RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Graham Packaging Company, L.P., a global leader in the design, sale and manufacture of custom blow-molded plastic containers, will invest $12.07 million to expand its manufacturing facility in the Town of Altavista in Campbell County, creating 10 jobs.

“Graham Packaging is expanding its facility in Campbell County to serve a new Virginia customer,” Governor Kaine said. “Proximity to its customer base drove this decision, illustrating a great Virginia supply chain story. Altavista is the perfect fit for Graham.”

Graham Packaging, a privately held company owned by The Blackstone Group, is based in York, Pennsylvania. The company is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of technology-based, customized blow-molded plastic containers for the branded food and beverage, household, personal care/specialty, and automotive lubricants product categories. The company has an extensive blue-chip customer base that includes many of the world’s largest branded consumer products companies. It produces more than 20 billion container units annually at 83 plants in North America, Europe, and South America, and had sales of $2.49 billion in 2007.

The Blackstone Group of New York is the majority owner of Graham Packaging. Graham Packaging on July 1, 2008, executed an equity purchase agreement with Hicks Acquisition Company I Inc., under which Graham Packaging would combine with Hicks Acquisition, a Dallas-based special purpose acquisition company.  The transaction with Hicks Acquisition, in partnership with the Blackstone Group and other Graham equity holders, will result in a publicly traded company to be named Graham Packaging Company Inc., and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.

“We looked at a number of other states and locations, and Virginia is a business-friendly state where we feel very welcome,” said Mark Leiden, Vice President of Graham Packaging. “We appreciate the support of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and look forward to launching the expansion project and deepening our business and community relationships in the Town of Altavista and Campbell County.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Campbell County and Virginia’s Region 2000 Partnership to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $50,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

The Campbell County Board of Supervisors eagerly supports this expansion. Supervisor Stanley Goldsmith, Altavista District, said, “Graham’s expansion is the kind of growth Altavista needs and wants. This company has proven itself to be a stable part of Altavista and Campbell County’s economy. This expansion will create more good jobs for our citizens, benefit the local economy on a long-term basis, and diversify the company’s client base, thus further strengthening the company’s position in the market. And this, in turn, strengthens the Town and the County, in a time when it is much needed.”

“The Town is appreciative of Graham Packaging for being a steady and stable employer in the area and their contribution to the local economy,” said Altavista Mayor J.R. “Rudy” Burgess. “We are glad that they have chosen to expand their Altavista facility. We believe that growing our existing businesses will provide a strong future for the local economy.” 

“The Commission is proud to assist with the expansion of this company and looks forward to its continued success,” said Delegate Kathy J. Byron, 22nd District, and member of the Tobacco Commission. “Graham Packaging uses design, technology, and innovation to meet the demands of today’s competitive economy, which is exactly what the Commission seeks as a pathway to economic revitalization. These additional jobs and investments will move us closer to that goal.”

The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission is a 31-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly. It has as a significant part of its mission the promotion of economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities. To date, the Commission has awarded 973 grants totaling more than $432 million across the tobacco region of the Commonwealth. For complete information on all of the Commission’s history, mission, funding programs and past awards, visit www.tic.virginia.gov .

RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Earle M. Jorgensen Company (EMJ) will invest about $6 million to open a metal products distribution facility in Dinwiddie County, creating 16 jobs.

“EMJ has grown into one of the largest metal distributors in the world,” Governor Kaine said. “Dinwiddie County had a developable tract of land that met the company’s needs and this new facility allows convenient access to EMJ’s existing Mid-Atlantic customer base.”

EMJ, headquartered in Lynwood, California, is one of the largest distributors of metal products in North America with 40 service and processing centers. EMJ inventories more than 25,000 different bar, tubing, plate, and various other metal products, specializing in cold finished carbon and alloy bars, mechanical tubing, stainless bars and shapes, aluminum bars, shapes and tubes and hot-rolled carbon and alloy bars.

