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By Chuck Koutnik
Imagine visiting Petersburg, Virginia, just prior to the Civil War. Petersburg, which was then the eighth largest city of the South, would have been a scene of tremendous commercial and industrial activity. Today the Cockade City and adjoining areas are witness to an equally exciting period of manufacturing might, as big business has rediscovered the Tri-Cities area. Here is a look at three of today’s varied and prospering enterprises.
Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, which is located in the Petersburg Commerce Park, just off Wagner Road and I95, has been producing active Pharmaceutical ingredients for prescription and over the counter medicines in Petersburg for the last quarter of a century. Active ingredients produced at Boehringer go into a variety of medicines including decongestants for cold sufferers, high blood pressure medications, and life saving medicines for people with H.I.V.
States Public Relations Manager, Amanda Tate, “Our staff enjoy their work and are proud to be a part of something that helps keep people alive.” The staff has recently grown to just under 500 employees. Recent hires were brought aboard for the opening of a new additional production building this spring. An official opening ceremony is planned for March, with actual production beginning in April.
Boehringer is invested and socially active in the area. According to Tate, they support science and math education in the Petersburg area. They also provide support for a variety of Petersburg community projects.
Located since 1985 at 1800 Ruffin Mill Road, Fiorucci employs 200 people. The roots of the business go back to the middle of the Eighteenth Century to a family neighborhood store in Norcia, Italy. Many years later, Ferruccio Fiorucci, great-grandson of the company’s founder, decided to open a plant in America. Claudio Colmignoli, current CEO at Fiorucci Foods, USA, was responsible for finding a site. He chose Colonial Heights because of “the quality of the people I met, the potential for hiring a very capable workforce, the access to the important northeast and southeast markets, and the number of high quality meat suppliers.”
Since locating to Colonial Heights, Fiorucci has undertaken charitable challenges such as bagging sandwiches and cookies for the homeless and working with Positive Vibe Café, a local restaurant that has provided training to over 200 people with disabilities.
The next new business to the Petersburg area needs no introduction. Rolls Royce has come to town but they will not be manufacturing expensive automobiles. Instead, Rolls-Royce Aerospace will be producing parts for sophisticated flight engines. Initially, Rolls-Royce Aerospace announced that they were considering locations in Asia and the United States. In late 2007, the decision was made to locate an assembly and test facility on 1,000 acres of the Crosspointe Center property in Prince George County.
Projections call for operations to begin late this year, when the plant will employ approximately 150 people, but the company expects future growth in Virginia to generate roughly 500 new jobs in the coming years. Nationwide, Rolls-Royce Aerospace employs around 8,000 people at over 60 locations. This successful company had North American sales of about $3.9 billion in 2007.
About nine years ago State Delegate and then Mayor of Petersburg, Rosalyn R. Dance, stated, “Petersburg is again on the verge of economic renaissance.” This statement holds true today, even in these trying economic times. Businesses are investing in Petersburg and surrounding areas with transportation being the key reason. Petersburg was a vital railroad hub during the Civil War, and today, it is not only a rail center, but located where several key highways come together.
Perhaps Petersburg will never again be the eighth largest city of the South, yet continued growth is a certainty. With the expansion of Fort Lee and the success of big business in the area, the future looks bright. Once prized by General Ulysses S. Grant, today Petersburg is prized by business and industry. And, they won’t have to fight in order to come here. |
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