200 new jobs to be created with expansion

VIRGINIA BEACH — Acoustical Sheetmetal Company (ASC) celebrates the opening of its new 100,000 square-foot facility which more than doubles the company’s manufacturing capacity and will add as many as 200 full-time advanced manufacturing jobs.

ASC, a manufacturer of sound attenuating and weather protective enclosures for on-site power generation equipment, opened its new 20-acre Virginia Beach production facility, which caps a $15.8 million expansion to its existing Virginia Beach headquarters.

New opportunities

“This expansion more than doubles our manufacturing capacity, which means not only more jobs, but more opportunities for the advancement of our workforce,” said Margaret Shaia, CEO of ASC. “The creation of jobs is great, but what is even better is that the employees who have proven themselves are being offered leadership and other growth opportunities.”

The jobs created as part of the expansion arrive at a critical time as the Hampton Roads economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Acoustical Sheetmetal Company is an integral part of Virginia Beach’s dynamic manufacturing sector, which includes many well-known international companies such as STIHL, Busch Manufacturing and IMS Gear, among others,” noted Doug Smith, President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance. “With this new location, Acoustical Sheetmetal brings manufacturing to the new Innovation Park and with it comes the ability to further expand this already strong cluster. The direct impact and ripple effect of Acoustical Sheetmetal’s expansion is estimated to add more than $78.7 million to the region’s economy.”

“Because of the shipyards, there are many welding schools in the area. We are tapping into those resources to attract recent graduates and partnering with those schools to train our existing workforce,” said Shaia. “Many welders have traditionally felt that there was no other option but to go to the shipyard and didn’t realize we were here. In addition to welding, we offer metal fabrication and electrical positions in our manufacturing process, so it’s a little more variety.”

Increased manufacturing capacity

Two major goals were accomplished for ASC with its new facility: increased production capacity and significant storage space to provide flexibility to meet customers’ fluctuating construction schedules.

The new facility sits on 20 acres and includes 3 indoor cranes, totaling 120 tons of capacity. The expansion complements the company’s existing 5.5 acre site, consisting of 75,000 square feet of manufacturing space, an 11,000 square-foot clean storage facility, 2,000 square feet of administrative space, and an acre of staging space. This milestone bolsters the company’s position as a leading manufacturer in the power generation packaging industry. The company currently employs 220 at its Virginia Beach headquarters.

ASC selected WM Jordan as the general contractor who assembled a top-notch team to complete the project in under a year.

ASC expresses appreciation to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, City of Virginia Beach, and the Hampton Roads Alliance to secure the project for Virginia, and Atlantic Union Bank for their partnership. Governor Northam approved a $750,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Virginia Beach with the project.