2016 was a big year for Prince William County.
According to a release, Prince William County announced that in 2016 they logged $1.3 billion in capital investment, added 596 new jobs, and kept 80 existing jobs.
The growth is a result of 23 economic development projects in the county including 18 new business attractions, three expansions of existing business, and two business retentions, according to a release.
“The projects spanned a range of industries (information technology, life sciences, data centers, distribution, recreation, federal contracting and manufacturing) – representative of the diversity of the underlying Prince William County economy. Of the 596 new jobs to be created from these projects, approximately 70% will be in industry sectors targeted by the County,” stated a release.
Over the past five years, the Prince William County Department of Economic Development has been able to bring in $4 billion in capital investment and the creation of 2,600 new jobs, stated a release.
“We are truly proud of our new and existing businesses that choose to call Prince William County home, and to all the hard-working individuals that, by working together, are building a thriving business community here. This year’s economic development success marks the fourth consecutive year our Department has surpassed half of a billion dollars of capital investment,” stated Prince William County Department of Economic Development Executive Director Jeff Kaczmarek in a release.
More on the county’s economic development efforts, from a release:
The County is increasingly recognized as a major life sciences hub within the Greater Washington D.C. Metro Area and continues to advance within this growing field. During 2016, four start-up life sciences companies were recruited to the Prince William Science Accelerator. Today, just over two years since its launch, the facility is near full capacity, with 6 companies occupying 8 wet lab spaces. Furthermore, the Science Accelerator won a $50,000 grant for its participation in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition which will support the subdivision of its ninth lab.
Technology also is one of the County’s strongholds and area of core competitiveness, thanks to entities such as the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, several federal and state research institutions, along with thriving businesses, such as MAG Aerospace and InCadence Strategic Solutions.
In 2016, the County also achieved another very important milestone crossing 3 million square feet of data center space, that further solidified its position as a data center location of choice. Iron Mountain’s $350 million data center project was identified as the top project in capital investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In May 2016, nearly 10,000 acres of land were designated as a Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, increasing the County’s competitiveness in that market.
Other major project wins for 2016 include the welcoming of BerkelyNet, Serpin Pharma/Caerus Discovery, Systaaq and Celetrix to Innovation Park, Southland Concrete and Tribute at Heritage Village.
News of Two Silos Brewing’s restoration of Thomasson Barn to a new tourism and entertainment destination and the opening of the Northern Virginia Community College Regional Center for Workforce Education & Training (WRC) were both highly lauded.