“We are very pleased to be adding a new service center to the Dinwiddie area,” said Gregg Jones, EMJ District Manager. “For the last 30 years we’ve serviced the I-95 corridor of Virginia from either Baltimore, Maryland or Charlotte, North Carolina, and have always had a sales representative in the area. With the promising local economy and the growing industrial base in the area, we feel this is an exciting opportunity to make this move for future growth. We currently have an established customer base in Virginia, and look forward to increasing the current level of service with more local deliveries and value added processes, while expanding our customer base. With our ‘On Time or Free’ guarantee, we believe we monitor our performance closer than our competition, therefore lowering our customers’ total costs and enabling them to focus on manufacturing.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Dinwiddie County and Virginia’s Gateway Region to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $65,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

“Dinwiddie County is very pleased that Earle M. Jorgensen (EMJ) has chosen our locality to establish the operations of their newest facility,” said Dinwiddie County Administrator, Kevin Massengill. “The County’s rich transportation network, leadership’s pro-business attitude and our proximity to established metals clusters helped to provide a strong business choice for Earle M. Jorgensen. EMJ answered the call to provide additional quality employment opportunities for the County residents. We look forward to their success as the newest corporate citizen in the emerging business climate of the County.”

“The EMJ project is a great addition to the economic well-being of Dinwiddie County,” said Harrison Moody, member, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. “As a member of the Tobacco Commission and the Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors, I welcome the opportunity to work closely with EMJ to foster a long term beneficial relationship for the company, the county and the citizens of the tobacco region.”

The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission is a 31-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly. It has, as a significant part of its mission, the promotion of economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities. To date, the Commission has awarded 973 grants totaling more than $432 million across the tobacco region of the Commonwealth. For complete information on all of the Commission’s history, mission, funding programs and past awards, visit www.tic.virginia.gov.

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RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that CBN Secure Technologies Inc. will build a high security production facility in Danville. The new facility will produce driver’s licenses and identification cards for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The facility will employ 15 to 20 Virginians beginning in 2009.

“CBN Secure Technologies will locate its first U.S. facility in Virginia,” Governor Kaine said. “The Danville production center is designed for expansion as the company looks to increase its U. S. operations in the future.”

CBN Secure Technologies’ parent company, Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd., headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, owns and operates other highly secure facilities containing technologically advanced, specialized manufacturing equipment for the printing of secure documents such as banknotes and passports.

Beginning next year, the process of obtaining a Virginia driver’s license or ID card will be similar to the U. S. passport process. All DMV-issued credentials will be centrally produced in the secure Danville location and mailed to customers at their home addresses. Virginians will continue to apply for licenses and ID cards at DMV locations throughout the state. Driver’s license applicants will receive temporary licenses until the new secure card is produced and mailed.

“We are proud to have been selected to deliver to Virginians the most secure and trusted driver’s licenses and identification cards in the nation,” said Ian Shaw, President of CBN Secure Technologies Inc. “We are particularly pleased to be locating our secure operations center in the dynamic city of Danville, and we look forward to being a strong contributing member of the community for many years to come.”

“We are thrilled to have CBN Secure Technologies locate in Danville. The City of Danville and Pittsylvania County have worked hard to bring new industry and technology to the region to provide jobs to our residents. The vote of confidence that CBN is placing in us by bringing this exciting project here is proof that our efforts and investment continue to pay dividends,” said Jerry L. Gwaltney, City Manager of Danville.

“We welcome CBN Secure Technologies to our community,” stated Dan Sleeper, Pittsylvania County Administrator. “This company brings high-quality technology jobs to Southern Virginia, and is a good fit for our transitioning manufacturing/production skilled labor pool. We look forward to being part of CBN’s continued growth here.”

CBN has contracted with a significant number of small, women- and minority-owned (SWAM) business partners as sub-contractors during the construction and operations phases. In addition, McLean-based Base Technologies Inc., also a certified SWAM company, will provide substantial installation, training and technical support services for the contract period.

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June 5, 2008 Ashburn, VA and Appomattox, VA – Ashburn-based DigitalBridge Communications (DBC) announced today that it will expand coverage of its high-speed wireless Internet services to areas surrounding Appomattox. DBC launched service late in 2007 in Appomattox as part of its national expansion to small and medium-sized communities. DBC’s current WiMAX network extends service to over 1,000 businesses and residential households in the Appomattox area.

DBC was selected by the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) and the Virginia Tobacco Commission (VTC) to be part of a pilot program to deliver broadband access to Southside Virginia. The DBC facility is housed at the MBC Node at the Appomattox Center for Business and Commerce that provides the DBC network with state-of-the-art backhaul using MBC’s advanced optical transport services.

“DBC is honored to have been chosen by the Mid- Atlantic Broadband Cooperative and the Virginia Tobacco Commission to offer Appomattox a broadband on-ramp to the global economy through its high-speed WiMAX technology,” said Kelley Dunne, CEO of DBC.

