RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Yellow Dog Software, an inventory software development company, will invest $150,000 to expand its operation at 965 Norfolk Square in the City of Norfolk. The company is increasing its footprint by approximately 10,000 square feet to accommodate additional employees for its expanding sports and hospitality markets, creating 20 new jobs.
“The Commonwealth has emerged as one of North America’s premier locations for the tech sector due to our attractive business climate, top-ranked higher education system, and diverse, world-class talent that catalyzes growth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Yellow Dog Software is a Virginia start-up success story, and we are doubling down on our efforts to ensure an economy that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship because new and small businesses create economic opportunities.”
“We are proud to support this Virginia-grown company’s expansion in its hometown of Norfolk,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “Yellow Dog Software’s decision to increase its footprint here reinforces the many business and technology industry advantages the Commonwealth offers, and we thank the company for its continued commitment.”
“The state of Virginia and the City of Norfolk are incredibly supportive environments to start and grow a business like Yellow Dog Software,” said Jay Livingood, President and Founder of Yellow Dog Software. “The employee base we can draw from with the veterans departing the armed services along with recent graduates from the numerous nearby colleges and universities is really large and has allowed us to source almost our entire team from the area.”
“The City of Norfolk is proud to offer skilled support to leading hospitality software companies like Yellow Dog to further invest and expand its business and services in Norfolk,” said Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander. “We appreciate the Virginia Jobs Investment Program for supporting an important expansion that will undoubtedly address ever-changing market demands, create more jobs, and offer technical assistance to companies in our region and the Commonwealth.”
“I am thrilled to have an investment from Yellow Dog Software to expand its operation in Norfolk,” said Senator Lionell Spruill, Sr. “This expansion will create additional jobs and revenue in our region.”
“Projects like this show how local and state governments working together can achieve big things,” said Delegate Angelia Williams Graves. “I celebrate and support bipartisan efforts like this to increase economic development and new jobs in Norfolk. I look forward to seeing the completion of this project and the great new partnership in our community.”
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in the City of Norfolk, Yellow Dog Software offers a full-featured retail, food and beverage, and concessions system to handle the inventory needs of the hospitality and sports industries, including resorts, casinos, restaurants, amusement parks, universities, clubs, stadiums, and general retail operations. Yellow Dog’s inventory software is utilized by over 20% of the professional sport stadiums and arenas across the country.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Norfolk to secure the project for Virginia and will support Yellow Dog’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens.