THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120464
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Motorola Inc. will build a $3 billion plant in Goochland County that could employ up to 5,000 workers, company officials said Tuesday.
Motorola executives said they have signed an option to buy 230 acres about 15 miles from downtown Richmond for the semiconductor plant.
``Motorola represents the chance for us to make Virginia an economic leader in these industries of the future,'' said Robert T. Skunda, state secretary of commerce and trade.
No date has been set for construction, but company officials said that hiring for the first 1,000 jobs could start in a year. About 4,000 jobs ultimately would be available for job-seekers within the state, with 1,000 workers coming from other company sites.
``People should be proud,'' said Paul J. Shimp, a Motorola senior vice president who heads its semiconductor business. ``We looked at over 300 sites'' around the United States.
The deal faces several hurdles, including a proposed $60 million state grant to Motorola over a five-year period that requires General Assembly approval.
The General Assembly also must approve a $16 million grant to help develop an ``electronics manufacturing curriculum'' at the proposed school of engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Also, Virginia has offered a $4.6 million tax credit and $5 million for training at local schools and community colleges.
The incentives for Motorola add up to $85.6 million. Skunda said Motorola will pay back the incentives in less than three years through taxes from the company and from hiring employees.
The company also must obtain water, sewer and environmental permits for the project.
Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola is a $22 billion-a-year electronics giant and the nation's leading maker of semiconductors, the fingernail-size electronic circuits that serve as the ``brains'' of everything from computers to pagers. by CNB