“DBC has been instrumental in increasing broadband coverage in Southside Virginia and is a key player in our pilot program to enable broadband access in rural markets,” commented MBC General Manager, Tad Deriso. “The delivery of advanced high-speed Internet service with the support of private telecom companies like DBC is critical to the growth and prosperity of the region.”

DBC began selling BridgeMAXX Internet service to homes and businesses in Appomattox in January 2008 and exceeded a 20% level of penetration within the first three months. Given the strong demand, DBC plans to invest more capital and extend service to a broader area.

John Spencer, Appomattox Assistant County Administrator, stated: “Appomattox County is pleased to see the aggressive uptake of wireless Internet services by the community and is delighted that DigitalBridge Communications is making a larger investment in the region.”

DBC was the first provider to launch a fixed and portable WiMAX service for consumers in the US. Selling under the name BridgeMAXX, service plans are for consumers and businesses starting at $24.99 per month and $49.99 per month respectively. Currently BridgeMAXX service is available in regions covering over 2.5 million people throughout Virginia, Indiana, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

The BridgeMAXX service is plug-and-surf technology that allows customers to set up and begin using a WiMAX high speed Internet connection in a matter of minutes. For most residents, service can be accessed using a small portable modem that connects to the computer. The wireless high-speed Internet service employs licensed radio frequencies to provide service instead of traditional coaxial cable, telephone wires or satellite dishes. WiMAX is secure, high-speed, long-range wireless Internet technology.

BridgeMAXX service features extremely easy set-up, value and portability, and offers residential plans delivering download speeds up to 2 Mbps and upload speeds up to 500Kbps which is significantly faster than dial-up or satellite. Subscribers can get online anywhere in the BridgeMAXX service area in Appomattox by just taking their modem with them. Enhanced service plans for business use are available as well.

Customers can sign up for BridgeMAXX online or over the phonCustomers phone. Also, because BridgeMAXX is so simple to use, a customer can try it and take it home the same day by visiting Next Generation in Appomattox at 175 Old Courthouse Road in the Triangle Plaza Shopping Center.

About DigitalBridge Communications
DigitalBridge Communications Corp. (“DBC”) is a telecommunications service provider focused on using WiMAX deliver broadband services to underserved communities nationwide. Kelley Dunne, Bill Wallace, and Joe Kochan founded DBC in 2005. Since launching its service late last year, DBC has deployed networks in 14 markets throughout the U.S. With WiMAX, DBC subscribers are able to set up service on their own within a matter of minutes and use their portable service inside or outside their homes and offices. For more information about DBC, please visit www.digitalbridgecommunications.com

About Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC)
MBC is charged with implementing the Regional Backbone Initiative for Southside Virginia. MBC provides open-access optical transport services to telecom providers and offers a unique value proposition for competitive telecom providers looking to expand their service area and serve enterprise customers in rural Virginia. MBC offers Metro Ethernet services, TDM-based services, dark fiber, and collocation to over 60 business, industrial and technology parks in South Central Virginia, as well as interconnections with key carrier points of presence in the eastern United States. For more information, please visit www.mbc-va.com

Additional questions can be directed to Stephanie Soscia at stephanie.soscia@dbcmail.com or 703-723-7091.

The SVEN Team at the HEC was able to reroute the HCPS gateway over the SVENetwork and Glen Ratliff of GCR Company (a locally owned ISP in South Boston) donated bandwidth access to the Internet. This was not a perfect solution as HCPS’s external pointers were still pointed to Sprintlink but, HCPS reported today that the temporary solution meet the needs of the majority of their users including SOL practice testing from the DOE website. With a full rollout of SVEN, redundant access to the internet could be solved.

For information on SVEN please contact any of the following:

Maurice A. Ferrell
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Institute for Advanced Learning & Research 150 Slayton Avenue Danville, VA 24540
ph:434 766-6700 x6724
fax: 434 791-3279
maurice.ferrell@ialr.org

W. H. (Bill) Wilson
Senior Technology Engineer
Longwood University:
Institute for Teaching Through Technology and Innovative Practices (ITTIP)
Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC)
Voice: 434-517-0717 Fax: 434-517-0939
mbill@ittip.usa
The Institute is an Outreach of Longwood University. Longwood is the fiscal agent for the Institute and SVRTC.

