Web Parts LLC has relocated its computer programming, applications and data center operation to Danville from Guatemala. Web Parts enhances and promotes the use of Open Source Software allowing delivery of superior software products and services at substantial savings to businesses and consumers. The company will start with 10 positions, but it projects to provide 260 new jobs within three years.
The overall average wage of the jobs will be $65,000.
“We are hiring for several positions right now, especially several skilled computer programmers,” said Brad Mainland, who owns and operates the company with his wife, Priscila. “If you know anybody with good Java and PHP skills, please send them my way.”
The couple considered Michigan, Florida, West Virginia and Hawaii for their operation before choosing Danville as the place for their business. The capital investment for the project is $10 million.
The project would not have been possible without a $1 million Tobacco Commission Revitalization Opportunity Fund grant. The Tobacco Commission utilizes a formula to determine grant amounts. The number of jobs, wage levels and the company being involved in an information technology-related field helped build a case for a larger grant.
“The grant enables us to get started by purchasing computer and data center equipment,” Mainland said.
Mainland said he was impressed with the level of broadband infrastructure in Danville. “NDanville, Danville’s broadband network, provides me with extremely fast speeds for sending and receiving data, which is vital to the existence of my company. I am able to have two different providers for redundancy to ensure I am never completely down.”
Danville’s local network connects with the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, which today owns and manages more than 1,500 miles of fiber, connecting Virginia’s rural southern region to long-haul fiber stretching from Atlanta to Washington, D.C.
With access to broadband through nDanville and Mid-Atlantic Broadband, Delegate Danny Marshall said southern Virginia is becoming a technology hub for IT companies. “Our investments in infrastructure and job creating projects are paying off well in southern Virginia,” Marshall said.
Mayor Sherman Saunders echoed that statement in greeting Web Parts. “We warmly welcome Brad and Priscila to Danville,” Saunders said. “Web Parts LLC is another example of Danville’s investment in broadband infrastructure paying dividends by recently attracting several companies to the region, including Noblis, Ecomnets, and now Web Parts.”
The company has temporary space at the Masonic Temple on Main Street while it considers options for a final location. Employment inquiries may be directed to the company.
