Area Development
PRA Group, Inc., a global leader in acquiring and collecting nonperforming loans, will make a capital investment of $15.1 million to establish a new call center in the City of Danville, Virginia. The project is expected to create 500 new jobs.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Danville, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Northam approved a $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Danville with the project.

The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved a $1,665,000 million Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund grant as well as a $1,665,000 million loan for the project. PRA Group 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 PRA Group’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“PRA Group’s multi-million-dollar investment will harness Southern Virginia’s abundant talent in the corporate services industry by creating 500 new jobs, and bring a shuttered asset in the Airside Industrial Park back into productive use,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “PRA Group is a prime example of a home-grown Virginia business developing into a valued major employer in the Commonwealth, and we look forward to the company’s next chapter in the City of Danville.”

“The City of Danville is the ideal location for a global leader such as PRA Group to provide high-quality customer service at an affordable cost,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The company will benefit from Southern Virginia’s stable taxes, high-speed fiber network, and building costs at 20 percent below the national average. We thank PRA Group for its major investment in the Commonwealth and are confident of its continued success in Danville.”

“We are excited to open this new call center just a few hundred miles away from where we started 22 years ago,” said President & CEO of PRA Group Kevin Stevenson. “I am grateful to the Governor and our local and state officials, as well as the Tobacco Commission, for their support in making this new site possible. I look forward to long-term growth and success in Danville.”

“We are so delighted to welcome PRA to our wonderful city,” said Mayor of Danville Alonzo Jones. “This is truly a winning scenario for all involved, a win for PRA to come to a community with a quality workforce ready to help the company grow, a win for the citizens of Danville to provide quality employment opportunities, and a win for the Commonwealth of Virginia to help an existing Virginia company expand within the state!”

“I am thrilled that PRA is making this substantial investment in our region and bringing 500 new jobs,” said Tobacco Commission member Senator Bill Stanley. “The fact that we were able to successfully compete against other states to bring these jobs to Danville says a lot about our business climate and workforce. I look forward to PRA starting their hiring process and am proud that the Tobacco Commission supported this project.”