The City of Richmond’s Resort Casino Evaluation Panel has reduced the shortlist of proposed resort casino projects being considered to Live! Casino & Hotel Richmond and ONE Casino + Resort.

The proposed Bally’s Richmond Casino Resort and the project’s proposed site of Parkway Crossings (Chippenham Parkway and Powhite Parkway) are no longer being considered by the Evaluation Panel.

“We appreciate Bally’s interest to develop a resort casino project in Richmond,” said Leonard Sledge, Director of the city’s Department of Economic Development.  “The Evaluation Panel is no longer considering the Bally’s project or the Parkway Crossings site for a resort casino due to concerns about site access, environmental factors, and required approvals from non-city entities that may not be granted or extend the project timeline.  We also appreciate the many Richmond citizens who have shared their thoughts throughout this process.”

The Evaluation Panel is continuing its evaluation of the remaining proposals and sites (Live! Casino & Hotel at 1301 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard and ONE Casino + Resort at 2001 Walmsley Boulevard).  Factors in the evaluation of the proposals include:  community impact and community benefits; location; direct revenue impact to the city; project feasibility and project sustainability; and economic development impact.

While the City has concluded its first two phases of community engagement, citizens are encouraged to continue to share their comments on the proposed resort casino projects. Comments can be emailed to econdev@richmondgov.com. The next phase of the city-led community engagement will start in May when the Evaluation Panel shares its recommended operator, location, and terms of the deal. The City has not promoted and is not participating in meetings convened by the two remaining respondents.

Information on the City’s resort casino competitive process can be found at https://www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.

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Grenova Inc. to invest $10.6 million to increase production of pipette tip cleaning, washing and sterilizing machines

Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Grenova Inc., a Virginia-based sustainable biotech firm that designs, develops, and manufactures devices that wash and sterilize contaminated pipette tips for reuse, will invest $10.6 million to expand in the City of Richmond. The company will relocate its operations from Manchester to a larger facility in Scott’s Addition and increase capacity with new production lines in response to the shortage of pipette tips used for COVID-19 testing. Governor Northam joined company leaders at the site of Grenova’s future location at 1900 Ellen Road to celebrate the project, which will add 250 new jobs over the next three years.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this homegrown sustainable biotech firm expanding and adding to its workforce in Richmond,” said Governor Northam. “It is remarkable to see Virginia’s innovative life sciences businesses quickly adapt and respond to critical needs as we fight this pandemic. Grenova is an emerging industry leader that has achieved exponential growth in a short time, and I applaud the company for leveraging its technology and expertise to address a global shortage and reduce environmental waste.”

Founded in Richmond in 2014, Grenova’s mission is to help lower costs and reduce biohazard waste by delivering groundbreaking approaches in dealing with plastic consumables. The company’s product, Tipnovus™ enables laboratories to wash and sanitize pipette tips for reuse numerous times, cutting associated consumable costs by up to 96 percent. Ten pipette tips are used to fully conduct one COVID-19 test, resulting in a worldwide shortage of the plastic consumable. Grenova’s technology allows healthcare systems to safely wash and reuse the pipette tips used for testing, which has helped to end pipette tip shortages and improve access to COVID-19 testing while making labs more environmentally friendly. Due to demand for Grenova’s products, the company has quadrupled in size in the last year. Grenova sells products from its Richmond facility to laboratories and distributors across the United States, as well as in Europe and Asia.

“This expansion project is an important win that will create 250 new, high-quality jobs and help improve Richmond’s standing as a life sciences hub,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “Grenova is a great success story for the Commonwealth, and we are confident the region will continue to provide the business climate and workforce needed for years to come.”

“Our growth is a sign that the world is ready to rethink, reimagine, and reinvent the way plastic consumables like pipette tips are washed and reused within the life sciences industry and beyond,” said Ali Safavi, Founder and CEO of Grenova. “We’re proud to make our bold solution possible from our expanded headquarters in Richmond thanks to the Commonwealth’s thriving ecosystem of world-class talent, resources, and infrastructure.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Richmond to secure the project for the Commonwealth. Grenova Inc. is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and funding and services to support the company’s employee recruitment and training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Grenova’s sustainable solution for lab testing consumable products is a premier example of how great ideas and ingenuity flourish in the City of Richmond,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “The City is thankful for the company’s capital investment and new job creation. Grenova’s new facility in Scott’s Addition demonstrates that entrepreneurial and life science ecosystems in Richmond are strong and continue to have a far-reaching impact.”

“The expansion of Grenova Inc. is wonderful news for Richmond,” said Congressman Donald McEachin. “Creating jobs and reducing biohazardous waste are two critical goals that are good for Richmond and for the Commonwealth. Once again, Virginia leads the way.”

“I am so pleased to see Grenova’s expansion to its new and larger facility in Scott’s Addition,” said Senator Ghazala Hashmi. “Grenova’s introduction of innovative technologies helps to address the global shortage of pipette tips during this pandemic and also highlights how we can reduce biohazard waste. This expansion will bring exciting new jobs opportunities and further talent development in Richmond.”

“I am happy to hear that Grenova Inc. will be expanding its operations in the City of Richmond,” said Delegate Jeffrey Bourne. “The work that the company is doing to reuse pipette tips is an essential cog in the machine that is our COVID-19 response. Grenova’s presence in Richmond continues to provide important jobs as well as contributes to Richmond’s status as a place for innovation and growth.”

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The Stoney Administration has informed the three remaining respondents to the city’s Resort Casino RFQ/P that the city will not consider alternative sites to the primary site identified in their proposals.

“The city has been consistent throughout the Resort Casino RFQ/P process in its evaluation of a single site submitted by each respondent to the RFQ/P. The operator and site go hand in hand,” said Leonard Sledge, Director of the Department of Economic Development.

While the city has concluded its first two phases of community engagement, citizens are encouraged to continue to share their comments on the proposed resort casino projects. Comments can be emailed to econdev@richmondgov.com. The next phase of the city-led community engagement will start in May when the Evaluation Panel shares its recommended operator, location, and terms of the deal. The city has not promoted and is not participating in meetings convened by the three remaining respondents.

Information on the city’s resort casino competitive process can be found at https://www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.

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The City of Richmond has scheduled the next virtual community meetings to report on the public comments received since March 2021 on resort casinos and proposed resort casino projects and locations. The meetings will take place on Thursday, April 8, at 6:00pm, and Friday, April 9, at 12:00pm. The meetings will be held via MS Teams and will feature the same presentation.

Thursday, April 8 at 6:00pm

MS Teams Link: http://bit.ly/APR82021

Join via Phone: 1 804-316-9457

Conference ID: 478 604 710#

Friday, April 9 at 12:00pm

MS Teams Link: http://bit.ly/APR92021

Join via Phone: 1 804-316-9457

Conference ID: 175 675 932#

Videos of the two virtual meetings, the digital community engagement, and more information about the Resort Casino RFQ/P process can be found at www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.

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