A longtime business presence in the New River Valley will invest $5.5 million in an expansion into Pulaski County, creating 45 new jobs.
Bellport, New York-based Fireworks by Grucci and Pyrotechnique by Grucci, a sixth-generation family-owned manufacturer of fireworks and military pyrotechnic devices, will expand its assembly, storage and distribution operations into the 30,000-square-foot former Koinonia Tapes and Foams facility in ShaeDawn Industrial Park, according to a news release from Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“This long-term investment and expansion to Pulaski is a testament to our continued commitment to the state of Virginia, the counties of Pulaski and Montgomery, and our employees,” Felix Grucci, CEO of Fireworks by Grucci and Pyrotechnique by Grucci, said in the governor’s news release.
The new site is near the company’s manufacturing operation at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Montgomery County. The fireworks maker was founded in 1850, but in 1989 it branched out into creating devices that simulate mortars and grenades for the U.S. Department of Defense. In 1997, the company founded a training device manufacturing business, leasing 400 acres at the ammunition plant.
Virginia competed with New York for the expansion, and Youngkin approved a $212,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Pulaski County. The company also will be eligible for enterprise zone benefits and employee training support.
“Magnificent displays of fireworks have brought generations of families together for more than a century because of pyrotechnics leaders like the Grucci family,” Youngkin said.
The governor’s office made the announcement late Tuesday afternoon; company officials did not reply to a request for more information on the timeline of the expansion.