New printing company to open in former Colortree facility
HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - The former Colortree facility in Henrico, which shut down in June 2019, will soon reopen under a new company that's hiring more than 200 employees, many of them former Colortree workers.
Governor Ralph Northam announced Tuesday, Moore, a provider of marketing solutions, will invest more than $31 million to establish Richmond Print Group at the facility.
The new venture will create 239 jobs in the County.
“To have them here with that investment it's really a win, win for Richmond and a win, win for the Commonwealth of Virginia," Northam said.
According to Northam, Virginia successfully competed with Maryland and Massachusetts for the project.
The project was secured through work done by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Henrico County Economic Development Authority and Port of Virginia.
“Governor Northam approved a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Henrico County with the project,” a press release said. “Moore is eligible to receive benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program, as well as a Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created.”
"Employees that work here will be the next generation of printers and marketers,” said Moore CEO, Gretchen Littlefield. “This investment in technology and people is who we want to be at Moore."
As the company gets underway with hiring, administrators will prioritize hiring the former Colotree employees who were laid off in June 2019. Two-hundred-forty workers lost their jobs.
“The printing industry is becoming increasingly high-tech, and Richmond Print Group will be a state-of-the-art facility equipped to serve its direct marketing clients throughout the country and the world,” Northam said. “We are pleased to welcome Moore to Virginia, and we are grateful for the company’s dedication to tapping into our talented workforce and revitalizing this facility.”
“We’re also bringing in new talent, but we’re also investing in new machinery and that’s very important,” Littlefield said. “The machinery we’re investing in, and the technology is going to allow us to be more efficient for our clients but also to produce better work and support and grow the industry.”
Moore’s new investment will allow the company to purchase and install the modern equipment needed to remove the outsourcing of its envelope production and increase the productivity of its direct mail operation.
Littlefield added a majority of the clients are primarily non-profits from all across the country.
“Moore’s commitment to hire 239 new full-time employees at Richmond Print Group speaks to their confidence in the workforce skills and training programs like those offered by the Henrico Career and Technical Education Center,” said Frank J. Thornton, Supervisor of Henrico’s Fairfield District. “Moore will continue their legacy of manufacturing high-quality products in our pro-business environment, which will ensure the future of this plant for many years to come.”
The hope is for the company to be operational within the next six months.
As for a federal lawsuit filed by former Colortree employees against the company for termination without notice, a settlement was reached in bankruptcy court. The lawsuit was then dismissed in Dec. 31, 2019.
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