An educational consulting firm will invest $15.1 million in Danville, creating 22 new jobs in an expansion that will more than double its employment.
Ringgold-based TECHnista develops K-12 curricula to teach students about the advanced manufacturing and defense industries, according to its website.
As part of its expansion, the company will lease a 30,000-square-foot building located in Danville’s Cyber Park and owned by the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority, according to a Friday news release from Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
The company plans to begin occupying the building in January 2028. The 22 new jobs will be created over three years, although most of them will be added within the next six months to a year, Timothy Robertson, TECHnista’s chief strategy officer and co-owner, said in an email.
TECHnista currently has 21 employees, Robertson said.
Spanberger approved a $75,000 state grant to assist with the project. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Danville, Pittsylvania County, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance and the authority to secure the project for Virginia, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“By investing more than $15 million, TECHnista is helping connect classroom learning to real-world careers while strengthening the talent pipeline that supports our nation’s growth and defense,” Spanberger said in the release.
In 2024, TECHnista secured a five-year federal contract to implement a pilot program called Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All, or MEERA. The company established its Pittsylvania County facility that year.
MEERA teaches engineering, robotics, welding and other manufacturing disciplines using hands-on learning that’s aligned with industry standards, according to its website. The program operates in seven states and a U.S. territory with an anticipated enrollment of 18,000 students for this school year, the news release states.
TECHnista Founder and CEO Kelsey Robertson said in the governor’s Friday news release that the company “was founded on the belief that we can strengthen America’s future by connecting K-12 education, workforce development and the needs of our nation’s most critical industries.”
“This investment marks an exciting new chapter for TECHnista as we expand our capabilities in the city of Danville and prepare to scale our programs to communities across the country,” Robertson said.
