Cracker
Barrel Again Named “Best Family Dining
Chain In America,” Opens In Emporia
Cracker Barrel opens one of their signature restaurant
and country store facilities in fall 2004 on a 2.36-acre site
purchased
from
Missi Sadler Enterprises in Emporia’s Market Drive Commerce
Park off the I-95/U.S. 58 interchange. After 35 years in the
business, Cracker Barrel has been named “Best Family Dining
Chain in America” for the past 14 years by Restaurants
and Institutions magazine and “Chain of the Year” in
2003 by Restaurant Hospitality magazine. With over 500 locations
throughout the country, this new site in Emporia marks the
19th location in Virginia.
Cracker Barrel initially employs approximately 160 and employment
is expected to stabilize at 135 permanent jobs that are eligible
for great benefits, including a retirement plan and health insurance.
This number of employment opportunities is good news for Emporia
and Greensville County following the closing of the Perdue plant.
Cracker Barrel initially invests $2.7 million dollars in the
City for land, building, furnishings and equipment. The facility
projects to generate approximately $229,000 annually in additional
revenues to the City in the form of taxes.
Two
Nationally Recognized Hotel Chains Expand, Bringing
Area Hotel Rooms To 1,000 |
 Hampton
Inn and Holiday Inn Express both cite Emporia-Greensville’s
strategic location off I-95 and U.S. 58 and the ability
to target East Coast travelers as their reasons for choosing
this area to locate new developments. In addition to
bringing the number of area hotel rooms to 1,000 to support
the growing region, both hotels offer an indoor pool,
fitness facilities, a business center and conference
facilities.
Construction begins on a five-story, $5 million Hampton Inn, bringing 85 hotel
rooms and approximately 25 new jobs to the region. Also, Holiday Inn Express
opens a $3.5 million, 80-room hotel, creating 25 new jobs in the area. |
NYSE-Traded
Developer Of Luxury Homes Expands Subsidiary
In Greensville And Emporia
Toll
Integrated Systems, Inc. is a division of Toll Brothers,
Inc., the nation’s
largest publicly traded developer of luxury homes. Toll develops
a new 86,000-square-foot
warehouse
and distribution facility in the Greensville County Industrial
Park. The facility is serviced by CSX Transportation. The
new facility handles products manufactured at the company’s
existing manufacturing center in Emporia. This expansion
enables Toll to double its production in the Emporia-Greensville
area. Toll also upgrades its manufacturing facilities in
the City and invests in new manufacturing equipment to expand
production.
The
expansion represents a total investment of more than $5 million
in the County and City over the next 30 months, including
business personal
property, machinery,
equipment and improvements to real estate. The company
projects the expansion
will likely result in more than 100 new
jobs in Emporia and Greensville County.
Region
Attracts One Of Forbes’ 500 Largest Private
Companies
|
 Emporia-Greensville
welcomes Love’s Travel Stop on Interstate 95 in
Greensville County. Love’s operates
more than 80 travel stops and 70 convenience
stores from California to Virginia.
Established in 1964, Love’s has quickly grown
and was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 500
Largest Private Companies for the third consecutive
year in 2003. With fueling facilities for trucks,
cars and RVs, a convenience store, a McDonald’s,
shower rooms, laundry facilities, game rooms and
a mail drop, the new $3 million Love’s location
brings up to 25 new jobs to the region. |
New Truck
Dealership Opens
Redwine International finishes construction on its
new International Truck dealership facility in Greensville
County, ideally
located on U.S. 301 near I-95. The new dealership represents
over $900,000 in new investments and creates approximately
six new jobs.
Growing Aquatic Nursery Finds Expansion Opportunities
After looking at sites in Maryland and Pennsylvania,
Chesapeake Aquatic Nursery relocates its operation from Baltimore,
Maryland,
to a 30-acre site in Greensville County. Operating as
Meherrin River Farms, Inc., this nursery produces aquatic plants
for
use in ornamental gardens, native plant gardens, wetland
projects and natural habitat restoration.
Three greenhouses totaling 15,000 square feet and a 2,000-square-foot
warehouse for offices, storage, and packing and shipping are
currently under construction. The company initially employs
a total of six to 10 employees, and projected growth could
increase employment to approximately 25.
IDC Helps Jarratt Land
Department Of Corrections Agribusiness Warehouse
The IDC assists the Town of Jarratt in securing approval
from the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Warner to
locate
a 13,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse in the former
Nearby Eggs building, situated on a 5.7-acre site. The Department
of Corrections (DOC) uses the facility as an agribusiness
warehouse
to distribute produce and frozen foods throughout the DOC’s
system. The DOC enters into a lease purchase with the Town
for financing, acquisition, renovation and upfit of the $800,000
facility.
Local Peanut Company Expands
To Meet Demand Virginia grows the largest
variety of peanuts in the world, and the Good Earth Peanut
Company is just one
of the quickly growing peanut corporations located in the
Commonwealth. Taking advantage of the region’s superb
growing conditions, Good Earth is expanding to keep up with
demand for their delicious
peanut products. The company begins construction on a new
3,000-square-foot warehouse and expands their existing processing
facility in
Greensville County, investing $180,000 and bringing up to
10 new jobs to the area.
Charah, Inc. Locates In Emporia Industrial
Park
Charah, Inc. purchases an existing 10,000-square-foot manufacturing
building on seven acres in the Emporia Industrial Park for
use as a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for production
and packaging of lightweight concrete aggregate
mix products for the home improvement market. Charah incorporates
the use of recycled sources of aggregates derived from the
combustion of coal.
Founded in 1987, Charah has extensive experience in the ash
management field, serving the utility and power generation
industries. The new facility creates approximately 25 new
jobs over the next 30 months and represents an investment
of $3 million to purchase, equip and make improvements to
the
facility.
Franklin Braid Expands Facilities To Take On More
Projects,
Adding More Jobs
Franklin Braid Manufacturing Company expands its existing
manufacturing operations in Emporia, investing over $1.5
million for additional
equipment, improvements to the space and expansion of the
building. Franklin Braid currently manufactures braided and
knitted narrow
fabrics, cordage and trims used on other manufacturers’ product
lines. Once the expansion is completed, Franklin Braid will
also manufacture knit elastic to be used on garments, furniture,
facemasks and other items.The expansion adds approximately
25 new jobs over the next 30 months to the existing 130 workers
employed during peak
production times.
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