Good Jobs

This afternoon I was in Shenandoah County to cut the ribbon at Mercury Paper’s new North American headquarters in Strasburg. The company’s decision to move its headquarters from California to Virginia, and expand their existing facility, means 150 new jobs and millions in economic impact for Shenandoah County, the region and the Commonwealth. And it is the second time in two months that a major company has announced it is moving its headquarters from California to Virginia. In April Fortune 100 Company Northrop Grumman chose the Commonwealth for the site of its new corporate headquarters.

After taking office in January we went after the Mercury Paper project aggressively. I approved $250,000 in Governor’s Opportunity Funds to help land the headquarters. We will ensure road improvements in a neighboring industrial park to further assist the company with this expansion. And Mercury Paper will benefit from the Major Business Facilities Job Tax Credit that was part of our “Jobs and Opportunity” legislative agenda that received broad bipartisan support during this past session of the General Assembly.

Landing Mercury Paper’s headquarters has not gone unnoticed. The Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial page commented:

“Gov. Bob McDonnell recently announced that Mercury Paper not only will expand its operations in the Shenandoah but will locate its North American headquarters there. The move will create about 150 jobs.

The news reverberated in Maine, where a Republican gubernatorial candidate lamented the decline of the paper industry in his home state. Steve Abbott contrasted Maine’s business climate with Virginia’s more hospitable atmosphere. He said Maine’s policies drive companies away, while Virginia’s policies welcome them.

Indeed, officials with Mercury reserved specific praise for the commonwealth’s pro-business attitudes. It is quite a compliment when a candidate in another state promises to make his state more like Virginia.”

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/editorials/article/ED-PAPE26_20100325-200605/332960/

Creating good jobs for Virginians and getting our economy back on track is the foremost priority of our Administration. We aren’t wasting a second. As you read this Jim Cheng, our Secretary of Commerce and Trade, is in China meeting with companies and promoting Virginia. We are opening overseas trade offices in China, India and Great Britain. And just a few weeks ago The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran a front page story that noted :

“Virginia and three other states tied for having the nation’s largest month-over-month percentage increase in employment in April. The four states each saw a 0.8 percent jump in nonfarm payroll employment in April from March, according to a U.S. Labor Department report on state unemployment released yesterday. Virginia added 28,100 jobs, ranking it fifth-highest among the states in the actual number of jobs gained.”

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/JOBS22_20100521-222806/346198/

We’ve got a lot of work to do before every Virginian can find the good-paying work they need and deserve. But we are seeing good signs out there, and we won’t rest until the economy has turned around in every city and county of the Commonwealth.

Thanks so much for your continued support,

Bob McDonnell