Way all the different parties and agencies involved
“Martinsville-Henry County was chosen after a long and detailed evaluation of numerous locations in different states, and we believe the county made a compelling economic and business case,” said Philip Kirkham, Hardide Coatings CEO. “It is a community that supports advanced manufacturing and will provide us with an environment from which we can grow our existing and projected customer base in North America. I have been particularly impressed with the way all the different parties and agencies involved have worked together and coordinated their activities to give us every possible assistance in making this important decision for Hardide.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing to secure the project for Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation was also instrumental in the project. Governor McAuliffe approved a $150,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Henry County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $170,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds.
The company is also eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The company will also be eligible to receive sales and use tax exemptions on manufacturing equipment. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
The company was formed in 2000 by a team of United Kingdom led venture capitalists to develop and commercialize a process that was invented by scientists in Soviet Russia at Moscow State University and a leading laboratory in the area of advanced materials. In 2003, the company headquarters and United Kingdom manufacturing facility was established in Bicester, Oxfordshire. This new facility will service existing and new customers in the oil and gas, aerospace, flow control and advanced engineering markets.