Harlow Group to invest $8 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing plant
Governor Ralph Northam announced that Harlow Group Ltd., a leading provider of precision engineered, fabricated, machined and 3D printed additive components, will invest $8 million to locate its first U.S. precision sheet metal fabrication plant, to be called Harlow Fastech, in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. The United Kingdom-based company will also establish a U.S. Training Center of Excellence, a new facility with a focus on additive manufacturing, which will be located in the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority-owned Cyber Park.
Students tour Newport News Shipbuilding Digital Mobile Experience
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Digital Mobile Experience trailer visited New College Institute (NCI) and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) the week of October 22.
Students were able to experience 3D modeling, laser scans, augmented reality and learn how NNS is using technology to transform to a more modern, digital manufacturing environment.
The Launch Place Pre-Seed Fund 2 Makes Its First Investment
The Launch Place has been on a mission since 2013 to help early stage startups with strong teams and impactful business models get a product to market. The Launch Place recently announced that biotech startup CytoRecovery will be the first to receive a $75,000 investment from The Launch Place Pre-Seed Fund 2, which was established in July of this year. To date, The Launch Place has invested in and is supporting 15 portfolio companies. CytoRecovery is a Virginia-based biotech startup that develops new products that improve the ability to rapidly separate and recover rare cell populations from biological samples, including tumor biopsies, for use in cancer research and pharmaceutical development.
Free wireless internet up and running in Boydton
Community-wide Wi-Fi service is now available in Boydton. On Wednesday, Microsoft and Lake Country Satellite set the launch of a free community Wi-Fi service in town. The project was developed in response to a community need, according to Robert Sloan, Microsoft's director of data center community development. Speaking at Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative's Empower Broadband launch party in September, Sloan said Microsoft is committed to improving the communities where it has operations, and hence the tech giant pursued the Wi-Fi project in response to demands identified by local residents. Sloan noted that access to Wi-Fi was a significant need in the region.
