Governor Glenn Youngkin was joined by industry and community leaders – and protestors – to mark the groundbreaking of an advanced electronics manufacturing and testing facility in Waynesboro. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
The governor, local officials, and congressional staffers gathered in a tent overlooking an orange clay hillside and the Blue Ridge mountains on Friday afternoon. The site will be home to Northrop Grumman's new "advanced electronics facility," slated to open in 2025 and create 331 full-time jobs. The weapons manufacturer builds technology such as missiles, military communications systems, and stealth bombers.
Governor Youngkin and CEO Kathy Warden had to raise their voices at times to be heard over a handful of antiwar protestors chanting slogans such as, "Northrop Grumman, go away, genocide is not okay."
[protestors chanting in the distance]
GLENN YOUNGKIN: And this $200 million-plus investment will also open up further the tremendous pipeline of talent, the talent that exists today, and the talent that will be built in the future.
KATHY WARDEN: As I look at this landscape, right now, it's just an empty lot, but in a couple of years it's going to be a vibrant facility with hundreds of jobs that support families and this community.
A Northrop Grumman representative declined WMRA's request for an interview on-site. The city, with the help of a Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund grant, has agreed to reimburse the company for up to $8.5 million of real estate and other taxes through 2035.
