Advantage Valley, Inc. secures $3.4 M grant for Vossloh Track Building

Advantage Valley, Inc. has announced a grant award of $3.4 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to spearhead the transformation of the Vossloh Track Building in Poca.

These funds will leverage an additional $1.9 million from the State of West Virginia. Interim financing will be provided by Poca Valley Bank. This substantial project is poised to revitalize the former manufacturing plant, and support job creation and private investment in the Advantage Valley region.

“This EDA investment will support infrastructure improvements at the former Vossloh Track Building that will grow economic opportunity, support job growth and spur private investment in Charleston,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a news release.

In 2023, Advantage Valley, Inc. entered into a contract to purchase the 118,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, known as the Vossloh Track Building. Advantage Valley expects to close on the property in approximately 60 days, and put a vacant, dilapidated building back into productive use by attracting good-paying manufacturing jobs to the region. Advantage Valley seeks one or more tenants for the building, after a projected 18 months of renovation.

“This project adds valuable inventory to the available sites for companies seeking to expand or relocate in this region,” Terrell Ellis, president & CEO of Advantage Valley, said in the release. “We recognized the demand for large manufacturing facilities and worked with our many partners to make this a priority project. This substantial investment will have a consequential impact on the region.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., echoed Raimondo’s support for the project.

Capito said she would “look forward to the positive impact it will have on the Charleston area for years to come.”

“The EDA continues to be a strong partner for bolstering West Virginia’s economy and this announcement is proof of that,” Manchin said. “Renovating the former Vossloh Track Building will create good-paying jobs and spur economic opportunity throughout the entire Metro Valley.”