News | 3 min read
Dutch machinery firm opens sales office in Chesterfield County
December 6, 2018
RICHMOND, VA – The Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP) announces that JASA Packaging Solutions, Inc., a food machinery automation firm, will open a sales office in the Chesterfield County Airpark on Whitepine Road. The company successfully chose the Richmond Region over Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Raleigh, N.C.
“Currently, there is a big growth in the U.S. going on in the healthy convenience market,” Sandra Somford-Pannekeet, Owner/President of JASA, explains. “Everybody wants to eat healthy, and still wants the convenience of ‘ready to eat.’ This is JASA’s sweet spot, since we already pack healthy convenience for more than 33 years. JASA is now fully ready to bring the machines to the U.S. and serve the clients directly from our own U.S. office.”
The Netherlands-based company has done business in the U.S. for the last 20 years and has existing dealers for their vertical packaging machines used by supermarkets and wholesalers. The company’s facility will include a sales office, service location and warehouse for machines and parts, with future plans for light assembly.
“At the moment a lot is happening in America when it comes to automation,” said Somford-Pannekeet. “There’s a lot of innovation and modernization happening, so this was the perfect time for us to go to America.”
JASA contacted GRP as a result of meeting ProSeal America CEO Gari Wyatt at a German trade show earlier this year. At the time, JASA was looking to expand to the U.S. and Wyatt offered his experience of machine manufacturing in the Richmond Region over the last decade. Coincidentally, JASA will start in a space once occupied by ProSeal.
“It’s an honor for previous clients to speak so highly of the region and be able to recruit other international firms,” said Olga Molnar, GRP’s Vice President of Global Investment. The Partnership recently created an International Advisory Committee to leverage existing international firms and their connections in attracting firms. “Gari’s a member of GRP’s International Advisory Committee which has already paid dividends.”
“Chesterfield County is proud to welcome JASA Packaging Solutions to a community that embraces international business,” said James M. Holland of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. “We look forward to following JASA’s success as they join over 40 county-wide internationally based companies that call Chesterfield home. For over 45 years the Chesterfield Airpark Business Community has attracted high caliber companies and JASA will continue to build on that solid foundation.”
Matt McLaren, Senior Project Manager at Chesterfield County Economic Development, connected JASA representatives with Matt Anderson, Senior Vice President at CBRE | Richmond, who brokered the lease.
JASA, founded in 1985 under the name Pannekeet Machine Techniek, operates as an international specialist in the field of weighing and packaging. The JASA machines are being used worldwide from Denmark to England and from Italy to New Zealand. JASA is a fast-growing family business with an enthusiastic team of more than 75 employees.
About the Greater Richmond Partnership
The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (GRP) is the lead regional public-private economic development organization for the City of Richmond and counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico in Virginia. GRP recruits companies from all over the globe which provide employment opportunities and taxable capital investment for the community. For more information, visit www.grpva.com.
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