The first company to open was a $10.4 million EarthLink call center in the new Project Intersection industrial park in Norton, which will create up to 285 jobs.
Governor Glenn Youngkin joined a number of elected officials and local leaders on Friday to celebrate the grand opening of the 30,000-square-foot facility.
“EarthLink’s decision to expand to Norton as part of Project Intersection reinforces Virginia’s position as a leading state for business and demonstrates that Southwest Virginia is gaining momentum with growing job opportunities and business expansions,” Youngkin said in a press release. “We welcome Earthlink to booming Southwest Virginia and look forward to experiencing firsthand the positive impact they will undoubtedly have on the region’s prosperity and vitality.”
EarthLink, an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, called the opening of the center a “significant milestone” in its efforts to improve customer support and expand its presence in the United States.
“We are excited to open our doors in Norton and begin a new chapter at Project Intersection. This facility is not just a call center; it is a forward-looking investment in the community and our company,” said Glenn Goad, CEO of EarthLink, in a press release.
The Norton facility will be EarthLink’s only U.S. sales center, he said. “The combination of our technology and a highly skilled workforce in southwest Virginia will provide a customer experience unmatched in our industry,” he said in the release.
The call center was made possible through collaboration with local stakeholders, including State Senator Todd Pillion (R-Washington County), Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott County) and the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission, who played a critical role in bringing EarthLink to southwest Virginia, according to the press release.
Duane Miller, executive director of the planning district commission, said Friday that efforts to recruit EarthLink took 18 months to two years and were delayed somewhat by the COVID pandemic. He said he and a group of others, including lawmakers, visited Atlanta several times to convince EarthLink to expand to Southwest Virginia.
Although the facility is new, EarthLink has been operating in Wise County for more than two years and was temporarily operating at the Lonesome Pine Business and Technology Park in Wise during construction of the new facility.
The new building sits on a bluff above the intersection of two major four-lane highways, US 58 and US 23, which gave the industrial park its name. The building offers panoramic views of the Jefferson National Forest.
The industrial park has been in development for more than five years and is supported by numerous agencies and offices, including the Virginia Department of Energy, the Virginia Tobacco Commission, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, Miller said.
Over $25 million in grants were provided for the project.
The Intersection project covers a total of approximately 200 acres of former coal mining land, of which approximately 120 acres are developable. Four building sites are still available and data centers and light industry will be located.
The location of the building was made possible by the dismantling of a mining wall that remained on the site, Miller said.
The industrial park and building are owned by the Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority, which includes Lee, Wise, Scott and Dickenson counties and the city of Norton. The authority leases the building to EarthLink.
EarthLink, which fields inbound calls from customers with questions and those looking to upgrade their service, will serve as the industrial park’s anchor tenant, he added.
“When you build an industrial park, it’s always important to find an initial anchor tenant,” Miller said. “Then you’re not just an industrial park looking for people, you’re an industrial park with an anchor tenant, and EarthLink will be a wonderful anchor tenant.”
