Once again, our region is receiving accolades from a nationwide publication, according to information released from Conway Data, Inc.  Site Selection magazine...

Once again, our region is receiving accolades from a nationwide publication, according to information released from Conway Data, Inc.  Site Selection magazine, a national publication that records multinational corporate site selection, has given honorable mention to the Swedwood project, putting them in the same selection category as DaimlerChrysler and Harley-Davidson.  Swedwood, North America appears on Site Selection’s newly released Top 20 list for Top Deals in the United States in 2006, due to a $281 million investment, that will provide 740 jobs to the area.

Carol Motley, Pittsylvania County Economic Development's Executive Director said, “The location of the Swedwood project into the joint industrial park, Cane Creek Centre, indicates that businesses are beginning to sit up and take notice of our region.  The joint efforts of both Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville in working together to provide the prerequisites for industry attraction have rewarded our region with a state-of-the art global manufacturing company that realized what our community had to offer in the way of infrastructure, workforce, and accessible location.  We are truly proud to be the first United States manufacturing site for Swedwood, North America, and we thank them for their decision to locate here.  We are also very pleased to be recognized by a publication as significant at Site Selection.”  

Evaluation of the top economic development projects of the year took into account total capital investment, number of jobs created, regional economic impact, value of jobs created, creativity of the deal, role of incentives in the deal, competition for the project to locate elsewhere, and speed to market.  

Dan Sleeper, Pittsylvania County Administrator commented on the magazine’s honorable mention of the Swedwood project by saying, “We are pleased that Site Selection realized and acknowledged the importance of the Swedwood project and the impact that the company will have on our region.  Working closely with leaders from the City of Danville, we established a unique and innovative relationship very synergistic in nature – together we were able to provide the leaders of the Swedwood project what they needed in a manufacturing location.”   

He continued, “We want our citizens to know that local county government continues to work diligently to secure top-notch companies to provide employment to the region.  We hope to continue working together with our regional partners to make our county a coveted site destination on the eastern seaboard of the United States.  The leaders of Swedwood saw that this location was desirable for their needs, and we feel confident that more industries will want to consider what our community has to offer, both in the way of business and quality of life.”