Youngkin cuts ribbon on Norfolk factory creating nearly 300 jobs

by: Courtney Ingalls

Posted: Apr 5, 2023 / 02:59 PM EDT

Updated: Apr 6, 2023 / 08:42 AM EDT

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The CEO of Princo LLC in Norfolk Industrial Park says the labor base is perfect for his company. It will be making Premier Pro Pads here in Hampton Roads, instead of having to rely on suppliers from Asia.

A state of the art production line will be make the pads designed for the adult incontinence and puppy training markets.

"We have fully automated state of the art machinery. We’ve got a great partner in Premier, Inc. that supplies 4400 hospitals in the US, so we will be piggybacking off of that economy of scale," said Brent Dillie, Princo CEO and Virginia Tech engineering graduate.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin cut the ribbon on the 75,000-square-foot facility. It represents an investment of nearly $24 million in Norfolk‘s economy. 50 people will work there initially, with expansion to more than 280 in a couple of years according to Princo.

"I’ve said many times that I want made in America to stand for made in Virginia," Youngkin told the crowd of about 200 that included former Governor Bob McDonnell.

The company CEO says the partnership with Richmond and with Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander was instrumental in getting this new venture off the ground.

"We are pleased that Norfolk's business friendly environment, our transportation infrastructure, and our skilled workforce offer the right advantages for manufacturing," Alexander said.

Beginning next week, the production line will be cranking out as many as 300 million of the pads each year, which are also used in senior and assisted living centers, and will eventually be available in retail pharmacies.

The company was established in 2022 but has been manufacturing incontinence underpads and pet pads for 20 years. They decided to on-shore their manufacturing to help secure the nation's healthcare supply chain.

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