STIHL is moving forwards with plans to expand the headquarters for its US operation at Virginia Beach, VA.
More than $25 million will be invested in a new administration building and other campus improvements. Construction of the state-of-the-art, 80,000-square-foot facility is part of the company’s commitment to continual investment in infrastructure projects in support of growing US operations, STIHL said.
The new building will combine the Sales & Marketing, Finance & Controlling, Legal, and Customer & Technical Service teams under one roof. It will also house a brand experience and customer welcome centre.
“STIHL Inc. has enjoyed strong year over year growth in our sales as well as our manufacturing operations,” said Bjoern Fischer, president of STIHL Inc., “While the current structure has served us well for the last 40-plus years, the new building will improve administrative operational efficiency allowing us to better serve our network of 9,000 independent servicing dealers and their customers.”
Since its inception in 1974, the Virginia Beach STIHL Inc. facility has grown from a single, 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse, to more than one-million square feet of manufacturing and administration space on more than 150 acres. This growth has been strongly supported by STIHL’s positive, long standing, partnership with the City of Virginia Beach.
“The City of Virginia Beach has been an ideal business partner,” added Fischer. “For over 40 years the city has continued to create a positive economic environment for manufacturers like STIHL, supporting our continued growth and expansion.”
The groundbreaking is set for early 2018, with a target move-in date in 2019. Employees working in the current administration building will temporarily move to STIHL owned office space at the International Industrial Center (formerly Lillian Vernon).
The worldwide STIHL Group, exports to over 90 countries and the majority of STIHL products sold in America are also built in America.
