Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that ISO Group, a Netherlands-based innovative supplier of automation solutions in protected horticulture, will invest $570,000 to establish its first U.S. assembly and distribution facility in Chesterfield County. The company automates labor-intensive tasks within the international horticultural industry and has a rapidly growing list of key customers in the United States. Virginia successfully competed with Georgia for the project, which will create 30 new jobs over five years.
“Virginia has emerged as a top state in Controlled Environment Agriculture, and ISO Group is a complementary addition that will enhance our growing industry ecosystem,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “The company’s decision to establish its first U.S. operation in Chesterfield County is exemplary of the trust manufacturers have placed in the Commonwealth for centuries, and we are committed to fostering a business climate and workforce to drive ISO Group’s long-term success.”
“We are proud to welcome ISO Group to Virginia’s corporate roster and serve as a launch point to reach its expanding U.S. customer base,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “The Commonwealth offers the right location, infrastructure, and skilled workforce to attract global leaders like ISO Group, and we thank the company for choosing Virginia and creating 30 new jobs in Chesterfield County.”
“Virginia’s central location on the Eastern Seaboard puts ISO USA within driving distance to 80% of our current customers in the United States and Canada, and only 2-days shipping to all of North America,” said John Menendez, General Manager and Vice President of the Americas for ISO Group USA. “With customer service at the heart of this expansion, Chesterfield is the perfect launch point for our new American headquarters.”
“On behalf of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, I’m proud to welcome ISO Group to the growing roster of international companies choosing to invest in Chesterfield,” said Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Carroll. “The assembly and distribution facility for their innovative and effective machines used in the horticultural industry is the perfect fit to be located in one of Chesterfield’s designated Technology Zones.”
“I’d like to welcome ISO Group to our thriving international community of more than 200 companies doing business in the Richmond Region,” said Jennifer Wakefield, President and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership. “Our region has been a magnet for agricultural technology and support firms as they identify sustainable means of reaching 45% of the nation’s population within one day’s delivery drive.”
“I am excited that ISO Group chose Chesterfield County for its first assembly and distribution facility in the United States,” said Delegate Mike Cherry. “This decision confirms Chesterfield’s and Virginia’s position as ‘open for business.”
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in the Netherlands, ISO Group is a supplier of industrial machinery for labor-intensive protected horticulture tasks in a growing number of countries. ISO Group experts have developed effective machines fitted with robotics that take up less space, are scalable, and have lower maintenance costs. The machines ensure high efficiency and more uniform quality of the product while using the customer’s production process for the development of automation solutions.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Chesterfield County and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project for Virginia and will support ISO Group’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens.
Source: governor.virginia.gov
