REGIONAL VIEW southern virginia


Company plans to create hundreds of Danville jobs by Michael O’Connor


erty back to life. Norfolk-based PRA


A


Group Inc. is investing $15.1 million in bringing 500 jobs to 119 Cane Creek Blvd. in Danville’s Airside Industrial Park, says Kevin Stevenson, the company’s CEO and co-founder. PRA has sought areas for


expansion since early 2017, he says. The company’s Dan- ville project developed after General Assembly legislation changed a tax law that wasn’t favorable to the company, Stevenson says. “The effort to build jobs has been an amazing biparti- san effort,” he says. PRA is a publicly traded,


debt recovery company founded in Virginia Beach in 1996. It expanded to the European market in 2012. Today, the company has 5,000 employees in 16 countries.


FOR THE RECORD


Danville is teaming up with Bristol and Portsmouth to persuade the General Assembly to legalize casinos in the commonwealth. Danville City Council voted unan- imously in early January to adopt a resolution supporting legislation in the General Assembly that would enable and require a local referen- dum on construction of a casino resort in Danville and the other two cities. Bristol and Portsmouth passed similar resolutions in Sep- tember and October, respectively. (Danville Register & Bee)


India-based Essel Propack, a spe- cialty packaging company, plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Danville, creating 45 additional jobs. The 200,000-square-foot facility now has 252 employees.


14 |


Virginia company plans to bring a large, vacant Danville prop-


“It’s a tremendous addi-


tion to the regional economy,” Tucker says. “Many of these folks that were displaced back in March will have the opportunity to apply for jobs with PRA.” Danville put up $958,340


in performance-based grants that will be paid to PRA as it creates jobs, Tucker says. Gov. Ralph


Kevin Stevenson is the co- founder and CEO of PRA Group, which has 5,000 employees in 16 countries.


The 50,652-square-foot


building on Cane Creek Boulevard formerly housed a Telvista call center. Its closing last March cost about 300 people their jobs. Most of the PRA jobs in


Danville will have an average compensation of around $19 an hour in two years, Steven- son says, adding that hiring will begin in earnest in May. The CEO says his com-


The expansion, expected to double production at the Danville plant, represents an investment of $31.2 million, according to the governor’s office. Essel Propack produces a variety of multilayer collapsible tubes and laminates used for packaging in personal care, food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications. (Virginia- Business.com)


Microsoft Corp. plans to expand its data center in Mecklenburg County, adding more than 100 employees to a workforce of about 300. The project is the company’s sixth expansion at the facility. In announcing the latest project, Gov. Ralph Northam noted that, when Microsoft unveiled plans to spend $499 million in creating the center in 2010, it represented the largest economic investment in Southern


FEBRUARY 2019


pany will buy the Cane Creek Boulevard building from its current owner, the Industrial Development Authority of Danville. Telly Tucker, Danville’s


economic development direc- tor, says plans call for the authority to sell the build- ing for $6.1 million. It was assessed at $5.8 million last year, according to Danville property records.


Virginia history The Virginia Eco- nomic Development Partnership worked with Mecklenburg and the General Assembly’s Major Employ- ment and Investment (MEI) Project Approval Commission to secure the project for Virginia. Northam also approved a $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund. (VirginiaBusi- ness.com)


A private real estate investment firm has agreed to construct at least 250,000 square feet of buildings or facilities in order to purchase about 53 acres in the Ringgold East Industrial Park from Pittsylvania County. A Pittsyl- vania County news release stated the property in the park would be sold to Greenville, S.C.-based RealtyLink for $1 million, which is double the current assessed


Northam also approved a $1.5 million grant from the Common- wealth’s Opportunity Fund to help Danville with the project. The


Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved a $1.6 million grant as well as a $1.6 million loan for the project. In addition, PRA is eligible for benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program. The Virginia Jobs Investment Program will provide PRA with funding and services for employee- training activities.


value. Once constructed, the shell building — an empty structure without a known tenant — will give the county’s economic development team a new vacant building to market to advanced manufacturing or large-scale distri- bution companies, including large name-brand e-commerce and light manufacturing companies. (Danville Register & Bee)


The Virginia Housing Develop- ment Authority recently awarded a grant that will help Prince Edward County and the Town of Farmville organize a strategic plan to address affordable hous- ing needs in the county. VHDA awarded STEPS Inc. and the Affordable Housing Coalition $20,000 to develop the plan, according to an announcement by STEPS. (The Farmville Herald)


PEOPLE


Carter Bank & Trust in Martinsville has promoted two officials. Loran Adams, the bank’s director of regu- latory risk management, has been promoted to executive vice presi- dent. He joined the bank in 2017 as senior vice president. Christy Meier, the bank’s director of internal audit, has been promoted to senior vice president. She was a vice president. (News release)


Jay Dickens has been named president of The Lester Group, a building materials firm based in Martinsville. He was vice president of American Direct in Kansas City, Mo. Dickens fills a vacancy at the company created in May when the former president Jim O’Brien became CEO. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


Photo courtesy PRA Group Inc.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72