Allfirst is committed to growth
ALLFIRST ANNOUNCES EXPANSION
SUFFOLK NEWS-Herald Published 10:14 pm Tuesday, March 21, 2017
A local company’s expansion plans were a big enough deal on Tuesday to have prompted a press release from the governor’s office trumpeting the announcement.
Allfirst LLC, an industrial general contractor and metal fabricator headquartered in the Northgate Commerce Park in North Suffolk, has announced it will spend $130,000 to expand its facility there. The company also intends to hire 27 new employees during the next three years and retrain as many as 62 current employees to operate new equipment and perform other new functions, the governor’s press release stated.
“It’s exciting to see another Virginia-headquartered company reinvesting in its operation and workforce,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe was quoted as saying in the release.
“We are confident the city of Suffolk will continue to provide a business environment that facilitates growth and success for Allfirst and its valuable employees. The growth of companies like Allfirst, which serves many important industries in the commonwealth, is paramount to economic vitality, and our training programs ensure a skilled labor pool. We thank Allfirst for being a part of our efforts to diversify and build a new Virginia economy.”
According to the release, Allfirst will work with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to retrain its workforce and hire new employees through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The VJIP is a state-funded program that helps reduce the costs of human-resource management for new and expanding companies.
Founded by Les Hall in Suffolk in 2000, Allfirst designs and builds facilities for Fortune 500 companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, including manufacturers, paper mills, chemical plants, converters, food processors, oil terminals and power generators.
“The customers in the area we serve represent major companies from across America,” Allfirst Vice President of Operations James Templeton stated in the release.
“Our skilled craft workers, the best in the industry, are home-grown. Our location in Virginia is strategic and provides us the dual opportunities to draw from an area rich with a strong work ethic, as well as to serve the industrial companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.”
“We are proud to have Les Hall and Allfirst continue to expand and succeed here in Suffolk,” Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson stated in the release. “Les is an outstanding leader in our community who is committed to continued training opportunities and the betterment of his workforce.”
