An excerpt from Come Visit Our Town Danville-Pittsylvania County 2019
On behalf of the leaders and citizens of the Dan River Region, we cordially welcome you to Danville–Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Our two communities are united by the Dan River, and our leaders and citizens believe that we can have a global impact working collaboratively. This partnership has resulted in numerous new company announcements and the creation of hundreds of high-paying jobs and millions of dollars of private investment. We share a storied history based upon the manufacture of textiles, furniture, and tobacco, and we have a bright future with a focus on advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, and technology sectors producing goods and services that are critical to our everyday way of life. Examples of products made today right here in our region by our highly skilled workforce include: Aircraft and truck tires; carbon-based cutting tools; aerospace components and fuselages; plastic tubes, adhesive, film; automotive parts and tank trucks; refrigerated pasta, and even oven-ready bake cookies! Advanced manufacturing is thriving in Danville–Pittsylvania County.
With an emphasis on creating a scalable advanced manufacturing workforce pipeline through partnerships with Danville Community College, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Averett University, and other nationally recognized State colleges and Universities, and local school systems, Danville-Pittsylvania County has become very attractive for foreign direct investment. In fact, Danville–Pittsylvania County was recently recognized by FDi Investment magazine (a service from the Financial Times) as being the “8th ranked micro-city in the world for economic potential”. This “potential” recognizes the location and operation of companies from 10 countries here in our community. We are continuing to build upon this success by the recent announcements of the new Center for Manufacturing Advancement (a facility dedicated to manufacturing optimization and industry 4.0) and career connection labs, an initiative to place advanced robotics, virtual welders, 3D printers, and industry-focused information technology programming in our middle schools (students aged 11–14) to expose our future workforce to modern technology and advanced manufacturing principles.
In addition to extraordinary workforce programs, Danville-Pittsylvania County fosters a positive business climate in a low-cost environment. Companies in the region enjoy an 18% lower cost of doing business compared to the U.S. national average. This cost advantage increases to 30%-40% when compared to many areas within the U.S. such as the West Coast or Northeast, and areas abroad such as southern Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. Adding to this favorable business climate is a plethora of publicly owned shovel and infrastructure ready sites that can meet any industry’s needs: From 10-acre sites in our research-focused Cyber Park to 3,528-acres in the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill—Virginia’s largest megasite and one of the Nation’s premiere sites for future automotive and aerospace operations. All of these benefits are located within a day’s drive to two-thirds of the U.S. population and manufacturing base.
Danville–Pittsylvania County not only has a favorable business climate, but our citizens also experience a vibrant quality of life including a mild climate with four seasons. Additionally, festivals and events occur throughout the year and range from summer concerts, food truck rodeos, fall markets and craft beer festivals, to mountain bike races and 5K color runs. Truly our citizens and visitors are becoming more active and outdoor enthusiasts. With 10+ miles of paved river walk trails, 35 miles of mountain biking trails, numerous award-winning breweries and wineries, Blue Ribbon schools, and a vibrant urban core branded as the “River District,” it’s easy to understand why we’re proud to call Danville–Pittsylvania County “Home.” In closing, we sincerely hope that you’ll consider Danville–Pittsylvania County for your next business location, and that you’ll allow us to show why you too should call Danville-Pittsylvania County “Home.”