Allied Realty names Polan new president
Allied Realty Company—with more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial, manufacturing and distribution holdings in downtown Huntington, Kenova, Nitro and Parkersburg, W.Va.; Paris, Ky. and Waynesboro and Harrisonburg, Va.—today announced that its board of directors has elected Rebecca Polan as its new president.
“One of my goals is to find ways to boost job creation and economic vitality in all of the communities where our commercial holdings are located,” Polan said. “Allied has a long history of finding profitable business opportunities that support the well-being of entire communities and I plan to continue that tradition as we head into the new year and beyond.” Continue reading “Allied Realty names Polan new president” »
Ceremony marks arrival of new high-tech business to Waynesboro
Solutions Place, a 340,000-square-foot office, manufacturing, and distribution business complex in Waynesboro, today welcomed high-tech electronics manufacturer PPI/Time Zero as its newest tenant in a grand opening event attended by top state and local officials.
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng hailed PPI/ Time Zero’s $1.15 million expansion to Virginia from New Jersey as good for the local and state economy. PPI/Time Zero is filling 60-80 skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs in its first round of hiring.
“PPI/Time Zero’s decision to establish operations at Solutions Place creates an excellent opportunity to attract more high-paying manufacturing jobs to Waynesboro and positions the community as an emerging hub for high-tech industries,” said Cheng. “The location is an ideal fit due to the infrastructure in place at the facility, and I congratulate the company for choosing Virginia and the City of Waynesboro as its newest corporate partners.”
From fighter and commercial aircraft to rescue helicopters and unmanned drones, PPI/Time Zero’s cutting-edge control and monitoring systems are used in a wide variety of aerospace and defense-related technology and by companies in the medical and industrial sectors.
Dana M. Pittman, President and CEO of PPI/Time Zero, said the space within Solutions Place will enable the company to expand and enhance its service to existing and new clients, many of which are based in the Mid-Atlantic and South. While many of its contracts come from the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, PPI/Time Zero maintains a diverse client list including such companies as General Electric, IBM, BAE, Hamilton Sundstrand, Eaton, DRS, ITT, L3 and Parker Hannifin.
“Clients come first at PPI/Time Zero,” said Pittman. “The location and support services available at Solutions Place will help us continue to provide the best service and products to our clients as the company grows in coming years, and hopefully, we can help the community grow as well.”
Pittman added that Waynesboro offers a wonderful quality of life for his employees, including good schools, affordable housing, a skilled labor force, and access to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Greg Hitchin, economic development director for the City of Waynesboro, said PPI/Time Zero is an important addition to the new local economy.
“The addition of world-class manufacturer PPI/Time Zero is a significant contribution to the legacy of companies that have called and call Waynesboro home,” said Hitchin. “The addition of nearly 80 technical jobs demonstrates that ‘new manufacturing’—manufacturing that is much more than just putting a nut on a bolt—is exciting, demanding, and high-tech. We are confident that today’s grand opening is just the first of many as Waynesboro continues its tradition of excellence in manufacturing.”
Pittman is no stranger to the community or the business complex now known as Solutions Place. A native of Waynesboro, Pittman began his career with General Electric in 1972, and although he has managed businesses in more than 20 states, he has always maintained a residence in Virginia. In the 1990s, Pittman was vice president of operations for Genicom, a subsidiary of General Electric. Pittman said that it is rewarding to bring jobs back to the same facility, dramatically transformed in the dozen years since Genicom shut its doors.
“I’m very humble about this opportunity. There aren’t that many people who can say they had the chance to bring jobs back to a community that they had to leave due to a company closing,” Pittman said. “It’s very gratifying.”
Since its purchase and rebranding in 2001 by Allied Logistics, Solutions Place has steadily added tenants by offering competitive leasing rates and logistical support through its sister company, Reo Distribution. With its easy access to major interstates and multiple airports, Solutions Place has acted as an incubator for several new and growing businesses.
