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.”
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