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Newport News
A strong research and technology
base, enviable quality of life, high productivity and
moderate costs add up to value for companies locating
in Newport News. Information and technology-driven firms
find a highly educated workforce and access to advanced
scientific and technological research. Firms in the
office sector find an exceptional quality of life for
their executives and access to a 1.6 million person
metropolitan area. Manufacturers find a positive business
environment, low operating costs and an aggressive Economic
Development Authority (NNEDA).
Location
Newport News, a vibrant city of more than 185,000, is at the mid-point of the
Atlantic Coast and at the center of the Hampton Roads area. Newport News
is served by interstate highways, rail, the Port of Hampton Roads and three
commercial airports. More than 20 international firms have located in the
City, including Siemens Automotive, Canon, Muller Martini, Ferguson Enterprises
and Icelandic USA.
Technology
Two national laboratories, Jefferson Lab and NASA's Langley Research Center,
give the city an impressive technological base. The NNEDA's Applied Research
Center, a 122,000 square foot, seven-story class-A office/laboratory located
at Jefferson Center for Research and Technology next to Jefferson Lab, provides
a venue for synergy to occur between scientists, university faculty and the
private sector. Research is ongoing in photonics, nanotechnology, medical
imaging, surface modification and plasmas. On the City's downtown waterfront,
the Herbert H. Bateman Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and Carrier Integration
Center, which was also developed by the NNEDA, is where engineers from Northrop
Grumman Newport News and other defense contractors team with university researchers
to design the next generation of nuclear aircraft carriers and solve other
naval systems integration problems. Formerly Newport News Shipbuilding, Northrop
Grumman is Virginia's largest manufacturer and a world leader in naval, nuclear
and systems technology. The region's work force benefits from the region's
seven resident colleges and universities, ten branch campuses, two law schools,
medical college and two community colleges. Five of these institutions offer
doctoral degrees and seven more have masters programs.
Work Force
Drawing from more than 800,000 workers in the metro area, firms can find productive
employees with almost any skill or professional expertise. With a high concentration
of scientists and engineers, the Newport News labor market is ideal for technology-driven
companies. The region's military bases also pump skilled workers into the
labor force. Area businesses give workers high marks for availability and
performance. Wage and salary scales are below the national average. Union
influence is weak.
Quality of Life
Workers and business owners are attracted to the region's superb lifestyle.
The James River, Chesapeake Bay and nearby Atlantic Ocean provide abundant
recreation. Waterfront homes are surprisingly affordable and executives can
choose among several golf communities. Area attractions include Colonial
Williamsburg, along with Busch Gardens and Water Country. Culturally, the
region is home to the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Opera, the Virginia
Stage Company and the Chrysler Museum.
In the middle of the City are two successful new-urbanist developments. City
Center at Oyster Point is a high-density, mixed-use urban center that is a
perfect regional or district headquarters location, with a Marriott Hotel and
Conference Center and a new office building under construction. Within walking
distance, Port Warwick is an urban village built around a series of public
squares with much attention to visual design and public art. A third new-urbanist
community is now being planned on more than 400 acres in the northern part
of the City.
Near City Center and Port Warwick, the Virginia Living Museum, the world-renowned
Mariners' Museum and Riverside Regional Medical Center are all undergoing multi-million
dollar expansions. Christopher Newport University continues to build on campus
and has opened its Center for the Arts designed by I.M. Pei.
Office and Industrial Sites
Oyster Point of Newport News, next to Jefferson Lab and Canon, is the region's
premier business center. Class-A office space is available at City Center,
elsewhere in Oyster Point and at the Symatec Building at Jefferson Center for
Research and Technology. Oakland Industrial Park has wooded and cleared sites,
some with rail service, and available industrial buildings of up to 80,000
square feet. Oakland is in the City's North Enterprise Zone. Savings
Incentives are available for firms that create jobs and significantly add to
the tax base. The NNEDA can write down occupancy costs, and low-interest
loans for machinery and equipment purchases are available for expanding companies.
Newport News offers some of the most generous local incentives in Virginia
for qualifying companies in its Enterprise Zones, and tax credits from the
state are available to companies that locate in any of the City's four Enterprise
Zone areas.
The NNEDA is an aggressive and innovative economic development organization.
It has developed or redeveloped 1.5 million square feet of industrial and office
space for direct sale or lease to a variety of companies, and structured both
capital and operating leases. Newport News' approach to economic development
is definitely solution-driven. Whatever the industry, NNEDA staff members are
eager to help firms find the right existing industrial or office building for
sale or lease. Florence G. Kingston or Ted Figura
Newport News Economic Development Authority
(800) 274-8348 or (757) 926-8428
Fax (757) 926-3504
Web site: www.newportnewsva.com
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