Governor Abigail Spanberger joined Avio USA leadership on Tuesday for the formal groundbreaking of the company's new $500 million manufacturing facility in Pittsylvania County, a project projected to create more than 1,500 new jobs for Virginians in the region.
The approximately 900,000-square-foot facility at the Southern Virginia Multimodal Park in Hurt will produce solid rocket motors for defense, tactical propulsion, missile systems, and the commercial space sector. In February, Spanberger announced that Avio USA Inc. — a subsidiary of Italian aerospace company Avio S.p.A — would invest more than $500 million in the project.
"I am thrilled to welcome Avio to Pittsylvania County and look forward to the opportunities this investment will create for generations of Virginians to come," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "This groundbreaking represents what is possible when an innovative company, a skilled workforce, and committed state and local partners come together with a shared vision. Avio's investment will create jobs, advance critical manufacturing capabilities, and reinforce Virginia's position as a premier destination for aerospace and defense industry growth."
James Syring, CEO of Avio USA, said the company is building more than a manufacturing facility. "We are building an American company and workforce that can bring Avio's proven propulsion expertise to the U.S. defense market," he said. "Our goal is to be an independent, open-source merchant supplier, able to support multiple customers and programs and provide major defense primes with an additional source for this critical capability. That means more capacity, more competition and greater resilience in the American rocket motor supply chain."
Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery said the celebration in Hurt reflects years of preparation that ensured Virginia had the prepared site, skilled workforce, and aerospace and defense expertise to attract Avio USA. "Virginia is committed to being a stable and reliable partner along that journey," she said.
Virginia secured the project through the combined efforts of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Staunton River Regional Industrial Facility Authority, Pittsylvania County, the City of Danville, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, and the General Assembly's Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission. The project will also be supported by the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.
During her administration's first international economic trade mission in July, Spanberger met with Avio leadership in Milan. Virginia recently rose to #3 in CNBC's "America's Top States for Business" rankings.