VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Governor Ralph Northam announced that Premium-PPE, a manufacturer of AmeriShield branded masks and personal protective equipment, will be investing in Virginia Beach.
The company will invest $5.3 million to expand its operation in the City of Virginia Beach, Northam said. The company will purchase additional equipment to increase manufacturing capacity and meet growing demand, creating 180 new jobs in Virginia Beach.
“Throughout the course of this public health crisis, we have seen Virginia manufacturers like Premium-PPE adapt their business models to stay viable and help keep people safe,” said Governor Northam. “As we saw at the beginning of this global pandemic, without a dedicated supply chain for manufacturing masks and other personal protective equipment in the United States, we would be forced to rely on overseas shipments that are often hard to get and come with exorbitant prices. By growing its manufacturing capabilities, Premium-PPE will help support our present and future needs and continue to play a vital role in producing critical health care supplies for the Commonwealth and states across our country.”
News 3 visited Premium-PPE in June and September of 2020 as the company expanded.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Virginia Beach to secure the project for Virginia and will support Premium-PPE’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP). VJIP provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities. As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens, Gov. Northam’s announcement said.
Premium-PPE is a subsidiary of PremiumEstore, LLC, a leading manufacturer and distributor of consumer products to customers around the globe for the last 12 years. In March, PremiumEstore began operating as Premium-PPE and is now focusing solely on the production of personal protective equipment, shifting its full production to disposable face and surgical masks. The company made this shift in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has secured high-volume contracts. Currently, Premium-PPE has the ability to manufacture over 20 million disposable masks each month at its facility in Virginia Beach.
“Premium-PPE’s impressive evolution and creation of 180 new jobs is an important win for the City of Virginia Beach and the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “A shift to producing critical protective equipment in the United States is of utmost importance, and this Virginia company is answering the call. We are proud to call Premium-PPE a corporate partner and look forward to the company’s next phase of growth.”
“I was fortunate enough to tour this facility in the early days of its change to manufacturing masks and was impressed with the overall operation,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Robert M. “Bobby” Dyer. “Because Premium-PPE responded so quickly to an emergent need, it is making an important contribution to the greater effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the 180 jobs it is adding are a tremendous win, especially in this economy.”