A Foreign Trade Zone that opened last November at Solutions Place was used for the first time earlier this year. Meanwhile, local business and government officials in Waynesboro are working with companies at Solutions Place to reach out to bustling Central China through an ongoing series of diplomatic visits and initiatives aimed at strengthening business and cultural ties.
Rebecca Polan is director of Solutions Way management and manages leasing at Solutions Place.
“This is an exciting day and PPI/Time Zero’s move fits right into our long-term mission to bring more technology jobs to Waynesboro,” Polan said. “We will support them in any way we can, and I hope that PPI/ Time Zero’s tenancy here acts as a catalyst to encourage other successful technology companies to consider our facility.”
Electronics firm to set up operation in Waynesboro: Project to create 65 new jobs
PPI/Time Zero Inc., a leading electronic manufacturing services provider of high reliability aerospace, defense, medical and industrial electronics, will invest $1.15 million to establish operations at Solutions Place in Waynesboro. The project will create 65 new jobs within the next year.
Headquartered in Paterson, N.J., PPI/Time Zero is an EMS company providing low-to-medium volume highly customized electronics. With 40 years of service, PPI is known for manufacturing mission critical products supporting aerospace, defense, industrial and medical instrumentation. PPI offers its customers a total solution including design, prototyping, cable and harness manufacturing, turn-key printed circuit board assembly and box build, test, thermal stress screening and end of life manufacturing support.
“The strategic location of this facility, along with the ability for future expansion, will greatly improve our customer service and logistics,” said Dana M. Pittman, president and CEO of PPI/Time Zero. “The company’s solid performance has been driven by successfully executing its organic growth strategy with a focused set of customers and niche market segments. With the support and guidance of the Commonwealth of Virginia, we will accelerate our key initiatives by providing incremental capacity, improved logistics for our customer base and new state of the art process installations.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Waynesboro and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to secure the project for Virginia. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment and training activities.
“The City of Waynesboro is delighted that PPI/Time Zero selected Waynesboro for their expansion,” said Greg Hitchin, director of economic development for the City of Waynesboro. “Waynesboro remains an epicenter of manufacturing excellence and PPI/Time Zero continues that tradition by coming to Solutions Place, a business center with a rich history of producing high-tech electronics.”
“It is our long-term mission to bring more technology jobs to Waynesboro, and I hope that PPI/Time Zero’s tenancy at Solutions Place acts as a catalyst to encourage other successful technology companies to consider our facility,” said Rebecca Polan, director of Solutions Way Management.
Polan said a newly opened Foreign Trade Zone and Solutions Place’s close relationship with Reo Logistics gives Solutions Place tenants a competitive advantage.
“The logistics services that we offer right here on the property through our sister company, Reo Distribution, make us an attractive option for companies who need to manufacture and distribute from the same location,” she said. “We always work with our tenants to make sure they are able to take advantage of all the resources Waynesboro has to offer.”
Pittman said Waynesboro offers a wonderful quality of life for his employees including good schools, affordable housing, a skilled labor force, and access the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, which are just minutes away.
From a business strategy standpoint, the area also puts PPI/Time Zero close to many of its existing and potential clients. While many of its contracts come from the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, PPI/Time Zero maintains a diverse client list including such companies as General Electric, IBM, BAE, Hamilton Sundstrand, Eaton, DRS, ITT, L3 and Parker Hannifin.
“The company solid performance has been driven by successfully executing its organic growth strategy with a focused set of customers and niche market segments,” said Pittman. “With the support and guidance of the Commonwealth of Virginia, we will accelerate our key initiatives by providing incremental capacity, improved logistics for our customer base and new state-of-the-art process installations.”
“We are thrilled that PPI/Time Zero, a well-established company that has been successful in New Jersey for the past 40 years, picked Waynesboro for its first Virginia operations,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said. “The location at Solutions Place is ideal due to the infrastructure in place at the facility, as well as the region’s strategic proximity to major interstates and the company’s existing and potential clients. PPI provides invaluable electronic assistance to critical industries like aerospace and defense, as well as medical and industrial markets.”
