City & County

ABOUT DANVILLE REGION

The region has a very diverse industry base with a deep appreciation for the manufacturing sector. Primary sectors include advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, environmental and life sciences companies, and IT and professional services.

Major manufacturers thrive in our region with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; ABB, Inc.; Nestle Refrigerated Foods; IKEA’s only North American manufacturing facility; Presto Products; Essel Propak; Intertape Polymer; and Sartomer-Arkema, Inc. just a few of the companies that call Southern Virginia home. Start-up manufacturers, research facilities, and manufacturers with thousands of employees who have been in the region for many decades thrive in an area that is proud of our Right-to-Work and employment at will state.

Home to companies from more than 20 countries our region embraces a diverse culture that appreciate the importance of manufacturing.

There are over 14 Educational Institutions within a 2 ½ hours’ drive and more than 120 colleges and universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia alone. Virginia is also home to 23 federal laboratories, 12 university-affiliated research parks, 11 Federally-funded R&D Centers, as well as private non-profit R&D centers and centers of excellence, when coupled with the location of more professional associations and organizations than any other state in the nation, our region has a plethora of resources from which our companies avail themselves. In addition, we are close to the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and accessible to Oak Ridge Labs, in Tennessee.

Proximity to our nation’s capital, Washington DC, also provides companies another important asset with easy accessibility to our state and federal legislators, who also maintain offices in Danville.