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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Hybrid Armored Vehicle Firm Relocates to Danville, Virginia

05/07/2012
Hybrid Vehicles of Danville plans a three-year capital investment expected to total at least $1.5 million to locate its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Danville, Virginia.

The company will first operate from temporary space in Danville in order to meet contractual order timelines. Negotiations are ongoing to secure a final location, according to Danville Economic Development.

Hybrid Vehicles will initially hire 25 people with plans to employ 150 over a three-year period. The company will produce hybrid vehicles for large buses and armored vans used in defense and security. As part of its special design, the vehicle will have a proprietary cooling system operated by solar power in order to keep the interior bearable for the occupants. Many of the vehicles will be exported overseas where there is a burgeoning demand for more fuel efficient and versatile armored vehicles.

The project would not have been possible without a $420,000 Tobacco Commission Revitalization Opportunity Fund grant. "The TROF grant enables us to get started by purchasing equipment and hiring people to meet contracts that we already have," said Jim Bailey, who moved from East Helena, Montana, to operate the company .

"This is another great day for southern Virginia. The Tobacco Commission TROF program is the most effective incentive program that we have in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Almost every economic development project of considerable size has received a grant, which made a difference of the company locating in southern Virginia versus a neighboring state," explained Delegate Danny Marshall.

"We are pleased with the growing alternative vehicle sector that we are attracting to our region. Danville offers an attractive operating environment and a growing number of entrepreneurs that collaborate together on projects to create better paying jobs for our citizens," stated Mayor Sherman Saunders.

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