REGIONAL VIEW shenandoah valley


West Coast company establishing operation in the Valley by Joan Tupponce


Shenandoah County when it was searching last year for an East Coast manufacturing and assembly site. The company’s decision


T


to locate in the Mount Jack- son Industrial Park and invest $1.5 million in its new opera- tion is expected to crea te 60 jobs in the next few years. Since 1995, TruckVault, which is based in Washington state, has made secure storage compartments for equipment kept in vehicles ranging from sedans to pickups. The company compares


its manufacturing process to cabinet making, says Jenna French, Shenandoah County director of tourism and eco- nomic development. Before talking to local


economic development officials, the company “had scouted out some proper- ties that could have worked for them. Going off that


FOR THE RECORD


Verona-based Nexus Services plans to add 200 workers nationwide during 2018, dou- bling its workforce, with many of the new jobs created in the Shenandoah Valley. Nexus is a family of companies and charities offering services to immigrants. Nexus says an improved business outlook and tax reform by the U.S. Congress have enabled the expansion. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


A new boutique hotel plans to open in downtown Staunton this spring. The 49-room Blackburn Inn is scheduled to open on the grounds of the Villages of Staunton at 301


ruckVault, a West Coast company, liked what it found in


TruckVault products are used to store equipment securely in vehicles. Its Shenandoah County facility is expected to employ 60 people.


to-date building in today’s market. They saw that as an oppor- tunity to invest,”


Robinson says. In addition to interstate


access, the company cited other factors that drew it to the region. One was Virginia’s business friendly environ- ment “and ability and eager- ness to provide assistance to a company like that from start to finish,” Robinson says. TruckVault is a natural


information we sought out additional properties,” says Courtland Robinson, busi- ness development director for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership.


The company also


looked at possible sites in Kentucky. It chose Mount Jackson because of its access to major transportation arter- ies. “They liked the location along Interstate 81,” Rob- inson says. “Being on I-81 offers a host of advantages.” The area also is accessible


Greenville Ave. Robin Miller,


a principal of Richmond-based Miller & Associates, is the developer behind the project. He and a partner, Dan Gecker, also developed the 80-acre Vil- lages of Staunton, the original site of Western State Hospital. Miller is known for the adaptive re-use of architecturally sig- nificant buildings in Richmond, Petersburg and Staunton. He said in a statement that state and federal historic tax credits made the Blackburn project financially feasible. He did not disclose the investment cost. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


The Shenandoah County Industr ial Development Author- ity hired consulting engineering


14 FEBRUARY 2018


to Interstates 66 and 64, the Capital Beltway and Wash- ington, D.C. TruckVault will be moving into the One Stop Deli building, which was previously used for food processing and preparation. The existing cold storage units will be removed dur- ing renovation. TruckVault plans to use 14,664 square feet of the more than 18,000-square-foot building for manufacturing. “It’s hard to find an up-


firm Draper Aden Associates to help attract businesses to the county. The consulting firm will perform land surveys, wet- lands planning, due diligence work, borings to investigate soil grade and the potential for sinkholes, and other activities to prepare IDA-owned land for businesses to move in. (North- ern Virginia Daily)


More than $250 million in construction projects will be underway on the James Madison University campus in Harrison- burg during the spring semester. Projects include an expansion and renovation of the College of Business, the new Union Bank and Trust Center and two new parking decks. (News release)


PEOPLE


Thomas R. Benzing has been reappointed to the Virginia Museum of Natural History board of trustees. Benzing is a professor in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology at James Madison University. (News release)


Kim Blosser has been named president of Lord Fairfax Com- munity College. Blosser was vice president of academic and student affairs of the community college, which has campuses in Middletown and Fauquier County. Blosser was one of more than 100 candidates who applied during a nationwide search. She is the institution’s fifth permanent president. She


fit, he adds. “We have a lot of similar industries in the area that employ similar workers. They would be able to find their workforce in or around Shenandoah County by being able to pull from Harrison- burg, Rockingham, Staunton and Waynesboro.” Being part of a com-


munity also played into the company’s decision. “They are down-to-earth folks, and they are excited to call Shenandoah Valley home,” French says.


succeeds Cheryl Thompson- Stacy, who is retiring. (Fauquier Now.com)


Eastern Mennonite University head men’s basketball coach Kirby Dean will resign at the end of the current season. He has accepted a position as the director of parks and recre- ation for Rockingham County. (News release)


Michael Post will become vice president for enrollment man- agement of


Bridgewater Col- lege on July 1. He


has been vice president for enrollment at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. (News release)


Photo courtesy TruckVault/Facebook


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