent education system, preparing a highly skilled workforce to support a wide variety of industry needs. Virginia’s Community College System was developed more than 40 years ago and provides occupational and technical training programs through its 23 schools across 40 campuses. With nearly half a million students taking classes each year, companies located in Virginia have access to a steady stream of highly trained employees.

To learn how Virginia’s quality workforce can support your industry click here.

Region 2000, representing the 2,000 square miles surrounding Lynchburg, Va., received the Public-Private Partnership award for its work in establishing a collaborative environment between leading businesses and educational institutions to foster regional economic development. The award is part of the Excellence in Virginia Government Awards given by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Region 2000 partners with six organizations to provide economic development, regional planning, workforce training and networking opportunities for the Lynchburg area. One of its newest organizations is the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER), a R&D center established to provide local companies with access to university research to speed the development of innovative products and technologies.

The Center for Advanced Engineering and Research opened in August 2011 and currently comprises three facilities. First, the CAER Research and Education Facility, located at New London Business and Technology Park in Bedford County, includes a nuclear power plant room simulator, three-dimensional simulation computing capability, research labs and a cognitive radio test room. Second, CAER operates a Wireless Test Facility in conjunction with Liberty University. This Open Area Test Site, originally developed by Ericsson, is designed to conduct Electro Magnetic compatibility testing. Third, the Wireless Sensor Lab operates as a partnership between CAER, the University of Virginia and Central Virginia Community College. This Multiscale Agile Systems Technology Lab supports the research of motes and other miniature electronic devices.

The CAER is a prime example of the many public-private partnerships established across Virginia to expedite innovation in the technology, advanced manufacturing and energy sectors. To learn more about Virginia’s key business sectors click here.

Below  - Governor L. Douglas Wilder congratulates Region 2000 Economic Development Council Director Bryan David.

Virginia adds to its dominance in the high-tech sector by winning the new headquarters location for Acentia, a premier provider of technology and management solutions for both federal and commercial customers, which has moved from Maryland to its new home in Fairfax County. The project includes a $3.1 million investment and the creation of 60 new jobs for the Commonwealth.

While high-tech is often associated with the Silicon Valley, Virginia actually has the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the country. That’s according to the recently-released Enterprising States 2011: Recovery and Renewal for the 21st Century prepared by Praxis Strategy Group and Joel Kotkin for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In 2010 there were 12,999 high-tech firms in Virginia in industries such as Computer Systems Design Services, Engineering Services, Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing and Software Publishing. Over the last five years, Virginia’s high-tech sector has grown by 2,305 firms.

In addition to having the highest concentration of high-tech firms, Virginia also has the nation’s highest concentration of high-tech workers, according to the trade publication Cyberstates 2011. High-tech sector jobs grew to 277,575, up 6.7 percent in the Commonwealth from 2005 to 2010. Even more impressive, during this same time period high-tech employment fell by 6 percent nationwide.

Possessing a highly skilled IT workforce was an important part of winning the Acentia headquarters location for Virginia. According to Acentia CEO Todd Stottlemyer, “Fairfax County gives us access to the highly-skilled technical staff and management consultants we need to continue to provide essential services to our customers. As a company with very aggressive growth plans, we are excited about the possibilities that moving our headquarters to Virginia presents to our customers and the entire Acentia team. Our new space should be a springboard to a great 2012 for Acentia.”

To learn why Acentia and other high-tech companies such as CSC, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have all chosen Virginia, click here.

On New Year’s Eve, Enviva LP opened its deep water terminal at Virginia’s Port of Chesapeake. The first shipment, consisting of 28,000 metric tons of wood pellets, is destined for Europe aboard the MV Daishin Maru. 

Enviva acquired the deep water terminal last January to handle up to three million tons of biomass export to international customers. The company constructed a 157-foot-tall silo at the site, able to store 45,000 metric tons of wood pellets at a time and withstand extreme weather conditions due to its technologically advanced design.

