Gateway Reporter

DRONEUP Comes to RBC

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced recently that DroneUp, LLC, a leading drone flight services innovator and aviation technology provider, will invest a total of $27.2 million to expand its headquarters in the City of Virginia Beach and establish a testing, training, and R&D center at Richard Bland College in Dinwiddie County. Virginia successfully competed with Arizona, New York, North Carolina, and Texas for the projects, which will create 655 new jobs. 

DroneUp will invest $7 million to expand its headquarters at 160 Newtown Road in Virginia Beach, creating 510 new jobs. The company will also invest $20.2 million to establish a new testing, training, and R&D center for drone operators at Richard Bland College, which will create 145 new jobs. 

In addition to the headquarters facility and training center, DroneUp plans to establish three drone hubs at Walmart locations in the Commonwealth this year. DroneUp recently announced a multi-year commercial services agreement with Walmart, Inc. to provide drone delivery services at 34 sites, providing the potential to reach 4 million U.S. households by the end of the year. Walmart has a minority stake in DroneUp and a seat on its board and in turn, DroneUp is the exclusive provider of drone services for Walmart. 

“This is an impressive and highly impactful project for Virginia Beach, Dinwiddie County, and beyond that represents a new age of technology for our society, and DroneUp is at the forefront of Unmanned Aircraft System development,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This homegrown Virginia company is transforming product delivery through its partnership with Walmart, and we are proud to partner with DroneUp as it extends its footprint across the Commonwealth and creates more than 650 cutting-edge jobs. The Commonwealth successfully competed against multiple states for this expansion project and I’m so proud of the multi-pronged effort to attract this investment to Virginia.” 

“DroneUp’s expansion in Virginia Beach and new testing, training, and R&D center at Richard Bland College is an exciting step forward for the unmanned systems industry in Virginia and serves as a model for higher education partnerships and economic development,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “With the second-highest concentration of tech workers in the nation and world-class education institutions, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to empower DroneUp’s continued success.” 

“The team at DroneUp couldn’t be happier with the support we’ve received from Governor Youngkin’s office and the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole over the years,” said Tom Walker, founder and CEO of DroneUp. “Virginia is our home, and we are proud to be able to continue to bring new innovation, talent, and economic opportunities to our great state. This investment and expansion will not only bring new career opportunities to our region, but also allow us to tap into the brightest minds around Unmanned Aircraft System development and design.” 

“We are beyond thrilled that DroneUp has decided to make Virginia Beach its corporate headquarters and expand their operations by bringing more than 500 new jobs to our community,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Robert M. “Bobby” Dyer. “Their expansion is the latest shining example in our city’s history of fostering an environment where businesses can thrive.” 

Original source can be found here