JES Plans Major Expansion and Product Diversification in Virginia Beach

April 15, 2014

JES, a leading engineering solutions company that specializes in the design and installation of foundation support systems, has announced plans to relocate its Virginia Beach headquarters and expand its KBH Business Management Systems Division. The company, established in 1993, recently purchased 1741 Corporate Landing Parkway, a 45,000-square-foot office building in Corporate Landing Business Park, and will move both functions to this facility.

KBH Business Management Systems, the software development division of JES, was launched in 2009 to develop BizWiz, an online operating system for the construction industry. KBH has plans to add 33 new jobs with average annual salaries of $94,000. The new location will provide 10,000 square feet of space for customer and employee training and 13,000 square feet for new computer and software programmers, marketers and customer service professionals.

“JES is another great example of the level of success businesses are finding in Virginia Beach,” said Warren D. Harris, director of Virginia Beach Economic Development. “The city retains 119 employees with this relocation, and 33 new high-salary jobs will be added. The city is excited to welcome JES and KBH to Corporate Landing Business Park, which is a demonstrated technology destination with such innovative companies as GEICO, Liberty Tax Services and Lockheed Martin.”

The company will make a $4 million investment in the expansion that includes $2.5 million for the real estate purchase and $1.5 million for the buildout. The Virginia Beach Development Authority has awarded an Economic Development Investment Program grant in the amount of $75,000 to JES based on the number of jobs created.

“The assistance provided by the Economic Development Department definitely contributes to the success we have had as a small company headquartered in Virginia Beach,” said Jesse Waltz, P.E., owner and president of JES. “While the grant will help with our workforce development efforts, the city is a tremendous partner in keeping us aware of potential new opportunities to keep growing our business.”

Corporate Landing Business Park is a 325-acre Class A office, light-industrial, research and development and mixed-use area. JES will join other corporate headquartered companies such as Liberty Tax and the regional headquarters of GEICO. The park is located five miles from Interstate 264. There are 125 acres currently available for development in the park.

JES provides engineered solutions for foundation repair, underpinning, basement waterproofing and crawl space moisture control. The Virginia Beach-headquartered business has been included in the Virginia Chamber of Commerce “Fantastic 50” list of the 50 fastest growing companies in Virginia in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In addition to several worldwide industry awards for sales, JES has been included among the Best Places to Work in Hampton Roads. The company operates out of Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northeastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.jeswork.com.

The mission of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development is to attract and retain national and international businesses to stimulate capital investment and create jobs. Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia with a population of 440,000, and it is the 37th largest in the United States. It is recognized as one of the Best Run Cities in America by 24/7 Wall St. The Department of Economic Development received re-accreditation through the International Economic Development Council in 2012 and is one of only 29 economic development organizations in the world to have this recognition. Virginia Beach has been recognized as the Top 7 Big City Leading the U.S. Manufacturing Revival by Forbes. It is listed among the Top Five Overall Mid-sized American Cities of the Future, Top 10 for Economic Potential and Top Five for Infrastructure by fDi Magazine. CNNMoney.com ranked Virginia Beach as the Easiest Place to Start a Business and the 2nd Most Business-Friendly City in the country. For more information, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com.

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