Governor Kaine Announces Manufacturing Headquarters to Locate in Saltville

RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Reline America, Inc. will invest $4.9 million to build its manufacturing headquarters facility in Saltville. The company, whose technology repairs utility pipes without excavation of the infrastructure, will create 25 new jobs for Smyth County.

Positions will include engineers and skilled manufacturing jobs, with an average annual salary of $38,000. Virginia successfully competed against Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee for the project.

“I commend Saltville for winning this headquarters announcement,” said Governor Kaine. “The locality and the state worked together to put forward a winning proposal for this investment, and I am pleased the Commonwealth, Smyth County, and the Town of Saltville worked to aggressively meet this company’s needs.”

Reline America, Inc. has a North American license to market and manufacture pipe liners, which have proven successful in Europe. The resin-impregnated material is inserted into deteriorated utility pipes and ultraviolet light equipment is used to cure the material inside the pipe. The company plans to move into the Svedala Building on Battleground Avenue in Saltville with a start-up date of June 2006. Hiring will begin in the first quarter of 2006.

“We are very excited about locating our facility in Saltville, Virginia, and are grateful to the Governor for his support,” said Michael Burkhard, President, Reline America, Inc. “Our evaluation process was helped tremendously by the state of Virginia, Smyth County and the town of Saltville. Their efforts were above and beyond what we experienced in other locations, and we were made to feel very welcome. Reline America’s goals are not only to be a good business partner, but to be a good neighbor to the community as well. We have a family-like corporate atmosphere, and are very supportive of our employees whose strengths and abilities we intend to further develop through training and education. Our salaries and benefits will be very competitive as well.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Town of Saltville, Smyth County and Virginia’s aCorridor to prepare the state’s proposal and negotiate an incentive package to secure the project for Virginia. The company will receive a $50,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Saltville with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $50,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through its Workforce Services Jobs Investment Program. The company is also eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, because it is locating in a Virginia Enterprise Zone.

"We are pleased to announce Reline America's decision to locate its headquarters in Saltville," said Mayor Jeff Campbell. "Reline is a first rate, high-tech business that has exceptional growth potential and will further enable our citizens to find quality local employment." Campbell said the town is committed to working with Reline to ensure a smooth transition to the area, noting that Reline America is the third company that has located in Saltville in the past 18 months. "We will continue to do whatever is necessary to foster the development of quality companies such as Reline America. Our citizens deserve no less and our children's futures depend upon it."