A new manufacturing facility is expected to bring a $64 million investment and 118 new jobs to Henry County by the end of next year.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined local and state officials at tract 4 of the Patriot Centre on Tuesday to break ground on a new manufacturing facility for Pennsylvania-based Nathan Trotter, one of the oldest American manufacturers.
The company will invest $65 million to establish a location at the Patriot Centre industrial complex, a 1,000-acre industrial park that’s home to businesses including Howmet Aerospace, Eastman and Monogram Food Solutions.
The facility represents Nathan Trotter’s first time establishing a location beyond Pennsylvania’s borders. The company was founded in 1789.
“Here they have selected Virginia, this fabulous … location in Henry County,” Youngkin said, calling the upcoming facility one of a kind.
The facility will serve as a tin production and processing plant and will be the nation’s first large-scale tin processing facility, according to Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura. In 2024, the company was awarded a $19 million contract by the government for tin smelting and recycling.
When completed, the Henry County facility will total 110,000 square feet, according to Luke Etherington, one of Nathan Trotter’s vice presidents. Etherington said that construction on the project would begin in around six to eight weeks and be completed sometime at the end of 2026.
Youngkin said that when the plant is completed, it will not only provide 118 jobs, it will also have national security implications. Tin, which is used in the manufacture of circuit boards and other electronics components, is considered by the U.S. government to be a critical mineral, one of 50 minerals to receive that designation because of their importance to the economy and national security.
“Talk about critical supply chains, we talk about the critical minerals that are necessary to drive industries, that are at the heart of the national security of the United States,” Youngkin said.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, echoed Youngkin, saying the Patriot Centre’s location contributed to the company’s move to Henry County.
“One reason listed for Nathan Trotter’s selection of Henry County is its proximity to key ports, customers, suppliers and Nathan Trotter’s network of tin production facilities throughout the region,” Griffith said in a press release.
Youngkin said the project represents an about-face from past decades, when new manufacturing projects were outsourced beyond the country’s borders.
“We’re now demonstrating that … bringing production facilities and capabilities, that have historically been overseas, back to the United States is part of our national strategy,” Youngkin said. “To have this facility here means so much.”
Etherington spoke about why he and his partners settled on Henry County. Aside from their interest in NASCAR, they said the area was an ideal location.
“We ran a process … and looked at a lot of different sites,” Etherington said. “It came through with a lot of the infrastructure and people and community … that we thought would let us succeed. We’re super excited to be part of the economic development of the area.”
The Harvest Foundation invested $650,000 in the project, while the Henry County Board of Supervisors and Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation made a joint donation totaling $1 million. Youngkin’s office also approved a $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth Opportunity Fund to go toward the project.
[Disclosure: The Harvest Foundation is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
“Strong communities are built on opportunity, and at its core economic development is about creating conditions for every person in our region to thrive,” Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller said. “When new jobs come to our communities, families gain stability, children see a positive future for themselves here, and we move closer to our vision of a community that is healthy, prosperous and vibrant.”
County Supervisor Jim Adams said the company would be subject to a number of benchmarks, such as the total investment amount and start of construction. Adams and other supervisors discussed this with company leadership during an early-morning meeting prior to Tuesday’s announcement.
“We heard about incentive money today, benchmarks have to be made,” Adams said.
Others include time between the groundbreaking and start of construction.
“The placement of incentives, it helps them, but it also ensures … you have a pattern to follow to ensure what we’re invested in will come to pass.”
