Photo courtesy of Botetourt Co.
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced in a video introduced by Del. Terry Austin at Tuesday’s Botetourt County Board of Supervisors meeting that Munters Corporation will invest $29.95 million to build a 200,000-square-foot expansion to its HVAC manufacturing facility in Botetourt County. The project will create 270 new jobs.
Munters, a global company with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, manufactures climate control solutions for mission-critical processes. The new manufacturing facility will be built on a lot at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield, adjacent to its current facility.
Munters has experienced significant growth in its data center business over the past five years, expanding its operations with new facilities in Daleville and Cork, Ireland, as well as acquiring additional facilities in Italy and Thailand through the purchase of Geoclima company officials noted. Recognizing the continued expansion of the U.S. data center market, the company saw a need to further increase its production capabilities domestically. The upcoming expansion of its Virginia facility will establish a dedicated data center technologies production campus. Combined with its Texas facility, Munters will have nearly 600,000 square feet of production space in the United States focused on designing and manufacturing cutting-edge, energy-efficient data center cooling systems.
“I am thrilled to celebrate this exciting new chapter for Munters right here in Botetourt County,” said Botetourt County Board of Supervisors Chair Amy White. “In 2022 we celebrated the company’s grand opening in Greenfield, and this expansion is a testament to our community’s commitment to innovation, economic growth, and creating new job opportunities. This rapid expansion also signifies the high caliber of our business partners. We proudly support businesses that invest in our region and contribute to our thriving local economy.”
“It’s been a true pleasure working with Munters and their development partners over the past few years,” says County Administrator Gary Larrowe. “This new investment and job creation is a big deal—not just for them, but for the county as a whole. It’s exciting to see this kind of growth in manufacturing as we outpace Virginia and the nation with job creation happening right here in Botetourt County.”
In 2021, Munters located in the Roanoke Region. The investment in Botetourt Center at Greenfield, strong workforce, and friendly business climate attracted the company, and it now sees the need to increase its capacity again to keep up with the rapidly growing data center market. The 200,000-square-foot expansion on a 30-acre parcel adjacent to its current facility will help the company to seamlessly expand operations and meet customer demand. By September 2022, Munters officially opened the Daleville facility, marking a significant milestone in its expansion strategy. The new plant was designed to meet the increasing demand for energy-efficient data center cooling systems, reflecting Munters’ commitment to innovation and sustainability.
“Munters’ continued growth in the Roanoke Region of Virginia is an economic bellwether,” said John Hull, Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership. “An expansion less than three years after establishing its operations in the region is a signal that business is good and that Botetourt County and the Roanoke Region have supported a new corporate family member.”
The Roanoke Regional Partnership estimates this expansion will have a $ 150 million impact on the regional economy at full implementation, and the project will support an additional 185 indirect and induced jobs throughout the regional economy.
Botetourt County and the Roanoke Regional Partnership worked on the project with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
To watch Gov. Youngkin’s announcement, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmBc2onKE4.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
