Israeli company Starplast’s U.S.-based subsidiary will convert a former warehouse on Bermuda Hundred Road into a factory for housewares, toys and other products
CHESTER — An Israeli plastics manufacturer plans to develop an empty warehouse in southeastern Chesterfield County into a factory that will bring 300 jobs over five years, the governor’s office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Starplast’s U.S. subsidiary will spend around $17.7 million to turn the building at 2101 Bermuda Hundred Road into its newest manufacturing facility. Starplast USA makes high-performance plastic products such as toys, housewares and garden storage sheds.
“Our strategic East Coast location, world-class port facilities, competitive operating costs, and robust manufacturing workforce, make us a prime destination for international companies,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement released by his office. We welcome a long partnership with Starplast USA and look forward to their future success.”
The warehouse, adjacent to a cemetery and near the intersection of Bermuda Hundred and North Enon Church roads, is near but not part of the Meadowville Technology Park, which is home to an Amazon distribution center, a Capital One data center, a pharmaceutical distributor and a Niagara Water plant.
It’s the second Starplast USA plant in the nation. The first was built three years ago in Houston.
“Starplast chose Chesterfield County for its new manufacturing operation because the geographic location is very attractive, especially given its proximity to the East Coast and the Port of Virginia,” Starplast CEO Danny Schwartz said in the statement released by the govenor’s office. “Additionally, Virginia – and in particular the Richmond area – has a strong workforce with readily-available talent.”
Virginia competed with Ohio and Pennsylvania to land the plant.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Greater Richmond Partnership worked with Chesterfield County officials to court the company, Northam’s office said. The company will receive tax and business incentives, and is eligible for special grants from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program.
No time frame was announced for the project to begin.
Starplast USA’s parent company opened in 1958 in Israel.
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is daily news coach for USA TODAY’s Southeast Region-Unified Central, which includes Virginia, West Virginia and central North Carolina. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at [email protected].