Enviva selected the Port of Chesapeake due to its deep water capacity and ability to handle a variety of vessels, as well as its access to international markets and proximity to biomass sources and other company operations. The company already has a facility in the region, and announced its plans to build a 454,000 metric ton wood pellet manufacturing facility in Southampton County, Va., this past November. The $75 million investment will create 64 new full-time jobs, plus the additional jobs created through the company’s logging supply chain.

With demand for renewable sources of energy expected to increase, Enviva, a leader in biomass fuel manufacturing, is well-positioned for growth. The company expects its facility at the Port of Chesapeake to be a “flagship operation,” as it is ideally situated close to the biomass supply chain with the capabilities to reach global customers. 

To learn more about why Virginia is laying claim to the title, “Energy Capital of the East Coast,” click here.

Just in time for the holidays, Amazon.com announced it will invest $135 million to establish two fulfillments centers – one in Chesterfield County and one in Dinwiddie County. 1,350 new jobs will be created from the combined project, which is the largest job announcement Virginia has seen since 2004.

This joint win comes as a result of both counties working over many years to ensure their business parks would attract world class companies like Amazon. The Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield and Dinwiddie Commerce Park in Dinwiddie are shovel-ready sites offering sufficient water, gas, and electricity capacity for large business customers, as well as convenient access to I-95, I-85 and the nearby UPS hub.

Due to their central East Coast location, these two fulfillment centers will expand Amazon’s distribution ring across the U.S. and allow the company to easily service customers within one to two business days. Virginia already has a strong reputation for its logistics capabilities reaching both global and domestic markets. The Port of Virginia, with its deep harbor and Suez-class cranes, offers companies the only East Coast location able to hand post-Panamax vessels as first port of call. With two Class I railroads, an Inland Port, and a world-class interstate system, companies located in Virginia can transport goods to customers quickly and cheaply.

Virginia is a popular place for logistics companies with two recent announcement including Ace Hardware and Backcountry.com. To learn more about Virginia’s logistics capabilities and why more than 364 global logistics projects have been announced in the past ten years click here.

On Friday, IMS:GEAR Virginia announced plans to expand its manufacturing operations in Virginia Beach, Va. The company has successfully operated in Virginia Beach since 2000, growing to become one of the leading suppliers of car seat gear assemblies to the North American automotive market. In order to meet the increasing demand from its Tier 1 customer base, the company is investing $35.5 million in a new facility and additional machinery that will significantly increase its production capacity.  

With global headquarters in Germany, the company certainly had a wide choice of locations. Virginia was able to compete against Georgia and keep the company in the Commonwealth due to Virginia’s favorable business environment and the quality of its workforce. Virginia’s automotive industry employs close to 15,000 people who are well-prepared by the world-class engineering programs offered through Virginia’s higher education system. In addition, the Commonwealth maintains a number of automotive R&D facilities, including the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the Virginia Tech Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Lab, The Virginia Tech Center for Automotive Fuel Cell Systems, the National Tire Research Center, the National Crash Analysis Center, the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research, the University of Virginia Center for Applied Biomechanics, and Old Dominion University’s Full Scale Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley.

Despite concerns about the economy’s impact on the overall industry, automotive manufacturers are still finding a home in Virginia. With 170 automotive companies across the state, Virginia companies cover all aspects of the industry, including vehicle assembly, bodies and trailers, component parts and tires. Virginia’s workforce and pro-business climate continue to attract investment, as more than 100 automotive projects totaling $1.6 billion have created more than 5,540 new jobs over the last ten years. 

Some of the leading automotive companies that have set up operations in the Commonwealth include Federal-Mogul, Continental AG, Dynax America, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Volvo Trucks North America and Volkswagen of America. To learn more about Virginia’s assets in the automotive industry click here.

Last Thursday, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) announced it will create 71 new jobs and invest $67.25 million to expand its manufacturing operations in Winchester and establish a new distribution center in nearby Frederick County. The company has a longstanding relationship with the Commonwealth, as Winchester has also served as the company’s headquarters location since 1968.

The expansion in Winchester will allow the company to increase its production capabilities and improve its energy efficiency by replacing older equipment with state-of-the-art injection molding equipment. In Frederick County, the company is taking over the now-vacant G.E. Lighting facility and will convert this into an updated 454,000-square-foot global logistics center. The availability of a suitable logistics facility close to the company’s headquarters certainly aided the Commonwealth in securing this project.

