VIRGINA BEACH — Chainsaw and power tool manufacturer Stihl Inc. will expand its Viking Drive campus.
The U.S. subsidiary of the German company announced Tuesday morning that they’ve invested $25 million in construction and improvements to its Virginia Beach facilities which sit on more than 150 acres of land and employs more 1,900 people in the city.
Along with the Stihl’s investment, the company has also received a $500,000 grant from the Development Authority based on $20 million capital investment in a new administration building.
“Stihl Inc. has continually grown in Virginia Beach and has also continually improved its facilities on campus,” said Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Warren D. Harris in a press release. “The expansion retains more than 80 full-time positions, and we are all extremely proud that Stihl Inc. leads our region in advanced manufacturing and technology.”
Over the last 20 years, Virginia Beach has awarded Stihl $1.41 million in grants, while the company has invested more than $167 million.
Among the expected additions, the company plans to quadruple the size of its 21,000-square-foot administration building to 80,000 square feet. The facility will house the sales and marketing, finance and controlling, legal, and customer and technical service teams.
The building will also feature a museum and brand experience center.
The company also plans to relocate and renovate its outdoor demonstration area where employees and visitors can get hands-on training on appropriate use of equipment.
There will also be renovations made to the front entrance of the campus, as Stihl plans to boost security and improve traffic flow at the entrance gate by creating individual lanes for lanes for employees, visitors, and trucks.
The company will be enlisting Virginia-Beach-based construction firm, Hourigan Construction to manage the project as the general contractor. HBA Architecture Interior Design, another company in Hampton Roads, was selected as the lead architect while Virginia Beach-based Ingenuity Development will serve as the owner’s representative.
“We look forward to this terrific opportunity to build a strong relationship with an exceptional organization that understands its people are the company’s strongest and most important assets,” said Chris Brandt, executive vice president of Hourigan Construction.
The groundbreaking is set for early 2018, with a target move-in date sometime in late 2019.
