■ Community Profile SOUTHERN VIRGINIA A ‘happening place’ Projects bloom in Southern Virginia communities


Student Jeremy


Shallenberger trains at the Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining in Danville.


by Joan Tupponce T


he recent economic buzz in Southern Virginia is being generated by an


uptick in advanced manufacturing, the creation of megasite parks and a flurry of new local businesses. Once rooted in tobacco and


tex tile manufacturing, the region is now gaining recognition for a workforce trained in skills such as precision machining at facilities such as at facilities such as Dan- ville Community College and the Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville.


88 DECEMBER 2017 “This is a happening place,”


says Linwood Wright, a consultant to Danville’s office of economic development. This year Danville saw several


of last year’s major economic announcements move forward. Range Rover manufacturer Overfinch invested $8 million to establish a manufacturing opera- tion in the 330-acre Cyber Park. The new facility, which is expected to employ 41 workers, already is beginning to add the final touches to vehicles that will be sold to customers throughout the United States.


The city also saw the develop-


ment of the Kyocera SGS Tech Hub, a subsidiary of Ohio-based Kyocera SGS Precision Tools. The company is investing $9.5 million to establish its technology and strategic manufacturing hub in Danville, which is expected to create 35 jobs. Its 30,000-square- foot facility in Cyber Park is under construction and planned for completion next May. United Kingdom-based


Unison Ltd, a global tube-bending machine company, plans to invest $5.2 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing operation in


Photo courtesy Institute for Advanced Learning and Research


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