Known for its leading commercial cleaning and sanitation products, RCP’s growth includes both domestic and global customers, such as Shangri-La Hotels worldwide and the Hong Kong Airport. Virginia’s superior logistics capabilities were a critical advantage in winning this deal. Both locations provide convenient access to I-66 and I-81, and with the Virginia Inland Port only a few miles away, the company can access international markets through the Port of Virginia.   

The Winchester-Frederick County area is quickly becoming a hub for global manufacturing companies. O’Sullivan Films, Federal-Mogul, Kraft Foods, H.P. Hood and Thermo-Fisher Scientific are just a few of the leading manufacturers that have chosen to expand operations in the area. To learn more about Virginia’s manufacturing capabilities and why these companies said yes to Virginia click here.

VEDP recently hosted a Global Logistics Forum for Virginia economic developers, site selection consultants and logistics providers to discuss supply chain market dynamics. Hitting maximum capacity, this gathering couldn’t have been more timely given the recent activity in transportation infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth. 

The Governor’s 2011 transportation proposal was the largest investment road and railways had seen in 25 years. In addition, Virginia’s transportation infrastructure has been strengthened by a flurry of recent public-private partnerships announcing improvements to  Route 58 and the Coalfields Expressway in Southwestern Virginia, the I-95 HOV/Hot lanes project in Northern Virginia, and the Midtown Tunnel and MLK Expressway extension project in the Hampton Road region.

And just why is transportation getting all this attention? It appears word has gotten out that transportation infrastructure and economic development are directly related. This was a key theme of the VEDP Global Logistics Forum, and in the words of Governor McDonnell the two are “inextricably linked”. Bringing companies and jobs to Virginia brings more people to the Commonwealth, and these additional people add more cars to the roads and consume more goods, requiring more freight to be delivered to communities. Nationally, freight is expected to increase 19 percent by the year 2022. Without investment in maintaining and expanding this infrastructure, inefficiencies will result in a competitive disadvantage, certainly felt more acutely in an environment of increasing energy costs.

Virginia is fortunate to a have a truly intermodal system of transportation spanning the water, railways, roads, air and even into space. As each mode is related to the entire system, an increase or decrease in efficiency in one mode affects the entire system. This interdependency acts as a multiplier effect, thus any investment to improve one mode, exponentially improves the efficiency of the entire transit system. 

The Commonwealth’s transportation system is certainly getting the attention and investment it deserves in order to, literally, lay the groundwork for Virginia’s future growth. As Virginia seeks to advance its position as CNBC’s Top State for Business, improvements to transportation infrastructure allow the Commonwealth to compete at the global level and attract businesses, jobs and consumers to Virginia.

To learn more about Virginia’s global logistics assets and why the Commonwealth is a leading gateway to the world click here.

(Pictured below:  VEDP Logistics Business Development Manager, Warren Hammer, presents Virginia’s transportation assets to a group of industry professionals.)

On Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling attended an event to announce that Big R Bridge, a national leader in developing engineered solutions for steel bridges, corrugated metal structures, retaining wall systems and corrugated pipe, will establish its first Virginia location in Washington County.

The $1.9 million investment will be used to convert the former Lynchburg Steel Facility into a manufacturing operation for the company’s prefabricated bridge parts, bringing 32 new jobs to Southwest Virginia.

Big R Bridge has been supplying prefabricated bridges and custom engineered products for more than 40 years, handling more than 10,000 installations to date and creating more than 300 bridges each year.

The new facility in Washington County will allow the company to expand its U.S. footprint and more easily access East Coast markets. Virginia successfully competed against North Carolina for the project.

The Commonwealth was chosen for its strategic location and premier logistics network, offering easy access to Interstates 81 and 77. Virginia was also selected for its exceptional workforce with the advanced manufacturing skills needed to produce the company’s highly engineered solutions.

With names like DuPont, Honeywell, Owens & Minor, Merck and Rolls-Royce, Virginia continues to attract top tier manufacturing companies. To learn why more than 6,000 manufacturers call Virginia home, click here.