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New research industry locates in Cyber Park
By SUSAN WORLEY/Star-Tribune Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008 2:34 PM EST
Advanced Vehicle Research Center will expand from the Raleigh, N.C., area to Danville and Pittsylvania County's Cyber Park near Danville Regional Airport.
The company plans to invest $3.5 million, erect a 25,000 square-foot building on a 13-acre site, and employ 30 full-time workers who can expect to earn $50,000 salaries.
The company will do research on off-road and alternative fuel vehicles.
"We see the Danville area as the perfect place for our expansion," said Dick Dell, executive director of AVRC. "The region already has significant assets that support the auto racing industry such as the Virginia International Raceway and neighboring speedways.
"Our work to support military and off-road testing will offer a new dimension to attract new automotive industries and our work on advanced technologies and alternative fuel vehicles will benefit from the extensive research being done at the Institute, Jouster and Virginia Tech," he added.
AVRC located in North Carolina in 2001 and works on ethanol efficiency research and other alternative fuel technologies in partnership with North Carolina State University. They also have a commercial initiative to convert hybrid Toyota Priuses to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Dell was welcomed as the area's newest corporate neighbor by county and city officials, 5th District Congressman Virgil Goode and David Smith, the state's deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce and Trade.
The ground-breaking is expected by late summer or early fall.
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