Oran Safety Glass to invest $2.65 million in expansion

RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Oran Safety Glass (OSG), Israel’s leading flat and curved glass processing company, will invest $2.65 million to expand manufacturing capacity in Greensville County, creating 25 jobs. The facility supplies bullet-proof glass for U.S. military vehicles. Virginia successfully competed with Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina for the project.

“Less than two years ago I announced Oran Safety Glass’ plans to locate its first U.S. facility in Greensville County,” said Governor Kaine. “In this short amount of time the company has exceeded its initial job creation plan and plans to nearly double manufacturing capacity with this expansion. I congratulate OSG on continued success in Virginia.”

OSG creates numerous types of glass products for various sectors, implementing some of the most advanced technologies available today. Since 1979, OSG has been providing international clients with a wide range of products for numerous industries and applications.

“The Virginia location has worked out very well for OSG, as we are centrally located and relatively close to our marketing office and our customers,” said Daniel Cohen, CEO, Oran Safety Glass. “The Virginia Economic Development Partnership staff, along with the Emporia and Greensville County economic development team, have continued to be invaluable in securing attractive conditions for our continued expansion. We look forward to continued growth in the community and to continue supplying products to protect the U.S. troops.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Greensville County, the Emporia-Greensville Industrial Development Corporation and the Virginia Israel Advisory Board to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Kaine approved a $50,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Greensville County with the project. Greensville County was awarded a $150,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to support the infrastructure needs of the expansion. The project will also be eligible to receive benefits from DHCD’s Virginia Enterprise Zone program, because it is locating in a designated enterprise zone. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $100,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia
Jobs Investment Program.

“Greensville County is pleased that OSG has decided to expand in our community,” said Peggy R. Wiley, Greensville County Board of Supervisors chairwoman. “OSG is a valued corporate citizen and we appreciate the jobs they will add to this area of Southern Virginia that has a high unemployment rate. We look forward to being part of OSG’s continued growth in the United States. Without the assistance of Governor Kaine and the Virginia Tobacco Commission, this expansion of OSG in Greensville County would not have been possible.”

“We are pleased that the Tobacco Commission was able to assist in this expansion,” said Senator Frank Ruff, Member, Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. “Indeed the success of this operation is a compliment to the workforce in the Greensville-Emporia area.”

Moss Motors to invest $5.15 million in Virginia operation

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Moss Motors Ltd. will invest $5.15 million to locate a distribution facility in Dinwiddie County, creating 90 jobs. The company is a supplier of specialized automotive parts in the British restoration market.

“Moss Motors is part of a very unique industry,” said Governor Kaine. “There is a market of car enthusiasts who rebuild vintage automobiles and Moss supplies this demand. The company’s new Dinwiddie County location is in close proximity to its existing customer base on the East Coast and allows easy access to the Port of Virginia for import and export activity.”

Headquartered in Goleta, California and founded in 1948, Moss Motors is a privately held company primarily known for its activity in the British restoration market and is the world’s oldest and largest supplier of these parts. The company is also very active in parts and accessories for current enthusiast vehicles.

“We’re very excited about investing in Virginia,” said Glen Adams, President, Moss Motors. “The state’s combination of economic opportunities, quality of life, and pro-business climate are compelling. With central access to our customer base and the Port of Virginia nearby, we feel Virginia is a perfect destination for Moss Motors.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Dinwiddie County and Virginia’s Gateway Region to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Dinwiddie County enthusiastically welcomes Moss Motors to our emerging business climate,” said W. Kevin Massengill, Dinwiddie County Administrator. “Moss Motors represents the first new industrial announcement for the County in nearly 10 years. We look forward to a long history of success with Moss Motors.”

Press Release - Printable (Adobe PDF) format

• General Managers Report – Tad Deriso (PowerPoint)
  
• Dennis Couture Presentation – Guest Speaker (Powerpoint)
  

Pictures

Dennis Couture

Delegate Clark Hogan

Tad Deriso

Board Members

Tad Deriso and Teaka Cole

This is an excellent opportunity for many of the international subsidiary companies who have facilities in Southside to obtain direct connectivity to their corporate headquarter facilities overseas. For example, a German company is able to have a direct 50Mbps Ethernet connection from their facility in Southside Virginia to their corporate network in Frankfurt, Germany for less than $5,000 per month! That is a 1-hop connection with no routers or other congestion points between their networks, and provides a unique competitive advantage for our region and our Members.

For more information contact:
Tad Deriso
MBC General Manager
804.855.4057 or tad@mbc-va.com