Novatech to bring 50 new jobs to Henry County

Martinsville, VA (December 13, 2016) – Henry County will be the site of Novatech Group’s first U.S. manufacturing facility. Gov. Terry McAuliffe made the announcement Tuesday, as he spoke at the Henry County Administration Building.

“This announcement is a testament to the Commonwealth’s global competitiveness and Southside’s outstanding workforce,” McAuliffe said. “At the end of the day, you cannot recruit businesses unless you can guarantee to a business that they are going to have a good workforce for many years to come.”

The Quebec-based company, which builds doors and doorglass, will invest $3 million to create the facility, which will provide 50 jobs when it’s up and running. The facility will be located at a 100,000 square foot site at 108 Textile Drive in Ridgeway. The facility has been unoccupied for five years, McAuliffe said.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Henry County to secure the project for Virginia. McAuliffe approved a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Henry County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $130,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

Henry County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Adams presented Savard with the $100,000 check from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund, while Delegate Danny Marshall, a Commissioner of the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, presented Savard with the check from the Tobacco Commission. Mark Heath, President and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, also spoke at the event, as the EDC was instrumental in bringing Novatech to Henry County.

Adams mentioned that there have been six major economic development announcements in Henry County just this year, including Novatech, StarSprings, Drake Extrusion, Alcoa and Solid Stone Fabrics. Those announcements, Adams said, add up to 209 jobs and $26.2 million in investments.

Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore, who joined McAuliffe at the event, argued that the McAuliffe administration’s push for a diversified Virginia economy has seen a great deal of success.

“We’ve had 845 economic development announcements in the last 36 months,” Haymore said. “We’ve had a record 14.2 billion dollars in capital expenditures coming in over those last 36 months. That is about five billion dollars more than any other gubernatorial term in history in the first 36 months.”

He pointed out that 182,000 net new jobs have been created in the Commonwealth over the last 36 months, helping unemployment drop from 5.4 percent in January of 2014 down to 4.2 percent last month.

According to a Novatech statement, the company’s first priority will be to hire a plant manager, a quality control and mechanical technician, a production supervisor and customer service representative. Once those positions are filled, Novatech will begin to fill other positions, including production workers.

Salaries will differ based on position and experience, the release continued, but will average $14 per hour plus health benefits. Production workers will require a high school diploma or equivalent, and manufacturing experience is a plus. (story by Ben Williams, Martinsville Bulletin)